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!
National Parks as a Classroom: "The Stretch" at Dartmouth
By far the most favored segment of The Stretch, the "National Parks Segment" alone takes students through roughly 1,500 miles of the American West, visiting the country's most famous National Parks. The Stretch is a field program offered by theDartmouth Earth Sciences Department, unlike any other in the world. The program is ~10 weeks long and traverses across the entire Western United States. This blog shares some info on the fourth segment of The Stretch: The "National Parks" Segment (Geochemistry and Hydrology).
A view of the Yellowstone Grand Canyon in Yellowstone National Park.
If you've ever wanted to visit some of the Nation's most beautiful National Parks with 20 of your best friends—along with studying a little bit of science along the way—The Stretch might just be your chance to do it. Starting in Yellowstone National Park and ending near the Sierra Nevadas, this segment took us through five breathtaking national parks in just around a week and a half! On our way, we completed assignments and research experiments to learn about how these parks formed where they are, the amazing geochemical and hydrological processes behind their beauty, and of course, to see some of the most beautiful places on Earth.
Setting up elevation measurement equipment in Yellowstone National Park.
Starting in Yellowstone, we spent a few days learning the basics of hydrology and geochemistry. Everyone knows Yellowstone is famous for its geysers and large hot springs, so there's quite literally nowhere better in the world to learn the basics of stream chemistry interactions than here. Days involved visiting famous sites in the park such as the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, the Mammoth Hot Springs, and of course, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser. Along the way, however, we also collected many samples (something Yellowstone only allows a handful of institutions to do—one of which is Dartmouth) and took hydrological measurements for data that we later analysed in assignments after the day of sightseeing. Some assignments included calculating the ion concentrations and speeds at which hot spring formations grew, or using terrace stratigraphy to track historical river and flooding behaviors in the region.
Traveling across the country means many long van rides... But, we used them as a chance to relax, catch up, and sleep!
Following Yellowstone, we made our way to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Here, we spent several days visiting Grand Teton National Park and studying the active tectonics that have shaped (and continue to shape) the entire Teton Range. In addition, staying in a hostel in Jackson Hole was certainly one of my favorite locations we stayed. Normally a buzzing ski town in the winter, Jackson Hole was nothing but a ghost town with just a few people around during this time in the season. In many ways, we had the entire town to ourselves, and spent our free time hiking and going for runs on the ski slopes above us, as well as making trips into the nearby Grant Teton National Park.
Geysers in Yellowstone where we took geochemical measurements like pH and alkalinity.
During days in the field, we would hike through thick woods up the sides of the Tetons to conduct fault scarp mapping and earthquake magnitude calculations (our professor had every location memorized). By combining field measurements with physical models, we were able to estimate the size of past and current earthquake risk in the region.
A picture of me next to the Grand Teton, an optional "off day" hike.
From there, we continued south to Dinosaur National Monument, where we shifted from tectonics to sediment transport and river dynamics—also taking some time to study prehistoric dinosaur tracks! For these three days, we camped in tents at a campsite right next to the Green River. Nights were spent working on our assignments calculating sediment flux and how rivers respond to changes in discharge under different climate conditions. Our final project here was even studying the physics of dinosaur locomotion based on nothing but preserved fossil tracks, and calculating if we could outrun a dinosaur (spoiler: you can't).
Going on The Stretch also means being willing to get your hands—and feet—a little dirty.
The final stop of the "National Parks" Segment brought us to Great Basin National Park. Here, we studied cave formation and groundwater flow, learning about the processes that have carved some of the deepest limestone caves in North America. We stayed at a ranch hidden in a canyon nearby. This ranch was quite literally the only evidence of civilization for miles in any direction. However, if you want to see the best geology, you have to go to places regardless of people nearby, and that can often mean staying in the middle of nowhere! Although, locations like this resulted in a tight-knit group dynamic that kept our Stretch group extremely close.
One of my favorite views from The Stretch, Grand Teton National Park in the fall.
On this segment of The Stretch, America's National Parks become your classroom for about two weeks. In these places, the subjects you'll study in many cases, were often discovered and pioneered in these very locations. Dartmouth's professors, returning and teaching here every year for The Stretch, know each and every thing there is to know about the geology here—and also all the spots with the best views. It's no surprise this segment is students' favorite on The Stretch.
If you'd like to know more about The Stretch, take a look at my blogs on other segments of it!
My study abroad experience this past summer helped me grow in meaningful ways. The lessons I learned didn't stay in China—they continue to shape how I approach my life, relationships, and goals today. Read on to hear more!
On the final segment of The Stretch, we explored other planets, walked atop volcanoes, and went to the very bottom of the Grand Canyon (and back). Read about it here.
The Sierra Nevadas, Death Valley, and Yosemite. Mapping our surface and searching for the earliest evidence of life on the Earth Sciences study program. Read about it here.
