In the Shadows of Ice and Sand: International Collaboration between Scientists and Students in the High Desert
Abstract
Two middle school students in Albuquerque, New Mexico collaborated with staff of Amundsen-Scott South Pole and Palmer stations and the US Geological Survey to measure sun shadows. Students tested the phrase: "a location will experience longer shadows in winter and a shorter shadow in summer" through a collection of international data demonstrating seasonal solar angle variation. Measurements of the length of the sun's shadow were taken weekly at solar noon as cast from a one-meter stick placed at 90° from a flat surface. Students focused initially comparing their measurements taken between November and winter solstice to those taken concurrently by Antarctic station personnel. Viewing websites, blogs, sending e-mails, and placing a call to the team at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, students learned about the different contributing locations. During the call, the shadow teams discussed the students' data summary, experimental problems, personal motivations for the team members to be at the pole, how they got started in their particular field, and their opinions on Climate Change. Winter solstice measurements ranged from 158 to 231 cm between the latitudes of 35 and 42° N. Southern latitudes reported a range of 87 to 202 cm between 64 and 90° S. The project expanded with international collaboration on vernal equinox and summer solstice. Project partners submitted data from locations in seven countries spanning both hemispheres. On the vernal equinox, measurements ranged from 29.8 cm near the Equator (American Samoa 14° S) to 0 cm at the South Pole. Northern measurements were taken in Egypt (30° N) of 64.7 cm, Norway (59° N) 164 cm and Russia (59° N) of 158 cm. One partner stated that he originally didn't expect much of a difference between Russia and Norway as they were not quite a degree apart, and was surprised by the data. Reflecting on what he learned, he commented, "I now understand the differences in a few degrees can make in the amount of sunlight a location receives." Representing their school in the regional science fair, one of the students commented that she didn't think the judges understood their project. "It wasn't a cure for cancer, or some new invention, it was examining a misconception we had through measurement. The best part of the project was talking to people who do science and getting their feedback. They were so nice to help and it was fun to ask them questions, especially when we called them."
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2008
- Bibcode:
- 2008AGUFMED33A0631H
- Keywords:
-
- 0805 Elementary and secondary education;
- 0845 Instructional tools;
- 1616 Climate variability (1635;
- 3305;
- 3309;
- 4215;
- 4513);
- 1622 Earth system modeling (1225);
- 9310 Antarctica (4207)