Hello New Earth and Planetary Sciences Graduate Students,

I am the faculty graduate representative for the UCSC Earth and Planetary Sciences Department. I am writing to describe upcoming dates and activities to help you to plan for the start of the new academic year. There is a lot of information that my colleagues and I will convey to you over the next few months through a series of notes and meetings. Please pay careful attention to dates and deadlines, and be sure to ask if you have questions.

I. What to do before you get to Santa Cruz

A. Mark your calendar with these important dates

Date	Time	Location^*	Event
Tuesday 9/23	1-3 pm	Humanities Lecture Hall	Campus-wide graduate student orientation
Wednesday 9/24	2-4 pm	D258 Earth & Marine Sciences Bldg.	Earth and Planetary Sciences Department graduate student orientation
Wednesday 9/24	4-5 pm	Dreiss Lobby (1^st floor, E&MS)	Earth and Planetary Sciences Department reception
Thursday 9/25			Classes begin
Friday 10/3-Sunday 10/5			NEW GRADUATE STUDENT FIELD TRIP

^*Please see the UCSC maps available at: http://maps.ucsc.edu. Some maps are interactive online, and others can be printed at high resolution.

The Earth and Planetary Sciences Department graduate student orientation event (Wednesday, 9/24, 2-4 pm) is particularly important. Faculty, staff, and new students will be introduced, we will talk about courses, TA assignments, and other important topics, and you will have a chance to ask questions. This orientation session is required and will be followed by a department-wide reception.

Your preliminary research advisers may have plans for you in addition to the above dates. PLEASE BE SURE TO CONTACT YOUR PRELIMINARY ADVISER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO CONFIRM YOUR ARRIVAL DATES.

The last item on the calendar above is the new graduate student field trip. We are planning on taking you on a 3-day camping tour of California geology. I am sure that you do not want to miss this event, so set aside this Friday through Sunday now. UC Santa Cruz recreation can provide low-cost equipment rentals to students who do not have their own gear. More details will be discussed at the introductory orientation.

B. Housing

Housing in Santa Cruz is in high demand. The sooner you begin looking for a place to live, the more likely you will find a good place. Searching for housing remotely is challenging, but can be done. You might also opt to visit Santa Cruz over the summer to arrange housing.

You should have received information from the Graduate Division describing on-campus housing options for both single students and those with families. There is also an on-campus Student Community Rental Program with listings of available local housing (phone: 831-459-4435; communityrentals@ucsc.edu; http://communityrentals.ucsc.edu; Rm. 125 Hahn Student Services Bldg.). You may also email grads@pmc.ucsc.edu if you are looking for a housemate.

When you are looking at housing, be sure to think through the transportation options to and from campus. The TAPS website: http://www2.ucsc.edu/taps/ has bus routes and information on alternative transportation options like the free bicycle shuttle. Take a good look at these pick-up spots when selecting your home. The bicycle shuttle is a particularly popular commute method among our graduate students.

C. Enrollment for classes

Open enrollment for new graduate students is available from 6/19/08 through 9/24/08 and is done online via your student portal: my.ucsc.edu. Take a look at the instructions on the Graduate Division website and the Fall 2008 Schedule of Classes (https://pisa.ucsc.edu/prd/sr0060). You need to enroll in EART 203 and EART 205 (See below for descriptions). If you are doing research, you will also want to enroll in an independent study (research course). Please contact Cathy Smith for the class number which changes every quarter. The rest of your courses will need to be discussed with your adviser. It is OK to wait until you are on campus to sort this out. The general info on classes at the bottom of this letter might help you begin to think about your plan.

II. What to do when you get to Santa Cruz

If you have a preliminary research adviser, please check in with this person as soon as you get to campus so that you can start doing science. As mentioned above, please keep your adviser apprised of your summer plans and be sure that he/she knows when you plan to arrive.

When you arrive in Santa Cruz please check in with Laura Jackson (ljackson@es.ucsc.edu; 831-459-4137; Earth & Marine Sciences A232A) to get a key form and office assignment. If you can not find Laura Jackson, go to the department manager Judy van Leuven (judyvan@es.ucsc.edu; 831-459-4478; E &MS A233). Cathy Smith (csmith@es.ucsc.edu; 831-459-2504; E&MS A251) can help you with numerous general questions or problems.

Many departmental communications and reminders are sent via email, so you will want to establish your department email account soon. You should have a pre-assigned Cruzmail account (See http://its.ucsc.edu/service_catalog/cruzmail/cruzmail_setup.php).

As soon as you receive this account, send a message to: eshelp@acg.ucsc.edu, with your @ucsc.edu email address and a phone number. They will provide you a pmc.ucsc.edu unix account, an @pmc.ucsc.edu email alias, and information about accessing Planetary and Marine Computing (PMC) assistance and resources. The phone number is necessary so that they can call you with the password.

You will also have a mailbox in the department office, E &MS A234. Please check your box for other information when you arrive. You may also call, email or stop by my office (brodsky@pmc.ucsc.edu; 831-459-1854; E&MS C370) with questions or concerns before or after your arrival on campus. After you have sorted out your keys, office and paperwork, you should arrange to meet with your faculty advisor(s) to discuss appropriate fall quarter classes.

III. Teaching assistant assignments and payment

A draft TA assignment list for 2008-09 should be available by early August 2008 and will be distributed via email. The list will also be in your departmental mailbox when you arrive. Please note that all TA assignments are tentative and subject to change until formal appointments are made. If you have a fall quarter TA appointment you will receive an appointment letter by 9/01/08; we generally avoid placing incoming graduate students in TA positions during their first quarter at UCSC, but this may be desired and necessary depending on your background, research and teaching plans, and other factors.

If you will be employed as a TA or Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) during Fall 2008, you will receive your first of three paychecks (for the period of 10/1/08-12/31/08) on 11/1/08. Fellowship funds are generally available by the start of the quarter. Contact Student Business Services (http://sbs.ucsc.edu) if you would like to arrange for direct deposit. Checks will otherwise be sent to the permanent address of record, which you need to keep updated on your student portal.

IV. Preliminary information on courses

You will find much more detailed information concerning course enrollment in various university and departmental documents, but here is a brief overview. Many first-year graduate students enroll during each quarter in one or more traditional 5-unit courses, seminars, or independent study (research) courses. New graduate students participate in a preliminary interview in the fall with a committee of faculty to assess where there may be gaps in preparation for graduate work. On the basis of the preliminary interview, and with the guidance of your primary academic advisor, you will develop a course plan for the remainder of your time at UCSC. Note that TAs and GSRs are expected to complete their work in addition to regular classes. TA and GSR work is a form of student employment for which students generally do not receive academic credit.

All first year graduate students in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department are required to take the following courses: EART 203 —Introductory Teaching Seminar (2 units) and EART 205—Introductory Graduate Seminar (5 units) during your first fall quarter; and EART 206—Great Papers in the Earth and Planetary Sciences (5 units) during their first winter quarter. EART 203 will familiarize you with the resources and methods for instruction specific to UCSC. The course usually consists of five, 2-1/2 hour sessions during the month of October. EART 205 will provide an overview of selected topics in the Earth and Planetary Sciences, including current/recent faculty research activities, and will help you learn to read, write about, and discuss scientific papers. EART 205 will meet 11:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday. EART 206 provides a broader overview of some of the most important ideas in the Earth and Planetary Sciences through lecture, discussion, and exploration of the primary literature. Seminal papers in different sub-disciplines are read and analyzed to provide breadth, a common knowledge base, and practice with critical thinking. EART 206 will be taught Winter 2009.

V. Where to read more

Much of the information provided in this note can be found at the departmental web site: http://es.ucsc.edu. Follow the links on the top bar for a preliminary listing of courses being offered next year, faculty web pages, seminar schedules, and more. You should have been contacted already by the UCSC Division of Graduate Studies (http://www.graddiv.ucsc.edu) with referrals to their website, which contains other resources such as financial and registration/enrollment information (link via Current Students > Handbook).

Best wishes until we meet in Santa Cruz and stay in touch,

Emily Brodsky

Associate Professor of Geophysics