PolarTREC educator Monica Nunez and researcher Dr. Craig Tweedie discuss the many projects that UTEP is involved in across the Barrow Peninsula. Collectively, these projects are helping to advance our knowledge of terrestrial, aquatic, coastal and marine ecosystem structure and function and how these systems are responding to arctic change. This event was broadcast live from a research boat outside
Interview with PolarTREC teacher Paula Dell and her students from Lindblom Math & Science Academy about their underwater camera probe called "Fish Spy 2" to study icefish in Antarctica.
Article featuring PolarTREC teacher Paula Dell (Biology of Antarctic Fishes 2011, 2013) and her students from Lindblom Math & Science Academy high school in Chicago, Illinois who have created a Fish Spy robotic camera to study icefish in Antarctica.
Models are great to use to make a concept easier to understand, to visualize a process or outcome, and also to allow a scientist to test selected variables. IMOLD is a great model of leaf decomposition, because it allows the students to interact with two variables affecting decomposition rates, and test those variables in many more ways than they could
This lesson describes how decomposition happens, and the role of microorganisms in this process. The animation, which runs for 3:23 minutes total time, covers information that students may or may not be familiar with. Here is one suggestion for working your students through the animation. By actively taking notes during the animations, students can engage in a dialogue with the
The purpose of this lesson is to highlight the importance of the structure of a leaf at its implications for how it decomposes. The animation, which runs for 2:03 minutes total time, covers information that students may or may not be familiar with. Here is one suggestion for working your students through the animation. By actively taking notes during the
The purpose of this lesson is to highlight the importance of the Carbon Cycle in the natural cycles of photosynthesis and respiration. It also models how human activity can alter the carbon cycle. The animation, which runs for 2:56 minutes total time, covers a large amount of information that students may or may not be familiar with. Here is one
IMOLD is a highly interactive website designed by Drs. Michael N. Weintraub and Daryl L. Moorhead in collaboration with the Center for Creative Instruction at the University of Toledo. Susan Steiner, PolarTREC teacher with Dr. Weintraub on the expedition, Tundra Nutrient Seasonality, collaborated on IMOLD’s design. Other teachers have contributed wonderful classroom activities that can be found posted
This lesson focuses on adaptations as a driving force in evolutionary diversity. Adaptations are characteristics within a species that enhance its chances of survival and reproduction. Adaptations can be behavioral, structural, or functional. Students must understand that these adaptations are not acquired in the course of the organism’s lifetime, but are inherited traits that have been passed down
While in Toolik Lake, Alaska, PolarTREC teacher Susan Steiner worked with a robotic platform that traversed sections of tundra collecting information on a variety of different environmental variables. This article describes the sensors and instrumentation used on the platform in greater detail.