Reporting from the field

Science and Technology Professor and Chair Gaytha Langlois blogs from China where she is part of a group conducting research.

We have now finished our 2,000 km trek starting in Beijing and driving to Chifeng, then across most of Inner Mongolia, and finally arriving at Lanzhou. From there we flew back to Beijing, and today we leave for the U.S.

During our journey we crossed grasslands, deserts, mountains, rivers, and rich farmland. We bounced over desert dunes in specially equipped jeeps; visited caves where early humans lived in the Paleolithic era thousands of years ago; toured archeological museums and field sites; saw huge wind farms with hundreds of wind turbines at one location; had lunch in a Mongolian yert sitting on carpets and drinking milk tea; celebrated Autumn festival complete with fireworks; observed weddings and funerals; wandered through street markets; ate wonderful and diverse food everywhere we went; and collected about 150 soil, plant, and water samples for research analysis.

Our pictures and videos will tell the many stories and our non-stop commentary will point to the intensity of our experiences and to the richness of the Inner Mongolian culture past and present.

Science and Technology Chair Gaytha Langlois spent about a month in China and Mongolia conducting hands-on research.

Before leaving for Inner Mongolia, we travelled to Chengdu in Sichuan Province to visit a panda breeding research center, and we were able to see a one-week old baby panda, as well as 1-year old and 2-year old playful groups. In Chengdu, we also were able to visit a museum dedicated to earthquake victims, and to partake in the famous spicy food of the region.

These events all took place after the end of the STARTALK program for students and teachers, which centered around historical sites in and around Beijing, followed by a trip to a grassland/forest preserve located near Chengde, a segment that included horseback riding in the grasslands.

Environmental science majors Caitlyn Witkowski ’11 (Saint James, NY) and Crystal Tremblay '10 (Woonsocket, RI) participated in some or all of these events and they will be preparing reports and videos on their experiences and perspectives.

Gaytha Langlois

Professor & Chair, Science and Technology