It’s not your average geology course. Potential students at the University of Calgary got a taste of what it could be like to be an alien discovering Earth.
A newly reimagined program has professor Annie Quinney’s students taking geology to another galaxy.
“Our students are part of the co-operative alien space agency,” explained Quinney. “They have 10 missions to come and explore planet Earth and learn how the whole planet works.”
This opportunity is just one of many during Saturday’s open house at the University of Calgary. For example, the Department of Geoscience has been renamed to the Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment.
“We did a full curriculum redesign,” Quinney said. “We wanted to give students both a strong foundation in science, but also the flexibility to choose courses that were going to allow them to be successful.”
Quinney continued, explaining that flexibility means thinking about what students need entering the workforce.
“We’ve brought two new programs on board,” said Quinney. “We now offer an energy science program which launches in 2025… and we also have an environmental science program.”
Thinking ahead and anticipating what future careers could be in demand is a big driver of these changes, according to dean of the faculty of science Kristin Baetz who shared details on another field — data science.
“Every part of industry, government, we’re analyzing data to make the best decisions,” Baetz said. “Everything from Fintech, agriculture, you name it, you use data in every day.”
Students who attended expressed a lot of excitement about the open house. Jillian Thibeault wants to pursue a future in paleontology, and says events like this give a great sneak peek at what her future could look like.
“I’ve learned so much about the university,” Thibeault said. “What you (the University of Calgary) have to offer, what there is, how many different options there are of classes to take.”