Anderson Gardens

What do I expect to be the primary benefits to my peers, my students, my colleagues, my friends, and myself?

The entire experience was unbelievable.  The research, although tedious at times, proved to be fun. I am going to encourage my fellow teachers  to apply for similar expeditions.  My excitement about sharing what I have learned with my students hopefully will  teach them that science is more than experiments and textbooks. Science surrounds us everyday.  A major benefit for my colleagues is the opportunity to share ideas and expertise with each other.  I hope we always remember the thrill of riding the Zodiak onto and standing on the ice floe in the Hudson Bay!!  What an experience!

Has the project in any way changed my approach to teaching or learning?

One eye opener I had was how difficult it was to follow a lecture if I was unfamiliar with the vocabulary.  As an educated adult I sometimes forget that my students do not always understand all of the terms pertinent to the topic under study.  Although our presenter thoroughly enjoys his research, his enthusiasm did not always transfer to me as I listened to his evening lectures.  Granted, I was tired by 7:30pm after spending 7 hours in the field, but my interest in the topic might have been sustained if I was more familiar with pingos. polygonal peat plateuas, and palsas. 
During the course of the study I did learn that a pingo is a mound of gravel or earth occuring inn Arctic regions as a result of pressure from water ttrapped between newly frozen ice and the permafrost beneath it.  A palsa is in an area of permafrost, a peat mound, several metres in height, and up to 100 m in diameter, which obtrudes because it is better drained and thus more subject to frost heaving than wetter areas. 
In retrospect, I know I need to stress the vocabulary of scientific terms more than I have in the past.  My  challenge will be to keep my students interested in science at the same time.

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• For Global Warming, Tundra Fires' Effects May Be Skin Deep (news.sciencemag.org)

What has the experience taught me about scientific research and conservation?

Scientific research does not have to be conducted in a well equipped lab.  I  need to expose my students to more investigations outdoors.  If I truly desire to instill a sense of responsibility for the environment within them, I need to provide as much exposure to the natural world as possible.  These experiences can be as close as the school yard.  I am fortunate that our school sits on at least 10 acres and has open and wooded areas.

What skills did I learn?

Before the trip I was not comfortable blogging and utilizing internet networking but my team members enthusiastically encouraged all of us to engage in these activities. I now believe that I will try to incorporate a blog into my communication options with my students and their families. I also learned that I must stress with my students the importance of being able to work within a group, large and small. It is vital that they are able to listen to each other's opinions and ideas.

How does the research in Churchill and what I learned relate to me and my local community?

Like many others, I often forget that my actions and decisions have global consequences. My choice of vehicle to drive, the cleaners I use, even the type of lightbulbs I burn all effect the global climate. Maybe not individually, but aggregately with the rest of the world population. It is my hope to discover if an environmental ethic can be instilled in adolescents even if they do not feel a personal connection with nature.

How will I bring the experience home?

Last year my students and I learned science through an interactive unit about Antarctica. This year I plan on integrating my experiences in Oslo, Norway and in Churchill, Manitoba into a unit about both poles. The majority of our curriculum can be addressed through polar science. Concepts of erosion, glaciation, weather, climate, genetics, classification, and matter all connect to the Arctic and to Antarctica.
Teachers at the conference in Norway and those on the Churchill expedition enlightened me with abundant ideas for use with my students. Some of the Earthwatch educators and I plan to replicate the Dr. Kershaw's study with their middle school students in their school environment. My students and I will also monitor seasonal sightings of migratory birds in our local area in order to track indications of climate change.

What were the challenges?

Before the trip my biggest concern was the bugs. My brother lent me a hooded long sleeved shirt made of mosquito netting. What a life saver! I never ventured outside without it. I took it off maybe once on a windy day while out in the field otherwise it was attached to me. As you can see in the picture all of us conquered the bug dilemma!

What were the highlights?

Without a doubt--the people!
The eleven of us were divided into teams of three to gather our data. My team was Kevin, Sheryl, and me. Although we "discussed" many issues in the field, I'm thankful for the opportunity to work with them. Sheryl insisted on accurate and complete data while Kevin entertained us with his puppet shows! Thanks to Kevin's insistence we all took a late night dip in the Hudson Bay!

What images stand out in my mind?

1. The age of the trees astounded me. The trees in the above picture are between 100-150 years old.
2. The flat landscape surprised me. Pete Kershaw showed us a contour map of the area and it had one contour line on it. I wonder how many kilometers we could see as we looked at the horizon from the Churchill Northerne Studies Center. The middle picture is the view looking north from CNSC with the Hudson Bay on the horizon.
3. Although we were in Churchill during the summer solstice and had 17 or more hours of daylight each day, the nights never became dark. The sun dipped below the horizon for a brief time and then crept back up. Each time was more beautiful and colorful than the last. I do not believe any team member will ever forget the beautiful night skies.

June 21,2010
This is what our work area looked like on our first day in the field. It sure was easy to locate the seedlings when we know they were in a straight line spaced about 1 meter apart. As the expedition progressed the sites to sample seedlings became increasingly more difficult.

What our work area looks like.

June 29,2010
This morning Pete and Carley drove us to the airport site. After we parked the van and trekked into the fen and palsa we arrived at our last site from which to collect data. The fen site is pictured and was wet--it reminded me of walking on a trampoline or wet sponge. I snagged my rain pants on a branch and ripped a large hole in them. I'm thankful they ripped on the last day and not the first. Believe it or not we found a total of 6 seedlings in our 4 random plots.

Did I see any interesting plants or animals?

Beluga whales, snow geese, Canada geese, Least Bittern, Ptarmigan, fox, Arctic hare, pipet, Bonaparte gulls, robins, white headed sparrows, golden eagles, wolf, ring seals, harbor seals, Huskie dogs, an assortment of tundra wildflowers, and many types of lichen including reindeer lichen.

What am I most excited to share with others when I return home?

One of the most exciting experiences is seeing and climbing on the ice floes. Seeing them reminds me how obscure some concepts can be for my students. I know my students and I studied polar ice formations but nothing beats direct experience!

What am I still wondering about?

Every day one member of our team asks, "How were we selected to be here?" None of us can answer that. Whatever the reason, I am thankful for this once in a lifetime experience. My big challenge is how to instill this sense of excitement in my students.

My team members

This is actually a picture of some of us preparing for our first day in the field. Little did we realize that these clothes would become our uniforms. The weather varied from the thirties to the sixties-all in a matter of two hours. Dressing in layers was definitely the key. We also soon discovered that boots and rain gear were often required even on the sunniest days--we never knew when we would need to lay on the wet peatland or in the fen to photograph a larch, white spruce, or black spruce sapling. The team works well together--every meal, morning coffee wake up session, and afternoon blogging session echoes with laughter and teasing. Even as we look forward to returning home, the end is bittersweet. The group generously helps each other. Individual personalities blend to create a unique humorous atmosphere every where we are. We laugh even while standing in the muck paste our ankles.

Surprises of the tundra

The top six things that surprised me about the Arctic tundra (in no particular order):
1. how flat the landscape is
2. the amount of water in the landscape
3. the size and density of the mosquitos
4. the amount of ice on the Hudson Bay
5. bear bars on the windows of the Churchill Northern Studies Center
6. the age(between 100 and 150 years) of the trees that do not look very large

On an ice floe on the shore of Hudson Bay

I know the picture is small but this is one of my favorites.
We climbed on to an ice floe for a photo op because we thought we may never get a chance to do it again. Little did we know that about 45 minutes later all 11 of us climbed onto another one for a group photo. After we climbed down and were walking away we heard it crash into about six large pieces--and scared each one of us.

On an ice floe on the shore of Hudson Bay

June 25,2010 Friday Our day off

Like the wolf, we travel in packs as evidenced on our day off. All 11 of us boarded a school bus with Sheldon our tour guide for a nature tour of Churchill. Our first stop was "Bird Cove" on the shore of Hudson Bay overlooking the Ithaca, a ship that grounded in 1969. We spotted different species of a pair of pipets, Bonaparte gulls, tundra geese, Canada geese, White Crowned sparrows, lichen, and plants. Sheldon explained that the Tundra geese are unwelcomed because they eat the entire plant, including the root, which destroys the ground cover and food supply of other species dependent upon those plants. Sheldon also drove us to the most likely locations to spot a polar bear but none were sighted although his efforts are greatly appreciated. Many ring seals,harbor seals, and beluga whales were spotted while climbing on the rocks at Cape Merry. Around 2:30 Sheldon had enough of us and left us on our own in town--one main street, 3 gift shops, one restaurant, a community center which includes the school, the hospital, nursing home, and curling rink; a liquor store, bank, and post office. Pete met us at Gypsy's, the restaurant, and delivered us to the dock to load the zodiaks for our beluga whale watch.
Our group was divided for the first time all week because the zodiaks held 6 people each. We doubted the mentality of our guide when he drove the boat onto an ice floe in the Hudson Bay. We unloaded onto the ice floe for another group photo, because we had not taken our quota of 7 per day yet. Never in one million years did I think I would be standing on an ice floe in the Hudson Bay!

Sampling Seedlings

June 24,2010

Thursday
Began with the usual briefing by Pete. He reminded us to label our coordinates on teh GPS systems--two groups had not done that properly--one of which was group 2, Sheryl, Kevin, and myself. It was raining in the morning so we stayed at the CNSC to make another photo board, download pictures, and correct the GPS mishaps.
Pete provides information on every plant, animal, and landform we see--either out in the field, at meals, in casual conversation, or during his morning and evening classroom sessions. It's information overload so I am counting on copies of hipresentations that he promised us. The mosquitoes get bigger and more numerous every day. Kevin resorted to wearing his bug shirt over his bug hat. We spent the remainder of the day sampling seedlings--of which we did not find many but it takes a long time searching because the ones we did find were less than 2 cm tall. It's quite the challenge to photograph the ones that grow in a crevice in the ground or surrounded by reindeer lichen or rhododendron (questionable spelling).

June 23,2010

5:00 woke up to make sure the plumbing functioned properly. Too early to stay up so I’ll just lay here awhile.
6:00 beep beep beep Thank you Cathy for providing an alarm clock for the room. Tweet tweet tweet Thank you Angela for not trusting Cathy’s alarm clock and providing us with a back up alarm.
6:15 out of the shower and headed for the first “don’t talk to me yet” cup of coffee
6:30 There’s a few early risers up having coffee and giggling—must be Earthwatchers because there’s a lot of laughter with this group.—especially after the caffeine kicks in.
7:00 invigorating morning session with “Patience of a Saint Pete” so he can inform us again what we are to do and what to look for. He’s actually sending us in the different sites to collect data about seedlings. (One of us must have exhibited enthusiasm about getting personally acquainted with so many in the plantation). Angela declared the Rule of the day, “No Laughing”
7:30 breakfast Why am I always so hungry here?
8:15 start layering on all the clothes that were in my suitcase before heading out.
8:20 still layering
8:25 wouldn’t you know it—have to do a quality check of the building’s plumbing
8:30 finally dressed and ready to leave for another adventure in the great north with Pete and Carley as our guides , mentors, drivers, protectors, life lines.
Shortly after 8:30-around 12:30 At the first of today’s 4 sites I knew it was going to be an interesting day when our first marker splashed as it landed. Our muck boots became our best friends at the first site (or so we thought) and our bug hats became our second best friends at the third site. Believe it or not we were able to almost complete 3 sites before lunch.
12:30 lunch Again, I am so hungry.
Sometime after lunch-(Kevin did not stress the time telling portion at his school) start putting on all those layers again and climb back into the van to finish the third site—darn we found 5 seedlings rooted in. Then it was off to what I think was the highlight of everyone’s day—the wettest, boot grabbing, treeless, seedling-less (Yes!) place this side of Tennessee—the fen! Here our boots overtook the bug gear as our best friends. We arrived back “home” before 4:30 –proof positive that we’re getting efficient at data collecting.
16:30- showering, jogging, blogging, e-mailing, down loading data and pictures, laughing (sorry, we did not fare well with that rule of the day), even laundering----we are a talented group!
18:15 dinner Hunger does not leave me. Pete told me not to forget to mention the stickleback. Oh yeah—we saw a stickleback! Actually you’d think we discovered some rare species. Remind me again why we silent seedling counters are not seeing more wildlife in these quiet woods?
After dinner—19:30--the duck talk

Churchill Northern Studies Center

June 22,2010 Tuesday

Spent all day out in the field measuring seedlings. Kevin, Sheryl, and I must have collected data from at least 50! The morning was chilly--in the 40's--cloudy and breezy. After lunch it was sunny and warmer--lower 50's maybe--still wore one short sleeve shirt, one long sleeve shirt, a sweat shirt, a hoody with the hood up, a rain coat with the hood up, the never leave home without it bug shirt with the hood up, two pairs of socks, long pants, rain pants, boots, and gloves. Lisa and I had KP today which entailed washing our group's dishes after each meal. Easy work and the warm water was welcomed after a cold morning of work. Tomorrow's work will be a bit more involved because it will entail identifying the tree species and its geographic location.

Our polar bear deterent

Our first attempt to collect data

measuring height of seedlings

June 21,2010 First full day in Churchill

We had a 7:00 meeting with Peter so he could begin to explain what he expected of us in the field. Basically we measure tree growth by measuring height, trunk diameter, crown diameter, number and length of branches, and number of seeds. It rained this morning but cleared in the afternoon so we were able to collect data for about 3 hours. Our time in the field was extended slightly because the van we rode in would not start. I was very thankful for my rain pants because the seedlings are small, less than 15 cm, and the ground is wet! A wind was blowing which kept the bugs away but I still wore my bug gear just in case.
Definitely needed to dress in layers--t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweat shirt, hooded sweatshirt, then bug shirt. One of my boots fit well, while the other was 3 sizes too small. Thank goodness the CNSC has many extra pairs on hand. We have about two hours before dinner to download our data, photos, and complete our journal entries. Tonight's solstice bonfire has been cancelled because of the wet weather but I am certain we will find some other way to keep entertained.

How I got here

June 20,2010
Not a typical Father's day...I left Rockford on the 6:00 bus to O'Hare airport in Chicago and took the 9:40 flight to Winnipeg. I met two fellow Earthwatchers, Julie and Cathy, while retrieving my luggage in Winnipeg. We them met 8 other Earthwatchers while waiting for the 14:30 flight to Churchill. That plane sat 24 people and took about three hours. I think we flew over a total of one road and 300,00 small bodies of water. The landscape was flat with no signs of humans except for the occasional glimpse of the railroad track. There are no roads to Churchill, the only options for travelling there are train, plane, or boat.
The Northern Studies Research Center (NSRC) is about 18 Km from the airport--not hard to find-- just follow the road to the end. The building has bear bars on all windows and no one is to venture outside alone. Five of us, Cathy, Julie, James, Lisa, and myself walked around the perimeter of the building. We did not see any signs of bear but did see an Arctic Hare about the size of a small dog. The bugs chased us back inside.
Tonight is the shortest night of the year so I expect about 23.5 hours of daylight. Peter Kershaw will provide an introduction to our expedition and tomorrow we will be out in the field.

Getting to Churchill

Getting ready for Churchill

I am trying to transfer my pictures from Norway to my computer before I leave for Churchill but a thunderstorm is causing the electricity to flicker. My suitcase is packed, just have to throw a few last minute items into the carry on bag, then its off to Churchill!

23:00 in Oslo Norway June 6,2010

Polar Science Teacher Conference-Oslo

pictures from Oslo, Norway

Back from Oslo

I am back home from Oslo! What a trip! Spent Sunday and Monday, June 5 & 6 in workshops and lectures with the 119 other teachers from around the world. Did experiments about albedo, salinity, and light reflection, watched a demonstration about making blood sausage from reindeer. (I was not brave enough to taste the sausage).
Then on Tuesday the Global Science Conference began i n Lillestrom, about a 30 minute train ride from Oslo. The keynote speaker was His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. Later that morning His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco spoke. I was seated within 10 feet of both!
Monday evening we were toasted by the Mayor of Oslo at a reception in the Oslo City Hall.
This is where the Nobel Peace Prize is presented! Tuesday evening everyone attended a barbeque at the Fram Museum on the shores of the North Sea. My roommate and I could not resist the temptation of wading--the water was rather warm---we did not venture out of the shallows though! Wednesday Turtle, my roommate, and I toured Oslo. We got drenched in a rain but ended up at the oldest restaurant in Oslo and had a great desert! Thursday evening I had dinner with two people who have done research in Antarctica, one of whom is returning in August. We tried reindeer burgers which were better than I thought they would be. Friday all of the teachers had dinner together for the last time at a local establishment. I caught the 7:45 train to Sandefjord to fly home. I flew from Oslo to Copenhagen, then over Iceland, Greenland, and Canada to Chicago. The 19:00 airport bus arrived in Rockford at 21:00 (That's the 7:oopm airport bus arrived in Rockford at 9:00pm.)
Now that I am over the jet lag, I can pack and prepare to fly to Churchill on Sunday. There is no time change involved so hopefully no jet lag!















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Olso

I made it to the other side of the world! After a bus, two planes, a train, and a tram I arrived at my hotel in Oslo. Met people from South Africa, Czech Republic, Australia, Canada, and many from the states. Most have studied or worked in Antarctica or the Arctic so I am still trying to figure out how I was invited. Attended the opening ceremony and heard the crown prince of Norway and the prince of Monaco speak. Also went to the reception held for us at Oslo City Hall and was toated by the mayor of Oslo. Still can not believe I am here! I will post some pictures when I have more time.

I leave today!

Just a few more hours until I leave for Oslo, Norway! Hopefully the thunderstorms forecasted for this evening will not matriculate or interfere with our scheduled take off. Just found out that Dr. Kershaw who I will be working with in Churchill, Canada will also be at the International Polar Year Conference in Oslo. Will definitely try to meet him in Oslo.

Getting ready to leave for Norway

Well, I packed my bags for the trip to Norway. Made sure to pack lots of sweaters--the weather is supposed to be a bit cooler than here in Northern Illinois! Everything is packed except the usual last minute stuff--even have my Norwegian Kroner. Only 4 more days of school and then Friday I leave. I have to admit that I am getting nervous about traveling so far alone. My husband and boys are usually my guides and travel directors so this will be exciting for me.

received in an e-mail from the IPY Science conference

Arctic sea ice cover heading towards another record low?

Published: 31.05.2010

The September 2007 sea ice minimum was probably the lowest extent of sea ice aerial extent in the Arctic in 50 years, definitely since satellite observations began in 1979. Last week the sea ice cover fell below the recorded extent at the same time in 2007.

Over the two upcoming weeks, shrinking sea ice will thus be one of the hottest science topics. The IPY Oslo Science Conference, scheduled for next week (8-12 June), will be the largest polar science gathering ever with more than 2000 participants. The conference will publish early results from the International Polar Year 2007-2008 (IPY), with particular emphasis on new knowledge about the linkages between climate change in the Polar Regions and global climate systems. This week (31 May - 4 June) a smaller international symposium on sea ice is schedule to meet in Tromsoe.

Anticipation

I just finished reading McGoogan's Fatal Passage about John Rae's explorations in the Arctic. Good book and many references to Churchill and Winnipeg. I am thankful that our expedition will not be as rough--hunting meals and building igloos. Thursday the expedition coordinator set up a conference call for all of the participants. That really set me at ease finding out that they had many of the same questions as I--will there be adequate access to the internet? Am I the only one going to look goofy wearing odd mosquito netting!? I am nervous about not collecting useful data for the team. Hopefully, I'm sure I will learn alot from my team--I look forward to meeting them face to face now. I think I am the eldest of the group.
Many of us mentioned that we would like to see polar bears and whales while on the expedition. I would like to add a variety of birds to that list. The insect population draws many different species of nesting birds during June and July. Hopefully, I will be fast enough with my camera to get some good pictures.

Beluga Whales in Churchill

About 3000 Beluga Whales hang out near Churchill Manitoba - it's the best viewing in the world & you can even snorkel with them

Churchill, Manitoba - The small all-white Beluga is the most vocal of all whales. Their chirping-like sounds has earned them the nickname the 'Canaries of the Sea'. There are legends that their chirps, whistles, clicks and clang sounds could be heard through the wooden hulls of the ships of the early explorers, and they drove some seamen mad. One of the cool things about this whale is that it is the only one that can turn it's head and watch you. In fact, it can even change the shape of its head by blowing air around its sinusues. About 500 belugas live year-round in the St. Lawrence River, and about 3000 belugas hang out each summer at the estuary of the Churchill River at Hudson's Bay. Tours are available to view and listen to them, and one company even offers the opportunity to snorkel with them. Photograph courtesy Travel Manitoba.

Where: There are no actual roads to Churchill, so the two ways to travel there from Winnipeg are by air (2 hours) or rail (48 hours.) You could also drive to Thompson, Manitoba and then fly or take an overnight train. ( http://www.canadacool.com/COOLFACTS/MANITOBA/ChurchillWhales.html)

Churchill, Canada

This shows the location of where I will be this summer fighting mosquitoes!

Description of the expedition

Northrop Grumman and Earthwatch have partnered together to develop an environmental education program for middle school math and science teachers. The selected teachers will travel to Churchill, Canada to research the effect of climate change on the ecosystem. Our team will focus on thaw layer/permafrost monitoring and treeline dynamics. As the climate warms, the permafrost melts, releasing methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which in turn contributes to global warming.
Before I participate in this expedition I will spend a week in Oslo, Norway attending the International Polar Year (IPY) Science Conference. One of the IPY's research projects focused on treeline data, some of which may have been collected in Churchill. I look forward to learning how educators from around the world present climate change information to their students.
Today, however, is another school day and it is past my bedtime, so I must retire in order to be alert for my students in the morning. Only 11 more days of school, but who's counting? I am. The school day ends at 3:30 and my flight to Oslo is at 10:00 that night!!

Initial Post

This is my first blog so my apologies if this is not up to standards. I want to utilize this blog as a way to communicate to my students, friends, and family about my expeditions this summer. My first trip is to attend the International Polar Year Science Conference in Oslo, Norway. That is, if the volcano does not close the airports in Europe!
My second trip is an expedition to Churchill, Canada to study climate change and permafrost. This is a working vacation because I and my 11 team members will be conducting research (and fighting mosquitoes!) Thank goodness my brother lent me a hooded pullover made of mosquito netting.