march 2009 issue
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Student Column
Students Helping Students —
at a Molecular Level
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BY ANTHONY STADNYK
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BY ANTHONY STADNYK
U of C Student Columnist
(Geoscience)
We all know that a good social life is a key part of living healthily. Studies demonstrate that social interaction lowers our blood pressure, strengthens our immune systems, increases brain activity and reduces the risk of mental illness.
In 2007, a groundbreaking paper by Dr. Steven Cole of UCLA even showed that social isolation can impact the way the body functions at a molecular level.
Industry will be glad to know that University of Calgary’s geoscience student groups are being good to a lot of molecules. The Rundle Group of Geology and the Geophysics Undergraduate Student Society have been hard at work planning events that allow students to mix with their peers and experienced professionals.
“I love being in geophysics,” says Tyler MacFarlane, a third-year student and student member of APEGGA. “Not only are my courses super interesting, but there are a ton of events going on here and everyone’s so friendly.”
In December 2008, over 200 students, faculty, staff and alumni attended the annual Geoscience Christmas party at the Kensington Legion. A joint effort between Rundle and GUSS, the event was by all accounts a complete success.
“We sold out of Christmas party tickets very fast last year,” says Whitney Winn, a fourth-year geology undergraduate who helped organize the event. “Running the event at a larger venue like the Legion was a necessary step — and it was a fantastic venue.”
Wearing a sweater riddled with snowflakes and Christmas characters, geology undergraduate Dave (Pierre) Bacque was the hands-down winner of the unofficial contest of ugly sweaters complementing the Christmas party.
WIUGC Success
In early January, 12 geology students went on a highly anticipated trip to Vancouver for the Western Inter-University Geosciences Conference, an annual student-run conference showcasing student research through posters and technical presentations.
U of C student Melissa Freeman, an APEGGA student member, did us proud at the WIUGC by taking home a $300 award for the top undergraduate poster.
“We were very fortunate to be able to get so many students out to the conference,” says Ross Kukulski, Rundle’s VP finance. “Generous donations from ConocoPhillips, Devon, CNRL, APEGGA, the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists and the U of C Students’ Union helped us to subsidize entry fees and travel costs — which put the conference within reach of students’ budgets.”
Skis, Skills and Slices
Hot on the heels of WIUGC were three more extremely popular Rundle-organized events — a ski trip Jan. 16-19, a student-industry training day called GeoSkills on Feb. 4, and the Freshman Pizza Party on Feb. 13.
“The ski trip was one of the most memorable times of my life,” says the earlier-mentioned Mr. MacFarlane. “The mountains, the snow, the bus ride — everything was just epic.”
And although it involved skipping a day of classes, GeoSkills saw great attendance from both U of C and U of A geoscience students. More than 140 students attended technical talks and over 200 students and others attended the Student-Industry Mixer in the evening.
“There were a lot of logistics involved with setting up GeoSkills,” says Rundle co-president Victoria Walker, an APEGGA student member. “Organizing this event took huge efforts from Rundle, GUSS, APEGGA, the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists, the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists and our Edmonton equivalents — P.S. Warren and the U of A Geophysics Undergraduate Society.”
The Freshman Pizza Party attracted 40 first-years. They had a chance to mingle with the Rundle executive and the faculty, and ask questions about the geoscience program.
Rundle ran its first Freshman Pizza Party in the winter semester of 2008, after observing that many first-years wanted to learn more about university life but weren’t always sure how to do so.
As this article went to press, the club was also in the process of organizing a grad party to be held later in the year.
Want to Help?
The Rundle Group of Geology is one of the largest student-run clubs at the U of C, with over 200 active members. The club works to enhance the undergraduate experience of geology students by organizing events that promote social interaction and technical development. In 2007/2008, 60 per cent of Rundle’s budget came from private donations and 40 per cent came from club fundraising.
If you or your company are interested in donating to the club, please contact rundle@ucalgary.ca.
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