WINTER 2008 SEMESTER OPENING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dear Geology & Earth Science Education Students,

We hope that you will find the information below useful in planning coming semesters and participating in the department. We encourage you to bookmark the important links below or keep this e-mail in a place where you can find it when you need it.

Calendar Information. The Department opening social will be held on Thurs. Jan 24th from 5-6 pm in ROM 145. At the opening social, we get to know each other, enjoy pizza together, honor department awardees, and answer student questions. University calendar information (academic deadlines, etc.) is located here:

[http://web.byui.edu/Calendar/]

Other important department calendar items (e.g., geology society events, seminar dates) can be found at the websites described below.

Geology Seminars. Every semester the department hosts a Geology Seminar Series. The purpose of the seminars is to expose you to new science and scientists. These seminars are a significant and important part of your education. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to expand your horizons. They are a great way learn, get great advice, and meet potential advisors. (The majors courses you take will require that you attend these seminars.) The semester’s Geology Seminar schedule is found here:

[http://www.byui.edu/geology/forums.htm]

Department Course Offerings. A semester-by-semester listing of the courses offered by the department over the next several years is located here:

[http://www.byui.edu/geology/course offerings.htm]

This information is critical to your planning. Feel free to express your opinion about when a particular course could be offered to help you meet your goals. If there are enough students who express a similar need, we will try to accommodate it. The course schedule becomes unchangeable about a semester and a half before that semester begins. So, you need to express your opinion early.

• There are two new courses that you’ll want to take note of. The first course, Geol 340: Introduction to GIS/GPS, will replace Geog 230: Introduction to GIS in the Geology curriculum. It will be offered each fall and will be taught by Sister Willis, who recently joined our faculty. For students who are just beginning our program, this will be a required course that will be taken during the same semester that students take Geol 350 (i.e., during the sophomore year). For those who have not taken a GIS course yet, we encourage you to take this one, instead of Geog 230—since Geol 340 is geared to what our majors need.

• The second course is Geol 425: Introduction to Petroleum Geology, which will be taught by Bro. Lovell. It will be offered once a year and will alternate between W & S semesters. It will be offered for the first time S09.

Academic Advising. Each of you should have an academic plan. If you have not already done so or if your current plan is out of date, we strongly encourage you to create/modify your plan. Make sure you allow your advisor to check your plan for errors and help ensure your plan will prepare you to meet your career goals. While we recognize that your plan will likely change multiple times during your undergraduate education, we also know that operating without a plan is risky and could cause you to delay graduation. Create a plan early in your education and keep it up to date.

Student Geology Society / AAPG Student Chapter. As you are probably already aware, the department has a Student Geology Society (that doubles as the AAPG Student Chapter). Plan on being involved. The society sponsors activities geared toward fostering camaraderie between our majors and providing enriching educational experiences. Further information is
found here:

[http://www.byui.edu/geology/geosociety.htm]

Department Employment Opportunities. We hire many Geology and Earth Science Education majors to work in the department as lab assistants, teaching assistants, faculty assistants, and research assistants, or to carry out department projects. To work for the department, you must typically have completed Geol 250 or 350. If you meet those requirements and are interested, contact Sister Mitchell in the department office. (Occasionally—especially during Spring semester, we can hire those who have only completed Geol 111.)

Scholarship Opportunities . Department scholarships and awards are administered each semester. Further information about the awards is found here:

[http://www.byui.edu/geology/scholarships.htm]

University financial aid information is found here:

[http://www.byui.edu/FinancialAid/]

There are more financial aid opportunities available than most students realize. We encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities for financial support that are available. If you have questions about the departmental awards, speak with Sister Nielson.

Internship Opportunities. Internship opportunities are numerous. Advertisements for those opportunities that we receive through the mail are posted on the bulletin board across the hallway from the department office. Other opportunities are posted here:

[http://www.byui.edu/geology/internships.htm]

Periodically, we will send internship announcements (usually those that are time-sensitive) to you via your campus e-mail account. Other Career Job Postings can be found at

[http://www.byui.edu/geology/careerlinks.htm]

Research Opportunities. One of the great opportunities of your undergraduate education is to work on a mentored student research project with one of our faculty. Talk with faculty to discover the specific research projects that are available. Some faculty list these projects on their website.

Reminders. Please remember:

• To only allow department majors in ROM 143 & 149. If you’re studying with a group that includes non-major students, please use ROM 141 or 158 (if it is available).
• To care for our department facilities. If you see that something needs to be fixed or that a door has been left open, be proactive in helping us care for our department facilities.
• That the food area in ROM 143 needs to be kept clean. Food should not be stored in the refrigerator for prolonged periods of time.
• To maintain sufficient space in your campus e-mail account to receive the messages that we send you.
• Bro. Jordan and Matt Cannady are currently working to improve our website. If you find something that doesn’t work, is out of date, or does not provide the information that you think it should, be patient, but let one of them know so that they can fix/update it.

Other. Miscellaneous items follow:

Our museum will soon contain a didactic saltwater aquarium wherein we will build a reef community. It will be wonderful to be able to look at live reef communities alongside fossil reef communities. We’ll need student help setting up and maintaining the aquarium. If you are interested, let Bro. Little know.

What a wonderful environment we enjoy in the department! Much of this results from your efforts to get to know, enjoy, and support one another. Keep up the great work! Know that we care about and desire to help you each of you.

Warm Regards,

The Faculty & Staff of the Geology Department