It is Sunday, June 8th 2014 and I am sitting in the Vagabond Inn in Downtown Los Angeles, a stone’s throw from USC’s campus. Today, a collection of 15 students and just about as many instructors and TAs will travel from all points to gather at the Vagabond and meet together for the first time at the Trio House for a welcome dinner.

The International Geobiology Course is now in its 11th year. It is an intense multidisciplinary course that brings together scientists from geology, geochemistry, microbiology and other related disciplines. Through offering a research-course format, instructors, guest speakers, teaching assistants and students are immersed in an incredible environment of discovery and training in the field of geobiology.

June 9th: The course will start out with a day in LA devoted to introductory lectures.

June 10th: Following that, we will embark on a field trip that will go from USC to Bishop, CA (June 1oth), stopping for lunch and a few geologic sites along the way.

June 11: Bishop to Mammoth, CA via Gold Point NV.

• Stromatolites at Mt. Dunfee, NV
• Rowlands Reef, Silver Peak Range

June 12: Mono Lake

June 13: Walker Lake

June 14: Mono Lake (ancient tufas) & Little Hot Creek

June 15: Little Hot Creek sampling day

June 16: Travel to Cal State at Fullerton

June 17 – 25: Group rotations 1 & 2 at Fullerton

June 26: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

June 27: Travel to Catalina

June 28 – July 10 Wrigley Marine Science Center, Catalina Island, CA