Swagnificent!

Today was a great day! A group of us started off bouldering on the rock wall at 6 AM along with a little racket ball. After a hearty breakfast we began the day's "mollusk experience"; we split into groups with awesome mollusk names (squid, tree snail, octopus, etc.) and ventured into the domain in search of the snails of Sewanee. The data collection of snails involved measuring off 2 square meters of space in various habitats (cove forest, upper forest, exurban) and counting and measuring the diameters of snails and their shells within those squares. It was a long and patience-demanding process but it showed us how accuracy plays an important role in data collection and how randomly snails can be found around the campus. My group (the squids, for which we gave ourselves the nickname "Squidward") had trouble finding snails towards the beginning but found some eventually in the exurban area (Ryan named one "Georgia" and I killed it secretly/accidentally). After counting snails we ventured over to the RES (reservoir). The raft almost toppled over with so many people on it, an extreme raft fight developed, and we did some rope swinging into the water to top it off. The day ended with a pretty awesome concert by a band called the Culprits which was quite entertaining. Before bed we all played some truth or dare that was infiltrated by the counselors and eventually involved Ashley proposing to Trevor, a very memorable moment. As Isaiah remembers, "the day was truly swagnificent."

Graham

Cavemen (and women!)

Today, Group B (B stands for Better) attended a lecture by Dr. Willis. He talked about geographic history and the topography of the plateau. And made jokes frequently. He was fun. After our lecture, we went out into the field to look at historic "all-weather springs" and other structures used during history. Then we hiked down Piney Point and explored an abandoned coal mine. I promise it was much more fun than I'm making it sound. We ground up coal, painted our faces, and reverted to our primal cavemen states. There are pictures. After lunch, our group walked to the low ropes course on campus and began a series of trust/obstacle course activities. There were ropes, spider webs, big rope swings, and a platform that we did a trust-fall with. It made us think, and problem solve, and lots of other things of the sort. Now, let me explain. I'm not fantastic at writing, and I'm making this all sound exceedingly boring. We have all had a fantastic time so far, and we're all becoming close friends. But anyway, I miss you, family (Susan, Garland, Zippy, Jax, Chere, etc.), and I hope you have fun for these two weeks without me!
-Scott

Rain and Sweat

We started today with rain and it ended in sweat. Gross, but true. Group B started with a game of GeoCache - finding objects using clues and GPS. My group was amazing! Maggie was the motivating competitor. Lydia was our strategizer. Scott was our muscle. I took pictures and enjoyed the ride. With ten objects found, we thought we had the competition in the bag but another group beat us with twelve found. I was disappointed but proud of my team.

After lunch, the whole group went on a hike learning about the geology of the land. We visited caves and scaled muddy cliff sides. It was all fun and games until someone stepped on a hornet’s nest. I was stung two times. I was so happy that Caroline, who is deathly allergic to everything, was not stung. It was painful but it wasn't something benadryl couldn't fix. The hike was difficult and we were drenched by the time we reached the van but it was so worth it.

I've only been here for two days and I'm so happy to be here. The people and the scenery are amazing, not to mention the amazing professors who run the sessions. It already feels like forever. Can't wait for tomorrow.

Addy

Sewanee Fairytale

Once upon a time, there were thirty teenagers from all over the United States of Good Ol' America (plus Bulgaria!)
We all met one-by-one, trying to remember characteristics about the person to associate with their names. After icebreakers, card games (Egyptian War), a very large game of Apples to Apples we all were able to get to know each other very well. Currently, we are in the common room, all hanging out-- enjoying everyone's company :)

Addy is currently serenading us with her ukulele and her wonderful singing :)

With Professor Smith (he told us to call him Smith), we learned about indicator species and certain objects that can enable us to predict a rough road map of where buildings, houses, churches, schools, etc. used to be. We used our new journals to make the list. There were glass bottles, an old football helmet and so much that could tell us so much about the history of the land. Smith even discussed to us the importance and coincidences of the Fibonacci Series, and how it occurs in nature. (As evident in the crucifix-like leaves of the Post Oak tree).

Then lunch!


Caroline fell today. She sprained her ankle and it was a very sad day...and as I write this, due to the lack of ice in the building, she is icing her poor ankle with a frozen concentrated limeade. But it's okay, she had a fun day! YAY.
It was during our second hike of the day with Dr. Evans. It was really really really really really really hard and intensive for our small unable bodies :( Dr. Evans was a really interesting and fun person to be around. He knew everything about everything in the forest!
We learned a lot in the field-- such as identifying different types of species (white oak, a cave cricket, tulip poplar, basswood, buckeye, and even a scorpion!!) We encountered dusky salamanders, and even the habitat of the rare green salamander.

After dinner, we met a kitty named Muffins/Tim who followed us on our adventure to get frozen yogurt at Sweet CeCe's. Passing by the locals, Southern hospitality was definitely evident in this small, community-based town.

Bellies full of good frozen yogurt, we headed over to our dorm at Hoffman Hall (where we are now!). A handful of ambitious students headed out on the bikes reserved for SEI. A few were determined to find Jane's great uncle's grave right here in Sewanee-- she has a lot of history in this town. :)

Also, apparently we had rocking chairs missing from our dorm, so our counselor Charlotte took us on a little journey, while Caroline brought her cheese balls to share.

SO much happened today, but rest assured, it was a very productive day. I don't quite remember every detail of the day, but it was a very great experience in Sewanee!

Thanks for reading,
Rosalyn

Like Monkeys

So today was definitely an experience. I had my first tick check. Like monkeys, a few of the girls and myself checked one another’s hair for ticks, which if you are like me and don’t know, they are these little bugs the bite you and can cause Lyme disease. We learned though that the ticks at Sewanee can’t actually cause Lyme disease because they first feast on lizards rather than mice and then move on to the deer. Although the ticks and chiggers originally freaked me out I still haven’t experienced them thank goodness. We started the morning with a hike that was over three miles up and down and in-between the mountains where we looked at insects, amphibians, plant life and fungi. After which we enjoyed lunch in the cafeteria, followed by a shorter hike through the ruins of what was left of old African- American homes, and their church. We learned how to identify land marks and plants that signify such ruins, and what the purposes of these plants were when the housing was originally built. Next we went to the cemetery - a place that I personally found extremely interesting because of all the history and cultural customs that each old cemetery has. After which we got to SHOWER  to scrub off any poison ivy we might have come into contact with, followed by the fore mentioned tick checks . Overall a great first day especially because we are going to the new frozen yogurt place tonight and NO TICKS !

Maggie

Astounded by the sheer amount of green everywhere!

Today was the first full day of the SEI Pre-College Camp, and it was quite a rush. We woke up at what seemed like the crack of dawn for a quick breakfast at McClurg (some brave souls ventured out even earlier for a morning run) in full field gear – long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and long socks - to protect us from the ticks and chiggers we might encounter on our hikes. We then were whisked off, in our respective groups, to our activities. My group, group B, went on a three mile hike to Piney Point with Professor Evans through the various biomes of the Cumberland Plateau, and all the while Maggie, today’s other group B blogger, and I annoyed everyone by snapping as many pictures as we could. We learned the differences between a sandstone forest and a limestone forest (sandstone is poor for conventional plant growth, while limestone is perfect for it), constantly passing samples of tree branches and leaves back through the line. I was astounded at the sheer amount of green everywhere we went, a clear marker of the remarkable diversity of life forms found on the plateau.

After examining salamanders, ant-lions, and crawfish, we had lunch at McClurg and went through our second activity of the day, the one which group A had just done. We were still hiking, but this time, we hiked close by campus, we were with Smith (he’s very particular about being called Smith, and nothing more, by everyone he knows), and were examining not animal and plant habitation, but human habitation, and how the land is affected by it. We toured the remains of an old African-American settlement and the graveyard, all the while learning about what Post Oaks have to do with the Fibonacci sequence, how one can mark the boundary of old abandoned cemeteries by identifying certain species of trees, and why there aren’t very many red cedar posts in the area. I was again astounded at the information Smith could derive from the landscape. The Domain is so unique. So are this camp’s total of three ukulele players, myself included. I can’t wait to continue exploring it, while learning so much, and making so many friends. I can already tell that this camp is going to be very memorable.

Jonathan

SEI 2011

Here we are rolling out the 2011 blog. Check back later in the week to catch a glimpse of this summer happenings.