school of rock 2010

Here are some more questions from the kids at Windermere Elementary School.  Keep them coming!

Question: Have you found anything interesting in the ocean?

There has been a lot of talk on the ship about clay minerals the last few days, specifically smectites and illite.  Smectite is a confusing term because it is similar to saying "I'm on a boat" instead of "I'm on the JOIDES Resolution!"  Smectites are a generalized group of hydrated clay minerals and illite is a specific clay mineral.  Hydrated clay mine

Aboard the JR, everyone is equal. When this ship set sail from port, she took with her people from all corners of the world - Germany, Brazil, The United States, Norway, The Phillipines, France, Canada, Japan, Scotland, China, and many more. We all come together unified by science.

As I begin to understand the degree of information that is being uncovered through ocean drilling and the immense amount of information left to discover, I'm reminded of our inherent drive to explore space and the parallels between these two disciplines. 

What can we hope to get from the CORK? I’d like to explore the path from initial goals developed by Earl Davis (pictured above with the ACORK instrument package on the bench to his right) and his team and what can be hoped to be derived from the data from this and other CORK installations.

I have just finished my first week at the School of Rock on board the research vessel JOIDES Resolution.  My fellow "Rockers" and I have just four more days on the ship before we are back in port in Victoria, British Columbia.  Then we head our separate ways to share our experiences with those back home.  The educators participa

What are the cabins and bathrooms like on the JR? The cabins are nice and cozy. Each has a set of bunk beds with mattresses, sheets, pillows, comforters, lights for reading and curtains (to block out the cabin lights). They are really quite comfy. We also have a desk and chair, three drawers under the beds for clothes and suppies, and two lockers.

     If time travel intrigues you, I believe geophysics is the way to go!  What better way to delve into the earth's history than to study the earth system processes over time.  You may not be able to physically transmit yourself back to 100 million years ago, but discovering through science can take you there mentally.  Just imagine! 

If you've ever wondered how folks keep everything 'together' on a rocking ship then you'll enjoy this slideshow.

This post is a series of questions from students at Windermere Boulevard Elementary School in Amherst, NY with my answers. I live in Amherst and my daughters are students at Windermere. Hi kids!