meteorology class

I'm studying social work as my major, but I'm taking meteorology on the side just for fun. I'm in this intro-type meteorology class where we have lectures by professionals and go on field trips to different places around the city - job sites. yesterday we went on our first field trip. the people there gave us a presentation of the companies specific areas of work and what type of jobs they do for the company through a power point presentation. they provided us with soda and pizza while we were there. When he was done with the presentation (the main boss/manager - george - was the one presenting), the whole class was silent like they had been all through the presentation. he asked for questions. there was one. we ate pizza. silence. awkward silence. then he said, well, guess it's time to move onto the lab... go check that out. everyone silently started getting up. at this point, i was starting to wonder about my fellow classmates. i said semi-loudly, "thank-you!" and then all the sudden everyone else in my class chirped in, "oh, yeah, thanks." ----that was funny to me. they didn't have a clue what to say to make this a better encounter.
Next we go to the lab. he talks about the different equipment they set up and use, that they put it together in this lab before taking it out to the field and whatnot. then comes question time. i asked about 3-4 questions. there were maybe 1-2 other questions.
Next we went to the data collection center of the office. he showed us all these graphs of data and whatnot, keeping track of their different projects. i ask about 2-3 questions in there... including one about how much calculus he actually sits down and does (since the majority of the classes for meteorology require calc) and he answers. again, only about 1 other question.
On the way out to the parking lot, one guy does come over to me and thanks me for asking that question, because he was wondering too. (which makes me think he was to shy to ask, but he did come up to me to say thanks, so who knows.)
On the car ride up and back, i'm sitting shotgun, and i'm trying to make a bit of conversation. i dont mind if the group is mostly quiet, but i don't want a silent ride the whole way. well, only the driver, jonathan, ever talks to me. the two in the back, don't say a word unless i directly ask them something. and they give short answers. i'm not sure why they're so unsocial. maybe they're married. maybe they're just unsocial. maybe they're shy. who knows? their definitely all busy with their lives. But i did learn that all three of those boys were majoring in meteorology for sure.
so then i got to thinking... if they're all going into meteorology, and we just went to a jobsite where we may get a possible job in the future...wouldn't it be to their advantage to network with these people? or, you know, at least introduce yourself and have them get your name?
i thought of doing this myself, but I'm just minoring in it, and not likely getting any sort of job for it. but then again, maybe if i network well, i will.
But these men, who are majoring in it, are doing nothing of the sort. their silent. now my question is, what is wrong with them?!
So i took this question home to my family. my opinion, is their academic geniuses with no social skills. my dad says, maybe they're silent because "it's better to be thought a fool, than to prove it." what do you think?