Where did you attend field camp?
Turkey. It was run through South Dakota School of Mines.
What did receiving the J. David Lowell Field Camp Scholarship mean to you?
It meant that I did not have to take out any more student loans in order to finish my degree and graduate. I already have student loans that I have taken out for my education, and field camp is really expensive; if I hadn’t had the support, I would have had to take even more loans out. The support eased my financial burden and let me be able to enjoy the course without worrying about finances.
What did that experience teach you about the geosciences, yourself, and your future career?
It really helped bring everything I had learned in my classes altogether. It was amazing to be able to see things I had only ever seen in a textbook in real life. It showed me how much goes into being a geologist—and what it takes to be a field geologist. It helped me confirm what I did and did not like about geology—and that helped me feel more confident about my future plans. I learned that I don’t like the heat that much, but I am really good at identifying slickenlines and finding fossils. I learned that I can be a leader, and am good at contributing to a group. It helped me realize the things that I love about geology and am excited to continue studying for my career—earthquake hazards.
What opportunities did attending field camp provide that you wouldn’t have had otherwise?
Meeting new people from different universities and making new friends. Traveling to a new place. Experiencing a new culture and enjoying the foods, activities, and people of this area. I was able to see amazing geological formations caused by the North Anatolian fault and see things I had only seen in textbooks in real-life. This camp was the best part of my summer, and I am so glad I was able to go. I can’t thank you enough for your support. It was such an amazing experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
In your opinion, how important is field camp for geoscience students?
I think it is really important. It brings everything together, and you start to understand why you had to learn certain things. For example, I was required to take a paleobiology course and I had a hard time in it. I wanted to drop the class, and I didn’t see the point in it because I was never going to deal with fossils ever again. But once I got to the field camp, I was able to recognize fossils, and found graptolites—which are hundreds of millions of years old!!! I think without field camp, I would feel a lot less qualified; I felt like this was the capstone to my degree—the final step to becoming a geologist. I felt like I learned so much and have a better understanding of geology as a whole now. I used sedimentology, structural geology, mineralogy, petrology, field geology, and paleobiology, and put the skills I had learned from those classes to use. I think field experience for a geoscience student is a must. You have to go and see, touch, measure, and analyze the things you are learning in the classroom in the field.
Why should individuals support field camp opportunities for students?
Without support, it makes it a lot more difficult for some of us to be able to attend field camps. For my degree, it was a requirement to be able to graduate. Without a field camp, I would not have a degree. Without support, it means completing my education would have been a LOT more expensive, and the support eased the financial burden for me. Field camp also provides such amazing and fun experiences for the students. I really enjoyed my time and loved all the people that I met, and it is an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. Thank you so much for your support, I am so grateful for the opportunity it provided for me.
