At Abiquiu Dam in northern New Mexico, UWC-USA physics students explored a connection between their classroom studies and the needs of surrounding communities: how the energy of flowing water becomes electricity.
UWC-USA created the opportunity for faculty to run expeditions every other Friday. These trips take students off campus to learn from people and places in the surrounding region. Faculty design them around the curricular goals of their courses, connecting academic subjects with work underway in San Miguel County and across northern New Mexico.
For students visiting Abiquiu Dam with physics teacher Michelle Plunkett, the two-hour tour brought the students’ academic study of energy into a working hydroelectric facility. Students explored much of the plant, asked questions, and learned how the dam helps manage water resources while supporting electricity generation.
The visit connected two important functions of the facility. Students learned how the dam controls water flow and regulates river levels, helping manage the water supply. They also examined how the hydroelectric plant converts energy from flowing water into electricity distributed to communities.
One detail stood out: according to Plunkett’s account of the visit, students learned that the plant converts the energy of flowing water into electricity at an efficiency rate of more than 90%. Seeing the facility in operation gave students a concrete setting in which to consider energy conversion, renewable power and environmental stewardship.
That connection between academic learning and its practical applications is central to the expeditions. As UWC-USA’s Dean of Teaching and Learning, Kristin Dotti, explained: “Expeditions create opportunities for our students to learn about their academic subjects in real world settings. This helps them connect their classroom experiences to the people working in our community.”
At Abiquiu Dam, those connections helped students see physics not only as a subject to study, but as a tool people use to address shared needs. The experience extended their learning beyond campus and into the system and the work of the people that sustain communities across northern New Mexico.