Hi there!! My name is Martin, and I'm thrilled to be a '27 blogger for People Places Pines! A small rural town in Maine called Veazie is where I call home, and I can't wait to tell you about what life at Dartmouth is like! Carving the slopes in the winter, hiking through woods in autumn, or basking in the Green in spring and summer, that's where you'll find me! Stay tuned for everything Big Green!
In this course, we covered all the basics of ecology: how organisms interact with each other and with their ecosystems. My favorite parts of the class were the labs: they took place outside and we explored ecological concepts around campus!
This course was on everything energy: how we use it, how we generate it, and how we can improve our current energy systems in light of climate change. We visited nearby energy systems, including Dartmouth's very own heating and energy facilities. This course was awesome!
This was a project-based class where we chose an important issue and then designed a solution, using the principles and methods we learned in class. My group made a smart trash can to make recycling easier!
A new course at Dartmouth, this class paired us with a community partner in the Upper Valley area, and we helped them develop and implement a real-world climate resilience project! In my case, that was modeling flood risk and potential solutions for a local business.
Sophomore summer! This course covered the basics of materials science, from quantum mechanics to the strength and performance of real-world materials. In also included a term-long project, where my group cast aluminum-silicon alloys and tested their properties.
Consisting of three geoscience-focused classes, "The Stretch" is Dartmouth's Earth Sciences study abroad program traversing from Banff, Canada to the Grand Canyon, Arizona. It was an amazing experience!
Geologic Mapping in Wyoming: "The Stretch" at Dartmouth
If you're a student interested in geologic mapping and exploration, your Dartmouth experience would be incomplete without going on The Stretch. The Dartmouth Earth Sciences Departmentoffers a field study program like no other in the world, known as "The Stretch", a ~10 week earth sciences study program traversing across the entire Western United States. This blog shares some info on the second segment of The Stretch: Introduction to Mapping in Montana and Wyoming, in the Big Horn Basin.
See here for myfirst blog poston The Stretch, explaining what it is and information about the glaciology segment!
This segment in part took place in a beautiful geologic "thrust belt" in Montana, visible in the mountains in front of these students!
Much of everyday life requires mapping. If you've ever used google maps, walked through the streets of a city, or driven past a mining site, you know how important it is for us to understand the landscape we stand on. Understanding where rocks and minerals are is critical to construction, resources, and of course… knowing where you are. Segment two of The Stretch introduces students to mapping, and it's led by Professor Justin Strauss, an expert in the field of mapping and sedimentary geology.
An image taken at Sheep Mountain, with the geologic formations visible.
The "Mapping" Segment takes place in two parts. The first is at Sun Canyon Lodge, hidden away in the mountains of Montana. Towering above your head behind the cabin you stay in, you'll see massive mountains formed 50-70 million years ago by the Laramide Orogeny. After a few days of mapping the area's layers of rocks you observe there, you'll drive to your next destination: Iowa State University (ISU) Research Station (located in Wyoming).
Location of Sun Canyon Lodge, where we stayed. Source: Google Maps
Staying at the ISU Research Station was one of, if not my favorite, memory from The Stretch. Passing by a sign that reads, "Welcome to Shell, WY. Population: 74," you'll stumble upon an amazing field research facility in what we called "the middle of nowhere." Equipped with a full industrial kitchen and laundry facilities, volleyball courts and soccer fields, and even a stream for swimming out back, this facility is where you'll become close with your group on the Stretch. Dorms were quad rooms with bunk beds, separated from a main classroom and dining hall.
Some of the dorms we stayed in at the ISU research station, along with the Northern Lights visible above!
In the roughly one week you spend here on The Stretch, you'll explore and map the famous and geologically rich Sheep Mountain area. Displaying some of the clearest examples of geologic anticlines and synclines (geologic rock folding) in the world, Sheep Mountain has long been known as one of the best locations on Earth to train early geologists. Combined with Professor Justin Strauss, you're sure to leave this segment an expert mapper.
Our entire group eating lunch, taking a break during the mapping project!
Along the way, you'll also spend time learning from guest lecturers from the area, learning how to diagnose and estimate underground water reservoirs, or identify some of the oldest signs of the early life on Earth, known as "Stromatolites."
Professor Justin Strauss teaching us how to locate underground water reservoirs.
On "off" or free days during this segment, you'll spend time in the nearby towns of Cody, WY and Shell, WY. You have the option to go hiking, rock climbing, explore small towns nearby, or relax. Hopefully this gave you a good look at what the geologic mapping segment of the Dartmouth Earth Sciences study away program is like. If you want to know about other academic segments of The Stretch, read my other posts about those!
If you're a prospective geology, mining, or resources student, this post is for you. "The Stretch" is Dartmouth's field geology program, and it covers exactly those areas!
This winter break, I went on tour with the Dartmouth Decibelles to Charleston and Atlanta, performing throughout local communities and making lasting memories together!
Paris is often hailed as the center of the (European) art world. Through an Art History Fall Plus program, I explored Parisian art in person and up close!
