Column: Field experience just as important as classroom lessons

Last summer, on the rim of Kilauea, I witnessed a moment that traditional classrooms cannot replicate. As towering lava fountains explosively hurled molten rock into the sky, a group of teenagers stood in hushed awe. They weren’t just observing geology in action; they were feeling the rumble and literal heat of the Earth. In that moment, a textbook lesson on Hawaiian volcanoes didn’t just come alive — it became a personal revelation, the kind of experience that can anchor a young person’s identity as a scientist and as a student.

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