A Capstone Course in Environmental Geosciences

Abstract

Many geology departments have increased the number and scope of environmental courses they offer, or even instituted new majors, in response to changing student interests and the increasing demand for environmental professionals with geoscience skills. The geology major typically includes a senior capstone course that integrates material covered in other coursework; however, most traditional capstone courses were not designed with environmental applications of geosciences in mind. At Purdue University, we have developed a capstone course specifically for our Environmental Geosciences major. This projects-based course stresses small-group identification, analysis, and solution of real-world geo-environmental problems at a local scale. This mimics work a student might later perform as a consultant, in an interdisciplinary graduate research team, or in an industrial- or government-agency setting. The course focuses on use of existing knowledge drawn from past coursework, rapid acquisition of new project-related skills and knowledge, professional-level presentation in written and oral forms, real-world problem identification, teamwork skills, working under tight deadlines, and provision of products or solutions appropriate for a client. This prepares students for the immediate demands of post-college employment, as well as developing lifelong learning skills to respond to evolving future needs. Students consider this a challenging course but respond well to the collaborative, service-learning framework as a transition to post-college employment.