Field Trip Summer 2023: New York and PA
At the University of Akron, you can Rise Together with your new Geosciences classmates while on a free, 6-day trekking trip during the first week of August 2023. You will start your adventure at Akron where we load up in vans and travel to upstate NY and several locations in Pennsylvania.
Your first stop will be Watkins Glen State Park in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of New York where you will hike the Watkins Glen Gorge and learn about glacial geology of the region. If time permits, we will hike to Taughannock Falls or other similar features in the area.
Watkins Glen Gorge
The next stop is the Museum of the Earth near Trumansburg, NY. There you will visit collections from the Paleontological Research Institute that relate to Earth’s 4.5 billion year history.
Museum of the Earth
From there, you will try your luck at finding doubly terminated crystals at the Herkimer Diamond Mines (though not really diamonds!). You will mine 500 million year old dolostone outcrop in search of these elusive gems.
Mining for Herkimer Diamonds
Your travels will then take you to the Adirondack Mountains where you will hike and visit the Barton Garnet Mine at Gore Mountain. There you will learn about the geology that formed the local rocks and why garnets are found in this region. You can even pick up some free garnet samples of your own.
Garnet amphibolite from Gore Mountain
Next you will head south to visit the coal region of Pennsylvania. There you will visit a coal mine and also see the effects of a massive underground coal mine fire at the nearby town of Centralia. You will observe the environmental and social impacts of that disaster that has been unfolding for the past 60 years.
Coal mine fire, Centralia, PA
From there you will visit a variety of spectacular geologic formations throughout central and western Pennsylvania. You will see places such as Devils Race Course, Bilger’s Rocks and Chimney Rocks on our way back to Akron.
Bilger’s Rocks, Clearfield, PA
If you can’t make the trip, consider one of these other options.
Research Internship in Fall 23 or Spring 24: Start your geoscience career as a paid student researcher in this fascinating and important field. Based upon your application, we can offer you a 1-semester, $500 paid on-campus internship to work alongside a geoscience faculty member in Academic Year 2023-24. Jump start your Geoscience degree and be paid while doing it.
$500 scholarships available: Apply for a $500 department scholarship to be credited to your student account. These scholarships are being made available through the generous support of the Paul C. Franks Endowed Scholarship endowment. These awards support students, such as yourself, who are interested in resources and associated areas. This award is in addition to financial support provided through UA or other scholarships.
