EGGS students explore American Museum of Natural History

Spanning four New York City blocks sprawled throughout 25 interconnected buildings, the American Museum of Natural History is the largest natural history museum in the world — a bucket list visit for any science student.

It’s especially true for an environmental geoscience major with a focus in hydrology. Just ask Caroline Hansbury, a Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg sophomore who joined a group of students from the Department of Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences on a field trip to the NYC museum this fall.

“I’m taking physical geography and oceanography, and there were many things I learned about in class that I could see at the museum,” Hansbury said. “The trip was a great way to visualize what I had been learning in classes and even get more information about things we didn't discuss.”

Hansbury said there were a lot of personal highlights, particularly meeting some new fellow EGGS majors from all three of Commonwealth University’s locations.

“I was able to meet some new people, which is something I was really looking forward to when I initially signed up for the trip,” said Hansbury, who recently transferred to Bloomsburg from Bucks County Community College. “It was really cool to talk to them about their experiences at their respective (campuses). I also really enjoyed the scavenger hunt. It was a lot of fun trying to solve the clues and figure out where the displays were in the museum.”

According to Hansbury, the scavenger hunt was a creative idea by the professors for the group to explore the museum.

“The museum is so big, and the scavenger hunt was a good way to figure out where we would go and what we would see,” Hansbury said. “My favorite part of the scavenger hunt was how exciting it was to finally find something we were looking for. My group got second place in the scavenger hunt, and we got a pin, a sticker, and a cookie!”

Added excitement for her major was also fueled by the trip, she said.

“There was a lot of exciting information about the ocean,” Hansbury said. “Not only that, but the Pacific People's exhibit was one of my favorites. It was fascinating to see how people living by the ocean have used it for many different aspects of their lives.”

She added, “I really enjoyed the trip. Getting the chance to meet new people and learn new things was awesome. I’ll definitely go again if they do the trip in the future!”