Caroline Heredia of East Hampton was one of 12 SUNY Oneonta students who teamed up this summer and put their skills to the test during an 18-day field trip to the Rocky Mountain region.
The trip, led by Associate Professor of Paleontology and Geology Leigh Fall and Biology Professor Donna Vogler, let Heredia and other students learn first-hand about the flora, fauna, formations and ecosystems in Colorado, Arizona and Utah. Surrounded by desert, mountains and tumbleweeds, students honed their observation and identification skills, collecting geological and ecological data and analyzing that data to better understand how the natural world works.
Heredia is studying biology at SUNY Oneonta.
Spending time at the Grand Canyon, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Arches National Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park, students practiced identifying rocks, fossils, plants, and animals, recorded their observations in a field notebook, and synthesized their data in field presentations.
At night, students set up camp and prepared meals, and then tented under the stars.
“My favorite part of the trip was the Rocky Mountains, learning about the ponderosa pines and the lodgepole pines was truly a lot of fun,” said Heredia, a senior. “Donna and Leigh taught me a lot about being a field scientist. It helped me gain a lot of perspective on biology and what the field consists of. The most amazing part was meeting everyone on the trip. Truly a great group that I got to know.”
Danielle Lackner of Montauk graduated with a Bachelor of Science in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Tampa.
Also graduating from the University of Tampa was Madison Hughes of Amagansett. Hughes earned a Bachelor of Science in international business and economics.
