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!
Oh. My. Goodness. What a fun class this was! As a certified weather and climate geek, I was totally entrenched in everything we done in this course. From the labs and weather presentations to the "flipped" classroom experience, I thoroughly enjoyed this class. Dr. Osterberg's excitement for the course material made it that much more enjoyable! It was truly an extraordinary first-year course to take.
I’ve loved this class from beginning to end. For one, I enjoyed it because of the people in it, but I also loved it because of the content. Through frequent class discussion, I learned about the health of our democracy and the ways it is compromised. Very enlightening class!
Religion 5 was a quintessential liberal arts course that deepened my knowledge in a subject I thought I had all figured out. As a STEM-oriented student, this class offered the perfect balance to my spring term schedule. As a result of this class, I became more introspective of how I was raised, and I'm more grateful in my ability to be a free-thinker.
SummerOff Campus Internship - Princeton, New Jersey
This summer, I explored my future career plans by participating in a research internship with the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at Princeton University. I learned a lot about what I want (and what I don't want) in a future career, and I made so many awesome lifelong connections!
A course rooted in both philosophical theory and real, practical methods of becoming a better public speaker was the highlight of the term. Our class of 16 students grew to be a sort of "mini-family," and I'm so grateful for the connections I made. I completely changed the way I view public speaking and homed in on my own skills as a public speaker!
Once again, a course outside my major found its way into my favorite class list. This sociology course helped me better understand how children are viewed in society, the way sociologists study youth, and the major differences in norms around childhood around the world. Who knew there was so much to learn about youth culture!
I should start by saying that I've always been obsessed with the weather. "Weather" it be watching towering cumulonimbus clouds make their way across the plains of southeast Missouri, listening to the pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof while I'm immersed in a good book, or, especially, when I can hear the crunch of snowflakes on dried leaves outside my window, I love all of it. I was initially skeptical about how much I would like winter weather once I've gotten through my first winter season in New Hampshire. I suspected that my love for snow and the crisp, cold air would weaken over time. Well, it has been over two months now, and, if anything, my love for winter has been amplified!
Although I haven't witnessed a whole lot of them just yet, there is something about a Dartmouth snowfall that is purely serene. Perhaps it is a mix of the gorgeous nature all around campus combined with the history of the buildings, where snow unites them in a beautiful fashion. Okay, that sentence was a bit much, but you get the picture. It's gorgeous, and there's a calming nature to the snow here. Personally, it is something that allows me to unwind, take in the power of mother nature, and really be at peace. Whenever a snowstorm comes through, I love taking walks around campus, specifically to the more wooded areas by Shattuck Observatory and the cemetery.
Just enjoying the snow with ol' Robert Frost!
My view at the Shattuck Observatory Weather Station!
Dartmouth is a beautiful place, and you can use some of my past blog posts as a testament to how incredible it looks during the fall. However, there is something quite special about winter term. My nana used to say that a decent snowstorm is nature's way of cleaning the earth. Perhaps she was right about this. I think snow is nature's "reset" button, at the beginning and end of every year, snow comes into reset everything that has transpired throughout the year.
Using my nana's thoughts as motivation, I am really looking forward to spring term. Although it is coined as the "mud" season, I think it's going to be interesting to see the Dartmouth Green actually be green once again. I suspect it will look like it has been cleaned by the snow, invigorated even. That's what the snow does for me. In the midst of it, it brings me a sense of calmness, and once it starts to recede, I start to see the earth through a new lens… a more appreciative one. If you've heard anything bad about Hanover winters, I suggest you take a step back from that perspective and really think about my point of view here. Of course, it does get cold. But the snow has a way of lifting your spirits if you allow it to do so. After all, you will be immersed in it, why not make the most of it?
Beautiful winter scene as I walked to my morning class
The view from the Shattuck Observatory is astounding!
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
