Field work is followed by laboratory research during the ensuing academic year at the home institutions, culminating in a spring Undergraduate Research Symposium at one of the member colleges, where results are presented and for which a Proceedings volume is published. The Keck grant provides an exciting opportunity for undergraduate geology majors to participate in field and laboratory research projects with students and faculty from similar colleges across the country. More than 60 Williams students and most of the faculty have participated in Keck-sponsored research, and many publications jointly authored by participants have ensued. In addition to the Keck grant, the Bronfman Science Center funds several students each summer who are doing research with faculty members. Each year our majors pursue a wide variety of independent study and senior thesis projects.
Most projects involve field work during the summer between the junior and senior years.
During the academic year an independent study or senior thesis is prepared based on the summer field work. Several seniors each year present the results of their research at regional or national professional meetings. Students take classes at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. The curriculum includes courses in literature of the sea, marine policy, maritime history, oceanography, and marine ecology. An offshore voyage is included in the semester, as well as Atlantic and Pacific coastal field seminars with extensive hands-on field experiences supplemented by field lectures.