DATES: JUNE 7 – 8, 2025
TUITION: $248
LOCATION: GARDINER, MT
GROUP SIZE: 13
ACTIVITY LEVEL: 1
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Among the major questions humans ask are how life originated and whether we are alone in the universe. Hot springs and their microbial inhabitants provide unique insight into both of these intriguing questions. This field seminar will introduce participants to the Yellowstone super volcano and how it creates conditions similar to those that likely supported life on early Earth and how similar volcanic hydrothermal systems on other planets might support extraterrestrial life. Participants will explore the subsurface geological processes that generate the dynamic hydrothermal system in Yellowstone, including its >10,000 surface springs, fumaroles, geysers, and mudpots. Further, the adaptations that enable the most extremophilic microbes on planet Earth, the Archaea, to thrive in boiling sulfur springs with pH values as low as battery acid will be examined.
In discussing the above concepts, patterns will reveal themselves that can be used to predict hot spring geochemistry (temperature, pH, sulfur content) and the types of microorganisms that inhabit those springs using basic sensory functions such as sight and smell. This collective information can be used to predict the metabolic processes or functions that allow microorganisms to survive in these extreme environments and how such processes set the stage for advanced life to develop on Earth. Participants will generate the above framework of knowledge through a presentation/discussion the night preceding our field day. During a guided field trip on the boardwalk of Norris Geyser Basin the following day, participants will have an opportunity to “test” their ability to predict the pH, temperature, and chemical composition of hot springs and the processes that support microorganisms living in those hot springs. The pattern and prediction framework discussed during this field seminar will be used as a focal point for in field discussions of our search for life in our solar system. Participants will leave the field seminar with an appreciation for the variation of hydrothermal features preserved in Yellowstone, how such chemical and mineralogical variation (colors) are generated, and how microorganisms contribute to these colors.
DAY 1
WELCOME & ORIENTATION
The program starts with an evening orientation. Participants will get to know one another and be introduced to the program. Throughout the evening, the itinerary and seminar key concepts will be discussed, as well as what to expect to pack for the field each day.
DAY 2
Participants will travel to Norris Geyser Basin to discuss “Microbial Diversity of Yellowstone Hot Springs” along the back basin board walk.
Dates & Times: The program begins at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, 2025, and goes through Sunday, June 8, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.
Meals: This course is not catered. Participants will need to bring their own food; lunch should be able to travel in the field.
ACTIVITY LEVEL 1
- Be prepared to hike up to 1 mile per day, comfortably, through relatively flat terrain on maintained trails.
- For more information about our activity levels, please visit our Activity Level webpage here.
- Most activities will take place at elevations between 7,200 to 8,000 feet. Participants residing at lower elevations may want to arrive a day early to adjust to the altitude.
- To learn more about how specific medical conditions can be affected by Yellowstone’s environment and our activities, please visit our site page on health information.
- All field activities will be conducted as a group. If members of the group cannot participate in the day’s activities, they need to let the educator know in advance.
- To participate in this program, each participant must fill out and sign a health questionnaire and assumption of risk waiver. These forms must be completed and returned at least 30 days prior to the program start date.
Whom to Contact: For any questions, concerns, or additional information please contact the following:
Program itinerary, health forms, payment, and general program questions please contact Yellowstone Forever at [email protected] or 406-848-2400 extension 3
Road updates, park conditions, and general park information please contact Yellowstone National Park Service at https://www.nps.gov/yell/contacts.htm
If running late for a program, please contact 406-641-2185.
General Information: For general information about the facilities, preparation for classes, what to expect, cancellation policies, and more, please see the Gardiner-Based Field Seminars – General Information document.
Cancellation Policy: Review our Cancellation & Refund Policies here.
BOOK THIS FIELD SEMINAR NOW
Eric Boyd, Ph.D.
Dr. Eric Boyd is a Professor of environmental microbiology in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. For the past 20+ years, Dr. Boyd has been studying the microbiology and geochemistry of hot springs in Yellowstone National Park to better understand the processes that support diverse microbial ecosystems in high temperature environments. He has authored >190 scientific articles on extremophilic microorganisms and currently mentors five postdoctoral scholars and eight doctoral students supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Energy, and the W.M. Keck Foundation. Dr. Boyd developed a fascination of minerals at an early age and fell in love with “invisible” microorganisms after viewing them through a microscope in middle school. Yet, it was not until he was an undergraduate student that he learned that microorganisms can breathe minerals, including those that give hot springs their vivid yellow, orange, and red colors. He quickly exchanged his aspiration for a career in orthopedic medicine to one in environmental microbiology and has never looked back. Dr. Boyd lives in the railroad town of Livingston, Montana and when he is not busy with his research, he can often be found hiking trails in and around the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with his wife and two dogs.
