While JYD, student discovers inner “science nerd”

Jenny Nigro Guest Writer

On a dreary Saturday during her first week at Williams-Mystic, the maritime studies program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport, Brooke Adams ’07 participated in a lab and wondered what she had gotten herself into.

The lab involved trekking through the Mystic Seaport grounds in freezing rain to stand on the docks to do plankton net tows. Returning with bottles full of Mystic River water, the students then worked on identifying copepods under their microscopes. To a marine biology student, this was the opportunity of a lifetime. However, English major Adams was not as certain.

Like so many other Vassar students, Adams chose to embark on an educational adventure during her junior year. Rather than study literature in England or Scotland, she opted for the Junior Year Domestic (JYD) leave approach.

“I didn’t want to go to another country only to study the things I do at Vassar,” said Adams. She stumbled upon the Williams-Mystic program accidentally.

“I got lost looking for my Art History class, freshman year. While I was standing outside the door to the classroom I thought was mine, I saw a flyer on bulletin board advertising the Mystic-Williams program. So I sent away for more information,” said Adams. “I have always liked science, but I was too intimidated to study it in college.”

However, when it came time to apply, the admissions counselor informed her that these programs encourage applications from all majors, as it helps to expand educational diversity. With the counselor’s help, Adams applied and was accepted. Upon starting the program, Adams’ doubts slowly dissipated, and were replaced with an avid interest in science.

During the program, Adams’ group explored coral reefs while snorkeling off the Dry Tortugas, determined the amount of dissolved oxygen present in water samples and spent two nights at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology.

Adams’ studies included a four-day visit to Louisiana, where she witnessed the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and studied the geologic history of the region. According to Adams, Louisiana was already losing one football field worth of land every hour to the ocean prior to the hurricane as well.

Adams also had the chance to develop her own independent science research project. “This was intimidating as an English major,” said Adams. “Luckily, I received help from an oceanography professor who had been part of the team that drilled through the ocean crust for the first time last summer.”

With the oceanography professor’s help, she presented a project that estimated the residence time of water in the Mystic River. Additionally, Adams said she “wrote an original research paper on the history of the U.S. Life-Saving Service for Maritime History, investigated the issues surrounding cruise ship waste management for Marine Policy, and read amazing works about the ocean for Literature of the Sea.”

Increasing in popularity among students, Vassar offers several opportunities to complete junior year study programs within the country. “The selection process becomes overwhelming, so I advise talking with someone first,” Adams said of those considering JYD studies. In the Office of the Dean of Studies, Director of Domestic Studies Diana Brown oversees JYD programs.

JYD programs include College Exchange, study at the Historic Black Colleges, the SEA Semester at Woods Hole, and the Urban Education Semester, along with other options in various cities.

Since returning from her maritime studies program, Adams has become a self-proclaimed “science nerd.” Once singularly committed to the study of literature, she is now considering various options for her future. Now, Adams says that teaching middle school students aboard the Clearwater Sloop or working in an aquarium suddenly seem like interesting and viable career options.

“The Williams-Mystic program helped me see how things are interconnected in the world,” said Adams. “It truly helped me to think globally.”