Global Science

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Looking Ahead -

Tuesday: Welcome back! It's all about matter this week in Chapter 2. What is it made of? What makes a crystal different from a regular rock? There will be a make-up Lab Safety Quiz. Your signed Parent letter about Science Fair Due Dates comes back today! Look for SCIFAIR links on this website.

Wednesday: LAB today! Today's Lab is Basic Lab Skills. You will learn to use the Triple-Beam-Balance and various graduated cylinders and beakers. What will you be measuring? How accurate will your measurements be? Can you and your partner nail it with precision?

Thursday: Computer Lab 403 - Using your Research Outline, you will type your rough draft of your Research Paper. This is a powerful part of your Science Fair Project because your curiosity empowers your web search. Start looking for examples on SCFAIR LINKS.

Friday: Measuring mass, weight, and volume. Would you weigh more or less on the Moon?

Would you have more or less mass? You will learn how to measure volume of block solids, but how can you measure the volume of an irregularly-shaped rock?

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SCIENCE OLYMPIAD

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD'S first meeting was held Wednesday Sept. 2 in Room 806. Students met with Mr. Stewart and Mr. Pratt and discussed possible competition areas. Team members also participated in BRD ENGINEERING. They tried to build a bird nest in less than five minutes. As teams competed, they learned about the 3-point arc. How do those birds create a spherical nest anyway?
Students then participated in PING-PONG and enjoyed refreshments. Tevin and David had quite a game going. David, where did you get that serve? Next month's focus will be about Robot Building and Rock and Mineral identification.
New members are welcome!

SCIFAIR NEWS

Because the Regional Science Fair comes early in February this year, ECMA's Science Fair will take place November 16-19. This year projects for TEAM 801 will be due Nov. 9-10 to enable time for grading and selection for competition. All students are expected to participate. Last year, over 93 students on 801 produced Science Fair Projects.
Thanks to Ms. Myers for her help with the Term Papers. Team 801 placed 5 first place and 3 second or third place finishes.
Here are the key SCIFAIR DUE DATES:
PROJ QUESTION DUE AUG. 26
RESEARCH PAPER DUE SEPT. 10
EXPERIMENT BEGINS SEPT. 11
EXPERIMENT REPORT DUE SEPT. 24
TERM PAPER DUE OCT. 16
LOGBOOK AND TRIBOARD DUE NOV. 4
COMPLETE PROJECT DUE NOV. 9-10
SCIFAIR PRESENTATIONS DEC. 1-3

Students and Parents may email me at cpratt@mcsdga.net.
Students that select a Project Topic that is related to Global Warming receive Bonus Points on the Final Grade!

There will be upcoming new features on this spot including FAQS and WEBLINKS for SCIENCE FAIR - GOOD LUCK!

My Hobby is Rockhunting!

Geology Field Trip: The Okefenokee Swamp.
www.okeswamp.com/park.htm

The first thing we saw was dark water, it gave off an erie light at the dock. What might be lurking beneath the shadows of the Cypress knees?

We would find out later after our look at a film about the Okefenokee. I walked into the pitch black theatre to let Dr. Hanley and everyone know we could book a cruise through the swamp. “Great,” they said! As soon as the picture faded off the screen, we headed out across the planks to the river boat. Howard Hunt would be our guide for the excursion. Once aboard, he directed the tour boat out into the mysteries of the swamp. “It’s not so dangerous”, he said. “Yes, there are about five alligators that regularly hang out around the pier. But, when you think about it, people are the dangerous ones.” He went on to expound on the predictability of nature even there in the land of alligators.
Howard Hunt was former reptile curator at Atlanta Zoo. He was now doing full-time what he had been doing for Atlanta, saving the alligators. We puttered out into the canal. The dark color of the water was due to tannic acid produced from dying vegetation. Plants die naturally, but here in the swamp, they don’t decay. Water temperature may reach 100 degrees in the summer. Bacteria can’t live in the acidic water. There is over a foot of muck being built up on the bottom of the 8 foot deep expanse. The area of the Okefenokee is one/eleventh of the entire state of Georgia. Hunt wanted to keep it that way - no encroachments of civilization out here - definitely, no industry or agriculture - just the animals and the plants. A corporation had bought the rights to Trail Ridge, a geological barrier to the Swamp. ”If they dug the right canal, none of this would survive,” he said.

The boat plowed on through the fertile waters. Exotic plant life
flourished everywhere. Cypress trees were slow growing but rot resistant. That’s what makes them valuable to builders. Each turn of the bow would bring us into focus of nature’s primal beauty - softly mirrored against the open sky. Pitcher plants, bitter root and saw grass were mixed together in a liquid prairie and in the distance we spotted a Great Blue Heron. Over there was a White Ibis and around everything was a symphony of sounds – pig frogs and cricket frogs. There was a balance out here - away from everything.