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Applications and Deadlines
Please note: The International Geobiology Course will not be offered in 2009. It will be offered in 2010, and future courses will be offered every other year. For more information, please contact the course coordinator, Ann Close.
Deadlines have not been scheduled for applications for GeoBiology 2010.
Prerequisites
Participants should be relatively experienced in their scientific field. Basic knowledge of chemistry and biology are prerequisites for successful participation. The course requires complete student involvement in all aspects of the program for the full duration of the course. The field trips planned for this year will involve rigorous physical exertion, both slogging through hypersaline waters and trudging up mountains. We ask all applicants to be aware that this course involves fieldwork and the inherent potential dangers.
Expectations of Participants
As a students in GeoBiology 2010, you will be expected to:
- Be proficient in English. The course will be taught in English and proficiency is essential.
- Participate in lectures and seminars and encourage discussion
- Formulate geobiological problems and search for solutions to them
- Carefully plan, conduct and document experiments
- Report regularly on progress in your lab
- Become familiar with geobiology research literature and with the Internet as a research tool
- Read recommended chapters of books and original research papers
- Summarize your research and present your results at the final course symposium
Admission
The admission process is competitive. A maximum of 20 participants are admitted on the basis of academic or teaching records, demonstrated interest and ability in research and/or teaching, originality, recommendations and career goals as they relate to the course objectives. All applications are reviewed by a committee that seeks an international group of elite participants. Notification of acceptance and further information will be sent to all applicants by mid-March.
Application Procedure
Complete the application and send to the Geobiology Course Coordinator (see address below). If you need a financial statement for assistance with foreign travel, include it with the application.
In addition to the application and financial form, include a two-page curriculum vitae and two letters of recommendation. Each letter of recommendation should be completed by someone who can evaluate:
- Your professional experience,
- Your commitment to geobiology,
- Your scientific abilities in terms of creativity, imagination, curiosity, initiative and skills, and
- Your potential for success in applying GeoBiology 2009 to your professional career.
Your references should not include any faculty members who are teaching GeoBiology 2010.
Foreign participants will require a visitor visa for participation in GeoBiology 2010 and will have to sign a "health insurance memo of understanding. You will be responsible for getting your own visa. If you are accepted, we will send you the forms and formal invitation letter that are required for a U.S. visa application will be mailed to accepted applicants. You will need to apply for the visa at the US embassy in your country.
Costs and Financial Aid
Course costs (including the field trips) are covered through the generosity of the Agouron Institute and the National Science Foundation. Students are responsible for their travel to and from Los Angeles. Limited financial assistance is available in some cases for foreign travel.
Insurance
Accident and health insurance are the responsibility of the participants, and you must provide proof of appropriate insurance coverage. The organizers accept no liability.
Student credit
Participants will receive a certificate of attendance. Upon request, the organizers will certify the successful completion of the course, offer an opinion as to the credit value of the program, and suggest an appropriate grade if requested to do so. It is the student's responsibility to validate these credits at his or her home institution. Students may copy and distribute their certificates as necessary; institutions desiring authentication may contact the organizers.
For further information, please contact:
Geobiology Course Coordinator (Ann Close)
Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies
University of Southern California
3616 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, California, USA 90089-0371
phone: 213-740-6780
fax: 213-740-6720
email: close@usc.edu