Bryan is a model JASON leader. He sees teaching science as an “exciting and dynamic craft.” His use of JASON in the classroom is fueled by his wanting to provide every learner with relevant, real world activities that meet the needs of all learners. Bryan is a world traveler, having grown up in Canada, he has taught in Canada, Japan, and Australia. Bryan’s natural teaching ability shines through in his work with the Argonauts. He truly acts as a mentor and “guide on the side” for his students. His caring nature also comes through in his work with adults and makes him a great asset to any team.

Picture yourself strapped into a rolling piece of metal and flying down a 50 m drop at speeds up to 100 mph. I believe that this is the ultimate way for anyone to experience 35,000 Joules of potential energy converting itself into 35,000 Joules of kinetic energy in 4 seconds flat. You actually feel the calculations you did moments ago with mass x gravity x height equaling .5 x mass x velocity squared. 

Now picture yourself testing Newton’s laws on the other crazy roller coasters. Having centripetal force take you upside down on Mind Eraser, having the Superman ride take you to places only equations in textbooks can describe, and feeling the G forces on the rickety Roar. I’m glad that the seatbelts did their jobs properly or else I wouldn’t be here to write this.

Being a teacher is something that keeps me young, at least feeling younger. The energy you can get from students’ enthusiasm and endless curiosity makes teaching a truly unique and rewarding profession for me. These young Student Argonauts are amazing. Their inquisitive minds have renewed my sense of wonder.

Today was a great example of the young Argonauts’ attributes I listed above. We met Dr. Janet Green, a brilliant space physicist who will be our guest researcher for Mission 1. These kids asked insightful and thought provoking questions that would make any teacher proud. 

Science has never been just memorizing facts and figures from a textbook. It’s the study of our surroundings – world, galaxy and universe. Dr. Janet Green has truly enlightened us on the sun and how it influences virtually everything in our everyday lives.

The thing that struck me as being the most interesting point of today’s events is how there are only 40 tsunameters scattered around all the oceans worldwide. Tsunameters are special devices that sit on the ocean floor and measure the pressure at that depth. When the column of water above the Tsunameter suddenly rises (usually due to Tsunami activity), there is an increase in pressure and this data is sent via satellite to the NOAA control center in order for scientists and researchers to warn coastal communities that might be at risk.

I don’t have a single hero that I look up to nor can I say that a single person has inspired me to pursue some of the things I’ve chosen to do. I am, however, inspired by nature and science. It’s quite amazing how we as biological entities can co-exist in a universe, let alone a world that is composed primarily of the abiotic. That is really inspiring for me because it makes me want to learn more. Learn more about science and how things interact. These interactions could be chemical, biological, physical, and even social interactions between cultures and society. 

An aspect of being a Teacher Argonaut that I really enjoy is the interaction between all the people on the JASON set. It is such a rewarding experience to be a part of The JASON Project because there are so many brilliant people involved in the making of the final product you are reading right now. Each and every day comes with new challenges and without fail, each and every day the people involved in the production rise up to these challenges. 

It’s a lot of fun applying learned knowledge to figure out whatever we’re trying to figure out down here. I believe that is the essence of JASON - to create that spark in people, getting them to figure things out through exploration.