{"616233":{"#nid":"616233","#data":{"type":"news","title":"An Oasis Inside a Living Learning Community","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBy Mallory Rosten, Communications Assistant\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIf you wander behind West Village, the dining hall that doubles as a community center on West campus, you\u0026rsquo;ll find twin residence halls Folk and Caldwell. They look the same as other dorms on quiet West campus, but looks can be deceiving.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInside lives a buzzing community of young scientists and mathematicians, bonded together by curiosity and chemistry labs. In the basement, students would excitedly work together to solve a problem on the white board walls, late at night before a test. In the lounges, students might vigorously debate whether a hot dog is a sandwich, citing scientific sources and data.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThese students are part of the College of Sciences\u0026rsquo; Living Learning Community, or LLC. Formerly two separate LLCs, SHaRP (Science Health and Related Professions) and SMaRT (Science and Math Research Training), the program is now known as \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/explorellc.cos.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EExplore\u003C\/a\u003E. The staff found that the two LLCS often overlapped: pre-health students were interested in research, research students were interested in pre-health, and the students spent so much time together that there was no need for division.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBy housing science and math majors together in their first year of college, Explore hopes to foster a community and create an identity around science and mathematics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJennifer Leavey, Explore\u0026rsquo;s faculty director, was a Tech undergrad herself. \u0026ldquo;I had no idea there even was a College of Sciences,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;For such a long time the campus was so dominated by engineers, there wasn\u0026rsquo;t much of an identity for science and math majors.\u0026rdquo; Explore, she says, is for \u0026ldquo;the kids who\u0026nbsp;are curious, the kids who\u0026nbsp;like to wear NASA T-shirts.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EExplore hosts 280 students who want more from dorm life than the usual first-year experience. By joining Explore, science- and math-oriented students can live together, take classes together, and distract themselves from their studies together. It\u0026rsquo;s also a place of discovery where students can find the field that fits them best, which is why the new name is particularly apt.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;To think that a 16- or 17-year-old is going to stick with the major they chose when they applied is unrealistic and a little stifling,\u0026rdquo; says Emma Blandford, Explore\u0026rsquo;s assistant director. \u0026ldquo;To see them step back a little bit and see the other things out there and explore other opportunities is a breath of fresh air.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA Place of Discovery\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWhen Hudson Moss began his freshman year, he was sure that he wanted to major in biochemistry. But when Moss watched \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.eas.gatech.edu\/people\/cobb-dr-kim\u0022\u003EKim Cobb\u003C\/a\u003E give a talk on her 2016 expedition to Holiday Island, he knew immediately that he wanted to work with her.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECobb is a professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. \u0026ldquo;It was really cool, the way that she talked about paleoclimate and how we can approach climate changes as a community and as a country,\u0026rdquo; Moss says. His chance came when he had to interview a professor for his SMaRT GT 1000 class. He knew exactly whom to choose.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I managed to slip in that I wanted to work for her at some point,\u0026rdquo; Moss says, and that first meeting ignited a research path that continues today. He started attending Cobb\u0026rsquo;s lab meetings.\u0026nbsp; By the end of his second semester, Moss had started working in Cobb\u0026rsquo;s lab and officially switched his major to Earth and atmospheric sciences. He still works there today and is on his way to becoming the first author of a study mapping the 19th-century climate of the equatorial Pacific.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;That initial bump that SMaRT gave me to go interview a professor, to get out there and talk to faculty \u0026ndash; that was huge,\u0026rdquo; Moss says. It forced him to be comfortable talking to an expert like Cobb. Now, he says, he can strike a conversation with any faculty member.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELiving, Learning, and Thriving\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nIn addition to offering LLC-specific first-year seminar classes for their students, the LLC reserves chemistry labs and even English sections so that their students are connected with the community throughout the day.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen they come home from class, the students organize stress relief activities, like cookie and milk breaks and Halloween parties. Recently, 30 students went to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/\u0022\u003Ethe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u003C\/a\u003E to learn about the refugee crisis through the lens of public health.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt the start of every school year, the students go on a retreat where they climb ropes, solve escape rooms, and attend panels for advice about undergraduate research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;They can go out and go to class and do work and they can come home \u0026ndash; it\u0026rsquo;s their own little oasis,\u0026rdquo; Blandford says, \u0026ldquo;My hope is that the community they\u0026rsquo;re developing here is not isolating them from the rest of Tech, but helping them to feel supported to go out and try new things.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBecause Moss is now a second-year student, he is no longer officially part of the LLC, but he still goes back to give talks to the students, helping them figure out their own paths.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlumni can also work as student assistants in the program, helping to coordinate activities, and as team leaders.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe biggest indicator of the program\u0026rsquo;s success, Blandford says, is the fact that 50% of students signed up to continue living with \u0026ldquo;smarties and sharpies\u0026rdquo; in the Eighth Street apartments across the street from Folk and Caldwell.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;They liked each other enough that they wanted to stay in this community again for another year,\u0026rdquo; Blandford says.\u0026nbsp;She sees this preference as a sign that these students truly feel supported by one another.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAll Together Now\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026ldquo;I didn\u0026rsquo;t expect everyone to come together as quickly as they did,\u0026rdquo; Bryan Gomez, a biochemistry and neuroscience major in what was formerly SHaRP, admits. \u0026ldquo;The first couple weeks, everyone was still getting to know each other, but once classes hit the ground and midterm week hit, it was like we\u0026rsquo;re all in this together.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGomez is still in his first year, but he started as a summer freshman. Now he works as a marketing student assistant for Explore.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe credits the LLC for the ease of his transition to college life. \u0026ldquo;They provide resources to get help when I\u0026rsquo;ve needed it and when everyone else has needed it,\u0026rdquo; he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELeavey wishes Explore were\u0026nbsp;around when she was a Tech undergrad. \u0026ldquo;My son wants to be in the program when he goes to college,\u0026rdquo; Leavey says, laughing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Helping students find an identity in science and mathematics"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EScience and math students live, learn, study, and research together in Explore, the College of Science\u0026#39;s Living Learning Community.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Science and math students live and learn together, creating an identity around science and mathematics on campus."}],"uid":"34651","created_gmt":"2019-01-10 21:22:27","changed_gmt":"2019-01-15 21:42:12","author":"mrosten3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-01-11T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-01-11T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"616248":{"id":"616248","type":"image","title":"Explore students hanging out on West Campus","body":null,"created":"1547215986","gmt_created":"2019-01-11 14:13:06","changed":"1547215986","gmt_changed":"2019-01-11 14:13:06","alt":"","file":{"fid":"234551","name":"llc5.250.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/llc5.250.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/llc5.250.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":57246,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/llc5.250.jpg?itok=mhswZZrn"}},"616269":{"id":"616269","type":"image","title":"SMaRT + SHaRP = Explore","body":null,"created":"1547227835","gmt_created":"2019-01-11 17:30:35","changed":"1547227835","gmt_changed":"2019-01-11 17:30:35","alt":"","file":{"fid":"234560","name":"Explore LLC.5x2.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Explore%20LLC.5x2.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Explore%20LLC.5x2.png","mime":"image\/png","size":514458,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Explore%20LLC.5x2.png?itok=uUW_eCHe"}},"616246":{"id":"616246","type":"image","title":"Jennifer Leavey, Faculty Director","body":null,"created":"1547215900","gmt_created":"2019-01-11 14:11:40","changed":"1547215900","gmt_changed":"2019-01-11 14:11:40","alt":"","file":{"fid":"234549","name":"leavey.250.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/leavey.250.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/leavey.250.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":42004,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/leavey.250.jpg?itok=QqBvTDb0"}},"616247":{"id":"616247","type":"image","title":"Emma Blandford, Assistant Director","body":null,"created":"1547215927","gmt_created":"2019-01-11 14:12:07","changed":"1547215927","gmt_changed":"2019-01-11 14:12:07","alt":"","file":{"fid":"234550","name":"emmablandford.250.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/emmablandford.250.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/emmablandford.250.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":51625,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/emmablandford.250.jpg?itok=bvnhhMPG"}},"616251":{"id":"616251","type":"image","title":"Hudson Moss","body":null,"created":"1547216084","gmt_created":"2019-01-11 14:14:44","changed":"1547216084","gmt_changed":"2019-01-11 14:14:44","alt":"","file":{"fid":"234554","name":"hudsonmoss.250.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/hudsonmoss.250.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/hudsonmoss.250.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":60705,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/hudsonmoss.250.jpg?itok=nlHqkECB"}},"616252":{"id":"616252","type":"image","title":"Bryan Gomez","body":null,"created":"1547216108","gmt_created":"2019-01-11 14:15:08","changed":"1547216108","gmt_changed":"2019-01-11 14:15:08","alt":"","file":{"fid":"234555","name":"llc6.250.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/llc6.250.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/llc6.250.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":33233,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/llc6.250.jpg?itok=gJVVY74M"}},"616249":{"id":"616249","type":"image","title":"Explore students at West Village","body":null,"created":"1547216035","gmt_created":"2019-01-11 14:13:55","changed":"1547216035","gmt_changed":"2019-01-11 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Sciences"},{"id":"51111","name":"LLC"},{"id":"168075","name":"smart"},{"id":"180149","name":"SHaRP"},{"id":"7059","name":"explore"},{"id":"27071","name":"Jennifer Leavey"},{"id":"180150","name":"Emma Blandford"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi\u003C\/a\u003E, Ph.D.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}