Many students are familiar with topographic maps showing relief of land surfaces. In this lab they will produce their own bathymetric maps, the underwater equivalent. A bathymetric map shows sea floor features by contouring depths below sea level (instead of elevation above sea level as in topographic maps). Students will first probe depths in “Mystery Bay”, a box
The Solar Oven Science activity was developed as a way to target conservation of energy. Some students understand that he sun can be used for heating and cooking but they mistakenly think that this can only work in deserts. Because of conservation of energy solar cooking and heating can work in temperate and even arctic environments. The linked
This activity is a way to create a cloud chamber in the classroom. A cloud chamber allows students to view "invisible" alpha particles emitted through nuclear decay. Alpha particles have a long history in nuclear physics--they are a helium nucleus and their emission during nuclear decay was one of the first ways we knew that atomic nuclei could
This PolarConnect event with PolarTREC Teacher, Katey Shirey talks about the IceCube project and living and working at the South Pole Station in Antarctica.
This video is one in a series of Antarctic Answers that were recorded for showing to high schoolers. The video is 29 seconds long and could be showed as a warm up question about how to become a researcher.
This PolarConnect event with PolarTREC Teacher Bill Schmoker working onboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy was held with Centennial Middle School in Colorado. This event was closed to the public and does not have a Wimba archive.
Article about Bill Schmoker's upcoming PolarTREC expedition aboard the USCGC Healy in the Arctic Ocean. View the actual article at the Boulder Daily Camera Online.
KATHERINE SHIREY prefers warm climates. She’s vacationed in Colombia, Costa Rica, Belize and other tropical locales. But in January 2011, this Washington-Lee High School physics teacher will be traveling to Antarctica, the coldest place on Earth, to conduct experimental research. “I’d much rather prefer to go to a warm climate but that’s just not where the action is,” Shirey said.