From what I’m about to list, I want you to think about the things you have and have not done.
Have you ever tried a bar of milk, white, dark, ruby or matcha chocolate? Have you ever heard the sounds of water being poured onto the ground, listening from under the ground? Have you ever listened to the vibrations of a bridge shaking back and forth? Have you ever cooked beef, added seasoning, used a spatula to stir and break it, drain the pot, and start over again? Have you ever tried to blindly measure 70 feet?
Well I have. I did all of this in one week, and I did it when I was barely able to see anything.
Hello everyone. It’s me, Landon Bryson, writing to you with the details of some of the coolest experiences I’ve ever gotten to be a part of this week. Whether you’re interested or not, I really don’t care. I’ve got an hour and thirty minutes of riding back to the camp. This is what I’m gonna be doing. I’m not in the mood to sleep, even though I am exhausted!
I’ve been at the USC Aiken campus for two weeks now. I came home on the weekend, but returned this week for the last few days of camp. This week, we focused purely on STEM related activities.
The water cycle was a big part of this week. We studied different components of the water cycle through graphs, articles, videos, and even music. Different instruments represented two weeks worth of data. Components such as precipitation, streamflow, evaporation, soil water and temperature were all portrayed through music, which was really cool.
Dr. Lindsey Rustad is a forest ecologist. She has been in the field for 38 years, studying all throughout the world, including the US, different parts of Europe, and China. She has even been the director of different organizations of forest ecologists like herself. Together, they’ve accomplished some great things. This week, she helped us listen to some really cool sounds, like the sound of water being poured onto the ground.
But the cool part is, we heard it from underground. Dr. Lindsey brought two different types of sensor microphones, hydrophones and contact sensors. Hydrophones go underground, and they can record sound and sound pressure. Contact sensors can turn vibrations into sounds. We put these sensors in different places throughout the week and were able to listen to the incredible sounds of water being poured onto the ground above the sensor. We listened to the sounds of a bridge shaking back and forth through the contact sensor. It was a really cool experience, and I’m thankful that Dr. Lindsey took the time to work with us this week!
When I asked her how she felt about the field and what she would say to anyone interested in being a forest ecologist, she said the following: “it’s one of the most fun professions in the world, particularly if you like the outdoors, if you like nature, and if you’re curious about how the world works. Our natural environment needs caretakers. We need doctors for people, we need doctors for forests”. If Dr. Lindsey ever reads this, thank you so much for teaching us all about ecology, and giving us firsthand experiences I will never forget.
Cooking was another thing we did. Since we advocated for more cooking last week, they let us cook Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Tuesday we made tacos, Wednesday we made chicken strips, and Thursday we made mashed potatoes and other vegetables. (We were a little busy yesterday and got back later than usual). And Tuesday, I, along with a really good friend, cooked the beef. We added seasonings, drained pots, and stirred. It helped me grow as a cook, along with the rest of this week.
Trying chocolate was another fun experiment. Yesterday, we drove to Sumpter, which is about a two hour drive from where we are in Aiken. We went to the Swan Lake Gardens, and at the end of the day, the group that I was in had a chocolate taste. We tried five different chocolate bars. Even if you didn’t ask for my list of favorite to least favorite bars, I’m going to give it to you anyway.
Milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, ruby chocolate, matcha chocolate, cacao bean. (That last one was really bitter, because it had absolutely no sugar. I do not recommend it).
Finally, we saw some insanely tall trees. Yesterday we came across a tree that was about 120 feet. We also came across another tree that was 70 feet. We had a fun little challenge: Can you walk 70 feet from the tree and see how far it is? It was meant to improve our estimated measuring skills. The closest person to the tree gets a prize. I walked 80 feet from the tree, which I was proud of because my measuring skills actually suck. I was not the closest, but I’m still happy about it.
This week taught me a lot about different skills that I didn’t even realize I needed. Shoutout to all of the people who came together to make these past two weeks a possibility. I can say with absolute certainty that even though I am exhausted, I had an amazing time, and I can’t wait to show up next year.
Well, that’s it for me! I’m going to go eat my Duncan doughnut! #Chocolate sprinkled doughnuts forever. Until next time, it’s your favorite blind Jacket!