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AN INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE Offered by the Sponsored by the with support from the Open to students and researchers at the graduate, June 9 to July 15, 2005
GEOBIOLOGY 2005 The course, co-directed by Kurt Hanselmann and Will Berelson, is limited to 20 participants and will be held at the University of Southern California's Wrigley Marine Science Center on beautiful Catalina Island, just offshore of Los Angeles. More than a dozen leading faculty co-teach the course including: A. Knoll, J. Grotzinger, H. Paerl, P. Reid, W. Berelson, K. Hanselmann, K. Nealson, J. Spear, B. Stevenson, S. Dawson, P. Hugenholtz and others to be announced. An intensive course on how interactions between microorganisms and the environment have shaped the evolution of the earth and how microbe-mineral interaction leave imprints in the rock record. Participants get hands-on experience in research methods in geobiology and work in research groups solving current questions relevant to the field. Themes include: (1) Carbonate environments in the Bahamas and Death Valley, (2) Life in extreme environments, and (3) Geochemical cycles, microbial interactions in oceanic environments.
Objectives Course Structure Symposia What Is Expected From The Participants? Dates, Locations And Facilities Course Organizers And Instructors How To Apply/ Deadlines Take a Look Back at the 2002, 2003 and 2004 Courses
The course offers intensive interactions between the fields of biology and earth sciences on an advanced level. Over a period of five weeks, the participants will be exposed to an in-depth treatment of how biology interacts with the environment and how these interactions have shaped the evolution of the earth. Participants will get hands-on experience on modern research methods in geobiology and participate in small research groups solving current questions relevant to the field. The 2005 course will open with two days of lectures followed by a field trip to the carbonate platforms in the Bahamas. Following the field trip, the course will continue at the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island (approximately 20 miles off the coast of Los Angeles). Course work will include daily lectures, lab work, independent research, introduction to novel methods, a research cruise to San Pedro Basin and a second field trip to Death Valley and Mono Lake. This second field trip will present students with exposure to ancient carbonate outcrops to juxtapose these with the Bahamian carbonates. The course will also include exercises in bioinformatics and modeling of geobiological systems, and two symposia, which are open to the public. The course culminates with student project presentations.
Understanding geobiology will open new insights into the history of life on earth and possibly suggest approaches to discovering life on other planets. The purpose of the course is to provide an overview of the many facets of the exciting field of geobiology by bringing together various aspects of a number of environmental sciences. Since a major goal of the course is to initiate contacts between scientific disciplines that are not usually combined, it encourages a rapprochement between various areas of microbiology, geochemistry, earth systems sciences and geology and treats them with an evolutionary outlook. It encourages interactions between students and instructors in a uniquely informal setting. The course provides interdisciplinary training for a new generation of scientists. It is our expectation that the gathering of biologists, geochemists and geologists will promote the development of collaborations between established investigators and young scientists to solve important problems in geobiology. The development of a common "geobiological language" that the course will facilitate is essential for progress in this field at all levels. Our most important goal is to train students to identify geobiological topics of interest, pose challenging research questions and explore ways to approach them.
The course is comprised of morning lectures, afternoon laboratory work and colloquia in the evening. An important component of the course will be fieldwork carried out during the 2 major field trips and to nearby sites of interest to introduce the participants to microbial ecology, field geology and geochemistry as it happens in natural settings. We will emphasize the marine environment but not exclude other interesting microbial and geological systems available nearby. The lectures delivered in the course come from a variety of instructors, permanent and visiting faculty, and cover a broad range of topics. Some lectures will illustrate the importance of microbes as living chemical agents and emphasize the roles microbes play in global geochemical cycles, others will address chemical systems on the early earth and again others will emphasize the diversity of microbial genomes which harbor the majority of the geophysiological "inventions" made in the course of evolution. Lectures on biochemistry, mineralogy, sediment geochemistry, paleontology, and earth and atmospheric evolution will compliment those dealing with the microbial world. Understanding life processes promises to provide a better awareness of the microbial biosphere, which is the earth's life support system. Preparatory discussions, computer modeling and exercises on particular subjects are offered during the course as requested by the participants and specific themes will be discussed during two mini-symposia. Field trips give us the opportunity to point out characteristic microbial habitats, collect geochemical samples and microbes for enrichment and isolation in the laboratory. Chemical and physical measurements in situ and analyses of environmental samples employing in vitro techniques will be applied to define environmental determinants in particular habitats. The laboratory work is investigative, i.e., we would like to discover new processes and microbes and understand their interactions and activities. Research themes are designed to educate students about current techniques in geobiology and to encourage independent research. The students will carry them out in groups or individually with faculty assistance and independently. The course requires complete student participation in all aspects of the program for the full duration of the course. Proficiency in the English language is essential. Course work begins early in the morning and may often run late into the evening. Although there will be little time for activities other than course work, past experience has shown that students find time to enjoy the fascinating water world which is easily accessible at the Wrigley Marine Science Center. The intensity of the course work and the sharing of common experiences encourage long-lasting friendships and collaborations among the participants.
June 25-Symposium 1: Historically the Archaea have been important organisms to the study of cellular evolution (relationships to eukaryotes, hyperthermophily) and global ecology (i.e., carbon cycle) and we'd like to highlight their evolutionary and ecological importance to the field of Geobiology. Topics for the symposium will cover aspects of archaeal biology of interest to geobiologists: including evolution and microbial ecology, physiology (inc. methanogenesis), and general biology.
July 9-Symposium 2: The effort to identify precursor molecules to life on earth, to identify life itself and use proxies to establish the timing of species origination is a burgeoning scientific realm of great import. In this symposium we will hear from speakers who utilize various tools to exam life during early earth history both from the perspective of outcrop and geochemical analysis and by using molecular and phylogenetic approaches.
All Symposia are held at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island, CA. Please contact Sue Anderson (suema@usc.edu) for reservations and details.
WHAT IS EXPECTED FROM THE PARTICIPANTS? Students of the course are expected to:
DATES, LOCATIONS AND FACILITIES Dates: June 9 to July 15, 2005 Research Facilities: The USC Wrigley Marine Science Center has modern laboratory facilities and instrumentation for molecular biological investigation of microbial genomic work, microelectrodes for geochemical studies of pore water oxygen, pH and sulfide content, analytical equipment for studies of methane and CO2 in natural systems, and state of the art microscopes and imaging systems. The lab is fully internet-connected and has PCs and Mac computers, scanners and printers available for student use, 24 hours/day. Sites on the island provide easy access to microbial mat environments in a nearby lagoon and fresh-water pond and anoxic marine sediments are accessible in the deep basin between the mainland and the island. Accommodations: All student and faculty housing is on-site in modern, dormitory accommodations. For more information, please see http://wrigley.usc.edu/msc/infrastructure.html
COURSE ORGANIZERS AND INSTRUCTORS The course is organized by the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies in conjunction with the Co-Directors of the course. Lecturers, teaching staff and course instructors are drawn from microbiologically, geochemically and geologically oriented research groups from research institutions in the US and abroad. Co-directors: Will Berelson, USC Course Coordinator: Ann Close, USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies 2005 Schedule and Instructors:
Student applications are accepted between January 1 and February 18, 2005. 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 field work and the inherent potential dangers. Language: The course will be taught in English. Proficiency in the English language is an essential prerequisite for participation. 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. Insurance: Accident and health insurance are the responsibility of the participant. The organizers undertake no liability. Participants must provide proof of appropriate insurance coverage. Admission: The admission process for the course is competitive. A maximum of 20 participants are admitted on the basis of their academic or teaching records, demonstrated research and/or teaching interests and abilities, originality, recommendations and career goals as they are related to the course objectives. All applications are reviewed by the education committee which strives to select the best student applicants from a broad international setting. Notification of acceptance and further information will be sent to all applicants by mid-March. Costs and Financial Aid: Course costs (including the field trips) are covered through the generosity of the Agouron Institute. Students are responsible for their travel to and from Los Angeles, although financial assistance is available for foreign travel. Application Procedure: Complete the application and forward it between January 1 and February 18, 2005 to the Admission Office of the Geobiology Course (see address below). Along with your application and your financial statement (if needed for assistance for foreign travel), please submit a two page CV and two letters of recommendation completed by a person, other than a faculty member of the course, who is able to evaluate your professional experience, your commitment to the field of the course, your scientific abilities (creativity, imagination, curiosity, initiative, skills) and your overall potential for success in applying the course contents in your professional career. Foreign participants will require a visitor visa for participation in this training program and they will have to sign a "health insurance memo of understanding." The necessary forms and a formal invitation letter needed for the visa application will be mailed to accepted applicants who will then have to apply for the visa through the US embassy in their country. Students are responsible for their own visa acquisition both for the visit to Los Angeles/Catalina and also for the field trip visit to the Bahamas. Travel Information: 1. Visas: Non-US residents will be required to obtain a VISITOR (not student) visa before traveling to California. Further information will be provided to accepted students. 2. Passports: Due to heightened security measures on airlines, ALL students (American and others) must bring a valid passport. Please make sure the expiration date is past the end of the course! Send Application Materials to: Geobiology Course Coordinator, Ann Close
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