Rocky roads lead to geology credits
by KC Jones, reporter

    As summer approaches, many students imagine themselves surrounded by high mountains and dense forest one day, then basking in the desert landscape the next.

    They think about spending evenings reflecting on the day’s events, sharing experiences with people who will become an intimate group gathered to watch the flames flicker and leap from the campfire.

    This wilderness experience isn’t just a vacation; it’s classroom credit in the great outdoors. The Central Rocky Mountains mini-course covers historical, physical and environmental geology as well as camping.

    This description might sound like a scene from CBS’s Survivor. However, far from roughing it, participants have three delicious meals and the comforts of the country’s best campgrounds.

    Limited to 12 students, the course, offered by NE Campus, runs June 4 through July 10. Enrollment has begun.

    The field course costs $750 plus tuition and fees. The first half is due by April 27, the remainder by June 3.

    Students can earn seven credits for Geology of the Central Rockies, GEOL 2462; Environ-mental Geology, GEOL 2361; and Camping, PHED 1174.

    Destinations will include Royal Gorge, Great Sand Dunes National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park, Arches National Park, and Dinosaur National Monument.

    A detailed schedule is listed in the brown brochure found on NE Campus bulletin boards.

    Dr. Clair Ossian, professor of natural sciences, has been an instructor for this course many times and believes it is important to visit the places he lectures on during his geology courses.

    “What really amazes the students is the grand scale of the geological features,” he said. “To actually stand on a ridge and look out over a glacial valley or visit sites where ancient people once lived is one of the great thrills of being outdoors. “

    This trip is part science and part soul. It gives the students a chance to learn about nature while being in tune with it,” he said.

    For additional information on this course, contact Ossian at 817-515-6565 or Gary Smith, department chair and professor of natural sciences, at 817-515-6547.