Energy

The 8th grade is researching different forms of energy and learning about renewable sources and non-renewable sources of energy. Each student has chosen a different source of energy to study and create a poster about. These posters will be shared with the class and hung in the lab and classroom. With the current focus on using renewable sources of energy it will be interesting to see the pros and cons the students discover for each energy source.

Fast Plants

The 7th grade has begun an investigation modeling Mendel's pea plant experiments. They are growing heterozygous plants with the scientific name Brassica rapa. These plants are being followed through their life cycle, documenting growth, flowering, pollination and seed development. Then the next generation of seeds will be planted and followed to determine the frequency of the traits being studied. In this instance the traits are Non-Purple stem vs. Purple stem and Hairy stems vs. Hairless stems.

When we are not taking measurements and observations for this lab we will be continuing our study of cell division by looking at the discovery of DNA as well as the structure of this molecule.

Our First Observation

Our first observation was posted online today so we can compare it with the satellite data. We ended up with a perfect match in altitude, cloud type, opacity and percent cloud cover. We have great observers!

S'COOL

S'COOL, standing for Student's Cloud Observations On-Line is a unique program with the goal of motivating students to participate in science inquiry. The sixth graders learn how to identify the clouds and determine their height, opacity and estimate the percent coverage. These observations are critical to NASA's Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) project. The CERES project has satellite instruments on three satellites, TERRA, AQUA and TRMM (TRMM is no longer functioning). These instruments have gaps in their ability to accurately determine the type of cloud in the sky. They also have been shown to confuse clear sky when it is over a body of water. To determine the extent of what the satellite misses or misreads the student observations are used. The satellite has been shown to miss thin, high level clouds. Snow covered surfaces have also confused the satellite. The student observations are avaliable online once they are processed by NASA. Satellite images from the day of observation are also online.

Here at St. Jude's we are taking this opportunity to practice our data gathering skills as well as use our cloud knowledge for scientific research. Over 25,000 students have participated so far, we are happy to join the ranks of the cloud observing students. The students are very excited to help out scientists! We even studied contrails, clouds created by airplanes disturbing the air, so we could make extra comments about these man made clouds. Radiation from the sun bounces off clouds and is sent out of the atmosphere, rather than absorbed as heat. Some scientists believe contrails may be changing how much radiation is received by the earth. This may have an impact on global climate. Scientists are looking to students to observe and record contrail sightings to help determine how much of an impact they have. While we make our cloud observations we are also recording data on the number and type of contrails we see.

We have our work set out for us so far. Our first observations were recorded today. Next week we should be able to see the satellite images that were taken during our observation. We may even start to notice some cloud trends. So far the sixth graders made the observation that the sky was clear when the cold front moved in, compared to the large low hanging cumulus clouds which were present prior to the cold front. What great observers!

Projects

7th Graders have turned in outstanding models of animal and plant cells! They clearly spent a lot of time getting to know each cell part and finding the perfect material to represent that part.

6th Graders are scientists now as they assist NASA in the CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System) project. The S'COOL (School Cloud Observations On-Line) website allows classrooms to record their cloud and weather observations, including cloud height, cloud type, ground temperature, relative humidity and ground surface cover when a satellite with a CERES instrument passes over the area. The CERES instruments can only see from above and can not distinguish what we can from below. The students observations help NASA to have a complete view of the cloud cover in an area, above and below. What a neat opportunity to gather data!

8th Graders are engineering boats to carry a specified cargo. They have calculated the displacement the boat must have in order to carry the cargo. Next they will have to decide how to build the boat so it will displace the appropriate amount of water.

A few weeks in

We have been going strong! 7th graders are in the middle of looking at onion cells (they made the wet mount slides themselves) as part of their unit on plants. We are even going over cell theory, where would we be without knowing living organisms are made of cells? It's hard to imagine where we would be medically without that information. 8th graders are jumping in to matter, atoms and creating diagrams of different elements. 6th graders are beginning to learn about the gasses in the atmosphere as well as the layers of our atmosphere.

SeaCamp deposits of $75 are due on Friday 9/11 for 7th graders planning on going. It will be a very special experience, getting to use official Marine Science equipment for activities like snorkeling a patch reef, plankton drags, hermit crab behavior labs and nocturnal animal observation. Those are just a few of the options! Be sure to turn in your deposit and permission slip! Fundraisers for the bus and other expenses will be coming up!

What a Week

We are off to a great start in Science this year! Our first week is concentrated on the scientific method and how to develop, carry out and analyze experiments using this method. On another note, the 8th graders took their first quiz of the year today and were very successful. Next week we will begin our weekly labs in our new lab classroom! I can't wait to get to the hands-on experiments!