A little over 1 year ago, I received a phone call that changed my life. I had been selected to become a PolarTREC Teacher and would be heading to Antarctica in the fall of 2017. Words cannot adequately describe the joy and excitement I had in that moment. I knew I was headed for
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.
Students will observe how soils and rocks of different densities behave in wind and in water. They will make predictions and careful observations as they learn about sediment transport and sediment rates in streams and rivers.
Students experiment with a “blubber glove” to experience how insulation affects heat transfer, and how the adaptation of blubber helps penguins as well as seals, whales and walruses survive in bitterly cold waters.