Monday: A Day Around DC
Judging by how my feet were aching at the end of this 14-hour journey through D.C. we accomplished quite a bit today. We had the opportunity for students and teachers to speak with, and ask questions of, David Rogers, Deputy Under-Secretary of the Department of Energy. We sat in a state-of-the-art Ford SUV powered by hydrogen cells. We looked through all the different exhibits in the Air and Space Museum. We saw pictures of the sun in 3D IMAX filmed with stereo satellite technology. All pretty cool things to do on a sunny afternoon in June in D.C.
But….today, the spotlight was stolen by the amazing Super Park Ranger Michael Kelley. This is a man who is passionate about what he does and it showed through the way he delivered each and every word of his descriptions of the Washington memorials. He gave us a personal tour, in uniform, of the four major monuments in D.C. – The Washington Monument, The WWII Memorial, The Vietnam Memorial and The Lincoln Memorial. As a teacher, I learned a lot from Park Ranger Michael Kelley because he had that spark. That enthusiasm for what he does. All the Argos were totally mesmerized by him and engaged in everything he had to say. Meeting him reinforced to me the importance of enthusiasm in teaching. If you're not enthused with what you are talking about or what you do, how can you expect anyone else to be?
Tuesday: Six Flags Physics Fun
Picture yourself strapped into a rolling piece of metal and flying down a 50 m drop at speeds up to 100mph. I believe that this is the ultimate way for anyone to experience 35000 Joules of potential energy convert itself into 35000 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.
That was awesome….What an experience… Studying and pushing the laws of physics in a rollercoaster park!
Along with all the rollercoaster riding, there were also moments where I would teach – on camera. Teaching on camera is a little different than teaching in front of a classroom. On camera, every little thing you do and say is caught on tape so, one needs to be a little more articulate with their speech. Something I am working on…
Wednesday: Fun with the Letter N
The top 3 things to do in DC that start with the letter "N"
- Nationals' Stadium LEED Certification Tour
America loves its sport and if you have major league sport, you need major league venues. Major league venues use a lot of energy and I give credit to D.C. for building the first major league LEED certified stadium. For information about LEED certification, please click on http://www.usgbc.org.
From the outside, the stadium looks like just another Major League Baseball stadium. But… when Maggie, our tour guide, tells you about all the special things they have in place to make it LEED certified, it really is quite impressive how all these little changes can make a difference. It goes to show that if we as teachers can educate this generation to make greener choices, then as a collective bunch, we can make a difference.
- Nuclear Energy Institute
Every time I think about nuclear energy power plants, it's hard to escape the image of Homer J. Simpson sitting at the controls with glazed donut in hand. The presentation we saw helped me re-contemplate the importance of nuclear energy and it is apparent that one day when we can safely harness the energy of the atom, nuclear energy will play a more significant role.
Nationals' Baseball Game - Nationals: 5 Angels: 4
What a treat it was to watch the Washington Nationals defeat the Los Angeles Angels 5 to 4 with the winning run scored in the bottom of the 9th! But… how good was that chili? Ben's Chili bowl will live in my taste bud memory for years to come. The next time I get back to D.C. I will search high and low for another taste of that chili.
Thursday: West Virginia Energy Exploration
Now….if you are in the Morgantown, WV area, there are two must sees. The first is the National Energy Technology Lab. For those international visitors, make sure you bring the proper documents because security is tight. Once you get past that, the NETL is a wonderland of technology and groundbreaking energy research. It was amazing to get the inside scoop on how America is tackling the problem of CO2 emissions as well as research into alternative fuel sources. From the researchers we met, I am confident that one day, these problems will be a thing of the past.
The second must-see is the Fort Martin Power plant. The gigantic hyperbolic cooling structure is rather hard to miss from the road but without a good map, this place is pretty hard to find. I think we had a once in a lifetime tour – unless of course you are planning to work in a coal power plant with temperatures starting at 100 degrees Celsius.
It is a concern how much CO2 is released from coal power plants around the world but at least this one is doing something to become a little bit "greener." Fort Martin is in the process of building a multimillion dollar scrubber. The scrubber reduces sulfur dioxide emissions by 90%! The whole Argonaut crew was awestruck when we were escorted inside the massive structure that will hold the chemicals necessary for "scrubbing" out the deadly SO2.
So… if you're ever in the Morgantown area, check these places out and say hello to Dr. Geo for me at the NETL.
Q&A with Argo Bryan:
How was working with this diverse group of Student Argos?
The very first thing that impressed me about the students in this JASON classroom was the amount of knowledge they possessed. As a teacher, you always seem to do teacher-like things even when you think you are "off duty." While waiting at the airport for the other Argonauts to arrive, I found myself verbally pre-testing the little Argos that had arrived earlier on what they knew about energy and science in general. From what I gathered, it seems like most articulated a competent if not highly developed understanding of what energy is all about. The key now, I believe, is to guide what they already know about Energy towards present day Energy issues. I am confident that this team of Argos will one day influence a positive change in the world because of their personalities and this amazing Argonaut experience.
How was the river rafting on the Cheat River?
I am still feeling a bit soggy from Cheat River. If I had the choice between potential energy and kinetic energy, I would choose kinetic energy in a heartbeat. Kinetic energy is so much fun. The mighty Argos, equipped with a life jacket, a rubber dingy and a handy cam, harnessed the kinetic energy of a 5 mile stretch of Cheat River. The Ducky Muncher, Calamity, the Little Rocking Horse, Meat Grinder and the Mashed Potato were no match for these brave adventurers. Fluid dynamics will never be the same.