Posted on July 15th, 2010 by Bree and Jen
This blog is courtesy of Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP)
For more information please visit www.pavilionlake.com
We are back at the Pavilion Lake Research Project this summer. It is great to return to the lake and rejoin the team. Our first night there, we were given homework. Usually we are the ones assigning homework, but this time it was different. Our task was to select a dive that we thought would help the team with their research and justify why this dive was, in fact, important to the team. We had a list of six dives that would all help the project, but we had to narrow it down to just one. As we started to interview and ask the scientists questions, it was clear that this would not be an easy task. The people that we talked to all had different reasons why each one was important. In the end, we selected one where the divers would measure the angle of the slope using an underwater inclinometer along a transect to see if the slope influences the morphology of the microbialites. The next morning, our dive was executed and we were on the boat to see our dive happen. We recorded the data – the depth, the angle and the sediment – as the divers used a scubaphone to communicate with us while they were underwater. This was very cool science and something we are excited to share with our students as they use inclinometers at school as well.
Divers use an underwater inclinometer to measure slope angle on our selected dive.
Our role at Pavilion Lake is to learn about the science that is happening at the lake and how we can teach about that back in the classroom with our students. Another task that filled our time was gathering resources and ideas for our lesson and activity ideas. We had a chance to interview, in video format, many of the people that are here studying the lake. We had some great interviews and learned in the process. Thank you to all those scientists who took time out of their busy day to let us interview them. As teachers, our summer vacation is just beginning. However, because of our experiences here at Pavilion, we are already looking forward to going back to school in September to share our time at the lake with our students through stories and science activities.
– Jen, Bree, & Leanne
Editor’s Note: Jen Stonehouse, Bree Mireau and Leanne Shortridge are teachers in the Greater Vancouver Area.