Polar News and Notes Physical Science

Have you ever thought about shipping out to sea? This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association program is accepting applications from K–12 teachers for the 2010 field season. The program provides a unique environment for learning and teaching by sending kindergarten through college teachers to sea aboard NOAA research and survey ships to work under the […]

Issue 15 of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine is now available! In Icebergs and Glaciers, learn about these two very different forms of ice, and what they can teach us (and students) about concepts like buoyancy and density.
In this issue, we’ve dedicated our Professional Learning columns to glaciers and our Across the Curriculum […]

Image by Wilson A. Bentley. 
Did you know that while no two snowflakes are exactly the same, they are all six-sided? Snowflakes’ hexagonal shapes are due to the molecular structure of ice. As you might know, each water molecule is made of two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom and looks something like this:
 
As water […]

Solar radiation, albedo, and the natural resources of the polar regions are all part of the newest issue of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears: Energy and the Polar Environment. In this issue, you can:
Learn about the albedo (reflectivity) of Earth’s various surfaces and how increased melting of polar ice caps will affect Earth’s energy balance
Find […]

Starting September 30, NSTA will offer a online short course about energy for teachers of grades 3-9. Course participants will meet on five consecutive Tuesday evenings (Sept. 30, Oct. 7, 14, 21, and 28) to ask questions and have discussions. A course listserv and self-paced completion of course materials round out the experience.
Fees, which include all […]