Denali Geographic 2012 : A University led scientific field experience for High School students at the Alaska Summer Research Academy
Abstract
The Alaska Summer Research Academy (ASRA) annually provides the opportunity for ~150 exceptional high school students to engage in scientific exploration at the university level. In July 2012, University of Alaska Fairbanks instructors led a two-week long ASRA module, called 'Denali Geographic', where eight student participants from across the USA and Canada learned how to observe changes in the natural world and design their own experiments for a field expedition to Denali National Park and Preserve, with assistance from the National Park Service. Each student designed an experiment/observational project prior to the expedition to investigate changes across the expanse of the park. Projects included wildlife documentation; scat and track observations; soil ph and moisture with elevation and vegetation changes; wildflowers species distribution; waterborne insect populations; atmospheric pressure and temperature variations; construction of sustainable buildings to minimize human impact on the park; and park geology comparisons between outcrop and distal stream deposits. The students learned how to design experiments, purchase supplies needed to conduct the work, and select good locations in which to sample in the park. Students used equipment such as GPS to mark field locations; a range finder to determine distance from wildlife; a hygrometer for temperature and pressure; nets and sorting equipments to analyze insects; and the preparation of Plaster of Paris for creating casts of animal tracks. All observations were documented in their field notebooks and blog entries made to share their experiences. Day excursions as part of the module included Poker Flats Research Range, where students learned about the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in scientific exploration; Alaska Volcano Observatory, where students learned about volcanic hazards in Alaska and the North Pacific; Chena Hot Springs and the Ice Museum, where students learned about thermal imaging using a Forward Looking Infrared Radiometer; and Pioneer Park to learn how to pan for gold. After the completion of the expedition, students had to then synthesize each of their research projects and create a collaborative presentation of their findings. On the final day of the camp, students delivered a presentation to 150 of their peers and instructors in the other ASRA modules. Presented here are details of the field camp and experiences gained by the students. The camp and two-week long module showed students how to pursue their own curiosities about the natural world. By encouraging students to take an idea and develop it into a research topic, we engaged them in the scientific method and illustrated possibilities for future avenues of academic study.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012AGUFMED22C..04S
- Keywords:
-
- 0805 EDUCATION / Elementary and secondary education;
- 0850 EDUCATION / Geoscience education research;
- 9350 GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION / North America