GEOSCHOLARSHIP

Catalog description

The goal of this class is to learn how to function as a geoscientist engaged in the relentless pursuit of knowledge. This course aims to benefit students in professional development, preparation for advanced courses, and senior thesis research and writing. The most important topic is peer-reviewed scientific literature, the currency of science. Recognizing, accessing, databasing, annotating, writing about, summarizing, critically discussing, and correctly citing peer-reviewed papers are the principal activities. There will be regular assigned activities involving much reading, writing, presenting, and discussion. Other topics will include professionalism, gathering data, how to handle specimens and data, publishing, talking to the media, what graduate programs are looking for and how to approach them, and participation in scientific meetings. There will be a major final paper due during exam week (and no exams). This will be a review article written in the style of a top review journal series such as Annual Reviews. For grading, simply, the strongest possible participation, enthusiasm, completeness, and quality of work is expected at all times, and the professor's perception of this is what the grade will be based on, with a heavy weighting from the term paper. Students will receive comments and other feedback all the way through that will make it clear how they are progressing, and the term paper will receive a formal grade.