Landscape Architect Nancy Denig, Smith Class of 1968, collaborated with Geoscience Professor John Brady to design the Smith College Rock Park, located between McConnell Hall and Burton Hall. It enriches the campus landscape while exhibiting a collection of rocks for study by students. Most of the rocks were collected in New England and are now surrounded by a variety of mostly native plants. Look for Rhus hirta, staghorn sumac; Ilex glabra, inkberry; Betula lenta, yellow birch; Acer rubrum, swamp maple; Rhus aromatica, fragrant sumac; and large plantings of Panicum virgatum, the native switch grass. This formerly unused area now has plenty of granite seat walls and serves as a peaceful gathering place as well as a useful outdoor laboratory.