FALL 1998
Volume 42, Number
1
IN THIS ISSUE
Exploring
Careers Beyond Medicine
Geology
in
Puerto Rico
Human
Rights
A
Conversation with the President
New
Honors Director
A
Time for Questions
On
the Iowa Web
Major
Topics...
Parent
Times Briefs
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During spring break 1998,
English and geology major Julie Mills enrolled in a one-week
Geology Field Trip course that took her to Puerto Rico, a site
chosen because of the diversity of field observations that can
be made within a small area. Geology professors Luis González
and Ann Budd, assisted by geology graduate students Ruben Uribe,
led Mills and 16 other students on an investigation of the geologic
processes that have formed Puerto Rico, from the darst topography
(caves) to paleontology (fossils). "They drill a million
facts into our heads in class," Mills says, "but seeing
things for real is what really makes it all make sense."
The following excerpts are from Mills' field trip diary.
Friday, March 13, 1:45 p.m.-Leaving Chicago
This is the first time in my entire life that I've flown. I loved
it as we took off. I was right off the wing so I could even see
what it was doing. The end of the wing flapped some and it made
me nervous until the guy next to me said it was normal. I couldn't
believe how fast we moved down the runway.
Five hours later:
Flying takes all the excitement of going somewhere far away.
I might as well be in Des Moines looking at pictures. Getting
there is half the fun and this ruins it. It's all too easy. .
. . . What can I see or experience from here? So many awesome
things down there, and they're all going by like little bugs.
I think someone needs to build a bridge to Puerto Rico.
Sunday, March 15, 8:20 a.m.
I've been up for more than two hours already. I guess I'm always
up that early, but it just goes to prove that we're here to learn
and have fun, not just have fun.
As soon as we got off the plane yesterday, we could feel the
heat and humidity. I hadn't actually been outside since we left
Iowa, and the warmth felt like such a huge relief. We got to
the hotel, and I threw my bag in my room and ran for the beach.
It was dark, but we could tell how clean the water and the beach
were. I waded up to my knees with my pants rolled up. And there
I was, standing in the Caribbean Sea. Wow...
We left around 1:30 to do some field work. We saw the neatest
stuff-beach rock and eolinites. The sea beating on the coast
really does some incredible stuff. And it was really beating
in. We had to yell just to talk because the wind and ocean were
so loud. I've never been in such strong winds. The tide started
coming in while we were on some rocks-it rose so fast! I got
some good pictures and detailed field notes. I like taking field
notes-they help me remember so much better.
Monday, March 16, 5:40 p.m.
I'm so torn between petrology and paleontology. I love them both.
Yesterday was a lot of paleo and today was a lot of petro, so
I really am in heaven. This trip is so much more than I expected.
That's weird, because I expected a lot.
Today we were up by 5:30 to spend the day with Dr. Gonzalez.
On the road by 6:30. We saw some incredible geologic features.
All sorts of faulting, folding, igneous rock formations, sedimentary
rock deposition, etc. I love to get to an outcrop and look at
it and have no clue what's going on. My team and I go at it and
without fail, figure it out. We get help from Rubén [Uribe]
and Luis [Gonzalez]. It's the best feeling in the world when
a theory forms and boom-we know what's going on.
Five hours later:
It was a really, really long day. At the last couple outcrops
we were worn out and cranky from being in the hot sun all day.
I was sunburned and dehydrated, and I felt like it just kept
going on and on. My ambition was shot I was supposed to be heading
for the ocean at 10:00 with Dr. Swett [Keene Swett, emeritus
professor of geology who accompanied the trip] and some others.
We were going to look at bioluminescence, and I had been looking
forward to it for two days When we finally got there, the bioluminescence
was neat-little phytoplankton get excited when we move and they
glow-looks like little sparks coming to the surface.
Wednesday, March 18, 5 p.m.
We went to the rain forest. It was about a two-hour drive I felt
like I was in a museum. It didn't even seem like we were outside.
It was just green everywhere-above, around, and underneath. Everywhere.
All of the vegetation is just beautiful. Palm trees and mango
trees and tons of things I've never seen. I LOVE bamboo! We went
for a hike and I went down to the most incredible waterfall in
the world I love the rain forest, and anyone who says they don't
need to be saved is wrong.
On the way home we stopped at a mall in San Juan for supper.
I went into a couple of stores but didn't stay long. I know some
Spanish, but I speak so much slower than everyone else. It makes
me feel like a foreigner and I got pretty shy. It really gave
me a new perspective on non-English-speaking people in the U.S.
Puerto Rico is seriously a tropical paradise, and I mean paradise.
It's perfect. Normally I look back and think how great an experience
was, but may not realize it while it's happening. But this is
so great that I realize it now, and I don't want to take a second
for grantedIt rained before we got here today, so it's mostly
sunny, low humidity, breezy, and just plain beautiful. I don't
ever want to leave this spot. I want it to last forever.
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