Image: The Interdisciplinary Field Program (IFP) UGA’s Interdisciplinary Field Program mixes geology, ecology, and anthropology into an epic road trip across America. UGA BEYOND THE ARCH highlights the long running program and staple of the Department of Geology. 35 YEARS AND COUNTING The Interdisciplinary Field Program started in 1988 as an Honors geology field course. At the time, UGA didn’t offer many off-campus programs. Jim Whitney, then the head of the geology department, conceived of the program as a unique way for non-geology majors to learn his field of study. His guiding principle: “It’s much more interesting to study in the national parks where you’re seeing all of these different settings.” The inaugural trip included 10 students who rode in the geology department’s 15-seat passenger van, their bags strapped to the roof. Two cooks followed along in a pickup truck. The program brought two out-of-commission U-Haul trailers for towing cooking and camping supplies. Whitney joined part of the trip with his wife, Sandy BS ’73, PhD ’92, now a retired UGA faculty member, who served as an unpaid teaching assistant and de facto “program mom.” The Whitneys followed behind in their family van along with their dog and two sons. That first go-getter effort was successful enough to keep the program going. Julie Cox BS ’90, MS ’97 first attended the trip in 1992 as a graduate student teaching assistant. She and her husband, Doug Dvoracek PhD ’03, ran the program for a decade before Dvoracek died in 2022 from pancreatic cancer. Cox is now the program’s director and the chief force behind organizing and keeping the program running. Over time, the Honors geology program morphed into its interdisciplinary form, first adding anthropology and then ecology as it became clear that focusing strictly on the geology of a location was telling only a sliver of the story. In its present form, the Interdisciplinary Field Program is the only of its kind in higher education. With UGA’s emphasis on experiential learning, President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80 has encouraged more place-based learning opportunities. The president funded a Domestic Field Study Fellows program in 2023 to train faculty on launching new programs, including Dance in New York City and Writing and Community on the Georgia Coast. Read the full story - BEYOND THE ARCH IFP YouTube - IFP Video Type of News/Audience: Department News Alumni News Tags: IFP, Geology Read More: YouTube - Interdisciplinary Field Program | University of Georgia
