Video created by PolarTREC teacher Kate Miller on her experience working with researcher Dr. Jim Madsen and other teachers with the Upward Bound Program in July 2017 in Rivers Falls, Wisconsin.
Kate Miller & Katey Shirey co-presented at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Regional Conference in Milwaukee, WI. Our presentation was entitled "Living & Working at the South Pole" and was part of the "Physics Day" set of IceCube-related presentations. About 100 people attended with several questions at the end.
Kate Miller co-presents with Jennifer Burgin, a kindergarten teacher who recently went to the Galapagos through the National Geographic Lindblad Expedition Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship, at Festival of Minds. Festival of Minds is a professional learning conference run by Arlington Public Schools that provides a diversity of sessions for all PK-12 instructional staff to hone their instructional practice (https://www.apsva.us/fom/). Kate and
Oftentimes called “ghost particles,” neutrinos can travel through nearly everything (the sun, the earth, you!) undetected. Because they are nearly massless, gravitational fields do not affect neutrinos; Similarly, because they are chargeless, electric and magnetic fields do not con affect neutrinos. This lack of interaction is advantageous for IceCube researchers – when they detect a neutrino, it is a
Over 100 students, teachers, and interested members of the community came out for Antarctica Community Night at Washington-Lee High School. It started with a 20-minute presentation by Kate discussing neutrinos, IceCube, and life at the South Pole. Younger attendees could color an Antarctica-themed coloring book, drawn by students Douglas Aparicio and Erin Ingram. This was followed by 4 stations -
Arlington Public Schools puts together the event "Dream, Explore, Create your own path" so that local families can explore available career options. Kate, along with colleague Laurie Sulliven, represented the career of a science educator, featuring her PolarTREC expedition as one of the out-of-the-classroom opportunities available to science teachers. Over 400 people attended of all ages.
Kate Miller's expedition, and an opportunity to receive a postcard from the South Pole, is featured in the Arlington Public Schools' publication "NewsCheck." This newsletter is emailed to teachers and available on the main website.