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.
PolarTREC has been an amazing experience, wow! The heart of the PolarTREC program is the field expedition, which allows the teacher to be embedded in a field research team. STEM educators are passionate about what they teach but often lack access to meaningful opportunities to participate in basic research. Programs like PolarTREC provide that missing
Teacher Josh Heward discusses research with the "Tough Tardigrades Team" in the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica where they search for tardigrades and other microorganisms that live in the soil.
PolarTREC teacher Jacquelyn Hams' expedition is featured in Foundations: the Newsletter of the Geo2YC division of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers.
Senior Scientist Anne Jensen gave a presentation about cultural resilience and sustainability at the 2012 Arctic Ocean Ecosystem Workshop in Barrow, Alaska. Read more about her archaeological work here.
Submitted by PolarTREC teacher Frank Kelley on August 10, 2008
The Scientist of the Week for this week is the PI (Principal Investigator) for the Nuvuk Archaeology Project, Anne Jensen. She wears many hats. Head of the Nuvuk Archaeology Project, Senior Scientist for UIC (Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation) Science Center in Barrow, as well as other duties are all part of
Using photos from a variety of websites, including the PolarTREC and SCINI websites, students will identify organisms to phylum and/or class level (e.g. polychaetes, starfish, brittle stars, sponges) and then research the primary foods that these organisms eat. They will then develop a simple food web for these organisms.
This Live from IPY! Event was held with PolarTREC Teacher Cameo Slaybaugh and her project PI, Stacy Kim who are members of the Antarctic Undersea ROV '08 PolarTREC expedition. The team talked about the underwater ROV, SCINI, and the research they are conducting in the waters surrounding Ross Island, Antarctica.
This Live from IPY was conducted with PolarTREC teacher Frank Kelley and a team of researchers working on the Nuvuk Archaeology Project outside Barrow, Alaska. The event was held on August 5, 2008 and had approximately 100 participants.