The Yukon River Basin: hydrology, watershed biogeochemistry, and environmental change in the Arctic (GEOL 465L)

*Undergraduate applicants only, graduate students are not eligible*

Syllabus

Program Information

This course will introduce students to fieldwork in the Earth and Environmental Sciences. Students will be given training and hands-on experience with specific skills and techniques used in field research, as well as being introduced to the process of scientific research. These activities will take place within the context of the Yukon River Basin in Canada and Alaska, where the pace of environmental change is some of the fastest in the world today, posing a wide range of challenges.

The class will include (1) a survey of the environmental issues around Arctic environmental change, with a particular focus on the Yukon Basin; (2) gaining hands-on experience in field techniques in the Earth and Environmental Sciences (more detail below); and (3) learning about and actively engaging in the process of scientific research. For those interested, there may be possibilities to continue related research after the course, working with samples collected.

Contact Information

Faculty Director: Josh West

Email: joshwest@usc.edu