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UST Students Take 3,000 Mile U.S. Tour
6/30/2010
 A passenger van bearing the University of St. Thomas Shining Star brand, and nine of its brightest stars recently went on a 3,000 mile tour of the most fascinating natural wonders, geological sites, national parks and monuments across Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The group was led by Dr. Maury Harris, associate professor of Environmental Science and Studies.
Stops on the tour included Colorado sites: Rocky Mountain National Park, Leadville, Breckenridge, Wolf Creek Pass, Durango and Cortez; Arizona sites: the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff and the Meteor Crater; and New Mexico Sites: National Radio Observatory, Valley of Fires and White Sands National Park.
In addition to gaining a hands-on learning experience and seeing some of the most breathtaking views in the Western United States, the students also received course credit in the Department of Environmental Science and Studies. Four students took the course for credit in physical geology while the other four students took the course for credit in field studies in ecology and environmental sciences. During the trip, the students were given lectures, took pictures and worked on projects related to their respective courses.
Harris has been leading student field trips since before he received his doctorate in 1987 from Texas A&M University. During his studies, Harris read an article that said many students viewed their geology classes as only "words and pictures."
"We had to go on a trip to actually SEE geology, not just read about it," Dr. Harris said. "I knew that the Grand Canyon was big, not just not how big until I saw it for myself."
The final leg of the trip began at 4 a.m. Sunday, June 20, in Carlsbad, N.M., rolling into Houston, Texas at 6:15 p.m. that night. The group was relieved to relinquish their prolonged seats in the van, Harris said. Including the original drive to Denver to pick students up from the airport, Harris drove a total of 4,045 miles for the trip.
"I think we all felt molded into the seats of the van," Harris said.
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