This American Public Media Educate podcast features PolarTREC alumni, Melissa Lau. She talks about how her experiences in PolarTREC has influenced how she approaches teaching climate change in the classroom. Here's the link to the Education podcast:
Melissa Lau spent a month in the tundra ecosystem gathering data using a device called a Greenseeker. This device measures exactly how green a plant is by calculating its NDVI or Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. In this lesson, students will explore light waves, how they interact with plants, and find out how green is green.
PolarTREC, funded by ARCUS (Arctic Research Consortium of the United States) and the NSF (National Science Foundation), endeavors to connect educators and researchers in real field work experiences. Educators then take that experience back to their learners and community and share their experience in the form of lessons, lectures, and enhanced experiences in the classroom. As
PolarTREC teacher Emily Dodson participated in a scientific expedition in the summer of 2014 at Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. Emily’s book is a telling of the science story behind the teams work and Emily’s participation as an educator and field assistant on the PolarTREC expedition.
Author/Credit
To contact Emily <emily.snowden [at] fayette.kyschools.us>
At Summit Station, Greenland, science technicians measure the snow conditions of the runway to determine if the LC-130 aircraft which brings supplies and people in and out of Summit can land and takeoff safely.
Students can use data taken by technicians at Summit Station, Greenland and develop a model to determine if snowpack conditions on the runway are sufficient
Emily Dodson-Snowden, a sixth-grade science teacher at Morton Middle School, didn’t have a typical summer break. She spent three weeks in Greenland studying how climate change influences plant/pollinator interactions and plant reproduction as part of PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating).
For three students at Monona Grove High School and their teacher Juan Botella, science and travel are best when paired. The group recently traveled to Chile to attempt a journey to the Antarctic as part of a science trip. Along the way, the students documented their trip in detail, offering viewers a glimpse into their scientific and cultural experience.
Tune
Printed in the Herald-Independent about the Joint Antarctic School Expedition. Three MG high school students and a teacher returned on Feb. 28 from a joint expedition. Although the trip did not go as planned, it was still a cultural and learning experience for the group.