By Maggie McGillicuddy UConn ECE Instructor, ERTH 1051: Earth’s Dynamic Planet, Torrington High School & Robert M. Thorson, Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, UConn ECE Earth Sciences Faculty Coordinator
This spring, an eager group of UConn ECE students from Torrington High School attended a field trip to UConn Storrs Campus to enrich their course, ERTH 1051: Earth’s Dynamic Planet. The group was led by their teacher Maggie McGillicuddy, with help by Rick 
Dubois, UConn ECE certified physics instructor at Torrington High School. His insight was valuable as geophysics is an important part of the Earth Sciences.
The trip began in front of the historic Beach Hall, the headquarters for the Department of Earth Sciences. There, Carissa Rutkauskas, of the UConn ECE program staff, welcomed the students and informed them of upcoming events of the day. At that point, Professor Robert M. Thorson, Earth Science’s UConn ECE Faculty Coordinator, called the students’ attention to the sweeping view of Horse Barn Hill as a glacial landform, the disintegrating concrete as a consequence of sidewalk salt chemistry, and the trash bins being filled with single-use plastic containers as an example of our dependence on earth materials, in this case petroleum. All these things – landforms, architecture, manufactured materials – fall within the purview of the Earth Sciences.
Heading inside, we were greeted by the Department Head Professor Tracy Frank, who encouraged the students to think about careers in the field. We also had a chance to meet several faculty members, tour the research and teaching labs, see the ancient iron safe where cash tuition was likely kept, and visit Professor Thorson’s book- and rock-cluttered office.
One highlight of the trip was a guided tour of the Stone Pavilion, a tiny building built in 1937 that mimics the shape of a quartz crystal. The exterior walls and arched openings of this geoheritage site are built with stones from all 169 towns in Connecticut, including one from the student’s hometown of Torrington. Inside the pavilion is an exhibit gallery of beautiful specimen stones, one from each state in the nation.
The students then toured campus, nearly all of them for the first time. Their favorite spot was the Student Recreation Center, which has the tallest climbing wall in New England! After spending time in the UConn Bookstore, everyone ate lunch in the Student Union food court. The final highlight was a visit to the world-famous UConn Dairy Bar for some ice cream.
All in all, it was a great day. The students rated it “11 out of 10!” and the instructors hope to make this an annual event. They set an example for other school visits to follow. We hope to see you next year.