Fourteen University of South Carolina geology students got outside the classroom last summer for an unforgettable field experience, exploring the untamed landscapes of the southern Rockies in Utah, Colorado and Nevada.
The capstone adventure is a required geology field camp that brings everything students have learned in the classroom to life. It’s physically and intellectually challenging and one of the most rewarding parts of their education.
“We see enormous gains in the students’ growth and not just in geology, but in their personal lives, their career opportunities, their confidence in themselves, their exposure to the world,” says Dave Barbeau, associate professor and director of the field camp since 2014.
The camp is a defining experience for geology majors, offering hands-on training in geological mapping and fieldwork that goes beyond the classroom.
“We learned so much and not just about geology, but about resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving,” says Laura Doughton, a geologic sciences and political science double major. “It was intense, but it was also incredible.”
During the field camp, students get up with the sun, have a quick breakfast and pack lunch, before spending hours in the field, mapping terrain, analyzing rock formations and reconstructing the geological history of the land beneath their feet.
“Providing the supportive, loving environment where they thrive despite all of those challenges is going to be the thing that I reflect back most on at the end of my career,” says Barbeau, who has taught or co-taught the camp for nearly 14 years. "I’ve seen students years after they graduated say, ‘Oh my gosh, not only was field camp the best part of my education, it was the best thing that happened in my entire life,’ that makes me really happy to be involved in something so influential."
But the program can be costly — typically between $2,500 and $3,000 per student — despite best efforts to minimize costs by having students camp on public land and prepare their own meals.
That’s where Give 4 Garnet — the university’s annual giving day — can help. Students raised nearly $6,000 last year by competing in the Student Scavenger Hunt challenge, winning the top three prizes and tripling their original fundraising goal. Jordan Jeffreys won first place, Doughton secured second place and Abigail Kight took third place, with proceeds helping fund the field camp experience.
“My friends and I enjoyed running around and taking pictures for the Scavenger Hunt. I thought it was very creative,” Doughton says.
The result? Every student’s field camp fee was reduced by $900, ensuring more students could take part in this transformative experience without financial strain.
“I was with all my geology friends and said, ‘Guys, we won!’” says Jeffreys, an anthropology and geoscience double major. “Everyone was cheering and it was really exciting to have some of that financial burden relieved and that brought our total raised up to $16,000.”
Barbeau says the program will continue to look for creative ways to ease the financial burden for students to participate in this meaningful experience.
“The solutions to both the energy and climate crises are going to be solved by geologists and engineers using geologic information,” Barbeau said. “Field camp prepares students to take on those challenges. Thanks to Give 4 Garnet, we can keep opening that door for them.”
Be part of their journey
Students are currently working to fund the next field camp, which will run May 14 through June 10. Support through Give 4 Garnet fuels opportunities, experiences and adventures that will last a lifetime for the geology program and countless others across campus.
The Student Scavenger Hunt will be March 24-27. Students can join the fun for a chance to win funds for their favorite USC cause.