SCHUUR LAB - ECOSYSTEM DYNAMICS RESEARCH

PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) is a program in which K-12 teachers spend 2-6 weeks participating in hands-on field research experiences in the polar regions. The goal of PolarTREC is to invigorate polar science education and understanding by bringing K-12 educators and polar researchers together.  

In 2016, Dr. Marguerite Mauritz worked together with Karen Temple Beamish and the PolarTrec program and designed a lesson plan to help teachers and students interpret data from a manipulative field experiment. Manipulative experiments are an important scientific tool, that allows scientists to prod an ecosystem and see how it responds. These field-based manipulations help scientists to link theories and expected changes to real observations, and refine their predictions.

This data interpretation activity will allow students to think more deeply about how scientists develop insights to how the Arctic will respond to a warmer climate, and draw conclusions using graphical presentation of real data. 

Below is the link to the lesson plan written for PolarTrec.

Data interpretation: carbon balance in an arctic wrmaing manipulation

PolarTREC outreach activities:

Presentations for the general public

Mauritz M (2016) Permafrost Carbon Storage: What lies beneath', Murie Science and Learning Center Evening Speaker Series
Natali SM (2012) Permafrost and climate change research at the Eight Mile Lake study site.  Stampede Summit, Tri-Valley Community Center, Healy, Alaska
Natali SM (2012) Permafrost, carbon and climate change. Murie Science Center at Denali National Park, Alaska
Elizabeth Webb (2012) Changes in annual carbon balance in tundra. PolarTREC webinar, which was part of C-ISE (Cyber-based Interdisciplinary Science Educator) Physical Science professional development course
Wood J, Natali SM, Webb E (2011, 2012) Carbon balance in warming and drying tundra. PolarTREC online webinars
Natali SM, Wood J (2011) Research, education and outreach at the Eight Mile Lake Study Site. Tri-Valley Library, Healy, Alaska

Presentations at national/international meetings
Wood J (2011) Arctic Research Consortium, Exploration Station. AGU National Meeting, San Francisco, CA
Wood J, Natali SM (2012) Making student connections with the carbon cycle. International Polar Year Conference, Montreal

Other relevant activities

Field site tours: Denali Climate Change Course for Teachers (2012); University of Alaska Resilience and Adaptation Program graduate students and faculty (2011); Denali National Park staff (2011, 2012); Healy, AK community members (2011, 2012); Tri-Valley 6-8th grade students, which included a ½ day of student-run experiments (2011)
Talbert Middle School classroom visit, E. Webb (2012); S. Natali (2011), included student-run CO2 flux and decomposition experiments

Climate change teacher training course led by Terry Chapin and Sarah Crowley (Arctic Research Consortium) in Denali National Park. John Wood was a participant and teacher-trainer

Check out John Wood's blogs for 2011 and 2012. Tom Lane's blog in 2013, and Karen Temple Beamish's blog in 2016