Overview
The K. Sethu Raman Endowment for Field Education in Earth Sciences was established in 2018 by Dr. Raman, with contributions from Carleton University and the Department of Earth Sciences. The purpose of this fund is to support both domestic and international field studies for undergraduate and graduate students.
Every year, in perpetuity, the interest gained from this fund will subsidize the costs of going on field courses or field trips associated with international scientific conferences for our graduate students. Both field courses and field trips are a key learning component of our graduate program, where we endeavour to get students out of the classroom and give them critical experiential learning opportunities.
Now we are trying to grow the fund by $10,000 to accommodate increasing enrollment in our graduate programs.
The Background
Our graduate students commonly enrol in field courses to parts of the world that provide key training events in their education. We want to help support the travel costs associated with these field training opportunities, especially in this time of rapidly escalating travel costs. This fund is the department’s sole source of financial support for graduate student travel for field courses. Over the 16 months, graduate students have been supported for their travel to field courses in Iceland, Hawaii, the Swiss Alps, and Sudbury. We plan a new initiative that would have funds from the K. Sethu Raman Endowment used to subsidize a field trip for new graduate students to familiarize them with eastern Ontario geology and provide a bonding experience for our incoming graduate cohort.
The Rollout
The annual interest generated from the fund will support costs of travel for field courses and recognized field trips for graduate students. We have established a $250,000 endowment. Our goal is to increase the principal by $10,000, which translates into additional travel support for graduate students.
The Impact
The impact of field education for our graduate students is extremely high. The first awards from K. Sethu Raman Endowment were made in 2024, as group travel after COVID became feasible. Because it is endowed, the K. Sethu Raman Endowment in Field Education will exist in perpetuity and help many generations of young geoscientists.
To donate, you may use the link on this page. For questions, please contact advancement@carleton.ca or Brian Cousens, Professor, Department of Earth Sciences at brian.cousens@carleton.ca .