WHS science class takes day trip to Argentina

WASILLA — They may be a world apart, but a pair of schools near their respective poles will virtually travel about 8,300 miles to visit each other.

Using the latest technology, a group of ecology students from Wasilla High School will share their findings from a research project about taiga and tundra biomes in a videoconference today with student counterparts in Argentina.

The collaborative venture, Seasons and Biomes Project, has been in the making since early last year and involves more than 60 WHS students trying to determine through scientific research what, if anything, is happening with the ecology of Alaska’s agricultural areas.

Cheryl Williams, the school’s ecology instructor and Seasons and Biomes Project coordinator, is facilitating what’s been termed the Pole-to-Pole videoconference with her students along with Sheila Yule, academic coordinator for Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE), a worldwide school-based science and education program.

Williams said WHS students conducted a phenology study last fall, where they observed color changes in leaves to determine the length of the growing season in the Mat-Su Valley. They then began collecting data from lake ice and a frost tubes throughout the winter to show how Alaska’s climate differs from other agricultural areas in the world.

Today, using the data collected, students statewide will share what they’ve found so far with their counterparts in Argentina. Williams said this year’s GLOBE Seasons and Biomes Project focuses on Alaska’s taiga and tundra biomes, areas showing climate change over the last few decades.

GLOBE is an interagency program funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), supported by the U.S. Department of State. This is the second year Pole-to-Pole videoconferencing has happened in Alaska, but the first for more than 60 WHS students, who are participating with other students from Fairbanks and some Alaska villages.

Of those helping conduct research, 15 will take part in the videoconference, Williams said. Scientists specializing in the environment will be on hand during the videoconference to help facilitate discussion and answer questions students may have along the way.

“It’s truly their questions they’ll be asking,” Williams said. “It was tempting, as their teacher, to jump in and kind-of take over, but this is definitely their project.”

Yule traveled to Wasilla to speak with Williams’ afternoon class and discuss the videoconferencing process with her students. Some were ecstatic, she said. Others were petrified.

Yule alleviated some of the students “screen fright” by giving them all a script outlining their personal interests and research questions before going live this afternoon.

“It’s kind-of intimidating for them, speaking with scientists and all,” Williams said. “Dr. Yule got them ready and a little more confident about talking.”

Williams said she hopes the Pole-to-Pole videoconference and Seasons and Biomes Project will help students better understand climate change and the cycling of energy into the global environment.

With the Valley experiencing less-than-ample snowfall this winter, Williams said WHS students plan on sharing, through their personal observations, the short-term effects of a mild winter on their lives.

“They’ll talk about why this winter they didn’t get to snowmachine as much, or that the ski resorts were closed more,” Williams said. “They’ll talk about some of the research they did for the class, but they also are trying to pull in social interest from the other students. It takes too much data to pull from just one winter.”

Williams said the Argentina students e-mailed her photos of their scienitifc activities in Esperanza, where the school is located, including a list of plants and animals in area. Photos also show glaciers, lakes and landscapes of Argentina.

“I’m imagining scientists on the videoconference will jump in and answer their questions,” she said. “We don’t know what the Argentina students will be asking either. These are students living on a military base on the southern tip of Argentina, so I think they’ll like it.”

Williams said students can follow up with communications with scientists and students if they’re still curious about the project’s findings.

“It’s really to get them thinking,” she said. “I’m curious to see what will happen. It will be fun to see how it ends up.”

The videoconference takes place at 10 a.m. to noon today and will be facilitated at the Mat-Su Borough School District administrative building in Palmer.

Following the Pole-to-Pole session, students will then participate in a Web chat and forum on Thursday, where they can discuss their findings, ask questions and round-table research interests with scientists to further their findings.

The Pole-to-Pole conference is part of the larger global “International Polar Year” campaign, a scientific program focusing on the Arctic and the Antarctic that began in early 2007, according to GLOBE. The IPY involves more than 200 projects with thousands of scientists from more than 60 nations examining a wide range of physical, biological and social research topics.

Contact J.J. Harrier at valleylife@frontiersman.com, or 352-2269.