On Thursday, MICDS juniors learned more about the chemical makeup of the very ground we walk on. Upper School Science Teachers Andi Galluppi and Dr. Meg Yoshioka-Tarver accompanied AP Chemistry students on a field trip to Washington University. There, they received a private lecture from Dr. Bob Dymek, professor emeritus of the school’s Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science Department, and toured the university’s lab.
Understanding chemistry can be a key component of understanding geology. “Rocks are made out of different minerals, and the students are currently researching chemical compositions of minerals,” says Dr. Meg. “For example, the chemical composition of sapphire and ruby (Al2O3) are exactly the same. However, the small impurity in the rock makes the gems in totally different colors.”
The research instruments and methodology interested Sam Matisziw ’25. “I thought the part where we got to see the lab was the most interesting part…the different instruments and methods they used to identify different minerals. I also liked [learning] how bond geometries can influence the shape of crystals/minerals, which we already learned about in class.»
The trip offered students a good opportunity to observe rock samples in the university’s extensive collection and learn more about inorganic chemistry by building on the lessons they have been studying in class at MICDS. Nina Schuerer ’25 saw the important connections between chemistry and geology. «The field trip was so much fun, especially when we got to see the electron probe because it integrated my love of physics,” she says. “There were so many connections to chemistry, too, more than one might think there would be between these two subjects. As someone who was originally kind of skeptical about the field trip, I thought it was really educational and interesting.» Ian Boon ’25 had a similar reaction, saying, “I enjoyed seeing the concepts learned in chemistry apply to other fields of study.»
Finding common ground between chemistry and geology was an important element of the trip that Dr. Meg hoped her students would drill down on. Aniket Joshi ’25 was glad for the experience. He summarized, “It’s really great to see chemistry in the real world with such an amazing application!»