Details

What can I expect as a student Participant in GeoSPACE?

Tentative dates for Summer 2026 Field Course are May 24 - June 6, with pre-course assignments due the week before. 

The GeoSPACE program is a planetary geology and volcanology field course. You don't need prior experience in any of these areas, but you do need a basic foundation in geoscience. This field course is multi-modal – enabling active engagement by students, TAs and faculty in the field and virtually through synchronous and asynchronous communication, data collection and analysis. To prepare everyone for the field course, we will have a pre-trip meeting, held virtually, in late April or early May. All expenses during the course - Food, lodging, travel, admission fees - for the field course are all provided, but you are responsible for the cost of tuition. Participants are also responsible for transportation to and from Phoenix AZ at the start and end of the course (flight assistance is available on a limited, needs-based system). 

Lodging: We will be staying in lodging that has accessible rooms. The program provides double occupancy rooming and you will most likely have a roommate unless you have a disability-specific reason not to. You have the option of booking and paying for your own single room, if one is available.

Being on Camera: All participants (on-site and virtual) will be on video and in photos. Keeping our virtual students engaged in what we are doing in the field requires frequently taking and sharing photos, livestreaming and the use of Zoom. And it is important to document the course! We present many talks about this program and will use photos for that purpose. If we want to use photos for things beyond the standard use, such as publications and media coverage, we will get your permission first.

Field Locations: All field sites have been carefully selected and evaluated for accessibility, terrain, facilities, etc. Some sites are well-developed, with paved trails, restrooms and visitor centers. Others are remote - accessible by vehicles (including low-riding wheelchair vans), but undeveloped beyond dirt roads. These sites have limited accessibility and we will use our technology tools and teamwork to enhance our access to these locations. We will be on the Colorado Plateau for most of the field course which has a high elevation and very dry climate. It can get very warm by the end of the second week of the field course.

Virtual Participation: Our virtual students and faculty work very closely with on-site students and faculty using a mix of real-time (synchronous) communication and independent (asynchronous) work on unique data sets. Virtual participants are just as much a part of the collaborative team as our in-person participants. We have faculty and staff working exclusively with our virtual students to facilitate learning activities. During the field course, we do our best to schedule any synchronous participation at reasonable hours considering time-zones. Exact meeting times and modes may change due to unforeseen circumstances in the field, but we do our best to stay on schedule. Virtual students don't have to be online all day (flexibility is the whole point of virtual participation) but virtual students are expected to participate in the morning mission briefings and will need to devote significant time each day to the course. NOTE: the fully virtual participation mode will not be offered for the 2025 course.

GeoSPACE Philosophy: Want to learn more about the philosophy behind GeoSPACE and get an idea of what the in-person side of our course looks like in action? Check out this article and video below: https://explore.research.ufl.edu/field-tested.html.

Learning Objectives

• Practice landscape description and interpretation in volcanic and sedimentary landscapes (including stratigraphic columns, rock descriptions and field notes); and apply those skills to interpret features on Earth. 

• Apply tools and techniques for digital mapping, including digital stratigraphic sections, high precision GPS, photogrammetry and near-surface geophysics. 

• Interpret remote sensing data, and integrate satellite data into field studies of locations on Earth and other places in the solar system. 

• Understand the human and environmental context of field sites and develop good habits of culturally appropriate field work, field safety, sustainability and geo-ethics. Indigenous geo-heritage and modern contexts are a special focus of the course.

• Develop geoscience project management skills – including research question development, project planning, data collection, data processing and analysis, and presentation of results.   

You can learn more about the course by looking at a sample syllabus on the Resources page.

Itinerary

A specific schedule with full details on what to expect for each group each day of the course will be provided a few weeks before the field course. We have taken great care in designing a field course that is full of engaging field learning opportunities, yet well-paced to enable breaks and rest.  

A general schedule (subject to change) is outlined below for reference. Students taking the course for credit will have an introductory assignment due before the field course, and will have one week beyond the end of the field course to turn in final essays. See the syllabus on the Resources page for more course details. 

Does this field course count for class credit?

Yes! The GeoSPACE Planetary Field Course through the University of Florida is a 2-credit-hour course. For students from other institutions, you may enroll as a visiting student at UF. The GeoSPACE program does not pay for the cost of credit hours -you must pay for tuition yourself. 

Behavior and Code of Conduct

The GeoSPACE project has an intentional focus on creating a welcoming space for everyone. All students on the GeoSPACE project will be expected to treat all team members with respect. We develop a Collaborative Code of Conduct with the input of participants each year, and participants will be required to sign off on the Code of Conduct before participating in the course. 

Additionally, we see our students as co-collaborators. When you participate in GeoSPACE, you can be part of a team working to break down barriers in the geosciences. We welcome your engagement in the broader work of this project!