>>ANDRES ASLAN: One of the really exceptional
aspects of going to school here at Colorado
Mesa University is that you go on many, many
field trips.
We use our natural setting to great advantage
and provide our students with lots of field
opportunities.
All of our lower division classes, all of
our upper divistion classes are very field-oriented.
In fact, we have some classes that are nothing
but field trips and field work.
So for students who really like to be outside
and learn about geology from a hands-on perspective,
this is a great place to study.
>>RICK LIVACCARI: CMU is very close to a lot
of these great field locations, like here
in the Colorado National Monument and there's
plenty of other locations we can go to, like
the Bookcliffs.
>>REX COLE: This is an optimum place to teach
geology.
We can in 15 minutes be out in the outcrops
that other universities might even take the
weekend to get to.
>>ASLAN: The students aren't only exposed
to field work in their senior year.
They start in the early classes as freshmen
and they continue to have field experiences
as sophomores, juniors, seniors throughout
their entire career.
This is an absolutely wonderful place to come
and study geology.
>>JENNIFER GRAHAM: You can't ask for a better
place because we talk about theories in the
classroom and then we go out side very close
by and put our hands on everything.
You just can't ask for a better classroom
than here in Grand Junction, Colorado.
>>GIGI RICHARD: At Colorado Mesa University
in the geosciences program we have the advantage
of having really small class size, so students
get to have a lot of interaction with the
faculty and get to do research projects with
faculty.
And in the upper division courses, class sizes
remain small so they have a lot of interaction
with faculty.
>>LIVACCARI: We definitely have rigorous courses
in mineralogy and igneous and metamorphic
petrology where students identify both mineral
samples and rock samples in the lab.
The best thing about this area is that not
only can they identify minerals in the lab
but we can also take them out into the field
so they can find minerals on their own out
in the field, which is pretty exciting stuff.
>>RICHARD: Geographic Information Systems
is a really powerful tool in the geosciences
and a lot of our students and faculty use
GIS in their research projects and in their
student projects associated with classes.
>>VERNER JOHNSON: After they gather data from
the field, they go to the GIS lab and construct
a contra map using Arc GIS as you see in this
example and they will be able to do some interpretation
of the mechanic anomaly.
>>JONATHAN COOLEY: The valley in which Colorado
Mesa University sits is created by rock layers
that are really world-reknowned for fossils.
In particular these layers back here are loaded
with vertebrate fossils.
It's so easy to be at a fossil locality within
20 minutes of campus.
There's really opportunities for students
to study these fossil-bearing layers in detail
and get their work out there.
>>RICHARD: In the geosciences program we also
have a watershed science minor program which
allows students to focus their studies in
the water-related sciences.So students will
take classes in hydrology, in groundwater,
in river dynamics, water quality, and it allows
students in the geosciences who want to have
a focus in hydrology and watershed science
to certify that they've focused their studies
in that direction.
We also have a Water Center that provides
some extra opportunities for students interested
in water to do some focused research with
faculty related to water.
>>COLE: We are of course in the energy epicenter
of western Colorado and eastern Utah, so we
have a lot of rocks that are the main producing
intervals for petroleum.
>>MARISA BORAAS: Having the geology around
here that we do, there's an opportunity to
really focus on sedimentary rocks and especially
looking at their implications for oil and
gas.
Having that in our backyard, it makes a huge
difference.
>>COLE: I'm involved with a project on the
Mancos Shale.
The Mancos Shale is a unit that is underneath
this building.
We're just trying to understand in a context
that people in industry will take notice.
We want to develop better ties with the petroleum
industry, which will mean better jobs for
our students.
>>BORAAS: Being here, we have courses in which
we actually get an opportunity to see a little
bit of what industry work is like.
Logging cores, looking at oil samples and
well logs.
>>COLE: It's interesting how many upperclassmen
have had some experience within the context
of the oil and gas industry.
Some of them are currently working for various
service companies.
>>ANNA DUNN: There's a lot of companies here
that do geological services and so it's a
great opportunity for internships while you're
still at school and immediate employment afterwards.
>>BORAAS: Research is one of the big reasons
that I've really enjoyed being at CMU.
I've had so many opportunities to do fieldwork
in Wyoming and Utah.
Professors actually encourage us to do our
own research and go out into the field and
do our own projects.
>>JEFF HRNCIR: Last semester I started a research
project up in southwestern Wyoming and this
semester, I'm actually trying to publish that
research for the first time so that's a pretty
exciting process.
>>ASLAN: These kinds of activities will not
only help you while you're here at Mesa and
further your geological career, but the types
of skills you learn in terms of being able
to work in groups or independently solve questions.
These types of skills will help you no matter
what you do after you leave Colorado Mesa.
