Lon Abbott

Did you study abroad as a student? What was your international experience like?

No, I didn't study abroad. Sure wish I had.

Why should Geology majors go abroad?

Geology is the study of our world, so jobs and interesting geology span the globe. Companies seek geologists with an international perspective.

Why is Australia such a good place to study this topic?

Students in this course will examine rocks of completely different ages and that tell completely different stories than any rocks we could take them to see in North America. It is mind expanding to experience different rocks that pose different problems to what one is used to.

What is your favorite Australian food?

I first traveled in Australia in 1985 and the food was wretched, especially for a vegetarian like me. Australians learned to cook from their British forebears and the food is awful (not so different from the history of food in the US!). So my favorite Australian food is the now abundant Thai and Malaysian food that is readily available in cities and medium-sized towns thanks to the abundant inward migration of people from diverse cultures that has occurred since 1985!

What aspect of this program do you look forward to the most?

This program is a joint class between CU and Australia's University of Wollongong (UOW). Half of the students will be from CU and half from UOW. I will help with the instruction, but the true expertise about the rocks we will see comes from the several UOW instructors who will lead us through this guided discovery adventure. Learning about rocks we don't have in Colorado from faculty who have different perspectives and experience bases, working side-by-side with students who view the world differently than we do because of their different culture...education doesn't get any better than that.

Last Updated January 2024