PSU 010 - First-Year Seminar Earth and Mineral Sciences

Fall 2006 - Environmental Sustainability and Community Service.  This one-credit seminar focuses on developing student skills in researching scientific information, learning about current scientific events, and collecting information relating to the theme of sustainability of global resources. The course focused on the information presented in Jane Goodall's book "Harvest for Hope." For a service project, students organized a food drive on campus and volunteered at Philabundance.

Fall 2005 - African human/environment interactions: The man-eating lions of Tsavo.  This one-credit seminar focuses on developing student skills in researching scientific information, learning about current scientific events, and collecting information relating to the theme human/environment interactions on the African continent. The course focused on a case study of the man-eating lions of Tsavo and the current environmental situation in Kenya. For a service project, students wrote letters and created educational kits for an orphanage in Africa.

Fall 2003, 2004 - Diamonds.  The seminar focuses on developing student skills in researching scientific information, learning about current scientific events, and collecting information relating to the theme of diamonds. The final class project is designed by the students and utilizes the scientific method. In Fall 2003, the students did a survey on campus and of jewelers about conflict diamonds and gave a presentation of their results to the campus community. The Fall 2004 seminar focused on humans being transformed into diamonds upon death.