Greetings from the woods! My name is Gavin Fry, and I'm a student blogger with the People, Places, and Pines team. I'm a proud first-generation college student, carrying with me the full support of my crazy family. I plan to be involved with undergraduate research, outdoor activities, and club golf here at Dartmouth! You can find me geeking out about the weather, reading novels, and always drinking coffee (at any time of the day). So nice to meet you!
Academic Program
Prospective Environmental Earth Science Major with a Minor in Public Policy
Favorite Thing Right Now
My idea of starting a chapter of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) here at Dartmouth!
Let me start by giving you a little bit of insight into my academic interests. I am, and always have been, fascinated with all aspects of the weather. From climate variability and its impacts on extreme weather events to disaster planning, I love it all. The initial criteria I set for my future college around a year ago today was that they must, above all else, have an atmospheric science and/or meteorology program (meteorology, the study of the weather, and atmospheric science being used synchronously in this regard.) I explored some of the best programs in the country for these disciplines, but every time I researched these various universities, something didn't quite "click" with me. In the most literal sense, I wanted to "click" off their website as soon as I found it. Beyond their academic programs in my areas of passion, I didn't feel at home with them. Now, I've expressed in some of my past blog posts that Dartmouth was the first college that I looked into where academics weren't the first priority, and this is the truth. When researching Dartmouth, I was lured in by what the institution actually stood for: a broad liberal arts education with great emphasis on the well-being of the students, a supportive community, and undergraduate focus. I did not need to even think about any other colleges after Dartmouth.
Now, it was all glitter and rainbows for a good time after deciding to apply. Fast forward a few months and I was able to get into my now dream college. I'm still shocked. Nonetheless, I set aside the awe and started to think about things realistically. "Dartmouth doesn't have a traditional meteorology program, so how do I still maintain my chosen career path?" My concerns were legitimate, but oh how I wish I knew how involved I would be in the weather industry by my first term on campus. For one, if this story has resonated with you whatsoever thus far, I really want to encourage you to research your niche discipline under the college website. I can almost guarantee you that, even if there isn't a major or minor dedicated to that discipline here at Dartmouth, you will have several opportunities to get involved in whatever you want to pursue. In my case, this was meteorology. I knew Dartmouth didn't have a program and I was initially distraught by this, but then I realized just how many opportunities there really are for me here.
First off, I was able to get in contact with some amazing people in the Department of Physics and Astronomy where I landed my daily weather observation job at the Shattuck Observatory which is my dream come true (every day for the past three months and going strong!) Additionally, I have been able to get involved with professors in the Earth Sciences department who I will be doing research with regarding climate and weather impacts – also a dream of mine! Furthermore, I have even been able to acquire the position as the meteorologist for Dartmouth College Radio (shameless plug: check out WDCR news at webdcr.com) where I give the weekly forecast and touch on notable weather events in the nation. A third dream come true!
I cannot overstate how much my weather observation job at the Shattuck Observatory means to me. Look how beautiful it is!
What I really want to emphasize to you is this: If you are thinking about choosing another institution solely because of the lack of a major/minor here at Dartmouth, I wholeheartedly implore you to really research your interests within the Dartmouth domain, or contact me and I can help you out! There are incredible amounts of opportunities here, you just have to find them. And when you do, it really is a dream come true. Dartmouth is a liberal arts college that allows you to explore a breadth of disciplines, which is truly an amazing opportunity. Take advantage of this while still being able to explore your passions! Again, it has been a fantasy made real for me thus far!
Yes, I really am a weather geek. Hence the lightning puzzle.
Winter is a term that most people spend cozy and indoors. My winter quarter, however, was full of amazing outdoor experiences, mostly through one of my classes! Here's the scoop on BIOL 061: Winter Ecology.
The rumors are true, guys: engineering is hard. It took some adapting for me to find my pace and excel in the major. But, that was only possible due to the kind words of a Dartmouth professor.
