Field classes in paleontology

The Museum of Paleontology has always recognized the value of fieldwork, both for understanding the geologic and biologic context of fossils and for building its collections. For many years, UCMP has sponsored annual field trips, sometimes informally arranged, other times with class credit. Faculty curators have commonly led these field classes and all include field trips in their classes taught on campus.
Recent classes include:

IB 39D. Freshman Seminar on the Geology & Marine Biology of Central California—Jere Lipps
This year, the freshmen involved in this course have enjoyed two field experiences. The first followed the signs of seismic activity along the Hayward Fault, including sag ponds, displaced Memorial Stadium walls and curbs, crushed and faulted rocks, and seismic hazards. The second trip, lasting three-days, included Tomales Bay and the University’s Bodega Marine Lab (BML). Students studied the San Andreas Fault, the Tomales Bay rift zone with its Pleistocene record of sea level changes, and the marine biology of Bodega Head, the sand flats, and sandy beaches at BML.

IB 103. Invertebrate Zoology—David Lindberg
This class includes several early morning (ugh) field trips to near shore sites around the SF Bay area to look at living marine invertebrates and how they live. The course is designed for biology majors in general, but any paleontology student would be well advised to look into this class.

IB 158 (fall). Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands—Carole Hickman
Again this fall, 22 students, 3 GSIs and 4 faculty traveled to the UCB Gump Biological Station on the island of Moorea in French Polynesia. The students were involved in original research projects on a variety of biological and geological topics.

  Students record data on fossil coral reef
Above, IB158 students record data on a fossil coral reef platform in Moorea. Below, two more take measurements for calculating stream flow volume. (photos by Carole Hickman)
Students calculate stream flow

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