Kate
February 2005

I feel participating in Alaskan research will be useful and meaningful to me because working with scientists will help me think on a higher level. Working with other scientists will teach me a lot and involve me in their daily environment. I will learn what they do and how they do what they do. Experiencing these events in Alaska will make me much more interested in these topics concerning actual Alaskan studies vs. similar activities in class. Most of my friends have other science teachers, or live in another town so this would be a great opportunity for me to come home and teach my classmates and friends what I learned and what I did there. I will also share my experiences and encourage my friends to look into doing similar studies and activities with their classes and teachers.
Sunday February 20, 2005

This morning, since everyone was wiped out from going to sleep so late, we woke up pretty early and Dr. Jeffries drove some of us to Pump House for brunch where we got to know each other better. On the way, Dr. Jeffries pointed out Reindeer that were being used to study for by UAF. After being filled up, we all went to relax at Alaska Coffee Roasting Co. where Dr. Jeffries went over our itinerary with us. Then, we went to shop for food at Fred Meyers. While we were waiting for everyone to finish grocery shopping, Mr. Penguin stopped to take a picture with the Jockey-wear (Mr. Penguin has never been to the Arctic before). Then, we went to the Geophysical Institute to pick up our ‘gear’ for tomorrow when we go out onto Aurora Pond to set up a transect with a group of home-schooled students. They also invited us to their home for dinner. After having fun trying on our gear…some of us walked all the way to the Student Recreation Center for some exercise. Unfortunately we got all the way there and it was for fulltime students only, but we had a nice jog back and stopped to take some pictures of the gorgeous Alaskan scenery.


February 21, 2005

We saw the Aurora last night! We were all watching Jeepers Creepers II when Josh first spotted the stream of green lights flowing almost flawlessly through the clear night sky. We all went outside to try to capture it to bring her home with us but the digital cameras didn’t capture it, so we’ll need to wait and see if she came out on normal disposal cameras. She may just be a quiet, gorgeous sight that only wants to be admired in person. When you’re watching, you just see her moving quickly like clouds, getting brighter and brighter, almost like she’s showing off but then she fades away, but soon returns. OK, enough of the story. The first thing we did this morning was visit the Permafrost Tunnel. Matthew Sturm was a tad late because he was caught up in his Science work at home, but we had a great photo-op while we waited. Dr. Jeffries used a cell phone for the first time…and got pretty good at it too! When we finally arrived, we got to spin through the ‘No trespassing, US Government Property’ gate. Before entering, Matthew gave us some history on the tunnel. There is more than one reason for digging out the tunnel. At one time it was used for gold mining. In the war period, it was used for military purposes. When you first walk into the tunnel there’s a small room that has ice formations formed all over the walls and ceiling. As you walk into the tunnel itself, you can see rib bones and jaw bones with teeth on them from animals such as mammoths that died thousands of years ago. You can also see patches of ice where puddles and ponds had once formed. All the ground and rocks on the walls are frozen and you can even see frost on some walls. Matthew told us that the farther you go in, the farther back in time you go because you’re going deeper into the hill. We went back about 40,000 years! After the Permafrost Tunnel, we came back to the GI to eat lunch and discuss what was next; Aurora Pond. At Aurora Pond, We measured the thickness of the snow and its temperature. Next, we measured the depth of the ice. Actually, Dr. Jeffries did that but we learned how he did it. Before we left, Dr. Jeffries showed us how to cut a small hole in the ice and everyone tried it. Poor Josh has an accident with his finger and had to go to the Clinic so he missed all the activities on the Pond but he’s OK now. Well not exactly. He broke his right, index finger from closing the door on it but he’s doing fine now. When we left, Jack, Sabie, and Deb invited us for chile at their house and it was soooo good! After we devoured it Deb told us that the meat was Moose meat but we didn’t really care because it was so good. It was a very good day and now everyone’s wiped out and we’re going go to the library and then watch The Day After Tomorrow if we’re not tired. Miss Porter’s going to join us too! Tomorrow should be just as fun.
February 22, 2005

Today was one of the most interesting days yet. We stayed on campus all day with Martin. We were given a tour of the Geophysical Institute and the International Arctic Research Center. They are very large facilities. We were shown a slide show about what we were doing while we are in Alaska. After we saw the slide show we had a 2-hour break for lunch. Must of us went to the school store and just hung out. After that we interviewed Dr. Uma Bhatt. She was very interesting and made it easy to understand her field of work. She was a climatologist. She makes models of the climate to better understand the atmosphere ocean interactions. After we interviewed Uma we interviewed Martin Truffer. He is a glaciologist. He studies how glaciers are melting and what might be causing that. He said that the glaciers in the world are rapidly melting and it could cause a major raise in sea level. That would not be a good thing for the rest of the world and the over population of the world. Both of their studies are very important and can help us better understand global warming.
February 23-24, 2005

Wednesday morning was a rush as usual. We were late and Martin was perfectly on time. This time Martin brought a very nice grad student named Mark. He brought Chelsie and I to 33.5 Mile Pond where we measured snow depth, surface temperature, ice thickness, and we took snow samples. Then we went back to the main office on Poker flat and met back up with everyone because Chelsea and Amanda went to 31.6 Mile Pond with Kim Morris and the boys went with Martin and Auntie Marge to MST Pond where they all took the same measurements so it was synchronized. WE SAW A MOOSE when we were driving back!!! After moose pictures we came back to eat lunch before Neil Brown, an aurora specialist, arrived. However, before eating lunch we measured the weight of our snow samples and entered all of our density data into the laptops so that we could calculate heat flux. Neil was the director of Poker Flat Research Range for 18 years and then retired but still does work. The name of the road leading into Poker Flat is named after him.
Neil gave us a tour of Poker Flat. First we drove to NASA Rocket Payload Center where workers were finalizing a rocket that will be sent into the sky on Sunday at 8pm to study the Aurora. We actually got stuck in one building while they brought parts from the building we were in to another building. Next we went to the Block House, which is where workers stay while they launch the rocket. The best part was when we went up the mountain because the view was gorgeous. Of course, you could see the Alaskan Mountains. On the way up you could see, right in front of you, miles of forested areas where the trees were actually bare. A wild fire burned them last summer.
On our way home from Poker Flat we stopped at an ice tower, which is where a man sprayed up a huge thick tour of water that froze. There was a man on the top who climbed the tower. We also went right up to the Alaskan Pipeline, which we got to touch. Mark came home with us and then came out for pizza with us too. (We’ll see Mark again on Saturday when we go to Denali Park.) Pizza was fun. We gave our Martin tons of chocolate, which he really loved.
Today (Thursday) we went to the GI where we bundled up for the freezer. Martin looked so cute in his little jacket hat. He had ice core samples that Geno, Chelsie, and Chelsea volunteered to cut thin slices of. Martin took the samples and us into another freezer next door where he used polarized filters to show us the ice crystals inside those thin samples previously cut. Lake ice crystals are aligned randomly. But in Sea Ice, the crystals are aligned parallel because the current of the water aligns them that way. Amy, a journalist who works for the GI, also interviewed Amanda and Auntie Marge. After sitting in the freezing freezer, we went outside into the freezing air, but only shortly. We were going to visit the musk ox. Wow those are some huge furry creatures. There were also some caribou in the humongous pen next door. Before we even saw those animals we visited the reindeer that were being used for research by UAF. Don’t worry it’s not a bad thing. They study their various habits and way of living. I was a little disappointed when Rudolf wasn’t present but one reindeer yawned and that was really cute. Auntie Marge told everyone that ‘Donner’ is not the true name of Santa’s seventh reindeer. It’s really Donder. When we got back we got to meet Roger Smith, the director of the GI. He told us that they detect and record the Earthquakes that happen in the area. He says that 40-50 Earthquakes happen each month in Alaska, but they are only rated size 2 or 3. There’s a dog sled race that ended tonight at 10pm. We wanted to see racers finish but the first place winner came in around noontime and none of us, except Mark, got to see that person come in. By the time we got there we had just missed the fourth and fifth racers. In the car, Auntie Marge informed us that our MARTIN is going to Rhode Island for a conference and then may come to SOMERS to visit US in April!!!
After our photo opportunity with Dr. Roger Smith and Martin in front of a ‘taller-than-human’ sized globe (which is only one of 6 in the world), we went into downtown Fairbanks.
Today was fun, especially ending with in-training soon-to-be-scientist, Mark, walking me back to the Nordic House when he saw me taking pictures of the moon. Tomorrow should be really fun with the munchkins.
February 25, 2005

Today was the day that we went to University Park Elementary School to help out with their annual Snow Day...and it literally means snow-day. It's not a day off, it's a day where they have activities to learn about snow and ice. Martin and Kim have participated in this day for the past 3 years. By the end of the day, after our tasty lasagna lunch, Chelsea, Nick, and I were teaching the fourth graders while Martin observed us! Of course, being the scientist who all the kids wanted to see, he talked to them after their samples were taken. When each group first arrived at our outdoor station, we passed around 2 plastic containers. One was filled with snow and one with ice. We asked the kids what they noticed about the two containers and they came up with the correct answer. The container with ice was much heavier. We then asked them why that was. Again, they came up with the correct answer. The container with ice is more dense (heavier for its volume) because there isn't any air in between. The container with snow, on the other hand, has air in between it's snow crystals. I was blown away at this point so Nick took over. He showed them how to take the snow samples. You put the tube through the snow, inverted, sharper end down first. Then you scrape away the snow from the side so that you can get your spatula down underneath the bottom of the tube so that the snow doesn't escape. Next you pull it up out of the snow and put your sample baggy on the top and then flip it over. Seal your baggy and you’re all set. Oh, just kidding! The last step you need to do is weigh your snow sample by simply placing it on the scale and reading off what it says (in grams of course). Record it and you’re ready to calculate density! I had a lot of fun that day and the kids are SO cute. Sometimes they're unprepared...like the troublemaker who forgot his socks and gloves! It was a great day and there was even coffee in the middle of it! Oh wait I didn't have any! Well I enjoyed watching everyone else drink (Martin and those lattés.)

All of us Connecticut buffs split up and helped Auntie Marge, Martin, and Kim. Chelsie and Amanda helped Auntie Marge take snow temperatures, Josh and Geno helped Kim observing snow crystals, and Chelsea, Nick, and I helped Martin taking snow samples.

I have never met smarter kids in my life. I learned about this stuff in 6th grade and they're only 4th graders.

February 26, 2005

LAST DAY!!!!!!!!! (CRYING FACE) Denali Park!!! (Happy face) MARK is joining us!!!!!! (teeth-showing-HUGE-smile face) It was a two hour long car ride but I road with the boys. At the park, we first watched Martin give a presentation about citizen science to people visiting Denali. We then hiked down to a pond and took measurements just as we had done out on Aurora Pond and on Poker Flat only there were other people with us since we had been on a mini tour. The people got to watch us take the measurements! It was really windy too. After we climbed back up the side of the mountain (on the way Martin almost got us hit by a train! only kidding), we headed back to the main building before taking off. It sounds real short but it really wasn't. We were there for a couple hours. Outside the main building there was a man making an ice sculpture of an eagle! It was beautiful! He said that he did that for a living, which is unbelievable! We took all our gear off and saw sled dogs on our way out! Of course we had to stop since we don't get that opportunity here at home. Chelsie and I rode in one together and we wanted Mark to come but he was too chicken! It was great, and EXTREMLY FUN, and the BEST ending to a PERFECT vacation to an AMAZING place! I already miss Fairbanks, Alaska and ALL the people that I met. I learned so much there and I hope the opportunity comes back next year! PS-Did you hear? Martin might be coming to CT!!! shhhhhhh... It's so exciting!!!