IODP Scientists Present Earth Science Day at Cypress Grove Intermediate School

Scientists from the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program in the College of Geosciences at Texas A&M University will explore important environmental issues, other topics in the Earth sciences, and geosciences careers with sixth grade students at Cypress Grove Intermediate School in College Station on October 14.

As part of the school’s Earth Science Week activities, IODP scientists will spend the day at the school presenting lectures and leading activities on a variety of topics such as life aboard a research drill ship, volcano eruptions, predicting earthquakes, and microfossils.

Participating will be IODP staff members Kusali Gamage, Joerg Geldmacher, Carlos Alvarez-Zarikian, Chieh Peng, Brad Weymer, and Chad Broyles, and Oceanography Department Assistant Professor Debbie Thomas. Cypress Grove sixth grade science teacher Jan Fechhelm organized the event.

The following segments will be presented throughout the day:

• What is IODP and Life at Sea? will introduce students to IODP with a short movie on the JOIDES Resolution research drill ship that explains the science done on board and describes life on a ship during two-month expeditions.
• Volcanic eruptions: Will it flow or will it blow? will introduce students to volcanoes and their behavior through a presentation and hands-on activity in which three students build a volcano.
• Testing the Waters: Is it safe to drink? will let students revisit the water cycle, with a focus on groundwater. Students will test several water samples for major contaminants and determine whether the water tested is safe to drink. Possible causes of groundwater contamination, pollution prevention, and conservation are some of the topics that will be covered.
• Introduction to Plate Tectonics: Can We Predict Earthquakes? will let students explore plate tectonics and learn what happens during an earthquake. Using a slinky, students will see how different types of seismic waves propagate through the Earth. They will learn the history of the San Andreas Fault and see actual core material recovered from the fault.
• The Big Refrigerator: Repositories! will give students an overview of the Gulf Coast repository and what the staff does during and after an expedition. They will look at examples of sediment and hard rock cores stored in the repositories and will help take a sample from a core.
• Microfossils! will let students explore the asteroid impact theory for the demise of the dinosaurs. They will look at microfossils on electronic and microscope slides and will learn how microfossils can be used to understand past climatic conditions.

Texas A&M University has been engaged in scientific ocean drilling since 1985, and faculty, staff, and graduate students from the College of Geosciences ( http://geosciences.tamu.edu ) have participated in a variety of expeditions for IODP ( http://www.iodp-usio.org ) and its predecessor, the Ocean Drilling Program ( http://www.odplegacy.org ). In addition to housing IODP and the Gulf Coast Repository on campus, the University has established the Ocean Drilling and Sustainable Earth Science (ODASES) initiative among IODP and the Colleges of Education, Engineering, and Geosciences. The goal of ODASES is to strengthen the links between ocean drilling research, education, and technology development ( http://odases.tamu.edu ).