ESCI5805: Standards and Practices for Professional Geoscienists

This course is meant to provide students with a clear understanding of the standards and practices regularly used by Geoscience professionals in industry and agency. The course builds on the foundational knowledge offered through the core curriculum of the Earth Sciences undergraduate major, and fills a critical gap in showing how this knowledge is translated into common standards and practices, regulations, funding mechanisms, and even professional expectations within a variety of geoscience disciplines. In short, this course aims to smooth a student?s transition from University to an entry-level position from which they can build a successful and sustainable career. This course is targeted for both upper level undergraduates and graduate students. Aspects of the course include:-Detailed discussion of regional stratigraphy, bedrock and glacial geology and how they relate to various industrial applications and environmental issues.-Examination of state and federal environmental regulations, as well as the phases of environmental impact statements.-Survey of fundamental investigation techniques (GeoProbe drilling, hollow-stem auger drilling, well installation, analytical testing ? soil, groundwater, air).-Introduction to environmental clean-up grants and their management.-Assessment of topics covered in the National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG) Fundamentals of Geology (FG) exam. This exam is a required step on the way to becoming a registered geologist. The exam is offered in mid-March, and the expectation is that students participating in the class will take it. -Coordination and completion of the 40 hour HAZWOPER training through UMN.-Invited lectures from select representatives of various subfields and professional organizations (groundwater & contaminant hydrogeology, mining & geophysical exploration, environmental engineering, petroleum) to give students a jumpstart in their professional networking.

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