Summer Geology Camp
LSU offers a special program of study for entering
LSU freshmen studying
petroleum
engineering: the LSU Summer Geology Camp. The camp is located near
Colorado Springs in the Rocky Mountains. Students spend 6 weeks at the
field camp and on camping trips to points of geological interest.
Sites may include western Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park, Rocky
Mountain National Park, Bandelier and Great Sand Dunes National
Monuments, as well as Arches, Canyon lands, and Mesa Verde National
Park.
We introduce students to geology
with an emphasis on the physical processes that produce earth
materials and landforms, and the evolutionary development of the earth
and its biological systems through time. The program includes daily
lectures and laboratory demonstrations, but concentrates on outdoor
student-oriented activities. The
15 to 20 participants will stay in rustic dormitory cabins. Separate
dorm and shower facilities are available for men and women. We are
completely equipped with a modern shower house, flushing toilets, and
free washers and dryers. Meals are prepared and served in a modern
mess hall. Because LSU students are used to a unique cuisine, our camp
chef always ships in several coolers of frozen crab, shrimp, crawfish,
and andouillé, in order to prepare the various gumbos, jambalayas, and
étouffees that we enjoy each week. For 6 weeks students live geology,
and learn to work together as a team in order to complete various
geological projects.The field camp is located in the
foothills of the Colorado Front Range, about 6 miles south of the city
limits of Colorado Springs, and 1/2 mile west of Colorado Highway 115.
The camp consists of 1300 acres that was originally the old Keeton
Ranch; homesteaded by the Keeton family in the late 1800's. At this
site, LSU has conducted the oldest, continuously running geology field
camp in the United States. In the 1920's LSU began leasing the land
until 1954 when it was purchased. The site was selected because of its
quality and diversity of geology. We designed the program to be
academically rigorous and moderately physically challenging. We are
certain that you are up to the intellectual demands of the course, but
we urge you to get in good physical condition. Short hikes in
moderately mountainous terrain are a daily fact of camp life. Coming
up from near sea-level to the camp elevation of 6200 feet is somewhat
difficult for both students and faculty, but nearly everyone adjusts
in a few days.
Once
at the camp, the schedule will include daily lectures, laboratory
sessions, either indoors or in the field, and frequent half to full
day trips to localities of geologic interest. In addition, we plan to
take the entire group on several trips that will involve overnight
camping. If you have never camped before, relax -- we do not require
any previous experience, the staff is very experienced and extremely
competent in assuring that even novices will have a good time on these
trips.In addition to the academic
aspects of the course, students will be given adequate time to explore
some of the delights of Colorado Springs and the Pike's Peak region.
Occasionally, we will take the group swimming or ice-skating, or into
town to enjoy a movie, shopping, or junk food. At camp, when students
are not going to class, hiking, studying, eating, sleeping, or
showering there will be round robin tournaments in basketball,
volleyball, and horseshoes. If there is any time left over, you may
even want to do your laundry.
Students earn 8 credit hours in the following
geology courses.
- Physical Geology (3 credit hrs) Physical Geology Lab (1 credit hr) Historical Geology (3 credit hrs)
- Historical Geology Lab (1 credit hr)
What a great way to start your college career at
LSU!
The Craft & Hawkins Department
of Petroleum Engineering invites students with an ACT score of 25 or a
SAT score of 1120 to apply for a full scholarship to attend the camp
by completing the form below.A limited number of slots exist
for the summer camp. Please let us know if you are interested as soon
as possible. We will send additional information to those that express
an interest in attending the camp.
Contact Frederick Thurber
Email: fthurbe@lsu.edu
Phone: 225-578-6058
Fax: 225-578-6039 |
