Dr. Judi Kusnick
What are your expectations of students when it comes to writing papers (skill level, understanding of format, etc.)?
Students are taught how to write more directly. There’s little room for fluff in scientific publications and papers because the intent is different. The structure of scientific writing is also different. Students get practice writing in a scientific structure through in-class exercises, term papers, and informal writing. The in-class exercises are the ones that fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. One example is when students are given a journal publication that is missing a particular section (i.e. abstract), and the students are asked to construct the missing section themselves based on the article.
There seem to be definite extremes when it comes to writing in Geology courses offered by Sac State. There are more casual response papers and then there are term papers. Is there anything that you or other professors offer in terms of writing that falls in between these end members, or offers an opportunity for students to practice their writing?
The main difference between these two types of writing is the nature of the claims being made. In general, students need to learn how to use ideas as evidence instead of using quotes. Writing in an English class is very different from writing in science. This transition can be difficult for some students.
Lots of in-class work allows students to hone their writing skills. The examples I stated in the previous question directly apply to this, actually. Basically, all students need to construct argumentation (claimevidenceexplanation) whether writing informally, formally, or somewhere in between. That remains constant in science.
What do the core classes and elective have to offer in terms of writing?
There’s less writing available in the electives because all of the major core classes have writing requirements. Some electives that have term papers are: Volcanology, Paleontology, Ores, and Surficial.
How intricately is writing involved in senior projects?
Seniors have to do a write up about their project and what they’re doing. The nature of the project has an impact on the writing. Field projects have a highly specified, predetermined format. Publication format is more open due to variability of the project.
What information do you have about the Writing Intensive course for Geology?
We just recently approved a course that fulfills the Writing requirement for graduation. It will be offered starting next semester and is called Geology and the Environment. Lots of students like to take a writing intensive course that’s easy so they can complete the graduation requirement and be done with it, but this course will benefit those who need to work on their scientific writing skills. I highly recommend the course if that is what you’re looking for.
What sort of field trips do students partake in?
We have lower and upper division courses that offer field trips as well as trips students can sign up for. These trips can be as short as one afternoon. We take the students out to get a real look at concepts that often seem abstract in the classroom. We can actually go out, look at a structure, and describe its history using scientific processes.
The upper division field trips are usually much longer than that, though, and involve a lot of mapping and camping. Junior and Senior year have more intense field requirements.
Students can also sign up for extra trips that the department sets up. Last spring break, we took a group of students to Hawaii, and earlier in this semester we held to Trona trip. Students and professors brought back lots of cool minerals from that trip this year.
There are lots of prerequisites Geology students need to complete in order to progress through their degree smoothly. Which ones are the most important to complete early on?
CHEM 1A is probably the most important one to complete early on. You need to have that completed in order to take Mineralogy, which is one of the first core classes Juniors encounter. Mineralogy is only offered in the Fall semester, so if you miss the opportunity to take Mineralogy because you haven’t taken CHEM 1A, then you are essentially delayed a whole year. Other prerequisites are PHYS 5A and 5B, MATH 30, and your basic geology lower division courses like GEOL 10 and 10L (Physical Geology) and GEOL 12 and 12L (Historical Geology). Some of the lower division classes do fulfill your GE requirements as well, so they are less difficult to fit in but still important. They provide a foundation for understanding what you see when you get into upper division courses.
What electives are offered to students?
There are quite a few electives. We have Paleontology, Hydrogeology, Volcanology, Ores, Engineering, and many more. However, they aren’t offered all at the same time. We rotate them, and some of them are only offered every couple years. It is for this reason that students need to be diligent when completing their prerequisite courses. We hate to see students miss out on taking a course because they haven’t completed all the requirements. Our office can provide more details on which electives will be offered in the coming semesters at Sac State.
What makes the Geology department stand out from other departments at Sac State?
The department takes personal interest in each of its students. This is doable due to the small size of the department. The size of the department also allows for better coordination. There’s a big sense of community. Students and faculty spend a lot of time together in the field and outside of class, so there are many opportunities to bond.
Judi Kusnick's website information
Students are taught how to write more directly. There’s little room for fluff in scientific publications and papers because the intent is different. The structure of scientific writing is also different. Students get practice writing in a scientific structure through in-class exercises, term papers, and informal writing. The in-class exercises are the ones that fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. One example is when students are given a journal publication that is missing a particular section (i.e. abstract), and the students are asked to construct the missing section themselves based on the article.
There seem to be definite extremes when it comes to writing in Geology courses offered by Sac State. There are more casual response papers and then there are term papers. Is there anything that you or other professors offer in terms of writing that falls in between these end members, or offers an opportunity for students to practice their writing?
The main difference between these two types of writing is the nature of the claims being made. In general, students need to learn how to use ideas as evidence instead of using quotes. Writing in an English class is very different from writing in science. This transition can be difficult for some students.
Lots of in-class work allows students to hone their writing skills. The examples I stated in the previous question directly apply to this, actually. Basically, all students need to construct argumentation (claimevidenceexplanation) whether writing informally, formally, or somewhere in between. That remains constant in science.
What do the core classes and elective have to offer in terms of writing?
There’s less writing available in the electives because all of the major core classes have writing requirements. Some electives that have term papers are: Volcanology, Paleontology, Ores, and Surficial.
How intricately is writing involved in senior projects?
Seniors have to do a write up about their project and what they’re doing. The nature of the project has an impact on the writing. Field projects have a highly specified, predetermined format. Publication format is more open due to variability of the project.
What information do you have about the Writing Intensive course for Geology?
We just recently approved a course that fulfills the Writing requirement for graduation. It will be offered starting next semester and is called Geology and the Environment. Lots of students like to take a writing intensive course that’s easy so they can complete the graduation requirement and be done with it, but this course will benefit those who need to work on their scientific writing skills. I highly recommend the course if that is what you’re looking for.
What sort of field trips do students partake in?
We have lower and upper division courses that offer field trips as well as trips students can sign up for. These trips can be as short as one afternoon. We take the students out to get a real look at concepts that often seem abstract in the classroom. We can actually go out, look at a structure, and describe its history using scientific processes.
The upper division field trips are usually much longer than that, though, and involve a lot of mapping and camping. Junior and Senior year have more intense field requirements.
Students can also sign up for extra trips that the department sets up. Last spring break, we took a group of students to Hawaii, and earlier in this semester we held to Trona trip. Students and professors brought back lots of cool minerals from that trip this year.
There are lots of prerequisites Geology students need to complete in order to progress through their degree smoothly. Which ones are the most important to complete early on?
CHEM 1A is probably the most important one to complete early on. You need to have that completed in order to take Mineralogy, which is one of the first core classes Juniors encounter. Mineralogy is only offered in the Fall semester, so if you miss the opportunity to take Mineralogy because you haven’t taken CHEM 1A, then you are essentially delayed a whole year. Other prerequisites are PHYS 5A and 5B, MATH 30, and your basic geology lower division courses like GEOL 10 and 10L (Physical Geology) and GEOL 12 and 12L (Historical Geology). Some of the lower division classes do fulfill your GE requirements as well, so they are less difficult to fit in but still important. They provide a foundation for understanding what you see when you get into upper division courses.
What electives are offered to students?
There are quite a few electives. We have Paleontology, Hydrogeology, Volcanology, Ores, Engineering, and many more. However, they aren’t offered all at the same time. We rotate them, and some of them are only offered every couple years. It is for this reason that students need to be diligent when completing their prerequisite courses. We hate to see students miss out on taking a course because they haven’t completed all the requirements. Our office can provide more details on which electives will be offered in the coming semesters at Sac State.
What makes the Geology department stand out from other departments at Sac State?
The department takes personal interest in each of its students. This is doable due to the small size of the department. The size of the department also allows for better coordination. There’s a big sense of community. Students and faculty spend a lot of time together in the field and outside of class, so there are many opportunities to bond.
Judi Kusnick's website information
Dr. Kevin Cornwell
What is your position in the Geology department?
I mainly teach Surficial and Engineering Geology, and I’m also a student advisor. There are other lower division courses I have taught in the past. We often need professors to fill in these positions as they are able.
What are your personal experiences with writing in college and in your career?
During college (70s -80s) there was a lot of technical writing and in grad school there was a thesis project, which involved a lot of different forms of scientific writing. Then there was the Doctorate program, which had even more writing. Writing is a huge component of most Doctoral programs. In the industry we use some technical writing, but they were mainly project reports that focused on info which addressed a problem to be solved. There was also writing that was not technical because it was marketing toward clients. The audience was less science-oriented, so the way the information was presented needed to be general enough to be understood, but specific enough to garner interest. This type of writing was more communicative than technical. Currently in university, I write academic proposals that present learning outcomes to departments and officials. Another one is scholarly proposals. These two forms of writing have different strategies.
What types of writing do you offer in your courses?
I try to steer away from term papers in the electives I teach because papers are required in the core classes. I do have students construct write-ups about technical papers or results from projects. This gives them the opportunity to read scientific writing and process what a paper is saying.
What are our expectations of students when it comes to writing papers (skill level, understanding of format, etc.)?
Students should effectively communicate their thoughts. The accuracy of technicalities can be missing because students are still learning and might not fully understand all the concepts, but they are expected to communicate what they think they know (whether it is correct or not).
There are lots of prerequisites Geology students need to complete in order to progress through their degree smoothly. Which ones are the most important to complete early on?
A lot of students choose to put off the physics prerequisites and MATH 30, but those become necessary during Fall of your Senior year. It’s better to complete them during or prior to your Junior year. Honestly, they’re all important, and it’s best to not put any of them off, but remember to pace yourself.
What sort of internship opportunities are available for students?
Plenty of agencies reach out to us about part time and internship positions for students. We get info from federal agencies, private firms, and state agencies. We have a student mailing list for all of our Geology majors, and whenever we receive an opportunity, it is emailed out to the department with all the contact information and qualifications.
What advice do you have for someone who is just starting in the Geology program?
Good job! Geology is an interesting field. There are lots of opportunities. You don’t easily get bored with Geology because it’s all around you and always different. No matter where you go in the world, Geology is present. Also, Geologists don’t really retire. Geology is less of an occupation and more of a mentality. You never really turn it off in your brain. You can engage professionally in the field or casually while on a hike, but you think about the world and what is happening around you no matter what.
What makes the Geology department stand out from other departments at Sac State?
The faculty loves what they do. This creates a positive environment. There is a strong bond between faculty and students (field trips). Faculty are really invested in students and want to give them the best experience possible.
I mainly teach Surficial and Engineering Geology, and I’m also a student advisor. There are other lower division courses I have taught in the past. We often need professors to fill in these positions as they are able.
What are your personal experiences with writing in college and in your career?
During college (70s -80s) there was a lot of technical writing and in grad school there was a thesis project, which involved a lot of different forms of scientific writing. Then there was the Doctorate program, which had even more writing. Writing is a huge component of most Doctoral programs. In the industry we use some technical writing, but they were mainly project reports that focused on info which addressed a problem to be solved. There was also writing that was not technical because it was marketing toward clients. The audience was less science-oriented, so the way the information was presented needed to be general enough to be understood, but specific enough to garner interest. This type of writing was more communicative than technical. Currently in university, I write academic proposals that present learning outcomes to departments and officials. Another one is scholarly proposals. These two forms of writing have different strategies.
What types of writing do you offer in your courses?
I try to steer away from term papers in the electives I teach because papers are required in the core classes. I do have students construct write-ups about technical papers or results from projects. This gives them the opportunity to read scientific writing and process what a paper is saying.
What are our expectations of students when it comes to writing papers (skill level, understanding of format, etc.)?
Students should effectively communicate their thoughts. The accuracy of technicalities can be missing because students are still learning and might not fully understand all the concepts, but they are expected to communicate what they think they know (whether it is correct or not).
There are lots of prerequisites Geology students need to complete in order to progress through their degree smoothly. Which ones are the most important to complete early on?
A lot of students choose to put off the physics prerequisites and MATH 30, but those become necessary during Fall of your Senior year. It’s better to complete them during or prior to your Junior year. Honestly, they’re all important, and it’s best to not put any of them off, but remember to pace yourself.
What sort of internship opportunities are available for students?
Plenty of agencies reach out to us about part time and internship positions for students. We get info from federal agencies, private firms, and state agencies. We have a student mailing list for all of our Geology majors, and whenever we receive an opportunity, it is emailed out to the department with all the contact information and qualifications.
What advice do you have for someone who is just starting in the Geology program?
Good job! Geology is an interesting field. There are lots of opportunities. You don’t easily get bored with Geology because it’s all around you and always different. No matter where you go in the world, Geology is present. Also, Geologists don’t really retire. Geology is less of an occupation and more of a mentality. You never really turn it off in your brain. You can engage professionally in the field or casually while on a hike, but you think about the world and what is happening around you no matter what.
What makes the Geology department stand out from other departments at Sac State?
The faculty loves what they do. This creates a positive environment. There is a strong bond between faculty and students (field trips). Faculty are really invested in students and want to give them the best experience possible.