Meetings: T:
4 Ð 5 pm (Colloquium) 22 Deike
W
8:00 - 9:50 (Class meeting) 341 Deike
Goals: This course is designed to provide graduate students with the
skills and breadth of perspective needed for a successful career in the field
of Geosciences.
Book: The Art of Being
a Scientist. This book has many practical
skills for working with mentors and developing effective research habits. You
can get a used copy for ~ $20.
Lunch with
colloquium speakers: The course is
integrated with the weekly Dept. seminar series. A group of you will join the
speaker for lunch each week. You
are required to schedule lunch with at least two speakers during the fall
semester.
Weekly
classroom meetings will start
with a discussion of the previous colloquium talk and then proceed to the topic
listed below.
Care and maintenance
of your advisors! Several of our
activities throughout the semester will focus on developing a healthy,
scientifically meaningful relationship with your advisor and thesis committee. This
will include interviews, activities in research topic selection, and your
research proposal.
Required
Reading: 1) The Art of Being a Scientist, 2) each of the papers
suggested by the colloquium speakers.
Read the paper in preparation for the colloquium and come to our weekly classroom meeting prepared to
lead a discussion of the paper for the previous colloquium. 3) additional reading for each meeting
is noted in the table below.
Tentative
Syllabus. Details here: http://www.geosc.psu.edu/Courses/Geosc500/
Lectures and
weekly Reading
http://www3.geosc.psu.edu/Courses/Geosc500/Lectures/index.html
|
|
|
In addition to the reading
listed on the Lectures
link |
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Aug 28 |
Course
Introduction |
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Sep. 4 |
Colloquium Discussion The Literature: critical reading, writing and
discussion. Plagiarism and the Pressure to Publish. Fisher: Proposal
Writing |
PS 1 due |
|
11 |
Choosing a research topic and advisor Fisher: Proposal
Writing |
PS 2 due Begin PS 3 |
|
18 |
Colloquium Discussion Prof.
Brad Foley: |
|
|
25 |
Data wrangling and file manipulation. The value of
scripts in scientific computing. Prof.
Tanya Furman: Teaching and other forms of scientific communication |
|
|
Oct. 2 |
Colloquium Discussion Fisher: Primer on
Appalachian Geology |
PS 4 due |
|
4-6 |
Field trip Leave at 10AM-Sharp!
Deike parking lot. Return by ~ 6:30pm Sunday |
Work on
Fac. Interviews & Proposal |
|
9 |
Prof. Jesse: An introduction to short-lived isotope geochemistry and why they are worth the effort
Reimink |
Work on
Proposal |
|
16 |
Prof. Julie Cosmidis: Microbial biomineralization:
mechanisms, signatures and environmental roles |
|
|
23 |
Colloquium Discussion |
Proposal
summary due |
|
30 |
Colloquium Discussion Prof.
Sarah Ivory: Past and future landscapes inferred from ancient archives |
PS 3 due |
|
Nov. 6 |
Proposal
Presentations (5) |
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|
|
Special
Meeting: 6:00 to 8:30pm; Pizza and
Proposal Presentations |
|
|
13 |
Proposal
Presentations (5) |
|
|
20 |
Proposal
Presentations (5) |
Proposals
due |
|
27 |
Thanksgiving holiday- No Class |
|
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Dec. 4 |
Summaries from Proposal Evaluation Panels |
|
|
11 |
AGU meeting, no Colloquium, no class meeting |
|
Research
proposal: In-depth
summary of a current issue in Geosciences.
Instructors:
Chris Marone, 536 Deike, 865-7964;
marone@psu.edu
Don Fisher, 334 Deike, 865-3206; dmf6@psu.edu
Grading:
In class participation including all discussions. We will
spend the first 30-45 mins of each class discussing
the Tuesday talk. You should raise questions during this discussion at least a
few times during the semester. 20%
Exercises and Field trip participation (including Faculty
Interviews and other exercises, as listed on the course web page): 20%
Writing assignments: 20%
Proposals 20%
Colloquium participation, participation in lunch discussions:
20%
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Academic integrity includes a commitment
not to engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation, or
deception. Such acts of dishonesty violate the fundamental ethical principles
of the EMS community and compromise the worth of work completed by others.
Please understand that we expect you to be fair to
yourself and your classmates. Please refer to University policy for further
details: http://www.ems.psu.edu/current_undergrad_students/academics/integrity_policy .
NOTE TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Penn State welcomes students with
disabilities into the University's educational programs. If you have a
disability-related need for reasonable academic adjustments in this course,
contact the Office for Disability Services, ODS located in room 116 Boucke Building at 814-863-1807(V/TTY). For further information
regarding ODS, please visit their web site at www.equity.psu.edu/ods/ Instructors should be notified as early in the semester as
possible regarding the need for reasonable academic adjustments.
To
receive consideration for course accommodations, please contact the Office for
Disability Services or see information at http://equity.psu.edu/ods