Course History
The YBRA field course was operated continuously by Princeton University from 1933 until 1991; in 1992 administration of the course was transferred to the University of Pennsylvania. For nearly 70 years now this program has met the requirement established by many geology departments for a comprehensive and challenging course in geologic field methods.
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Course Objectives and Curriculum
This course is designed to enable undergraduate geology majors to learn how geologic problems are defined and addressed in the field, to bring their growing technical skills to focus on a series of such field problems, and to test whether the intellectually challenging and physically demanding life style of the field geologist is consistent with their personal career aspirations.
The course stresses basic field techniques, including mapping on topographic base and air photos. Students will be introduced to the use of hand-held Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology to complement the task of fixing positions by reference to topo maps and air photos in the field. Emphasis is on structural geology in independent mapping, and includes problems in both sedimentary and metamorphic terrains at reconnaissance and detailed scales. On several short trips the class reviews the regional geology of the Bighorn Basin, surrounding mountain ranges, and the Yellowstone volcanic province. Because field training is a desirable experience early in a geologist's career, we encourage students to take a field course as soon as possible after they have identified their interest in geology. Thus, prerequisites are few: a course in introductory geology and either mineralogy, structural geology, or stratigraphy. The course operates on a full six-day week, is graded, and is regarded as equivalent to one full course unit, or three semester hours, at participating institutions.
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The Camp
The course is based at the Yellowstone-Bighorn Research Association (YBRA) Camp near Red Lodge, a small town in southwest Montana. Field courses from Southern Illinois University, Pennsylvania State University, and other institutions are resident at YBRA during the summer. The camp also accommodates faculty and graduate students conducting research nearby, and is the site of alumni gatherings from several colleges.
Lectures, labs, and informal discussion sessions are held in the large classroom buildings designed and constructed for those purposes. Recreational facilities at the camp are limited; there is a volleyball court, a ping pong table, and a horseshoe pitch, but the camp adjoins the Custer National Forest and offers unlimited opportunities for hiking, jogging, and other physical-fitness endeavors.
In addition to the Lodge, in which the lounge, dining room, and kitchen are located, the camp includes cabins and dorms scattered among the pines and aspen for as many as 80 faculty, students, and staff. Two modern bath house facilities are located adjacent to sleeping accommodations, which are rustic but comfortable.
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The Faculty
The field-course faculty is drawn from the ranks of college and university geology teachers who conduct field research in the northern Rocky Mountains. Students from 22 schools participated in the course in 2006, and were taught by faculty from University of Massachusetts; University of Montana, Dillon; University of Memphis; Rocky Mountain College; Grand Valley State; and Washington University, St. Louis. In recent years, this program has enrolled students from Amherst, Chiba (Japan), Duke, Franklin & Marshall, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Mount Holyoke, Penn, Princeton, U. of Maryland, U. of the South, Washington & Lee, Wesleyan, Whitman, Williams, and Yale, to name a few. By working with students and faculty from a number of institutions, participants in the course are exposed to a variety of ideas and teaching strategies, and are able to focus their objectives for graduate study with the benefit of broader experience.
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Session Dates for 2007
Session I will be held June 5 - July 10, 2007
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Tuition and Costs
Tuition, fees, travel, and living expenses at the field station will be $2,700 in 2007. This amount will not include:
1) travel to and from Red Lodge
2) cost of meals during 5 days out of camp
3) cost of lunch while at Western Montana College.
Prior experience indicates that students should bring $200 to buy meals for three field days in Yellowstone National Park, and lunch for eight days in Dillon, MT.
Financial aid is not available directly from the course. Some students who would ordinarily qualify for finandal aid on the basis of need have been able to transfer part of their financial-aid packages from their home institutions; others have been able to acquire scholarship loans. Contact the financial-aid officer at your school for more information.
Each student in the course must be covered by a family, individual, or student health-insurance policy.
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Scholarship Opportunities
The National Association of Geology Teachers (NAGT) offers partial financial assistance ($500) for field-camp participants. Applications for NAGT scholarships are available online.
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Eligibility
The course is intended for those committed to, or considering, a professional career in a branch of the Earth sciences. Preference is given to applicants in the sophomore and junior years who have completed courses in introductory geology and either mineralogy, structural geology, or stratigraphy. You need not be a University of Pennsylvania student to participate.
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Acceptance and Admission
You can fill out and submit the online application form or contact us at the address below for a paper copy of the application. Applications for 2007 are still being accepted.
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