“The sublime mission of modern education is to reveal the true importance of this story for the total range of human and earthly affairs.” 

–Thomas Berry, “The American College in the Ecological Age,”
in The Dream of the Earth, 98.

We hope you're having a joyous Solstice Season!

On June 8th, students from the Connecticut Experiential Learning Center (CELC) gathered at the Benincasa Community on ancestral Quinnipiac land to unveil a nature trail telling the story of the universe. Inspired by The Cosmic Walk, each step along the trail represents 100 million years. Major thresholds of the universe story are associated with native plants and paintings made from natural materials from the land. Students also created a dichotomous key to help visitors identify tree species through branching patterns, leaf structure, and bark characteristics.

The event was the culmination of a semester-long collaboration between the CELC, Benincasa, and Journey of the Universe.

Videos

“Born with a Bang -- Told by Jennifer Morgan (First Great Story/Lesson Montessori Cosmic Education).”
Deeptime Network, June 12, 2022.

“Fastest-growing black hole may have been discovered by astronomers.” 
BBC News, June 15, 2022.

“Flooding Chaos in Yellowstone, a Sign of Crises to Come”
By Jim Robbins, Thomas Fuller and Christine Chung. New York Times, June 15, 2022.

“Earth’s Largest Rodents Were Smaller Than We Once Thought”
By Jack Tamisiea. New York Times, June 14, 2022.

“Galápagos tortoise believed to be extinct confirmed alive”
By Sharon Udasin. The Hill, June 9, 2022.

“After Long Decline, Eastern Monarchs Show Signs of Recovery, Survey Finds”
Yale Environment 360, June 6, 2022.

“Ancient Tree in Chile Could Be World’s Oldest, Scientists Say”
Yale Environment 360, May 27, 2022.

“Taking dinosaurs’ temperature with a new biomarker”
By Jim Shelton. Yale News, May 25, 2022.

“Now We See . . . the Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way”
By Sarbmeet Kanwal. Deeptime Network, May 23, 2022.

“The big questions!”
By Carol Kilby. Deeptime Network, May 22, 2022.

“Life on Mars would have gone extinct more than 1.3 billion years ago, study finds”
By Eric Shank. Salon, May 18, 2022.

“U.S. Space Command confirms interstellar meteor hit Earth”
By Caitlin O’Kane. CBS News, April 15, 2022.

“Thomas Berry’s New Story of the Universe: A New Approach to Catholic Ecological Ethics”
By Jose Mejo Neduparmbil Abraham
A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Theology — Pontifical Institute of Theology and Philosophy, Alwaye, India — in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Licentiate Degree in Dogmatic-Moral Theology.

“What happened before the Big Bang?”
With Dr. Sarbmeet Singh Kanwal. CoCreators Convergence, June 2, 2022.