Jon Schwenk Owns This Page
"Read my lips. No new taxes."

I came to Clarkson not knowing or caring what to expect. When I arrived, no one else was here so I settled in and wandered around campus. Once my fellow REUers began to show up, the party started.

We all jumped into vans and drove to Star Lake for a weekend retreat, where we created art, played birdie on a post, and paddled around the lake. We spent hours questioning if we should flush the toilets anyway, but no one ever did. I had a great time torturing fish by placing razor-sharp hooks through their eyes.

One of my favorite pastimes is backpacking, and the Adirondacks have New York's best. I found a fellow packer, Dan, from the nanotechnology REU, and together we hit the trails. We're heavily addicted to views, and the high-peaks region filled our veins. The trails were different in both makeup and scenery than the Smokey Mountains, where I'm from. We climbed through clouds to the top of Mt. Marcy, the highest point in the state of New York. Because of the clouds, there was no view until halfway down the descent. We were pissed. And speaking of pissed, we saved a toad from its demise, angering the predator snake. But we showed that snake who was boss. We also met two Canadians who not only entertaining, but uber-fast hikers as well.
Dan and I picked up a first timer, Meagan, to come with us on the next trip. We climbed up Big Slide Mountain for a view, then hiked along the ridge to Yard Mountain, before having to sleep under the stars with the bears. Apparently snakes have an affinity for us, because we found another one slithering around the campsite. Dan did some snakecharming. On the way out, we found a natural swimming pool and waterslide. Wot fun! I was already a member of the I-ate-a-live-crawdad club, but Dan hadn't been initiated yet. We took care of that.

During the summer, we attended a weekly sustainability seminar, which raised our awareness of the state of the world and opened our eyes and minds to sustainable, responsible alternatives. We read Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn, which you, too, should check out from your library or purchase. I saw this shirt at the goose roundup which reminded me of Ishmael. The state of our Earth is our responsibility. Start or join an organization at your school. Become vegeterian! Purchase Green Energy. Recycle. Buy locally grown. Ride a bike instead of a car. Turn off the electricity when you aren't using it (eg computer, lights, TV). Start a revolution!

We all spent the 4th of July at Dr. Grimberg's house. There was food, water, music, sun, and this game where you throw ping-pong balls at cups. For fun. I was unexpectedly taken hostage by Mark, but little did he know--I was packing! Hah, I encountered a summer romance by the pool. The house was a mess afterward. Dr. Grimberg was distraught when he arrived home to find his residence destroyed.

We also went to Ottawa (Canada's capital) and skanked around the city some. There were street performers, candy stores, poutine, people, and music everywhere. The nightcap was the impressive fireworks show. I found a one-man-band named Pete whose homemade jam I was diggin'. I figured I'd never see him again, but when I went to Montreal a couple weeks later, there he was jammin again. I paid 15$ for his CD. Montreal is a must-see city if you're in the area; there was excitement on every corner. One of my favorites was a giant chessboard for passersby to test their skills.

And, of course, there was the work. Here is my abstract, and here is my final paper. Mercury pollution is silently infecting marine and other ecosystems worldwide, making some fish unsafe, both for their health and human consumption. That's the real reason I was here.

If you have any questions about what to expect in Potsdam, e-mail me at jpschwenk21@tnech.edu.