Students complete a physical puzzle based on a scientific poster about Bowhead Whales. Students then research the content of the poster and present their findings.
Objective
To familiarize students with:
* the scientific method
* real polar scientific posters
* real polar scientific research
* real polar scientific terminology
* real polar scientific technology
* real polar
Antarctica is the coldest, driest place on Earth with a fairly limited number of native species which have adapted to these extreme conditions over millions of years. As a result, it's not very likely that a non-native species would survive there . . . right? Actually ever since exploration and exploitation of the Antarctic region began in the 1800's
This story in Discover magazine profiles the work of the WISSARD (Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling) project team and the challenges faced by drilling thousands of feet into the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to reach a lake buried for millennia.
PolarTREC teacher Elizabeth Eubanks traveled to the Alaska Marine Science Symposium with her students. They presented a poster about their experience as her students.
Article about earth science and environmental science teacher Mike LeBaron's expedition to Antarctica as part of the WISSARD project (Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling) at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
This article in the suburban Chicago newspaper The Daily Herald, describes the WISSARD project and it's science objectives. The article highlights the work of NIU professor Dr. Ross Powell, John Winans, and graduate student Timothy Hodson.
The Antarctic Sun published this news article about the WISSARD Project that PolarTREC Teacher Mike LeBaron is with at McMurdo Station. The article provides a brief overview of the project and some history about the projects origins.
Teacher Elizabeth Eubanks recently returned from a research trip to Costa Rica along with Steve Oberbauer, a professor of biological sciences at Florida International University. In 2008, they had traveled to Barrow, Alaska to study the role of global warming on Arctic ecosystems as part of a PolarTREC exition. In Dr. Oberbauer's words, "Elizabeth was so good in Alaska, I