Urban Field Camp (GEOL-G 420 Regional Geology Field Trip) is a new concept in education — a field-based experience for students to learn and do hands-on, minds-in, and community-engaged impactful work in the urban setting of Indianapolis.
This course will prepare students from a range of disciplines—including but not limited to earth sciences, geology, environmental chemistry, sustainability, public health, and environmental law—for careers where science and society come together.
Urban Field Camp is a three-credit course taught over four weeks.
We will work at city sites in Indianapolis, characterize the materials making up the land, and investigate how materials can change over space and time, and how people are a key part of the environment.
We welcome undergraduate students entering junior or senior years and beginning graduate students of appropriate majors with a focus on the Earth.
While there are no specific course requirements, students are expected to have completed several advanced courses in their field of study.
The course will be taught during the first summer session.
Urban Field Camp is not a residential experience. Students will be expected to find housing (if needed) on their own. Assistance is available through campus housing.
Questions and inquiries can be sent to Dr. Greg Druschel – gdrusche@iu.edu.
Using field and lab techniques, teamwork and organizational skills, and data management and interpretation, we will explore many factors affecting the earth and human interactions with our environment.
Hydrogeology — hydrology, water scarcity, wetland delineation, glacial deposits and aquifers, field water chemistry, groundwater and contamination, fluid flow.
Fundamentals of surface and subsurface geology — structural geology, stratigraphy, 3-D mapping, sedimentology, geomorphology, geochemistry, geophysics, geodesy, subsurface relationships.
Environmental science — environmental policy, environmental concepts, risk assessments, environmental management, remediation.
Earth systems — Earth as an integrated system with people & society, renewables and recycling, resources and sustainability.
Earth materials — minerals, rocks, water, chemicals, anthropogenic materials soils, microbiology, plant ID, botany, ecology, microbiology, dust, atmosphere, heat flow.
Climate change and climate science — climate change, global warming, physics of climate, climate solutions.
Environmental justice — Earth system functions and disproportionate impacts, mitigation and action planning/ community coordination.