>>KYLE: Fort Lewis College is an ideal place
to study geology because of where we're located.
We're on the flanks of the San Juan Mountains,
we are in one of the only exposed pre-Cambrian
terrains in the southwest, and we're not so
far from the Colorado plateau either, most
of which can be accessed either out of our
back door or via a thirty-minute van ride.
>>CATHERINE: So the geology in the Four Corners
area is so unique and diverse. Other people
come here to study geology. We don't go to
the midwest to study geology, they come here
to study it. And anywhere you go, you can
find something cool.
>>DR. GONZALES: Well, I'm a graduate of Fort
Lewis College and I went through this program
in the 1980s. And one of the great experiences
I had when I was here was being able to go
out on the outcrop, touch the rocks, feel
the earth, be part of the experience. And
I think that's what we try to give our students
today is that experience of not just sitting
in the classroom, listening to us lecture
and read books, but actually getting out and
engaging in the geology and engaging in the
processes that we can observe. A student will
be able to be involved in anywhere between
50 and 100 field trips, depending on the courses
they take and activities they're involved
in. And these can be local, many of them,
other times they're more regional, and then
sometimes we go even further, to New Zealand,
Hawaii, I'm planning a trip to Iceland. We're
all very fond of field trips, so we want to
engage students in those as well.
>>KYLE: So what we do at Fort Lewis College,
aside from looking at rocks 8 hours a day,
which is what most people think we do, which
is true, we're given a very multidisciplinary
education. We're good writers, we take math
classes, we take chemistry, we take physics,
and so, I think, no matter what field one
goes into, out of Fort Lewis College, we're
prepared for a lot of different obstacles
that may come in our way.
>>DR. GONZALES: One of our overarching missions
is to employ students. We understand that
the receiving of the diploma is a very important
milestone, but our personal opinion is that
we like to see our students have career paths
in the fields that they study. So we actively
seek those opportunities and try to place
our students in those jobs and career paths.
>>CATHERINE: Probably my biggest takeaway,
leaving Fort Lewis College with a geology
degree, is that I have a lot of opportunities
in front of me and a lot of things that I
can do now that I couldn't have done before.
And more than anything, I can go outside on
a hike or a bike ride and I know what I'm
looking at. And it's probably the coolest
thing ever to be able to go on a bike ride
with someone and they'll be like, "What is
this rock?" or "What is this that we're looking
at?" and I can explain it to them and tell
them what's going on. People love geology
and I'm happy to share that with them.
