Britton Van Vleek

= Division III =

''This article is part of a Climax Div III Issue. By Kendell Richmond, Staff Writer. ''

"Busted yellow bikes,” Britton Van Vleek recalls as his first memory of Hampshire. Many who started college with Britton in the fall of 2005 remember a quiet boy exploring the campus by climbing up buildings— buildering to be exact. When he arrived at Hampshire he came armed with climbing shoes, chalk, and a crash pad, immediately connecting with the climbing community.

An active participant in the Hampshire College Climbing Coalition until the start of his Div III, many of Britton’s more epic adventures took place with these comrades. Road trips, neon-colored ski suits from the 70s, bouldering, and even rolling his car on a trip to West Virginia, Britton has plenty of outrageous stories from the past four years. Britton didn’t just limit himself to the climbers and has been known to be easily persuaded into a game of beer pong, a hike in the woods, or even a naked bike ride.

Academically Britton concentrated in chemistry, working closely with his chair Dulasiri Amarasiriwardena. His Div III is titled Toxic Trace Metals Distribution in Soil and Humic Acid Molar Mass Fractions in a Shooting Soil.

Britton explained the data he used: “Sequential extraction and spectral analysis of trace metals AG, AS, Cu, PB, SB, and Zn from various fractions of soil samples taken from a Boy Scouts of America Shooting range. Analysis of trace metals bound to soil-derived humic acid (a component of the soil organic matter) from the same site. This information helps give insight as to the fate, transport and availability of said trace metals has impact on future assessment of the site for development and potential effects of public health.”

When asked about his plans for after graduation, Britton replied: “I am taking time to work and to let the system work for me… Please contact me for my CV and cover letter.”

“One day I want to wake up as early as Earl and Glenna Alderson,” he added. His parting advice for Hampshire students is, “Be good to each other. Tighter jeans will not make you a better man.”