Summer Field Camps

The Lost River Field Station field camp run by Idaho State University. Photo courtesy of Idaho State University Field Camp.

Summer field camp is a great opportunity to take what you have learned in the classroom and apply it to the real world. Students enrolled in a summer program usually travel to spectacular places around the country, and even to other continents, studying the local geology and addressing engineering and environmental issues. Suddenly, the concepts you studied in structural geology gain dimensions and scale, while the pictures you saw in geomorphology shape the horizon. In addition, your experience at field camp makes you a valuble asset to a future employer by enhancing your fieldwork skills.

Above: Photograph taken from South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Engineering Geology field camp. Image courtesy of SDSMT Field Camp. Right: Students collect water samples during the University of Missouri's Branson Geology field camp in Wyoming. Image courtesy of Prof. Laura Lautz, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Scholarhips

Field Camp Links

Summer Field Camp Websites

Syracuse Field Camp Library - This website is owned by Syracuse University and lists schools with field camps, by state, in alphabetical order. It lists 74 field camps, including 2 international schools. Along with each school, they also include where the field studies take place. The website also includes links on "How to choose a Geology Field Camp", "Stuff to Bring to Field Camp", and a link to the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) Scholarships for Field Studies.

Geology.com Field Camp List - This Geology.com website lists field camps by school, in alphabetical order. It includes where the field camps take place, the length of each field camp in weeks, and whether they use GPS and/or GIS during the field camp. This site also includes a Geology Dictionary and Satellite Images, and other useful information.