Tree of Science, February 2

A quiet, shadowless Groundhog Day on the Science Quad.  Two pictures tell us something about this time of year at the college.

First, we see lone tracks through (yet more) fresh snow, heading across the quad against the grain of sidewalks.

All new building projects would do well to look at the surrounding landscape to see the natural paths that students take.  These paths are the ideal orientation for new sidewalks.

Second, a fresh cut on an ornamental crab apple outside the Science Atrium in front of the Tree of Science.

The horticulturalist has been out performing dormant pruning of trees this past week, which is necessary for many trees to flourish in an open growth environment. This fresh cut may seem drastic, but it is necessary to direct the tree's growth up and away from where they can become entangled and damaged by students and vehicles.  Some types of bushes (e.g. lilacs) are frequently cut to the ground to keep hedges from growing out of control.  The College has traditionally maintained a small nursery for trees and shrubs that require occasional replacement.

It doesn't take much effort to see this process parallels the intellectual training that happens on campus, as well.

Tree of Science, February 1

Today, there was an interesting presentation from a group of students who constructed a 3D printer from scratch.  Here, we see them in Chemistry 202, with the Tree of Science peeking through the window.

For those who seek it, Winter Study provides a great opportunity to work together on joint projects.  In this case, a dozen students worked with staff in the machine and electronics shop (we'll undoubtedly meet that staff later), to construct a device that is able to print 3D parts from ABS plastic. Students worked in groups to engineer the hardware and software.  Here, for example, they're discussing the calibration of the extruding device, a thermocouple controlled cone-shaped nozzle that, along with a stepper/ratchet shapes plastic with sub-millimeter accuracy.

You can read more about their efforts, here.

Tree of Science, January 31

Today, just a quick tip of the hat to Patricia Hurlbut, a custodian, here, in the Science Quad.

Pat is one of the hardest working people on campus.  Pat and her colleagues not only take care of the science buildings proper, but are often seen shoveling and deicing the walks around the Tree of Science.  They clean dorms after students (often ungracefully) abandon them at the end of the year.  They are often in early and work on weekends to make life easier for students, faculty, and other staff.

With the economic downturn of 2008, the college dramatically reduced the staff who work behind the scenes to make this one of the best places to work.  For many years I worked at a state university that had, as far as I could tell, no one responsible for upkeep on buildings. As a graduate student I helped others to keep the Computer Science hallways well swept and graduate offices painted.  The staff at Williams—including Pat—have been doing more with less...even while administration has grown.

Thank you, Pat, for all your hard work.