Amongst all of the preparations being made for the expedition, I have been contacted by many news reporters interested in covering this event. The most common question I am asked is "WHY would you want to go to the Arctic in the WINTER?" I believe that all humans are inquisitive by nature...even babies and small children try to figure out the world in which they live. For some of us, that questioning and inquisitive wondering never stops. Scientists are always questioning the natural world and designing experiments to seek out the answers to their questions. When I started this process, I did not set out to "go to the Arctic in Winter". I learned from a previous PolarTREC teacher some amazing things about summer in the Arctic. I realized that I had some misconceptions about what the Arctic is like and thought the BEST way to LEARN is to go experience it! I have been fortunate enough to have been selected to go on this WINTER ARCTIC expedition! I have already learned SO much!
Matt Sanctis of the Springfield News Sun did a great job of capturing our conversation. Click here to read the article on the Springfield News Sun website.
http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/springfield-news/graham-science-teacher-will-study-sea-life-in-arctic-1265319.html
My classes have also been working on some AMAZING Arctic projects...I will share those projects with you before my departure!
CopepodsCopepods are a type of small aquatic zooplankton found in either fresh or salt water. To see pictures of Calanus hyperboreus, Calanus glacialis, Calanus finmarchicus, and other zooplankton click here. are the main focus of our research...we will be learning SO MUCH about copepods!! Mentioned in a previous journal, copepods are small crustaceans that live in nearly every water habitat. They are Bioindicators - short for a Biological Indicator. A Bioindicator is a species used to measure the health of an ecosystem. On this expedition, we are going to be collecting some of the first winter data on copepod populations in the Arctic.
A colleague reminded of the "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs" slogan that was used in commercials for Cocoa Puff cereal. He said that every since he worked with copepods, he felt as if he were "Cuckoo for CopepodsCopepods are a type of small aquatic zooplankton found in either fresh or salt water. To see pictures of Calanus hyperboreus, Calanus glacialis, Calanus finmarchicus, and other zooplankton click here.". Holly, one of my students, designed this logo for our expedition!
New Vocabulary
Crustaceans: very large group of arthropods that includes crab, lobster, shrimp, krill and barnacles
Bioindiciator: short for a Biological Indicator, a species used to measure the health of an ecosystem.
Please stay tuned to this journal as prepare to embark on this very exciting expedition! Until then…
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Mohandas Gandhi
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