Senior geology major Celeste Saul loves rocks. She began collecting them as a child, and now, she is preparing to roll her passion into a geology career.
From May 19-June 26, Saul was among 19 students who spent nearly six weeks exploring Wyoming and South Dakota for Geology Field Camp, the senior capstone course for Illinois State University geology students led by Distinguished Professor of Geology Dr. David Malone.
Throughout the course, Malone said students worked on weekly projects focused on various geology themes.
“In the field, we describe rocks, measure their orientation, and describe the structures in it,” Malone said. “We also try to correlate one rock body to the next, establish what’s happening in the subsurface, and analyze the chronology of what happened during the 4.5 billion years of geologic time.”
For Saul, who previously embarked on weeklong geology trips to New Mexico, Texas, and Wisconsin, this was her first multiweek field experience. She said her experience as a geology major inside—and outside—of the classroom readied her for the extensive capstone exhibition.
“I’ve taken a few of (Malone’s) classes and enjoy taking them,” she said. “The professors are amazing, and the program has prepared us for the field.”
Most days in Wyoming, Saul and her classmates did field work such as mapping, which required a notebook and a Brunton compass.
“Before you go out into the field, you need to make sure you know what rocks you’re looking for, where they should be, and if they’re not there, you have to make a note of it and try to figure out why they’re not there,” Saul said. “We work in sections in the area and project where all these different rocks meet.”
Aside from Malone who spearheaded the trip, students also worked with Dr. James Day, an Illinois State professor of geology, Paul Meister, an Illinois State coordinator of academic services, and Dr. Jennifer Gifford, an associate professor at the University of Mississippi. For 15 years, the Geology Field Camp has been open to non-Illinois State enrollees. The trip included students from seven universities, with two-thirds coming from Illinois State.
Saul said the course provided a unique experience that further prepared her for a career in geology.
“I’ve never done mapping before, so that was a really good experience to get out in the field and learn about the unexpected things rocks can do,” she said.
After leading the capstone course, Malone is conducting research in Wyoming and Utah in July and August. During the upcoming fall and spring semesters, Malone and students will visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park, White Sands National Park in New Mexico, southern Lake Superior and the Baraboo area in Wisconsin, and the Spoon River area in western Illinois.
“I have the best job in the world,” Malone said. “I try to be a role model for the students. There’s more than just learning the geology, but also, building confidence in the field.”
