Olivet The Magazine | Worldview – Blue Ridge Mountains

Hayley O'Vell

Blue Ridge Mountains, Tennessee and North Carolina; Southern Indiana

Dr. Charles Carrigan '96, associate professor of chemistry and geoscience, often gives his students memorable learning experiences off campus. He recently led a group on an exploration of the Valley Ridge and foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the high country of the Great Smoky Mountains to get an in-depth look at how the classic mountain chain was formed. For Carrigan and his students, including junior Hayley O'Vell, the trip allowed for deeper appreciation and knowledge of their classroom experience.

"The hands-on nature of the trip to Blue Ridge helped to deepen my learning by putting textbook content into its real-life context," Hayley says. "It was incredible to see how the geology of the mountains, everything from the specific minerals making up small rocks to the huge changes in elevation I experienced, reflected what I had been learning in class."

Later in the spring semester, Dr. Carrigan took a group of students and professors to southern Indiana to experience the total solar eclipse.

From Olivet The Magazine, The Parent Issue - Autumn 2024. Read the full issue here.