It was a somewhat cloudy day. If it were any other spring Saturday, I’d be a tiny bit disappointed. But on that day, the weather was perfect for a walking trip to the Huntington with my ESE 1 classmates!
ESE 1, one of Caltech’s 5 Menu Course offerings, is one of the classes I took last term. At Caltech, all students are encouraged (or as I like to call it, “cheerfully mandated”) to take classes outside of their option to broaden their horizons and learn more about different sciences that they might have never considered or given much thought to before. One of the ways this happens is through our Menu Course requirement, where one must take either Ge 1, Ay 1, EE 1, IST 4, or ESE 1 in their first two years. As a Computer Science major myself, I unfortunately touch very little grass on the daily. So, I decided to rectify this sad fact by taking ESE 1!
ESE 1 is the catalog name for Earth’s Climate, a great introductory course to environmental science taught by the jovial Paul Wennberg. He starts off every lecture by asking the class what questions or things they’d like to share about the environment and climate change, and he answers every single one (even my admittedly-non-serious question about how they measured the dip that Genghis Khan’s killing spree caused on the Earth’s CO2 levels). (If you’re interested in the answer, the answer is: somebody made that fact up, there was no way to get an accurate CO2-level reading in the relatively-short timespan of the great Genghis Khan’s reign. Thanks Paul!)
In addition to the entertaining lectures (complete with very aesthetically-pleasing slides and a variety of guest lecturers who were super passionate about their field), ESE 1 has other engaging components: namely its class trip to the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Located just a sweet, sweet 20 minutes away by foot from Caltech’s campus, it offers visitors a catalog of things to do and see. For the American art aficionados, it hosts an impressive collection of paintings, sculptures, and so many more from talented artists throughout American History. For the archivists, the library is a research treasure trove filled with literature and manuscripts throughout the decades. For the grass-touchers (and ESE 1 students), there are the many, many gardens, which are themed after places such as Japan, Australia, and… Desert? (Nobody informed me a new country just dropped :/)
Every year on a weekend in spring term, Paul leads two troops of approximately 30 students each (one on Saturday and the next on Sunday) through the charming and quaint neighborhoods of neighboring San Marino to the Huntington, where the students get to do poses among the roses, coo at the bamboo, and focus on the lotuses. (Provided, of course, that they don’t get the cops called on them by the neighbors for being too loud during their treacherous trek—apparently this happened one year. Yikes!)
It’s not just all fun and games either. The trip to the Huntington was accompanied by a discussion on how plants will adapt to our warming global climate, and all students were required to submit thoughtful responses to plant-focused climate questions. In a world where our climate is very clearly and evidently being affected by human activities and habits, it is incredibly important to understand how the Earth we live on came to take shape and how we exist due to the fact that our planet has such a unique atmosphere. ESE 1 approaches the Earth’s climate and its rapid changes in a meaningful and serious manner, while simultaneously giving us hope to come together and work to maintain a livable Earth.
As you can probably tell, I love this class very much!!! If you’re a frosh or smore looking for a class to fulfill your Menu Course requirement, I wholeheartedly would recommend ESE 1. Everyone at Caltech is always looking for a chill class with a fun and cool professor, interesting content, and an opportunity to get off campus and interact with other human beings, and you get all of this with the great ESE 1! And, if you’re a prospective Caltech student, definitely make sure to keep an eye out for it!
For those who want to touch grass—visit the Huntington on your own time. All full-time college students are eligible for a year-long (365 days) College Pass, which is only $36 dollars (plus, the Huntington holds a lottery for students to possibly win a free Huntington membership every year). I myself have a College Pass, and I’ve gone to the Huntington on days that I’m free to sit down on a shady bench overlooking a scenic pond and do some homework. (I’m still a Caltech student, after all!) The Huntington is open every day except Tuesdays, from 10am to 5pm, with prior reservations on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. I hope to see you there sometime! Say hi if you see me ferociously typing on my laptop. We can all touch grass together 🙂
