APRIL 2008 Issue
STUDENT COLUMN
Geoscience Students are Movin’ On — the Countdown Begins
BY MARK JERONCIC & LEATINA WOOD
University of Alberta Student Columnists (Geosciences)
The countdown till the end of the academic year has already begun for most geosciences students. For some, the beginning of summer break will bring new and exciting summer internships in Calgary.
Others will travel to exotic places and for a few the end of their undergraduate career altogether.
Before these adventures begin for geology and geophysics students, many papers, projects and lab reports must be completed. With this time commitment in mind, members of both the P.S. Warren Geological Society and the Geophysics Undergraduate Society also have unfinished business.
With the democratic spirit that was felt throughout the province in March, both societies prepared to elect next year’s executives. For some of the candidates it will be their first position in student politics, and they’ll bring new and exciting ideas. This will be balanced by those who bring a wealth of experience.
The early elections held by the geophysics society has already seen four eager students elected. The new president will be Sean Contenti, the new vice- president Kenny Kocon, the new treasurer Jessa-lyn Lagroix, and the new secretary Lauren Stieglitz. All are APEGGA student members.
Before P.S. Warren held its elections, its current executive spearheaded the revamping of their club, bringing it from the 1960s into the new millennium. Both the new executive and constitution will be in place by the next school year.
On the graduation front, the time-honoured tradition of the Earth Science Ring Ceremony was held last month for geophysics and geology students. This event, modeled after the Iron Ring Ceremony, symbolizes the commitment and integrity of professionalism that comes with being a geoscientist. As this article was being written, graduating geoscience students were looking forward to attending this ceremony and receiving their rings.
Both societies are planning their final goodbyes at their graduation dinners. P.S. Warren’s grad com-mittee held a dinner on April 4 at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald. The geophysics society had set its grad dinner for April 12.
On a final note, this will be our last column for the year. We would like to thank APEGGA for the ongoing support for both geoscience clubs and our readers for their interest in the activities happening at the U of A.
As for what we both have planned next, Mark will be backpacking across Europe for the summer and returning for a final semester at the U of A. Leatina has accepted a position with a geophysical exploration company in the Northwest Territories doing mineral exploration.
The life of a student at the U of A has been an exciting challenge with new experiences and new friends. We hope we have been able to convey our experiences to you this past couple of months and hope you stay tuned for the next geoscience author in September.
Caio!