October 29, 2008: Lab Day
Today we engaged in an intense battle of Rube Goldberg machines. It was split into two teams – one with Teacher Argo Bryan and me, and the other with Tim and Toba. Rube Goldberg was a satirical cartoonist who drew diagrams of complicated tasks that performed a simple task. Hence, a Rube Goldberg design is that of a machine which ultimately performs a simple task through a series of more complicated ones. This helped us to better understand the most basic levels of energy transfers and transformations, as we set off a series of energy reactions that either slid a nut down a slinky, a marble down a tube, or dominoes knocking each other down. This should help us later this week with all the information about physical energy and tsunamis that Dr. Titov will teach us.
The second lab we did involved different properties of ocean waves. We simulated waves and tsunamis in a glass baking pan with water and clay, to better study how the waves work. Dr. Titov was the "wave initiator," and we all got to ask questions that really were crucial in understanding exactly what his research deals with. Hopefully tomorrow, and later this week, when he explains more about tsunamis, we will be able to apply these fundamental skills and understandings.
October 30, 2008: Tsunami Impacts
Coming to Seattle, I knew I was going to be working with a scientist who studies tsunamis. However, I didn't know how important this type of research is to the rest of the world, and how science can have different levels of understanding. There was one day on the Mission when this really clicked for me.
Dr. Titov, our Host Researcher, is a tsunami modeler, and part of his job is to detect and predict when tsunamis will hit coastlines. One day, he introduced us to Chris, who is responsible for the detecting software and machinery for tsunamis.
We spent the morning filming with Chris, as he explained to us the mechanics and ideas behind these machines. What surprised me the most was the simplicity behind the machine. The machine, in essence, has a very sensitive pressure detector that can feel when the water depth changes. It is placed at the very bottom of the ocean, and it can sense when a tsunami wave passes over it. Then it sends an acoustic signal back to the top of the buoy and back to home base – this gives people on land enough time to evacuate the danger zones.
Although the science behind creating the machines may be very difficult, the ideas and applications behind the machine itself are quite simple and elegant. That was something that surprised me a lot. I especially think it is cool that kids can look at science at these different levels. On a basic level, it is important to understand the idea and the way the machine functions. However, it is possible to get more complex by understanding the scientific concepts behind the pressure sensors.
Later, in the afternoon, we learned how to put together one of the tsunami detectors, which was a lot of fun. Apparently, the entire thing weighs around 5000 lbs! We ended by de-briefing with Dr. Titov and Chris, sitting on rocks on Lake Washington. We concluded that our research in Mission 2 was indicative of how important science is. First, the mission was really key in not only understanding fundamental principles of energy and physics, but also in understanding that science can be applied to the entire world, and has a huge impact on people – for example, the impact of a tsunami. But we also found out that science is a subject that can be understood at different levels – it's open to everyone.
Coming back from Mission 2, I think I have a better understanding of what science really is, how it works, and how it connects to a lot of subjects that you wouldn't normally think of as science related!
October 30, 2008: Final Thoughts
So as I write this journal, late at night in the hotel room, I am thinking that this is my last "real" journal as an Argonaut. It is the last day that I will spend learning from these skilled scientists, and it is the last day that I will have an opportunity to reflect on the ideas from the day. Being an Argonaut has been an incredible experience – not only have I met some fantastic people and made some great friends along the way, but also have I absorbed and been exposed to an incredible amount of information and knowledge within the scientific world. JASON and this Mission especially have shown me how I can always impact and extend science to people all over the globe – not just those inside the scientific community. The JASON Project has made science not only science, but something that really revolves around everything I do.