TITLE: Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Virtual Science Shipboard Expedition: Exploring Global Sea Change Levels
THEMES: Earth Science; Environment and Climate Change
GRADE LEVEL: 7-8, 9-12
DATES: Wednesday, December 2nd
Wednesday, December 9th
Wednesday, December 16th
TIME (program time subject to change):
High School: 1:30 PM- 2:30 PM EST
COST: $150 per session (must be committed to a minimum of 2 sessions), $600 for entire series, or GNG Membership Price. Entire Series Participation is highly encourage
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In November 2009, an international team of scientists will spend two months at sea aboard the IODP research drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution (JR) collecting and analyzing geological data to investigate the history of global sea level change over the last 30 million years. This has important implications for the study of global climate change, one of GNG's curricular standards-based themes. The expedition party will travel to the Canterbury Basin, off the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand, to recover sediment samples from as deep as 5,900 feet beneath the seafloor. GNG has partnered with IODP to bring science "virtually" alive into your classroom!
Approximately every other week for a total of four sessions in this INNOVATIONS series, students will connect live with a schoolteacher from Texas as part of IODP's "Teacher at Sea" program who will be working with the scientists on the ship to discuss a different topic relating to global sea change such as plate tectonics, the continental drift, and geology, among others. By speaking with their peers and oceanographers, students will gain a greater understanding of the cycles of Planet Earth via the study of the sea, and be better equipped to tackle problems of the environment that face us now, as rising sea levels have serious ramifications for the future of this planet. More information about the expedition can be found at the following weblink: http://joidesresolution.org/
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Introduction to the JOIDES Resolution - Canterbury Basin Expedition
Wednesday, December 2nd
In this exciting first session, students will "hop on board" the JOIDES Resolution and learn about the only American ship dedicated completely to ocean based drilling. Students will also be introduced to Expedition 317 - Canterbury Basin Sea Level. A group of international scientists will be traveling to Canterbury Basin, off the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand, to recover sediment samples from as deep as 5,900 feet beneath the seafloor. Students will get a first-hand account from the scientists as they collect and analyze geological data to investigate the history of global sea level change over the last 30 million years.
What on Earth is a Core?
Wednesday, December 9th
On this voyage, students will learn about the importance of recovering cores from the seafloor. In this third session, students will learn about various aspects of rock cores and will find out how cores are recovered and analyzed aboard the JOIDES Resolution. In addition, students will get a unique glimpse of the history of cores discovered on board the JR.
About Microfossils
Wednesday, December 16th
In this session, students will learn the basics of microfossils and the significant role they play in ocean drilling expeditions. Microfossils are microscopic single-celled organisms that belong to the Kingdom Protista (or Protoctista). The tiny shells of microfossils are the sediments that cover vast areas of the seafloor. When a core is brought up on deck, scientists look at these slides to identify the microfossils found in cores and determines the age of the sediment, as well as something about Earth's past climate.
Discoveries and Celebration!
In this final session, students will share what they have learned from their experience on board the JR. Students will share their hopes and predictions of the discoveries on board the JR Expedition 317. Finally, students will speak with scientists and receive a sneak peek into some of the exciting discoveries gathered from this exciting expedition!
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Teacher Bio: Julie Pollard
Julie Pollard is a middle school science teacher in Texas. She found out about the Teacher at Sea program through her involvement in the professional development program, TXESS Revolution, with which she will partner during the expedition. She has a degree in geology, and loves unlocking a love of science in her students. She has been married for 25 years, and has a teenage son who is active in theater and drama. In her spare time, Julie likes to read, scrapbook and collect rock and mineral samples and watch her son act.
She got her degree in geology at University of Texas at Arlington. Julie worked as a field scientist for an environmental firm for two years before realizing that her gift and calling was to be in the classroom with the kids. She has been teaching middle school science for 7 years now. Julie is thrilled to have the opportunity to show her kids that science is active and exciting and that a career in the sciences doesn't mean sitting in a lab all day every day. They are very excited about following the expedition. Julie's son said it was fine for her to go on the ship as long as they had email!
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The IODP program is aligned with these National Educational Standards:
Education for Sustainability - Student Standards
- EfS Standard 1 - Students understand and are able to apply the basic concept of sustainability (i.e.: meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs). They develop an understanding of the historical context in which the definitions, concepts, and principles of sustainability and sustainable development have emerged over time.
- 1.1 Intergenerational Responsibility
- EfS Standard 2 - Students recognize the concept of sustainability as a dynamic condition characterized by the interdependency among ecological, economic, and social systems and how these interconnected systems affect individual and societal well-being. They understand and experience their connection to and interdependence with the natural world.
- 2.1 - Interconnectedness
- 2.2. - Ecological Systems
- Urban Design/Land Management
- 2.3 - Economic Systems
- Alternative Indicators and Indexes of Progress
- True (or Full) Cost Accounting
- 2.4 - Social and Cultural Systems
- Multilateral Organizations
- International Summits, Conferences, Conventions, and Treaties
- EfS Standard 3 - Students develop a multidisciplinary approach to learning the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to continuously improve the health and well-being of present and future generations, via both personal and collective decisions and actions. They understand and can describe their vision of a world that is sustainable, along with the primary changes that would need to be made by individuals, local communities, and countries in order to achieve this.
- 3.1 - Personal Action
- Lifelong Learning and Action
- Personal Change Skills and Strategies
- 3.2 - Collective Action
- Local to Global Responsibility
- Community-Based and Societal Level Decision-Making
- Public Discourse and Policy
- Organizational and Societal Change Skills and Strategies
Environment and Society
- Standard 14: How human actions modify the physical environment.
- Standard 15: How physical systems affect human systems.
- Standard 16: The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources.
Geography Standards
Human Systems
- Standard 9: The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on Earth's surface.
- Standard 10: The characteristics, distributions, and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics.
- Standard 11: The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface.
- Standard 13: How forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth's surface.
Social Studies Standards
- Strand III: People, Places, and Environments
- Strand IV: Individual Development and Identity
- Strand V: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
- Strand VI: Power, Authority, and Governance
- Strand IX: Global Connections
- Strand X: Civic Ideals and Practices
World History Standards
- Era 2: Early Civilizations and the Emergence of Pastoral Peoples, 4000-1000 BCE
- Era 3: Classical Traditions, Major Religions, and Giant Empires, 1000 BCE-300 CE
- Era 5: Intensified Hemispheric Interactions 1000-1500 CE
- Era 8: A Half-Century of Crisis and Achievement, 1900-1945
- Era 9: The 20th Century Since 1945: Promises & Paradoxes
All GNG programs are aligned with the U.N. Millennium Development Goals:
- Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
- Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
- Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
- Goal 5: Improve maternal health
- Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
- Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
- Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
What to expect from The PULSE
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