Rocking opportunity awaits mountain-loving adventurers
by KC Jones, feature editor

    The summer field geology course is an experience of a lifetime, or so believes the instructor.

   Fans of the reality-based TV show Survivor have an idea what it must be like for 16 people to travel together for 16 days in a large passenger van, camping while learning first-hand about geology in the Central Rockies.

   Now students have the opportunity to experience that reality-based adventure when the NE Campus offers a geology trip with credit this summer.

   Not only do the students learn what events cause the land to look a certain way, they also have a life lesson in sociology while perhaps learning about themselves.

   Students from different backgrounds and ways of life will come together to share an incredibly beautiful experience of learning and exploration, Dr. Clair Ossian, professor of geology on NE Campus, believes.

   Ossian thinks it really helps a student to learn when all the senses are involved in the process.

   “The eyes see the glacial carved mountains that the mind has read about in the textbook, the ears have heard about during the on-site lecture and the body can feel the wind blowing from off the mountains,” he said.

   Ossian will even invite the student to taste the rock to determine the sediment size and identify the rock.

   In the great outdoors, treasures abound, waiting to be discovered.

   Many students find beautiful rocks and fossils to add to their collection.
Some collect and press flowers; others take pictures while some are inspired to write poetry or songs.

   Every student is required to keep a journal that reveals what the student is learning and contains the answers to questions on daily worksheets.

   Although the course is a great chance to visit beautiful places and shop the quaint tourist shops, the most important benefit is the knowledge gained, Ossian said.

   Many students have visited these places before, but now they know how an arch in Arches National Park is formed.

   They learn how dinosaur bones are excavated.

   They learn how to work together as a team in camp and how to try and adapt to a different way of life, Ossian said.

   Hiking and climbing on rocks, swimming in mountain lakes and building campfires are first-time experiences for many students.

   Some students experience leaving their families for the first time.

   The summer geology course to the Central Rockies is a unique growth experience that touches the body, mind and soul, Ossian said.

   This year’s Central Rocky Mountains mini-course will be May 13-June 7.

   The class is scheduled so that students return before the Summer I session begins.

   An added bonus will be having two professors present on the trip.

   Ossian, who has been running the trip for years, is grooming Hayden Chasteen to eventually take over the summer program.

   Having two seasoned geology specialists should provide even more of a chance for students to understand geology, Ossian said.

   Students earn up to eight hours of credit for Geology 2462, Environmental Geology 2316 and Physical Education/Camping 1174, Ossian said.

   The fee of $750 includes airfare, campground fees, meals and access fees for parks.

   Tuition is paid separately, and students will want to bring spending money for personal purchases.

   The study of historical, physical and environmental geology takes the class to some of America’s more scenic locations including Garden of the Gods, Great Sand Dunes National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park, Ship Rock, Arches National Park and Flaming Gorge while traveling through Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.

   For more information, brochures and posters have been put on bulletin boards around campus.

   Ossian is available to answer questions at 817-515-6565 or e-mail at clastic@metronet.com.

   Space is limited to 14 students, so Ossian recommends reserving space by paying a deposit now.