October 2005 ISSUE

Home > Members > Publications> The PEGG > October 2005

Michael Moroskat

STUDENT COLUMNS

Academics and Extra-Curriculur Activities Provide Great U of A Geoscience Calendar

Hello, all. Please let me introduce myself.

I am in my last year of geology at the University of Alberta. This past summer I worked with the Northwest Territories Geoscience Office on a regional scale bedrock-mapping project.

My interests in geology are in geological mapping and mineral exploration, with a specific interest in structural geology, the field in which I am currently pursuing an undergraduate thesis.

It is a new school year and we have a new group of people planning another action packed winter here at the University of Alberta for all those involved in the geosciences. The year started off with a student mixer/karaoke night to get all the students out together again after a summer of separation. It also served to get any new members of the department to get to know everyone, especially the second-year students who we want to get involved as soon as we can.

Sports teams are again getting into full swing, with flag football already on the go, men’s and ladies’ hockey just around the corner, and a plethora of others to fill up any excess time that the students can find.

As it does every year, the PS Warren Geological Society is planning a Christmas party. This time it will be a joint effort with graduate students in earth and atmospheric sciences. With any luck it will top the great success that was the Christmas party of 2004.

In the New Year, the first stop will be in Calgary for the Western Inter-University Geological Conference, to meet other geoscience students from Western Canada and learn about the projects that many of them are involved in. The conference is always a fun trip for everyone and one of the highlights of every school year, and I know that everyone will be excited to go to Calgary.

Maybe it will prod the rivalry between the two schools that emanates in the form of Trad Cup, a hockey game that is held semi-annually between the Rundle Group in Calgary and the PS Warren Geological Society here in Edmonton. Last year there was a great turnout in Red Deer for the game, and hopefully it will happen again this winter.

PS Warren would like to increase our focus more on academic activities. A gold panning day is in the works, where a group can go down to the river and see if anyone can find any gold, platinum or other detrital metals in the point bars. As well, we would like to do a couple of geo-walks through the city and look at the different building stone found throughout downtown.

Another highlight of the year will most definitely be the Hawaii trip planned for the New Year. A group of undergrads, grads and faculty will head to Hawaii to look at fresh crust being formed in front of their eyes, under the direction of our resident igneous petrologist. This is not a department-run trip, but it is organized by one of the undergraduates and open to anyone with a keen interest in tholeiites.
Round-trip ticket to Hawaii with your professor: $1,500. Seeing molten rock flow from the ground: priceless.

There is a full year planned here at the U of A and I know that it will be another fun and interesting one. Everyone will have to fit some school work somewhere in the mix!