ESCI 334 is one of the Earth Science department’s capstone undergraduate courses. The field trip takes us to a location near San Ysidro, New Mexico, because of the easy access to phenomenal rock exposures, which span approximately one billion years of geological time. Students map in detail rocks that were folded and faulted during the late Cretaceous Period (approximately 70 million years ago), as a consequence of the intense mountain building along the western margin of North America during that time.

During the field campaign, students integrate and apply knowledge they acquired throughout their undergraduate earth science core curriculum. The goal is for students to achieve their full potential in exploring and discovering the geology underfoot. Throughout the field trip students build their confidence in working independently. They make their own scientific observations, which culminate in an interpretive report that transforms their observations into geological understanding.

During the field trip students form bonds and friendships with one another that often extend beyond their studies at Rice. This sort of camaraderie and friendship is in part facilitated by our lodging arrangement. This year the group of students was rather large, but we were able to find a vacation rental on the outskirts of Albuquerque, which had two houses on a single property. Although quarters were tight, this allowed us to share meals and socialize in the evenings, after a hard day’s work in the field.