Hey everybody! My name is Matthew, and I'm a '27 from Florida majoring in Biology. Outside of the classroom, I am involved in Dartmouth's theatre scene and outdoor programs, as well as undergraduate research, mock trial, and Greek life. In the future, I'm hoping to merge my passions for scientific discovery and teaching others by becoming a professor. I love being a part of everything Dartmouth has to offer, and I hope you enjoy coming along for the ride!
During my first term, I wanted to try something completely new—and start working on fulfilling some of the distributive requirements. Two birds with one stone, right? To accomplish this, I enrolled in the first of three introductory Chinese language courses. Taking a fun and informative class with an interesting subject matter—and a stellar professor—has made this term fantastic! I can't wait to see what's in store over the next two terms. I also have a full blog post about my first-year language experience if you're interested in learning more!
As a STEM major, I never really saw myself taking English classes while in college. However, at Dartmouth, you must take a first-year writing sequence, which can include a writing and seminar class from any department. I ended up taking the English department offering, and it was an amazing experience. I learned so much more about how storytelling works and how we can alter the presentation of a story to completely change the way it is received by an audience. I also loved the practical aspects of this class, like writing a mini-memoir story every few weeks based on a theme and getting critical feedback from my classmates. I learned a lot more about the process of storytelling, but also about myself and the way I perceive my own experiences.
This term, I ended up taking two biology classes, which is definitely a pretty big workload, but I had a great time and felt like I really lucked out with the classes I ended up in. Global Change Biology gave me the chance to learn about climate change from a biological viewpoint. We talked about a number of different climate change-related topics, and we learned about one new large climate change topic each week. This was also an R-focused class, so we spent one day a week learning new skills in the programming language and then had a fun coding assignment each week that used data we discussed in class. I felt like I learned a lot more about climate change, but I also developed a lot of R skills that are very helpful for research and other Bio classes. In combination with the ecology class I took this term, I’d say that this class helped me decide on my major once and for all!
SummerHanover, NH
I spent the summer after my first year living in an off-campus apartment in Hanover and doing full-time research in the Biology department. I also continued my work in the admissions office as a tour guide and a leader for Dartmouth Bound! It was a great summer, and if you want to learn more about my research internship, I have a blog post about it.
This was one of the most difficult courses I've taken in college, but I loved every second. We got a crash course introduction to all things marine biology, and the experience was packed with readings, fun projects, and awesome mini labs. During one of the coolest lectures, we did small group dissections and learned more about the physiology of a lot of different sea creatures. I'm hoping to get to use some of what I learned in this course on the BIOL Foreign Study Program in Costa Rica next Winter.
Winter Ecology was a new course offered for the first time this term, and I was very excited to get to take it! Through a research-focused course layout, we designed a monitoring system which we constructed at various plots around Pine Park, collected data throughout the course of the term, and worked on independent research projects using what we found as a final project. All the while, lectures covered the not-often discussed biological processes that occur over the winter, and how they are being impacted by climate change. This class forced me to get outside several times a week during a season where I'd usually stay bundled up indoors, and I had an amazing time.
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! This winter term, I had the chance to participate in a brand new class, BIOL 061 End of Winter: Winter Ecology, and it turned out to be maybe my single favorite academic experience I've had at Dartmouth.
The class scopes out possible field sites.
As a Biology major with a concentration in Ecology, this class was right up my alley. Not only did we cover lots of general ecological concepts and statistics relating to biological research, but we also delved deep specifically into how life adapts to and overcomes the incredible challenges of a winter climate.
In class, we participated in lectures on various topics: antifreeze generation in fish, the ability of frogs to freeze solid in the mud, how different climatic conditions impact the formation of a snowpack, and much, much more. But the most exciting piece was the outdoor research.
Because, along with all of the in-class content, we were also working on a massive project the whole term. It started week one with planning, continued week two with the installation of devices at our field sites, and monitoring went on throughout the term until we cleared everything during week 8. We had the opportunity to create our very own ecological study of winter!
We were divided into groups, each investigating a specific topic. My group was called "Small Mammals", and we focused our research on the presence of small mammals living below the snowpack, such as mice, voles, and shrews. We built intricate hair traps to (gently and safely) pick up hairs from small mammals under the snow. Then, we baited each trap with peanut butter to make it extra appealing and installed 36 of them in Pine Park, an amazing natural area on Dartmouth's campus.
A picture of the ground in a forest. There is a very thin layer of snow over a small pile of leaves. In the center of the photo, a PVC tube is sticking out of the ground. It is ziptied to a pole, and another smaller tube hangs out of the bottom, barely touching the ground. It is sealed off with a piece of fabric labelled "H1-A"
Over the course of the term, my teammates and I would head out into the deep snow twice a week and check all the traps for evidence of small mammals. Although it usually required several layers, a couple of hand warmers, and a good attitude, I was very excited to have something to get me out into the beautiful winter environment.
In some parts of Pine Park, the snow was up to my waist!
At the end of the term, we came together with the whole class and shared the data we collected throughout the term. Then, we each created our own study using the available data and created a final poster detailing our findings.
Instead of a sit-down final, we had a symposium! Everyone put up their posters in the Life Sciences Center, and we walked around, checking out each other's work.
My final poster from our symposium.
During the winter, you can easily find yourself wanting to stay in the warmth of your dorm or the library, so I was grateful to be forced to head outside and see all the wonderful things a Hanover winter holds. This class got me super excited about the other upper-level Biology classes I'm planning on taking in my next few terms, and I can't wait to continue my journey into 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.
Dartmouth has so many academic resources, including free newspaper subscriptions! Although this may not seem like a big deal, it's a great accessible way to learn about local and national news!
