By Sadie Staker

For three days in October, the entryway of Trowbridge Hall will become a temporary marketplace for rocks, minerals, and plants.  

The sale, hosted by students in the Earth and Environmental Science (EES) Club, will help offset expenses for students participating in field courses at the School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability (SEES).  

“It’s a great example of students lifting each other up—literally funding opportunities for their peers to gain hands-on experience in the field,” said Katie Bottorff, SEES departmental administrator. 

The rocks and minerals sold by the club come from donors, including alumni, professors, other university geology units, and the school itself. The plants sold by the club are propagated and cared for by the club members in the Biology Building East greenhouse. 

For EES Club President, Abbey Steger, a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in earth and environmental sciences on the earth and planetary science track, the fundraising reflects the importance of field experience to students in SEES. 

“We believe that SEES students need to experience how our in-class courses translate into the real world, and this is possible through field trips,” Steger said. 

Donations go directly to the School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability Field Course  Fund, which was created to decrease student expenses associated with field coursework. The club makes its contribution during One Day for Iowa to take advantage of matching opportunities, doubling the impact of their contribution. Last year, the club donated $1,700 during the annual online giving day, which was matched by the SEES alumni board for a total impact of $3,400.  

“We donate to ensure that all students, regardless of their financial standing, can gain field experience throughout their college years for their degree,” said Steger. 

This year, the funds from the EES Club sales were used to minimize costs for 17 students traveling to Wisconsin along the coast of Lake Superior, and 23 students traveling to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. On these trips, students applied their classroom knowledge, learned to camp and pack field packs, read maps, identified regional rocks, and observed in the wild the materials and systems they study in the classroom.  

“Nature is our most important laboratory as Earth scientists, so we teach students how to work outside safely and thoughtfully,” said Kate Tierney, associate professor of instruction and EES Club advisor. 

In addition to the field trips, Steger has seen another kind of impact through her own involvement with the EES Club. She has met peers further along in their degrees who became mentors and role models in her education, attended guest lectures and facility tours, and landed her current internship after volunteering with the Iowa Geological Survey. 

“I have gained so much experience and met many people to help prepare me and our members for our careers,” Steger said. 

The club’s next sale will run from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12 through Wednesday, Oct.14 in front of Trowbridge Hall. Cash and Venmo will be accepted. With rock and plant sales occurring again in the spring semester, the fundraising and community connections from EES Club will continue to support future SEES students.