pdf version - Shippensburg University

GTU/GESO
by Sabrina Woodlief, GTU/GESO
President
There is a lot of excitement going around
in Shearer Hall! Students and faculty are
enthusiastically working on and presenting
various research projects and service learning
projects, diligently attending classes and
happily getting their hands dirty, and of
course, enjoying some R&R time, taking
advantage of the odd but wonderful weather
we’ve been having.
Two main organizations have facilitated
many of these opportunities for Shippensburg
students: GTU, the International Geography
Honor Society and GESO, the Geography
& Earth Science Organization. To start the
semester off with a bang, GESO helped sponsor
five students to attend and present at the
GSA Conference in Minneapolis, Minn. Mike
Stefanic, a geoenvironmental graduate student,
presented his research from the Curaçao class
of 2010 with Dr. Cornell. The four remaining
students took advantage of networking with
graduate schools, professional organizations,
a range of companies, and other students. We
had a little time to explore the city and eventually
ventured into the Mall of America where
rollercoasters, food, and shopping were enjoyed
by all! Shortly after, we organized a Harrisburg
trip where students attended a Rock, Gem, and
Mineral Show. We also scored free tickets to
the PA State Museum for “Student Day”! This
was a particularly exciting trip because both
current students and alumni were involved.
GESO has also been involved in coordinating
with the university in planting, decorating,
and maintaining planters around the new
and improved CUB area. This is an extensive
project just now in the making, but we are all
excited in what is to come. Many students from
GESO have been volunteering at the Luhrs
Elementary School, helping with composting
and different science activities each week. So
far, this has been a positive experience for both
age groups, and we hope this is something we
can continue in the future.
Most recently, we went geocaching for the
first time, which sparked a lot of interest. This
is something we hope to organize on a larger
scale on campus in the future. Although the
winter months restrict activities we are able
to do, we look forward to meeting every week
to formulate new and exciting activities to get
involved in. Some ideas so far are: geocaching,
renting telescopes, renting a cabin, Earth Day
activities and fundraisers, getting involved with
the community garden, caving, attending other
rock, gem, and mineral shows, fossil hunting,
and rock climbing. If you would like to contact
us to be on the mailing list or to suggest activities
or volunteer opportunities, please e-mail us
at shipgeso@gmail.com.
GTU has also had an exciting run of events
planned for Shippensburg students. Although
we lost a lot of dedicated and fun individuals
who graduated recently, we are looking forward
to revamp and welcome around twenty new
inductees on February 15th. Speaking of new
members, Dr. Tom Feeney has taken over until
Dr. Tim Hawkins returns, and has done a wonderful
job in working with and encouraging us
as a group. A big thanks from us all goes to you,
Dr. Feeney! The main service GTU provides
to students is tutoring; each GTU member is
encouraged to being available to tutor, which
gives us a broad range of expertise and readiness
to help our fellow students with general
courses. Last semester was a success, and we are
hoping that each semester continues to be, as
well. In fact, we have sparked enough interest
that a few other majors have reached out to us,
seeking the opportunity to tutor geoenvironmental
courses! As an honor society, we focus
on academics, but that’s not all we do! To start
the semester off, we participated in the Middle
Springs Cleanup Project, where children were
Student Viewpoint by Dana Heston
educated on the importance of being environmentally
aware and friendly. We have also
been able to provide transportation to various
opportunities for educational and professional
advancements, such as GIS Day in Harrisburg
and job fairs around the area. In the upcoming
months, we look forward to continuing our
tutoring services, hosting various hiking and
caving trips, participating in nature clean-ups,
using Dr. Feeney’s astronomy minor and renting
telescopes, attending an orienteering field
course, and enjoying each other’s company
during our monthly “international food night”
events. If you are a GTU alum and would like
to be involved or have volunteer opportunities
or activity suggestions, please e-mail us at gtu@
ship.edu to be added to the e-mailing list.
As a department as a whole, students
seem to be much more connected than other
majors on campus. This relaxed, respectful,
and welcome atmosphere is exactly why we
are so successful, academically, professionally,
and personally. We hope to continue these
educational and enjoyable experiences and
opportunities throughout our department and
look forward to seeing you around Shearer Hall
(which you all miss, just admit it!), career days,
or out in the field for some good, gneiss fun!
Thanks for reading and good luck to all
of you!
Going back to school was not an easy decision.
With a husband, seven children, and a business to run,
I knew it would be difficult and require sacrifices from
my entire family. Life experience has taught me that the
most important things in life are never easy. With the
support of my family I decided to pursue an advanced
degree. I moved to Shippensburg with an associate’s
degree and began searching for an undergraduate program
in the area.
University life is a bit overwhelming for a nontraditional
student, but it did not take long to realize that
I have the opportunity to bring a new perspective to the
other students. We have had some great discussions, and
continue to learn from each other every day. I am grateful
for the support of the faculty, staff, and my fellow students. My professors continue to
challenge me in all of my courses, and they are never too busy to help me or answer any
questions that I might have. I have benefited from informative field trips, and have had the
opportunity to assist in field work. Through the generous donations of Student Services,
Inc., I was able to attend my first GSA annual meeting last fall. That is an experience that
I will never forget. Attending career day gave me a great picture of what lies ahead. In the
near future, I will begin working on my first research project, which will further prepare
me for a career in the geosciences.
14 Down to Earth News 2012