Welcome to the woods! My name is Matt Catrambone and I'm super excited to be joining the People, Places, Pines team as a new blogger. As of now, I am majoring in biology and quantitative social science (QSS), but who knows where I will end up! I will be sharing my journey as I try out classes, activities and research opportunities in various departments. Outside of the classroom, I like to listen to music, hike, ski and explore the surrounding area with my friends. Nice to meet you all!
Coming in with very little programming experience, I was pleasantly surprised by the beginner-friendly nature of this course. Although a very fast-paced course, CS1 gave me the academic confidence I needed my freshman fall. I was able to code games, maps and drawings all in 10 weeks, always surrounded by help from Vasanta (our lovely professor) and over 20 teaching assistants. I also made some close friends through the course, so I would highly, highly recommend it to anyone.
This has been my favorite class at Dartmouth thus far. Co-taught by a married couple, the introductory course fostered a challenging, yet welcoming environment for mainly first-year students. After learning about basics in epidemiology, immunology, microbiology and statistics, we dedicated entire lectures to specifically learn about over ten infectious diseases. I particularly enjoyed understanding treatment methods (vaccine, drug discovery, prevention) from both the scientific and epidemiological points-of-view, and the connections we made to current events. Now, I can confidently contribute to conversations about topics I used to be intimidated of.
A field that is often dominated by buzzwords and fear-mongering headlines, global health is a fascinating field that I was initially hesitant to engage with. And I'm so happy I did. Anne Sosin as a lovely professor who prioritized engagement and curiosity. Through weekly discussion posts, diverse sets of readings, three papers and a case study, we were able to explore four large areas of global health in conjunction with our interests. I focused on how rural health inequities connect to structural violence, colonialism, and biomedicine/technology advances. I was definitely one of the younger, less experienced students in the course, but the support was so accessible that I recommend this course to anyone interested!
What's up, everyone! I hope you all had a good week. In this post, I want to highlight one of my experiences with the Dartmouth Outing Club/nature, generally, here at Dartmouth. When I decided to come to Dartmouth, one of my biggest concerns was a cultural shock by the school's reputation of outdoorsy-ness. Sure, I loved to hike and ski before coming here, but I was under the impression that everyone here was up to crazy, risky outdoor activities. While there are (very) impressive individuals on campus, the DOC (in my experience) has been very inclusive and encouraging of all ability and knowledge levels while offering higher-intensity options for those who have experience.
This weekend, my friend Owen–who runs the Ledyard Canoe Club kayak/canoe rental business–took me and a few friends on a spontaneous canoe trip. We packed up some sleeping bags, hammocks, camping supplies, Spikeball, and to-go meals from Collis before heading out on our 20-ish minute paddle on the Connecticut River to Gilman Island.
Canoeing to the campsite!
We arrived at about 7 p.m., so we had to set up camp on a time crunch – but at least we got to watch the sunset while doing it! Luckily, Ledyard owns a cabin on the island called Titcomb Cabin, so we didn't have to do much besides unpacking and starting a fire. The cabin even had a few mattresses, a table, and a little stove which was quite unexpected.
Arriving...
After we enjoyed our dinner and it started to get dark, we brought out some card games and Spikeball – it got very competitive. Then we winded down over the fire which was the part I enjoyed the most. The disconnected setting very much allowed us to be present and build an even stronger connection than we thought we had. I learned a lot about my friends' experiences – both at Dartmouth and with our own upbringings and family lives. I now realize that we have a lot more in common than I expected, leaving me very grateful for the bonds I built this weekend.
Setting up the fire!
After a long night of laughs, deep conversations, and playing our favorite music, we headed to bed. I brought my hammock so I could sleep outside which I highly recommend. I hung it up in between two massive trees and woke up to the sun rising and the birds chirping. As cheesy as it sounds, I truly did feel like I was in a movie. It felt like the world was still and I was observing. After a long week of studying, this disconnection is exactly what I needed.
Singing for Owen's birthday! (with a cake)
So, for those '27s out there still deciding on whether to come, my suggestion is to choose Dartmouth for the people, community, and accessibility to opportunity. The tight-knit, supportive environment encourages genuine exploration. At no other school would I be able to spontaneously decide to camp on an island. The undergraduate focus ensures access to beginners and enrichment to those with experience. There's a beautiful inclusivity here – in fact, I've discovered some new interests just by tagging along with friends to different open events, from rock climbing to 3-D printing. The buy-in, laid-back, encouraging environment is why I came to Dartmouth and why I choose to stay.
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!
