The Brooklyn College Geology Society Gets a Rock-Solid Education in the Bahamas

Founded in 1930, the same year as the college itself, the Geology Society at Brooklyn College brings together students with an interest in the subject, most of whom major or minor in the offering of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. The majority of the expenses for the trip to the Bahamas, including travel and lodging, were covered through the student activity budget, a grant from the Academic Club Association, as well as funds allotted to the department. The remaining expenses were paid for by the students themselves.

Nine students and one faculty member went on this four-day expedition, during which they collected samples of rocks and sand, and explored Andros Barrier Reef, one of the largest reef systems in the world, as means to see up close what they discuss in their coursework. The students took it upon themselves to put this trip together as a proactive means to enrich their academic experience and supplement their classroom learning with out-of-the-classroom skill.

"I understand the idea that you don't truly learn something until you see it first-hand, in front of your face," said senior and president of Geology Society, Patrick Owusu. "I took what I learned from my classes and professors in the major and as I was looking at these rocks, holding them in my hand, I started to have an idea of how all these different processes came together to form ancient environments. Watching these processes happen before my eyes in the present opens a new level of understanding that you could never have just by reading a textbook. Seeing is believing."

"Andros is one of the few places on the planet where carbonate rocks and ooids (spherical grains at the bottom of the sea) are actually forming today," said Matthew Garb, a lecturer in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, who mentors his students and accompanied them on the trip. "These are identical to geological samples that formed hundreds of millions of years ago. So the present is a key to the past. You're seeing these processes today. It's a real cool connection."

One of the most striking things about the Geology Society is how inclusive it is. "Of the 10 of us that went to the Bahamas, eight of us are women," said junior Nicole Schneider. "My professors are always willing to talk with me. They never talk down or condescend.  Growing up in Colorado, Brooklyn College is the most diverse place I've ever been.  And I think that's great."

This inclusive inroad gave senior Donna Cao, the society's secretary, the confidence she needed to select earth and environmental sciences as her major.

"It's something that I've always been interested in because I'm concerned about climate change and fascinated by how you can understand the Earth's planetary history by looking at rocks," Cao said. "By examining the past in this way, in many ways, you can predict the future, and discover ways to preserve the planet and make it better."

Former president of the Geology Society, Anastasia Danilova '16, who also attended the trip, is now teaching an introduction to earth science course at Kingsborough Community College. Inspired by Matthew Garb and others, she is pleased to be in a position where she can positively impact students in the same way Brooklyn College faculty positively impacted her. As society president, she was a big advocate for the society to not just come together in the spirit of their shared interest in the subject matter, but also find ways to make an impact on their communities through service. For example, the society traveled to Plumb Beach to aid the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation in the cleaning and restoration of the beach. They had the opportunity to network with professionals and learn about internships in the field.

"The work and the service brings us together and reminds us that it's not only about us," said Danilova. "We live in a community. We live in a world that we're blessed to study. We're a very small part of it, but we should do our small part that makes it better for the whole."