Students will collect soil samples and analyze them with some of the same procedures used by researchers in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Soil microfauna (e.g. nematodes) will be extracted from the samples using a Baermann funnel. Students will compare their own data to published data from researchers working in Antarctica.
This is a suite of labs created by Michigan State University and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA). It provides a number of lessons and activities in nuclear physics. It can be used to demonstrate the types of reactions typical in cosmic ray interactions and the interactions that the CosRay neutron monitors depend on.
On 6 October 2014, Capital Public Radio in Sacramento, CA interviewed Dawn Sumner, Tyler Mackey and Lucy Coleman on connections between the research in Lake Joyce, Antarctica, and work by the Mars Curiosity rover. To listen to the interview, click here.