PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) is a program in which formal and informal educators spend 3-6 weeks participating in hands-on field research experiences in the polar regions. The goal of PolarTREC is to invigorate polar science education and understanding by bringing educators and polar researchers together.
Students will understand how the increasing levels of carbon-dioxide in oceans affect shelled marine animals. They will carry out a student-developed investigation on how increasing ocean acidification affects these animals.
Objectives
The objective of this lesson is for students to assess how increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 affect marine organisms. In addition, they will devise an experiment to test
Technology geared to the instruction and learning of science concepts, skills, and processes is instrumental to a deeper understanding of science phenomena and content.
Overview
This lesson is intended to introduce students to the concept of scientific exploration and investigation. Students will model the technology used in the Jellyfish in the Bering Sea expedition by using underwater cameras and tow
The Importance of Teacher/Researcher Collaboration
No book, movie or professional development I have experienced could have produced the effect of actually being in the field engaging in scientific research as a PolarTREC teacher on the “Jellyfish in the Bering Sea” expedition July 27-August 5, 2017. As the PolarTREC teacher, I was tasked with the role of disseminating the ongoing
How glaciers in the polar regions respond to continued climate warming is of great concern. Changes in overall glacier velocities and calving dynamics have immediate impacts on sea level. Accurate predictions of how and when ice loss will occur are crucial to forecasting future environmental change.
This lesson results from experiences working in and around Kronebreen glacier in
Soil decomposers, such as some bacteria and fungi, obtain energy needed for life from dead and decomposing plant and animal remains, known as soil organic matter. Soil organic matter is important to local ecosystems because it affects soil structure, regulates soil moisture and temperature, and provides energy and nutrients to soil organisms. It is also important globally, because
This lesson was designed to teach pre-service teachers an inquiry-based approach for a science classroom. To give context to the activity, I used my experiences as part of “High Arctic Change 2014” for a lab activity. As such, the activity focuses on discovering how glaciers are formed and flow and how icebergs float in water. The materials can
This lesson is based on studies completed by undergraduate geoscience students working around the glaciers of Kongsfjord, Svalbard during the summer of 2014. It is intended as part of a larger unit on matter that covers atomic theory, atomic structure and the periodic table. Students connect authentic research to their classroom understanding of atoms while learning how this
This lesson is based on studies completed by undergraduate geoscience students working around the glaciers of Kongsfjord, Svalbard during the summer of 2014. It is intended as part of a larger Earth science unit that covers erosion, transport and deposition of sediment. Students connect authentic research to classroom investigations while learning how to interpret current data to understand