Scenes from Frosh Camp

This year, Caltech's freshman orientation took place on September 18 and 19 in Ventura, California. Over the two days, students from the class of 2021 attended talks about the Honor Code and academics, met deans and resident associates, and participated in elective activities such as a boat design contest and a geology hike.
 
Paul Asimow (MS '93, PhD '97), the Eleanor and John R. McMillan Professor of Geology and Geochemistry, has led the annual geology hike for 10 years, with increasing attendance each year. With panoramic views of the Channel Islands, the Ventura River Valley, and the Santa Clara River Valley—weather almost always permitting—the 1.5-mile trail is located in the hills above Ventura and passes through fossil-rich rocks and landforms testifying to the extremely rapid uplift of those hills and the nearly-as-rapid resulting erosion.
 
Paul Asimow, the Eleanor and John R. McMillan Professor of Geology and Geochemistry, talks to students from atop a stump during the Frosh Camp geology hike.
Credit: Caltech

"I like leading this hike because—even though it is a short, simple hike in a fairly ordinary place—every now and then it turns out to be a transformative experience for a few students," says Asimow (right). "It is the moment they connect the joy of being outdoors with their ability to make detailed observations of the natural world and the way that we can tell stories that explain those observations. In other words, they find in their heart that they are geologists. Everybody else gets some exercise and fresh air and good views, and those are all important, too."

Tags: 
GPS, geology, student_life
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