2022 Syllabus Outline
2022 Syllabus PDF
All students will enroll in 400-level Earth science credits through either the University of Maine, University of Colorado Boulder, or the University of Alaska Southeast (Alaskan students only). This 400-level designation reflects the overall difficulty of the summer program, not necessarily the level of academic science. Science classes are taught at a 200- to 300-level, depending on what opportunities individual students pursue. We do this to make JIRP accessible to the widest array of undergraduates as possible. We encourage our higher-level students (college seniors, post-baccalaureate, and early-stage graduate students) to take advantage of individual and small-group opportunities with faculty whose expertise interests them. These opportunities are all around us during the field season with rotating shifts of faculty from across the U.S. and around the world. We encourage students to take initiative in pursuing these options and we purposefully design the curriculum this way as training for graduate-level education.
The academic curriculum is built around examining these questions:
Glaciology
Guiding question: How do glaciers work?
Architecture of a Glaciers, Icefields, and Ice Sheets
Glacier Energy and Mass Balance
Glacier Dynamics
Glacier Hydrology
Glaciers in Context
Guiding question: How do glaciers relate to their surrounding environment?
Juneau Icefield-specific Glaciers
Glacier Change
Glacial Geology, Geomorphology, and Geology/Tectonics
Climatology and Meteorology
Hydrology
Biosphere
Ecology
Biogeochemistry
Field Methodologies
Guiding question: How do we study glaciers and surrounding environments?
Geomatics and Remote Sensing
Geophysics
Geochemistry
Numerical Modeling
Experimental Design
Skills
Guiding question: What other skills are critical for polar research?
Sciences Skills
Field Techniques
Quantitative Techniques
Expeditionary Skills
Science Expedition Preparation and Planning
Field Safety
Glacier Mountaineering
Communication Skills
Science Communication
Science Policy