Back to All Events

Placerita Canyon Trail w/ David Hutchins {Biological Sciences}

Signups will go live Sunday after wave release. Before that, the buttons above will redirect you to the homepage.

Are you ready for an epic hike with one of the legends of Freshman Science Honors: Professor David Hutchins? Join us on this 4.7 mile out and back hike on the Placerita Canyon Trail in the San Gabriel Mountains! Rumor has it we might see the remnants of a waterfall somewhere along the way. Professor Hutchins has a seemingly endless supply of dad jokes that will keep you entertained for the entire hike, making this the best possible way to spend your Sunday morning.

PACKING LIST:

  • Sunscreen/hat

  • Athletic shoes/ Hiking shoes

  • WATER!!!!! (At least 2 liters)

  • snacks if you’d like

  • SIGNED WAIVERS



Professor David Hutchin’s research interests concern marine phytoplankton biology and nutrient and carbon cycling. His recent and current projects include extensive investigations into the role of iron and other trace metals as biologically limiting nutrients in the ocean, and factors that affect the establishment of destructive blooms of harmful and toxic algae. New projects in regions like the Bering Sea, the North Atlantic, and the seas around Antarctica are examining the impacts of anthropogenic global change (e.g. rising CO2, acidity and temperature) on the structure and diversity of phytoplankton communities, and on the ocean nutrient cycling pathways and food webs that they support. Another ongoing project is examining the implications of increasing atmospheric CO2 for nitrogen-fixing organisms in the tropical and subtropical oceans. This new work is at the forefront of increasingly urgent efforts among the international oceanography community to understand the consequences of human fossil fuel emissions for ocean biology and chemistry, and in turn predict the potential feedbacks from these changing ocean processes to atmospheric CO2 and global climate.


PEAK: Placerita Canyon Trail

DIFFICULTY: 2.5/5

SCENERY: Well shaded trails + great views, we might even see a horse on the way

FUN FACT: Placerita Canyon state park preserves the site of the first documented discovery of gold in California where in 1842, Francisco Lopez found gold flakes on wild onion roots under the "Oak of the Golden Dream"!


TRIP LEAD: Aditi

ask her about how she’s only reading books written by POC authors this year!

Contact Aditi: aajagann@usc.edu (hyperlinked!)

Read Aditi's bio here. (hyperlinked!)


 

Earlier Event: October 1
Art Hike @ Cooper Canyon Falls
Later Event: October 9
Saddle Peak w/ Ian Culbertson {PE}