Students Go West for Field Excursion in the Rocky Mountains

SUNY Oneonta students from two separate disciplines, geology and biology, teamed up this summer and put their skills to the test during an 18-day field trip to the Rocky Mountain region.

The trip, led by Associate Professor of Paleontology and Geology Leigh Fall and Biology Professor Donna Vogler, let 12 students learn first-hand about the flora, fauna, formations and ecosystems in Colorado, Arizona and Utah. Surrounded by desert, mountains and tumbleweeds, students honed their observation and identification skills, collecting geological and ecological data and analyzing that data to better understand how the natural world works.

Spending time at the Grand Canyon, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Arches National Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park, students practiced identifying rocks, fossils, plants, and animals, recorded their observations in a field notebook, and synthesized their data in field presentations.

At night, students set up camp and prepared meals, and then tented under the stars.

Ecology and geology may seem like very different disciplines, but both are essential for understanding the evolution of the landscape, according to Fall.

"Each influences the other in a variety of ways," she said. "For example, the type of rocks and their weathering products can promote or inhibit particular plant growth in an area."

The geological exposures in the Rocky Mountain region offer a natural laboratory for examining the geological processes that has shaped the area. Equally important, Vogler said, the Rocky Mountain region provides a unique opportunity to study wildlife in the field and in an unfamiliar area of the country.

Students said the trip impacted them in many ways, allowing them to make close friendships, validating their choice in major, seeing beautiful landforms and, most importantly, taking what was learned in the classroom and applying it in the real world.

To view these students click here: https://oneonta.meritpages.com/achievements/Students-Go-West-for-Field-Excursion-in-the-Rocky-Mountains/151645