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!
Searching for Life in Death Valley: "The Stretch" at Dartmouth
While the "National Parks Segment" is typically students' favorite segment on The Stretch—a field program offered by the Dartmouth Earth Sciences Department—I would be lying if I said the time we spent in the beautiful Sierra Nevadas wasn't my own personal favorite. The Stretch program is a ~10 week long traverse across the entire Western United States. This blog shares some info on the fifth and sixth segments of The Stretch: the Sierra Nevadas and the Death Valley segments, which explore surficial geologic mapping and early life on Earth. I've split this blog into two parts discussing both, but read my blogs about previous segments if you're interested in learning more!
Segment 5: The Sierra Nevadas and Surficial Mapping
Following the National Parks segment, we traversed over 350 miles through Nevada's beautiful basin and range (up and down) topography to arrive near the town of Mammoth, CA. Here, we began Segment 5 of The Stretch taught by the chair of the Earth Sciences department, Professor Meredith Kelly. However, we weren't staying at any sort of motel or camp site like usual—this time, we stayed at the famous Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL). Hidden away between the Sierra Nevada Mountains towering over you—giving a sort of "top secret" feeling—this place is certainly what made this segment my favorite. SNARL was like nothing else. A top of the line research laboratory where we stayed in one large dorm building with a common kitchen, SNARL not only provided amazing facilities but also, an incredible sense of warmth and community among my classmates and I. Even though we were 7 or 8 weeks into the program at this point, I would argue it was here that we became the closest.
A picture of our group in front of the SNARL entrance sign.
Before we could even get to our activites at SNARL, however, we were surprisingly hit by a snowstorm resulting in the first-ever (or at least what I think was the first) "snow day" on The Stretch. Instead of visiting historic geologic sites in the region and presenting on them (our first activity), we took the day "off" as a snowstorm rolled in. We spent the day catching up on sleep as well as visiting some natural hot springs near the research lab. The combination of fresh-falling snow and bathing in the springs was a highlight of The Stretch, at least for me.
A picture of my friend, Cooper, and I in the hot springs during our "snow day."
The next day, we finally did our activity: visiting famous sites and presenting on the geology of the region (my group's presentation included a skit).
Our presentation on the geology of "Mono Lake," and the famous Tufa formations (seen behind us).
However, while in the Sierras and at SNARL, our main activity consisted of surficially mapping a valley where there once sat a massive glacier, which has since receded. Today, campsites and some small homes inhabit the valley, but (for obvious reasons) this would not have been possible one hundred thousand years ago. Much of The Stretch is about mapping—that is, understanding and defining the world around us. However, surficial mapping is special because you dig into the details, identifying landmarks and sediments, and tying them to where they came from in order to determine what happened there. In this case, a glacier once sat here, and it was our job to map everything it left behind.
A picture of everyone after several hours of finalizing our maps. The process is delicate and time consuming, but rewarding when finished.
After a long mapping project, we then travelled to Yosemite National Park for a day, a chance to relax and hike in one of America's most beautiful locations. While there, our teaching assistants (graduate students who joined us on parts of The Stretch) gave us an overview of Yosemite geology and presented a large-scale reflection on how the geology of the United States is all fully interconnected, after millions of years. I even had the chance to go rock climbing with a few fellow students on the Bishop Tuff—a hundreds of feet thick rock face of volcanic ash—and one of the most famous rock climbing locations in the United States.
Our group eating lunch following our hike in Yosemite National Park.
Segment 6: Searching for (Ancient) Life in Death Valley National Park
The next day, we packed up our bags, loaded into the vans, and drove to Bishop, CA for the next segment of The Stretch, taught by Professor Sarah Slotznick. First, we stayed for two days at the White Mountain Research Center to do some hiking and exploring in Kings Canyon National Park. Then, we packed our bags and once again, headed out to Death Valley. Many stays on The Stretch are quite short, and can involve quick turnarounds—we travelled mostly with duffel bags and the essentials. However, the rapid change of scenery keeps things exciting and engaging.
An optional hike we did in Kings Canyon National Park, near the White Mountain Research Center.
Upon arriving to the infamous Death Valley National Park, we spent roughly two days camping while exploring the park, and then the rest of our time there in a remote motel known as "Cynthia's" on our search for evidence of life in the valley. Those first few days involved visiting famous locations in the park and presenting as groups on the geology of the locations. This included visiting the famous Marble canyon, where erosion has exposed the complex environments that once built the park. Additionally, we visitied the picturesque Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes (where several scenes from Star Wars were filmed). Exploring a literal desert with dunes and even attempting "snowboarding" on them with cardboard (to my disappointment, it didn't work as well as you'd think) felt like being on another planet.
My attempt to handstand on the dunes. Also featuring the disappointed looks of my classmates and professor…
Our main activity in Death Valley, however, was the search for "Stromatolies," which are fossilized microbial mats and early evidence of life on Earth. We spent several days searching for these in the valley, learning to categorize them, and then presenting on them in groups. At the end of the project, we wrote final reports connecting the types of growth we identified in fossils to different time periods in Earth's history. We topped this (hot) segment off with a visit to a date farm in a (more humid) part of the valley—proof that there is, in fact, life that can live in parts of Death Valley. Our professor said goodbye by buying us all milkshakes…
On these segments of The Stretch, you go from the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains in California to one of the hottest and least inhabitable places on the planet. Despite this, you spend your time searching for life that once, long ago, did live there. Dartmouth's professors guide you each step of the way. If you enjoyed this blog about The Stretch, read my blogs on other segments of the program!
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!
Welcome back to Open Doors—your inside look at life in the Woods! This week, Gabe Brigham '26, a psychology and sociology double major, showed me around his dorm room, where we discussed Dartmouth residence halls, classes, and campus life.
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.
