Lets get this started

[Kitkat]

So hello to all the earth science people! I guess I will use this one as the new place for all of us.

BTW, to thegradcafe.com, thank you for starting this for our own group!

Edited October 3, 2010 by Kitkat

[newms]

Congrats for getting a sub-forum for Earth Sciences!

Edited October 4, 2010 by newms

[Kitkat]

Thank you. I'm glad that we have our own section now. It seemed to me that there were enough earth science people floating around that this wouldn't seem like such a bad thing to have.

[katerific]

Awesome! I look forward to many discussions 'bout geology in this lovely new subforum. Woot woot!

[waddle]

Yay, been waiting for this. Registered on The GradCafe forums as soon as I saw the new subforum.

[Kitkat]

So what programs are you looking at?

[Roccoriel]

Hi there, I'm currently working on a Master's at University of Pennsylvania in Environmental Geology and am applying for PhDs in geology this fall. I tend to be in the area between biology and geology, and am mainly looking to do (and currently doing) research on bioindicators, whether for current or past changes. I'm also interested in land-use effects. I'm still waiting on a few people to get back to me about letters of interest, so I'm not ready to give my final list of schools I've applied to. It's nice to have an area here to discuss the application process (stress!) and Geology/Earth Science.

[UnlikelyGrad]

YAY!!! I nagged bgk to get this done. I'm only sort of a geologist (aquatic biogeochemistry), but I have enough friends who are REAL geologists that I knew they needed a home.

[waddle]

Okay, I'll fess up. I'm not actually a geology student, just an undergraduate in chemistry wanting to go into a geologically-oriented field--isotope (bio)geochemistry. Does this mean the biogeochemists on this forum still won't have a home? I figured the "Earth Sciences" subforum encompassed biogeochemistry, but I could be wrong.

Edited October 9, 2010 by waddle

[UnlikelyGrad]

Okay, I'll fess up. I'm not actually a geology student, just an undergraduate in chemistry wanting to go into a geologically-oriented field--isotope (bio)geochemistry. Does this mean the biogeochemists on this forum still won't have a home? I figured the "Earth Sciences" subforum encompassed biogeochemistry, but I could be wrong.

Hi waddle,

The problem with being a biogeochemist is that you don't fit anywhere.

There's a great interdisciplinary program at my school which *likes* turning chemists into geochemists. (Most geochem programs grumble about this--they prefer geologists.) PM me if you want details.

[katerific]

Earth Science: if it's nature-y, but not entirely biology, it fits here. How's that for a definition?

So far it seems like most of the geoposters don't do traditional "hard rock" things. Er, that was just my impression, at least..... but I certainly don't!

Most geochem programs grumble about this--they prefer geologists.

Forrealz? I'm looking at geochemistry programs and it seems like a lot of the lab groups I'm interested in have a long history of admitting chemists (and turning them into geochemists) as opposed to geologists. I've always feared that they'll turn me down because I'm not enough of a chemist...!

[Kitkat]

It's probably just a very mixed group. I'm taking a biogeochem class now as a part of my BS, and a lot of the programs that I am looking at now seem to think that this is important.

On another point thats similar to this, I am looking at a lot of geobiology related programs, and a lot of them seem to be taking both bio and geo students.

[UnlikelyGrad]

Earth Science: if it's nature-y, but not entirely biology, it fits here. How's that for a definition?

I like it.

So far it seems like most of the geoposters don't do traditional "hard rock" things. Er, that was just my impression, at least..... but I certainly don't!

Maybe not here, but in my program I know a lot of people who do stuff like hydrothermal alteration of minerals and such.

Forrealz? I'm looking at geochemistry programs and it seems like a lot of the lab groups I'm interested in have a long history of admitting chemists (and turning them into geochemists) as opposed to geologists. I've always feared that they'll turn me down because I'm not enough of a chemist...!

Well, after I found MyU's awesome geochem program (2 years ago, when I was applying) I went around looking at geochem programs...and I couldn't find a single one that didn't insist on a BS geology. Maybe I was looking in the wrong places?

The guy who teaches the intro geochem class at MyU once told me that it's easier to make a chemist into a geologist than vice versa. I can see how that would be true.

[katerific]

Maybe not here, but in my program I know a lot of people who do stuff like hydrothermal alteration of minerals and such.

Yeah, I just meant here.

Well, after I found MyU's awesome geochem program (2 years ago, when I was applying) I went around looking at geochem programs...and I couldn't find a single one that didn't insist on a BS geology. Maybe I was looking in the wrong places?

The guy who teaches the intro geochem class at MyU once told me that it's easier to make a chemist into a geologist than vice versa. I can see how that would be true.

Oh, totes. Our resident paleontologist/paleobiologist accepts more biologists than anything else, and teaches them the Way.