This final reflection comes in two installments. The first was written back at the beginning of the school year, for unknown reasons I never got back to putting the finishing touches on it. The second part is being added on a snow day four months later. Time has moved quickly, this journal entry will provide a unique, longer term look at what has happened as a result of my PolarTREC work. I hope this provides a perspective for what science can look like, as well as the importance of these experiences for teachers, their students, and community members. As always, send questions or feedback. I will try to check in periodically.
September 1, 2008 Final Reflection #1This final reflection is being written from the kitchen on Labor Day Weekend. I look back with a smile and a slight ache at...
This journal comes from our home in Chester, VT. Today is the first work day that I have not been wearing long johns!! Shorts and tevas are a welcome change, as are hugs and kisses from Julie and Marina. ☺
This final journal provides a few summary photos and thoughts. A final reflection will come later, after I have a chance to think through all of the wonderful experiences that I have been part of.
The Arctic people and the animals have adapted to a challenging ecosystem, developing remarkable adaptations. Life and death coexist everywhere, in the Arctic they seem to be more apparent. I have a deeper respect for all living organisms up here, they are unique and beautiful.
The Nuvuk site is done for the year, the artifacts are in the lab and the cooler....
Archaeologists talk about the “48 Rule”. This rule states that significant objects or artifacts will be discovered during the last 2 days of the project. We were close today, significant pieces kept showing up in the burial that I have been working on for the last 3 days. Christine and Michael kept things moving along, unfortunately Dave had left so he missed all the action today. The time constraints kept me from wandering far for photo opportunities. The time also kept us out at Nuvuk until 7:30PM, by the time everyone was home and gear was put away, it was 9PM. Another late day.
So, tonight’s journal is going to be a quick one. In many ways, the sun is setting on the Barrow scene. Tomorrow is a clean-up day in the field. Saturday is flight day for just everyone.
The close of the...
The day was relatively quiet with the exception of another polar bear being sighted. This bear stayed around longer and therefore provided lots of photo opportunities. BIG thanks to JR and Isaac for once again keeping up safe and getting some good polar bear pictures.
Tonight’s journal was supposed to focus on a bunch of the scientists, specifically Barrow memories, Barrow favorites, and first things when you get home. Unfortunately, I washed my spiffy news reporter notebook, the only thing left was the metal, curly spine. Not much help with this journal, next topic, …, how about Last Day Shots.
First shot, has to be of the polar bear coming up out of the water.
One of the things we did today was close down the driftwood feature. There may be more to do next year, as of right now, the...
Windy, cloudy, dark gray, a little warmer tomorrow
Today’s journal is the National Geographic version. Lots of pictures and captions. We were out listening to a speaker discuss underwater archaeology sites in the area as well as remote operated vehicles to search some of them. After that, Dave’s celebratory last dinner at the local sushi and Japanese restaurant. He will certainly be missed, he has made numerous contributions during his 10+ weeks here.
The Barge Is Here!!Goods come in but once a year. Want a new car? Order it and have it shipped up on the barge. Washer? Same thing.
The Polar Bear is Here!!We had hoped to see a bear and we got that wish. Isaac had to scare it away with a few shotgun blasts but other than that, bears and humans got along just fine.
Waves and Water Are Here!! Waves and water...
This past Sunday gave me another opportunity to take a Sunday stroll. This time, I joined University of Texas – El Paso graduate student, Adrian Aguirre, on his coastal erosion monitoring project. The concept is pretty straightforward, yet the data collection and the mapping is rather sophisticated. The goal is to monitor the south end of Elson Lagoon, where waves and ice tend to cause the greatest erosion of the tundra.
We checked out the map and explained to the BASC driver, Nok, exactly where we were going so if something happened, he could come and find us.
To get started, we grabbed a ride out to the LRRS, home of the northernmost totem pole in the USA. Once we got loaded up, we started out over the tundra. I realized after a few minutes that I had forgot to tuck my Carhartt’s into...
Saturday, August 9th, 2008 was the first game of the season for the Barrow Whaler’s Football team. They were playing the Skyview Panthers who traveled up from Anchorage for the game. A long way to go, and a little pricey with the standard fare being around $280/ person. Both teams were ready to play some exciting football when they took the field.
There’s more to this story than the standard one high school team playing another. Most surprising is that the Barrow Whalers team is a little more than two years old. The story is told in detail in the article link that follows, the summary version is that the team was put together as a way to inspire students to do better in school and subsequently in the community. A very large contribution came in, a field was made, a team was created, and...
The Scientist of the Week for this week is the PI (Principal Investigator) for the Nuvuk Archaeology Project, Anne Jensen. She wears many hats. Head of the Nuvuk Archaeology Project, Senior Scientist for UIC Science Center, as well as other duties are all part of what Anne does around here. Whether talking to bear guards about recent events, or discussing the next steps in our excavation work, Anne knows her stuff and keeps things moving along.
Anne spends most of her time out in the field these days. Her part of the project is overseer of all the different components as well as the operator of the transit or Total Station. As mentioned before, this piece of equipment is the mapping device that determines the exact position of an artifact.
Fortunately, the Total Station works in all...
The science work I have been doing is documented in the journal pages on this site. In the background, has been a nagging thought of how can this activity be a stepping stone, a starting off place, for better teaching and learning in my class and beyond. I recently received the following note from our technology coordinator. Ironically, the PolarTREC site did not allow her to post it directly into the Ask the Team section.
I appreciate the thought-provoking nature of this piece. Technology is all over the place up here, yet at the same time, there are traditional skills of map-making and data recording going on as well. Not to mention, the very traditional skill of moving gravel with a shovel.
I encourage others to jump into the discussion of technology and education.
More Lemming News...
This journal entry continues the story of a lemming’s view of the world from yesterday. I apologize if you read the “first edition” of yesterday’s journal. Writing and sleeping do not go well together. Today’s piece is a little earlier in the day so should be a little more clear.
The Lemming’s View of the World – Part IIThe lemming is busy doing lemming chores and tasks. The beauty of looking at the world from a different perspective, in this case, the lemming perspective, is that routine things look different. We need to look more closely to see the details, the small pieces, that could go unnoticed. Today’s journal is a quick attempt to use a digital camera to change my perspective, to get a “lemming-eye-view” of the tundra.
The Beauty of Flowers and Color on the TundraMy view of the...
Another nice day for Barrow, 40’s, light breeze, clouds and fog. Overall, pretty nice. The Driftwood Feature continued to occupy my time and energy, as well as the energy of 5 other people. Lots of material coming out, over 160 artifacts pulled out today. Mostly wood, a few fish scales, a couple of shells, and some faunal (animal) bones. We’ll be back at it on Monday, trying to get the materials that are exposed, shot in. I will sketch the area from a picture tomorrow so it is easier to envision what we are working on.
Today’s topic is based on a walk I took last Sunday. As you walk across the tundra, anywhere at all up here, you will find lemmings darting this way and that, diving from one burrow to another. My trip last weekend was no different. This is the first of two pieces...
A nice day up here, cool, misty, but not too windy. Today’s journal covers three quick topics that make this place special. First is the work of an archaeologist, second is the unique Arctic region, and third is the interesting people you meet. The journals are looking at smaller topics, the fine point of the trip these days. I have a couple of bigger pieces in the works, keep checking in and think of these as National Geographic versions, you know, just look at the pictures and captions.
Work Pictures
Arctic Life Pictures
Interesting People
I am amazed that I get to have this much fun, discovering, exploring, and learning about a wild place. I feel very lucky to have this opportunity.It is not a picnic, nor a vacation, but it is certainly not dull!!
A misty start to the day, and then sunlight sliding through thinning clouds. A few serious bright spots, blue water, and spirits were soaring. I was a little fatigued today after all the excitement of yesterday. Some good work done in the Driftwood Feature though. Most finds are still undercover, here are a few shots I slipped out.
The real highlights for the day came from the icebergs and the fogbow. Here’s a few random icebergs with a brown for the Live From IPY listener.
A few of the “brave” but foolish members of the crew went out on the ice, checking things out.
Our colleagues were not the only ones checking out the beach. More cool bear prints really show the lumbering nature of the animal.
The beauty and twisted nature of the world is still alive and well. Thanks...
Everyone was geared up for a drippy day, four-wheelers loaded, heading out for the field, except me. An odd sensation, I felt like I was going to miss something. My task for today was to get everything ready for the Live from IPY Event. I didn’t think it would take that long.
Lots of emails, a bunch of instant messaging, and a professional help from the IT guys, Brad and Dorin, and we were in business. Not only did we have the projector up and running, we also had the platform, HorizonWIMBA, ready to go. Progress noted, the next innovation was to get multiple computers up so folks could ask questions while we shared stories. Got them going, registered them, still going strong. Quick dial up the 800 number, get the teleconference going, in business all around. WAIT, don’t forget to mute...
We were back out in the field today. Things started out looking fine, a little cloudy but warm, in the low 40’s. A good sign? Not, really. Drizzle and rain fell for the better part of the day, as the temperatures dropped down into the mid-30’s, with a little more of a kick to the breeze. We got lots of gravel moved, that was a good thing!!
This little Chef’s Choice is to get enough material up for today to get folks excited about the work and to get ready for the big Live From IPY event for tomorrow. If you are in Chester, feel free to stop by the school. Nice PR from my dear wife, Julie.
I was going to get some overall shots of the status of the driftwood feature in part for you, as well as for Claire, who left last week. Alas, the cloak of secrecy still hangs over the site. I was able...
Sunday is Go-For-a-Walk Day. If the weather is even close to acceptable, the Kelley family will head out for a walk somewhere, usually the road or the possibly a trail, one way or another, we get out for some fresh air. Today was no different here in Barrow. I was up early, out the door with coffee in hand, and off to explore the tundra.
As has been mentioned before, the tundra is not bold and in your face like mountains or forests. The tundra is sneaky, you have to look close, get down on hands and knees, to notice the beauty. If you drive or walk by, or are in a hurry, you will miss it. I slowed down today. Here’s what I saw.
First, up a quick overview of some of the birds. My camera does not zoom enough for pictures. A few sketches might be posted later in the week. OK, birds I saw...
This journal entry is about a scientific procedure known as necropsy, or the medical examination of a dead animal. The text and pictures that follow may be offensive to some. I hope you find it informative.
I walked down past our lab today and into another lab, the Necropsy Lab. A nice lab with lots of stainless steel sinks and counters. A faint odor is present, hard to describe, a little like a dissection lab, with a slight hint of dead animal.
I meet Greta Krafsur, a student at Colorado State University, who is very busy up here at Barrow Arctic Science Center conducting necropsies on different arctic animals. Her task is to examine the dead animals to learn more about their general health by looking both at organs as well as at tissue samples.
I also meet an 8lb. female arctic fox...
The winds were finally dying down, the snow and ice had stopped falling, everything in sight was crusty. I heard over the radio, “Roger that, we (the Nuvuk AP) will be heading out to the Point today.” Super, a workday in the field!!
The trail had snow in all the valleys, the ridges, were all covered in ice. The four wheelers handled in all well. Ahead, the tents were still up. Further examination when we got there showed a little shifting of the fly, and a fair of amount of accumulation inside. Of course, a quick snowball fight sent many folks scrambling for cover.
Next stop was the Driftwood Feature. On the way over, the site looks a bit tortured, not very friendly.
Driftwood feature check-in, ah good, the snow, ice and wind, had not beaten the beach too much. We didn’t gain much...
Three days of cold temperatures, biting winds, and stinging sleet. Forget about 24 hours of sun, it does no good if you never see it.
Quick weather summary:
Max temperature since Tuesday = 1C 34F
Min temperature since Tuesday = -1C 30F
Max. wind gust = 44MPH
Average wind speed, last 24 hours = 25.6MPH
Needless to say, we were in the lab today as were most of the other scientists. Fortunately, there is a wonderful group of smiling, laughing, joking, people around here who do not let the present conditions do anything other than induce merriment.
I worked on Live From IPY stuff all day. No great stories there, I think the presentation will be exciting, it got good reviews from the critics in #268.
Here’s some...
This was a day that we didn’t experience from the outdoors. If it is possible, the weather was even more miserable than yesterday. Horizontal rain/ snow/ sleet, temperatures in the low 30’s, and a no good reason to go outside. In VT, this would have been a nap, sit by the fire, and soup day. Here in AK, it was a lab day with some folks cleaning artifacts with toothbrushes, paintbrushes, and picking stuff up with tweezers.
I have been pounding away on the Live From IPY presentation as well as other general paperwork. A little slow, a lot of screen time, but I am hacking my way through the PowerPoint. The presentation next Tuesday, August 5th will be really interesting, lots of great info, interesting stories, and probably a few scientist jokes.
“An archeologist is a person whose career...
What a day!! We listened all night to the winds roar by and Hut #268 quivered. Cold temperatures and snowflakes made it easy to decide to stay in the lab today. We all quietly worried about the Driftwood Feature, will part of it be washed out to sea?
I spent the day, working with PolarTREC, testing out the Powerpoint uploading procedure, and drafting the presentation for next week. The process of creating a presentation is both daunting and exhilarating. Similar to a written piece, one must follow a process. Brainstorm, draft, revise, revise, draft, revise, revise, conference, … I had a completed outline and then tossed half of it. The writer at work.
Today’s journal answers the question about what happens after the human remains are excavated, examined, catalogued, and recorded. The...
Today was another Barrow-warm day. Upper 40’s, light winds, and foggy. Isaac, a bear guard, remarked, “There’s a warm wind blowing today.” That’s what we had, and over the course of the day, the winds swung from the south around to east-north-east. Large swells, rolling in, with waves pounding the coast. You could see the color of the waves taking on a gravel gray hue. It’s still blowing hard out there now. Check the weather update for the latest details.
The beach by the Driftwood Feature is going quickly, soon the sea side of the area will be washed away. Quick hurry, shoot in some bucket shots!! [Bucket shoots are a way of collecting a bag of many, important, but not distinctive pieces.] Other sites that were investigated earlier this year are underwater. YIKES!!
I think the storms in...
It’s 5:10PM and today is summer in Barrow, AK. A glorious day, blue skies, turquoise water, sunshine rippling everywhere, and a more or less, lazy, Sunday as well. I’m sitting on the back deck of #268, looking good and doing some writing as usual.
Today’s journal is the Chef’s Choice, a collection of photos from the week that didn’t really fit anywhere else. The themes are Arctic Animals and Crazy People.
Arctic Animal PiecesScientists call the big arctic animals “mega-fauna”. Examples would be the whales, walruses, seals, and polar bears. Each of these animals played an important role in the food chain for the native Inupiats and the people here before them. Today’s pictures should give a idea of the parts of the animals that are not used today, later this week I will go into more...
Quick Notes1. If you see a journal that just doesn’t make much sense, send me a quick email or just wait until later in the day. I really try to proof read the journal carefully before posting but every once in awhile I am more than tired and something slips past me. Last night was one of those, falling asleep on the computer evenings. I edited this morning and the journal makes more sense.2. Don’t forget to sign up for the Live From International Polar Year Event (Live From IPY) at www.polartrec.com . This event will include scientists, grad students, and me, all live from the Arctic!! No cost, free entertainment, all you need to a computer and a phone. No internet access, visit a friend’s house or just call in and listen. 3. NEWS FLASH: If you are in the Chester, VT area, head...
Quick Notes: 1. I was interviewing this week’s scientists of the week as they conducted their experiment at the local supermarket, Staupaq. You are probably wondering why, …, stay tuned for Saturday’s journal to learn the answer. So, I am a little later than usual. I will try to stay focused and brief.
2. I did not put captions and descriptions with the pictures yet. I wanted people to have fun with the quiz first. Captions and descriptions will be added over the weekend.
Bones 101 – Bone, Wood, Ivory, or Rock?
I got a message from Michael the other day about the work he has been doing this summer involving archaeology. He was so excited to uncover some pieces. His efforts continued to pay off as he discovered a bird skull!! Great discovery!! Michael is already using the skills an...
Digging UpdateAnother busy day out at Nuvuk. The trench is being checked to determine if there are human remains or other interesting materials in it. The DriftWood Feature continues to be excavated, that’s where I spent most of my time today. We uncovered bone fragments, lots of wood fragments, one with an unknown bright blue color, a bunch of burnt wood fragments, lots of unusual rocks, and some possibly heated, brick red pebbles. Not as crazy as last Friday but still making progress on the site. We continue to expose wood pieces so this project will be going on for some time. Other folks worked on shovel test pits, checking to see if there are other burial sites coming up. I apologize for not taking more pictures, I get working, stay working, and don’t remember to stop and take...
The scheduled topic for today’s journal was Pt. Barrow or Nuvuk History #2. The historic information is critical to understanding the lives of the Inupiats and their culture. At the same time, the information comes across as something of a lecture. Today, a break to explain the excavation I did today.
Quick Note: The Inupiat people have requested that no one photographs the human remains. We are very careful to transport the remains in special plastic bags and closed containers to respect the wishes of the native people.
Try to imagine: Many, many years ago, a windy, cool day in mid-summer out at Nuvuk. The seas are quiet, the ice floats lazily by, the sun flows in and out of the fog. The community has gathered to honor the spirit of an older member of the village who passed away...
Today’s item for the day is the critical skill of perseverance. Simply stated, the ability to keep going, long after you wished you had stopped. We continued to move gravel from the trench today, ..., all day. I was one of the loader – dumpers. We made significant progress, but there will be more tomorrow. I am still amazed by the people that still lend a hand. Lead scientists, college professors, standing next to high school students, discussing the events of the day as bucket after bucket gets filled.
The work of the last two days is in stark contrast to the excitement of Friday. Archaeology is like that, you go from remarkable discovery to grunt labor. That’s the way it goes sometimes, you can avoid the hard work for a little while but it still needs to get done eventually.
Before I...
I have been a digger for a long time. As kids, we all start with digger-potential. You’ve seen the digger-kids at the beach, the ones with all the equipment and the hard hats, desperately digging a big hole to bury a sibling in. I did the same, I always tried to bury my little brother, I was a digger. Recently, when the garden needed to be turned, I was the digger. When a 6” wide by 18” deep by 60 foot long trench needed to be dug from the house to the propane tank, I was the digger.
Today, we redefined what it takes to be a digger. I am so fortunate to work such wonderful diggers. Each and every one of the diggers, and there were a lot of them, filled and hauled bucket after bucket of gravel with nothing more than a wise comment here and there to inspire each other. Smiles and tired...
I think I am going to like the pace of Sundays around here. Lots of early morning time to accomplish chores and get a few things done to be ready for the week. The theme for today’s journal is Chef’s Choice, which is a term used in the cafeteria to refer to leftovers. These leftovers are from the past week and show that there are lots of different projects going on around here. Science Camp for adults is an appropriate analogy!!
One of the first things you notice up here in the arctic tundra is the absence of trees and shrubs. Green plants are low to the ground to stay out of wind in the summer and the extreme temperatures above the snow in the winter. Staying low to the ground is a very good survival strategy!! The plants still need to complete their lifecycles which means reproduction,...
It's 2:26AM Saturday, we been working out at the Point since 9AM yesterday (Friday) morning. The crazy thing about archaeology is once something is found, it needs to be recorded, excavated and safely stored.
Today's find was incredible, connected to the objects from yesterday. Again, top secret. We will be reading about it fairly soon. The pictures and the story are well worth the wait.
Hope your day was not quite as crazy as mine.
More details tomorrow, actually later today. Ugh.
This will be quick. When objects get found, they need to come out and be stored safely. Sometimes you work overtime.
Sorry, flash is not available.
We are all in recovery mode today here at the Nuvuk Archaeology Project. The items of the day are the few things that have been accomplished. Just getting the body up and vertical today was a challenge. Thanks go to cafeteria people for having decent food at lunch, I slept right through breakfast. All the others folks are in similar shape, just weary, running in slow mode. Happy Birthday Wishes go out to Krista who turned 23 while we were out at the Point last night. A birthday to remember!!
Once again, the work we have been doing has been very productive. We extracted four large pieces and many smaller ones last night. There are lots of questions about what they are and how they go together, right now they are in the “Top Secret” category. Sorry, but archaeologists do love a mystery!!...
The items for the day are the tools that I used throughout the day today. I was once again in the Driftwood Feature. A cold, windy day, the forecast actually called for some snow showers!! Only in Barrow!! We continued to excavate, removing gravel by the shovelful, and then by the bucketful. The different tools each relate to how precise we need to be when moving the material. A shovel generally means you want to move a bunch of stuff quick.
The trowel is for pretty careful work, you scrape the gravel or other material into large dustpan and then put it into the 5 gallon bucket.
When you discover something, usually a piece of wood or bone, you switch over to the brush and small dustpan so you don’t break the piece. If everything goes as planned, we work quickly and carefully and...
We were back in the field today, a fine place to be, except when it is drizzling and cold all day. I worked a new section, known as the Driftwood Feature in Nuvuk Archaeology terms. There have been significant findings in this area earlier in the summer and the push is on to get more work done before the wood specialist, Dr. Claire Alix, leaves and before the seas pull back more of the gravelly shoreline. One of the first pictures posted was of Scientists At Work, it might be me but I could see that a small amount of shoreline has eroded since last week!! Here’s a picture of the site today. What do you think?
I will do one whole journal entry on the Driftwood Feature later this week. I am hoping to get back in there to work tomorrow, there are wood pieces, shells, animal bones, and...
Another lab day today, we were sifting through batches of sand, gravel, and soil collected from a site in 2006, that is no longer there. The coastal erosion has washed the area, about 150 meters from where we are working now, out into ocean. Our work is critical, the major part of our work for the rest of the week is out in the field, perched on a bluff that will probably not be here next summer!! Great objects have already been found in this location, a digging we will go.
I also helped put together a shopping list for 5 underwater archaeologists who are going to a site 60+ miles away to camp for two weeks. They will be investigating an area where 31 New England whaling boats were trapped in the ice, crushed, and sank around 1875!! I told them I had my bath suit, but they just wanted me...
We were in the lab for the day, sifting through gravel, peat, and doing a really interesting activity that gives a great overview of archaeology and anthropology. Like all science fields, there is quite a bit of knowledge and skill required to be successful in these areas. I will write up the activity for the Learning Resources section. Just a quick preview, it involves candy!!
Quick Notes of the Day:1. Feel free to send along questions or comments. I might not get to them everyday but I will try. I have responded to some other PolarTREC journals and it is hard to think of a good question. Suggestions and things you want to learn more about are fine too.2. There are amazing birds up here. I am stretching my bird ID skills and will try to include some. The previous PolarTREC teacher...
OK, hats were too limiting. So, instead there will be the clothing or apparel of the day. Today’s blue latex examination gloves were an easy choice. They were the only item all of us lab folks had in common. The high school students who are also part of the project took Sharpies and decorated their gloves that’s how much fun we were having that day!!
A couple of quick notes:-I mentioned surface archaeology yesterday without explaining that as soon as my shovel hit gravel, I was doing sub-surface archaeology. Sub-surface archaeology simply means below ground level.
-I posted an activity, Bedroom Archaeology, in the Learning Resources section of the website. You can find it on the top toolbar, far right side.
Lab Work
Lab work is all the activity that goes on away from the field. We are...
I have found that I am wearing many “hats” around here. To help maintain a flow to these journal entries I will pick a hat of the day and focus on a specific topic. Today’s piece is Archaeology #1 – Field Work, “hat” is Indiana Jones’ Fedora.
The term, archaeology, is Greek and means the study of what is ancient. Many times, the first task of an archaeologist is find something ancient to study. This is often easier than one thinks. Big holes filled with snakes and other danger is not needed. Here in Barrow, the Nuvuk Archaeology Project got started when local people noticed human remains poking out of the beach out on Point Barrow, which is also known as Nuvuk. A few phone calls later, the local archaeologist and head of this project, Anne Jensen, was heading out to Nuvuk to see what was...
July 11, 2008 Goodbye Vermont, Hello Alaska!!
Wow, things have moved along very quickly these last few weeks. Finishing school, cleaning a classroom, chores around the house, lots of wonderful family time, packing up, and then the big, long, plane ride to Barrow, Alaska. The efforts of so many people are very much appreciated, I could not make this happen without the huge amount of help and support people have provided. Thanks to all!!
My journal entries will be showing different aspects of the work I am doing up here, while also making connections to life down in the lower 48. Today’s focus is on being a tourist. With that in mind, I look back on recent events in Vermont, and then shift my focus here to Barrow, AK.
Goodbye Vermont!!
It is always a challenge to leave behind the people,...
Chester -Andover Elementary School and other sites in Vermont
June 30, 2008 Connecting to Archaeology and Polar Regions This Past School Year
Archaeology and polar regions are two topics that can be used to explain interesting science concepts and skills. This past year, two of the classes at Chester-Andover Elementary School, participated in a number of interesting activities to gain important knowledge and skills.
Let It Rot Lab
One of the first activities we did was the Let It Rot Lab. We started back in the fall, before the PolarTREC connection was started. Jennifer reports about the work we did.
“Way back in September, we, Mr. Kelley’s class, chose various objects, such as crayons, fruits, and an issue of the educational magazine; “Storyworks”. Here we are now, almost a year later, and all wondering the same thing; What will the objects look...
March 7, 2008 Arctic Science #1
Reindeer and PermaFrost Tunnel Science
There is lots of science work happening up here in Alaska. We were fortunate to have a chance to learn about two very different projects going on. The first was a visit to the University of Alaska – Fairbanks to learn about the Reindeer Research Program. The Reindeer Research Program is dedicated to the development and promotion of the reindeer industry on the Seward Peninsula and throughout Alaska. (from their website, http://reindeer.salrm.uaf.edu/index.php) Here’s a picture of one of their subjects.
We learned about the history of the reindeer, the importance of reindeer for the native and non-native people, and the way these domesticated animals function. That was the science of the project, the fun of the...
A few questions have come in about the training that I have been doing and I wanted to take a few moments to explain just some of the things that I have learned. It is similar to what happens in any class, there is lots of knowledge to get exposed to, a variety of skills to learn, and they are both needed to do wonderful things.
The first new thing is this webpage. I didn’t design it, but I did need to learn how to get my journals, lessons, photos, and audio stuff up onto the pages you are seeing. What is incredible is that the people of PolarTREC have set this all up and are able to help techno-challenged people like me make it happen and make it look good!!
A tool that I have worked with before, and that I am getting better with is the digital camera. We’ve all taken pictures, yet...
The wonderfully intense work of PolarTREC is up and running. We are a dynamic group of educators from all over the USA coming together to learn about polar science, field work, and surviving in the Arctic or Antarctic. We've met the awesome staff of PolarTREC. They have kept us well fed, very busy, and getting smarter all the time. We are fortunate to have such a knowledgeable group of folks to work with.
We met some sled dogs last night that we are hoping to watch race later in the week. Other than that, we are just working right along.
If you are back in the class at CAES, keep up the good work. I'm working hard and hope that you are too. I'll try to get a cool picture of me up here in Fairbanks. Let me know if you have questions. Thanks for reading my journal, I'll be more creative...