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
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.
This article describes PolarTREC teacher Nick LaFave's upcoming expedition to Toolik Lake, Alaska where he will be studying wolf spider populations with Duke University researcher, Amanda Koltz.
The Memphis Flyer features Alex Eilers, manager of education for the Pink Palace Museum, who traveled more than 8,000 miles away from home to take part in a PolarTREC expedition studying Weddell Seals in the Ross Sea. While on her expedition, Ms. Eilers retrieved data from the seals and relayed the information back to students and others via her online
PolarTREC teacher Nell Herrmann writes a compelling article for Town and Gown, the local newspaper in her home town of State College, PA. Nell reports on her adventures with a team of scientists in Antarctica and the profound way in which her journey has influenced her both personally and professionally. Note: The online article starts on p. 50 of the
The attached Polar Oceans flyer, produced by the International Polar Year (IPY) Programme Office, provides summary information about the Polar Oceans and describes how the circulation in polar waters exerts a powerful control on the Earth's climate and carbon cycle. Activities attached to the flyer demonstrate the interconnectedness of marine life in the oceans and how the Polar Regions affect
The attached Lands and Life flyer, produced by the International Polar Year (IPY) Programme Office, includes a summary of terrestrial polar ecosystems, from southern cold maritime islands to dry continental deserts in Antarctica and from tree line across the continental tundra to remote northern islands in the Arctic. An attached activity allows students to build a small scale model of
This web site offers in-depth information on all manner of penguin life - photos, animations, and live penguin cams will delight viewers of all ages. Follow the link to 'Penguins Marching into the Classroom' for penguin-related educational activities, picture galleries, journals, and skill testing questions. Students can send questions to researchers studying penguins, check the nests of penguins as they