Freeman Foote Field Trips

To celebrate his 65th reunion in June, 2007 Dr. Joseph Lintz ’42 created an endowment to support the Freeman Foote Field Trip Fund for the Sciences. The fund provides income to support faculty-student field trips pertaining to academic courses (including tutorials) in the sciences, with a preference for Geosciences.

After graduating from Williams College, Dr. Lintz worked in the petroleum industry and traveled widely. He returned to graduate school and received his Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University, and later joined the faculty at the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno.

The gift honors Professor Freeman Foote who taught at Williams from 1937 to 1974. He studied the evolution of mountain ranges and taught a wide range of courses including Mineralogy, Petrology, and Structural Geology of North America. He developed a close rapport with his students in the classroom and lab, and especially on geology field trips.

Eligibility. All faculty members teaching courses in a Division III subject area are encouraged to apply for funding. Funding is available not just for field trips scheduled during the fall and spring semesters, but also during the winter study period and spring break.

Application Procedure. Applications should be submitted to the Dean of the Faculty and should include the following elements.

  • course syllabus or prospectus
  • description of the field trip itinerary and its relationship to course goals
  • list of anticipated expenses

This source allows faculty members teaching in Division III to integrate extended field trips into their courses.

Application deadline for 2024-25 classes:  December 15, 2023.
An early application deadline is necessary to allow for careful course planning and so that a description of the field trip can be included in the course catalog. Following this deadline, applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the annual budget is exhausted. The endowment will support awards totaling approximately $30,000 each year.

Selection Criteria. The Dean of the Faculty and the Division III representative on the CAP will review all applications. Priority will be given to requests for funding to facilitate significant travel. Extended field trips are preferred, with shorter trips being of secondary priority. Preference will also be given to field trips that are well integrated with the course schedule and serve to enhance course content.

Post-award Requirement. Course instructors who receive Freeman Foote field trip funds will be required to submit a brief (one-page) summary of the trip and its success in realizing course goals. These summaries should be of submitted within two weeks of trip completion to the Dean of the Faculty.

Award History

  • 2008-09     GEOS              Galapagos Islands
  • 2009-10     GEOS              Virgin Islands
  • 2010-11     GEOS 254       Gulf of California
  • 2011-12     GEOS 220       Hawaii
  • 2012-13     GEOS              Colorado
  • 2013-14     GEOS 312       Italy
  • 2014-15     GEOS 231       Louisiana
  • 2015-16     GEOS 254       Baja, Mexico
  • 2016-17     GEOS 258       Outer Banks, NC
  • 2017-18     GEOS 25         Mystic, CT
  • 2017-18     ASTR              Oregon
  • 2018-19     GEOS 324       Barbados
  • 2021-22     GEOS 410       Alaska
  • 2021-22     ASTR 412        Chile
  • 2022-23     PHYS               Toronto
  • 2022-23     BIOL                New York
  • 2022-23     GEOS 414        Utah