Arctic Expedition
David Lipson studies microbiology of soil, and is a professor at SDSU. A few years ago, he offered me a position within a study he was putting together that would look at how the element chlorine cycles through the Arctic environment. My job as an artist would be outreach, and I was excited to accept. This year, the National Science Foundation funded Lipson's project and I will chronicle my experience on this website over the next year.
I teach Science Infused with Art for Julian Charter School. I work with roughly 150 kids, mostly middle school, but overall K-12. My intention is to share inspiration with my students through the perspectives of art and science by studying the Arctic, doing focused experiments, and art projects.
For my personal art works, I am interested in creating a meat sculpture that polar bears will eat, drawing a giant chlorine atom in the snow that would be photographed from the air, creating a site specific clock that will show natural cycles of the arctic, and I also view my work with my students as an artwork.
My first step! The San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering will be March 4th, 2017. I will develop a project based learning plan for my students to learn and participate.
I teach Science Infused with Art for Julian Charter School. I work with roughly 150 kids, mostly middle school, but overall K-12. My intention is to share inspiration with my students through the perspectives of art and science by studying the Arctic, doing focused experiments, and art projects.
For my personal art works, I am interested in creating a meat sculpture that polar bears will eat, drawing a giant chlorine atom in the snow that would be photographed from the air, creating a site specific clock that will show natural cycles of the arctic, and I also view my work with my students as an artwork.
My first step! The San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering will be March 4th, 2017. I will develop a project based learning plan for my students to learn and participate.
I taught them about interactive installation art. We looked at Mark Dion, Walter De Maria, Christo and others. They were prompted to develop their own installation on the science topic of their choice. Below is a sheet that I made & gave them.
| installation_art.docx |
I laid out a lesson plan that asks students to research the following Arctic topics, and share then as a mock magazine article: Geography, Climate, Biodiversity, Geochemistry, Physical Abnormalities, & Culture. In the future, I hope to print an actual color magazine that each student has a part in.
Below are the assignments I shared with my students.
Below are the assignments I shared with my students.
| arctic_expedition.docx |
| deeper_arctic_exploration.docx |
We also used a virtual reality program to study and visit the Arctic!
Students did a fine job on these and learned all about the Arctic! Below is an example.
Next, I showed them a type of interactive installation called a Walk-in-Paintings that we've done in the past by reviewing this website: http://www.rogalskiart.com/walk-in-paintings.html
Students were then prompted to come up with ideas for our installation that shared what they'd learned about the Arctic.
I used these sheets below...
Students were then prompted to come up with ideas for our installation that shared what they'd learned about the Arctic.
I used these sheets below...
| concepts-_arctic_installation.docx |
| concepts_ii-_arctic_installation.docx |
I put many of these ideas together into a blueprint for our Walk-in-Painting!
Lipson Lab funded our project. I bought the supplies and we got to work.
Lipson Lab funded our project. I bought the supplies and we got to work.
We got a great start, but this is a La Niña year.
A huge rain storm hit, so we had to move our whole production down into the basement.
A huge rain storm hit, so we had to move our whole production down into the basement.
The next day, we arrived to find the basement flooded!
Several of our canvases were wet, but not damaged.
Several of our canvases were wet, but not damaged.
The storm had passed, so we moved our project back up to the courtyard of the school.
We only had a couple days left to complete our project!
We only had a couple days left to complete our project!
And finally we were done! Next, we would exhibit our work at the 2017 San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering at Petco Park. The event is called EXPO Day and tends to attract around 25ooo people. Mrs. Elser & her son Jake helped me to install Friday. It took all day to finish.
CLICK HERE to see video!!!
CLICK HERE to see video!!!
Over the day, around two thousand people came through our "Arctic Expedition". More than a dozen JCS students arrived to run it, as well as most of our staff. Students would invite people into the igloo, and tell them that they were to be a scientist going to study the Arctic, and give them a clipboard with a data sheet that instructed them to find a series of things, such as a marine mammal, a fish, an Arctic plant, and more. They would then enter the painting through a crack in a glacier. This brought them into an ice cave. The walls offered data for their sheet on geology, climate, geochemistry, and geography. At the far end of the ice cave, moving polar bears were projected onto the wall. People had to walk past the bears, which was scary for some children.
A back door with icicles instructed people to duck under the ice. This next room was a maze of blue cellophane with a horizontal blue cellophane ceiling at the four foot level that people had to walk beneath, like ice. A soundtrack blasted whale songs & water sounds, the carpet was painted with fish, the walls were teaming with illustrated marine organism essays.
A series of ice holes were cut and people were able to stick their heads through the holes to view the land above the ice layer. There they would see the tundra & glaciers with many land organisms. A separate soundtrack of howling wolves & wind, a fan & a fog machine added to the effect. If they looked up they would see a black sheet painted with labeled constellations, and highlighted with blue & white lights. Multiple paper snowflakes hung from the sheet.
A last back door opened into the igloo. In the igloo, students had shared studies on the culture & population of the Arctic, customs of the Inuit people, art, politics, and a study on global warming. At that point, people were given the choice to either keep their data, or make a snow flake from it that they'd hang in the igloo...our data blizzard.
A back door with icicles instructed people to duck under the ice. This next room was a maze of blue cellophane with a horizontal blue cellophane ceiling at the four foot level that people had to walk beneath, like ice. A soundtrack blasted whale songs & water sounds, the carpet was painted with fish, the walls were teaming with illustrated marine organism essays.
A series of ice holes were cut and people were able to stick their heads through the holes to view the land above the ice layer. There they would see the tundra & glaciers with many land organisms. A separate soundtrack of howling wolves & wind, a fan & a fog machine added to the effect. If they looked up they would see a black sheet painted with labeled constellations, and highlighted with blue & white lights. Multiple paper snowflakes hung from the sheet.
A last back door opened into the igloo. In the igloo, students had shared studies on the culture & population of the Arctic, customs of the Inuit people, art, politics, and a study on global warming. At that point, people were given the choice to either keep their data, or make a snow flake from it that they'd hang in the igloo...our data blizzard.
SPECIAL THANKS !!!
The soundtrack was generously made by David Samas, a sound artist from San Francisco.
He used real Arctic samples collected by artist/scientist Cheryl Leonard.
Lipson Lab funded all the materials for this project.
Julian Charter School paid for our space at EXPO Day.
Patti Fox of the Fox Collaborative donated the carpet that became our fish floor.
Study of Atomic Cycles
In class, we studied the natural cycles of water, CO2 & O, the nitrogen cycle, and the carbon cycle. We talked about how many of the elements cycle through Earth's ecosystems, such as chlorine.
In class, we studied the natural cycles of water, CO2 & O, the nitrogen cycle, and the carbon cycle. We talked about how many of the elements cycle through Earth's ecosystems, such as chlorine.
Our Art Experiment- "Artic Experiment"
Stemming from this study of the cycles, we came up with an carbon cycle experiment/art project to do in the Arctic. We would use carbon (charcoal) to draw carbon based life forms onto paper (also carbon based). We would weigh the art and then I would bring these to the Arctic Circle where they'd be buried in the tundra. We'd bury them at three depths in the permafrost and leave them for a year. Next year, I'll dig them up and weigh them again to see how much had been eaten by the microscopic organisms that live in the various depths of the soil. As a control, we'll keep a set in soil in Dr. Lipson's lab.
Stemming from this study of the cycles, we came up with an carbon cycle experiment/art project to do in the Arctic. We would use carbon (charcoal) to draw carbon based life forms onto paper (also carbon based). We would weigh the art and then I would bring these to the Arctic Circle where they'd be buried in the tundra. We'd bury them at three depths in the permafrost and leave them for a year. Next year, I'll dig them up and weigh them again to see how much had been eaten by the microscopic organisms that live in the various depths of the soil. As a control, we'll keep a set in soil in Dr. Lipson's lab.
Step #1: Use carbon(charcoal) to draw carbon (based life forms) on carbon (paper). Eighty students participated in this step.
As the school year ended, I prepared to leave for the Arctic. I was as nervous as I was excited. I wasn't really sure what to expect. I would be wearing several hats; I'd be a grunt science assistant, an outreach person, and a resident artist.
The school year ended, I received my flight tickets, and hit thrift shops to gear up on layers of warm clothing.
The school year ended, I received my flight tickets, and hit thrift shops to gear up on layers of warm clothing.
Dr. Lipson weighed our carbon drawings, and pulled out a control set. He put the control set into jars of soil from the tundra, and put them into refrigerators in his lab at three temperatures.
June 5th, caught 5:30 pm plane from San Diego to Seattle, arrived at dusk. Jumped on my next plane, and flew out in the dark, headed for Anchorage Alaska. The lights of Seattle below were beautiful as we took off.
Then something very strange happened...
On the horizon, I saw a small pinkish area.
I didn't take a photo, but it looked like this drawing.
On the horizon, I saw a small pinkish area.
I didn't take a photo, but it looked like this drawing.
As we neared it, it loomed larger and larger and I could see that it had blue edges.
The blue spread and took over...
Chasing the Sun!
Eventually, it enveloped us as we flew into it. It was broad daylight as if I'd stayed up all night, but it had only been a couple hours.
That evening in Seattle was the last time I saw night for a week. Eventually, I came to greatly miss the darkness.
Eventually, it enveloped us as we flew into it. It was broad daylight as if I'd stayed up all night, but it had only been a couple hours.
That evening in Seattle was the last time I saw night for a week. Eventually, I came to greatly miss the darkness.
It could be an interesting piece to chase the sun around the equator...try to experience a 24 hour day. I had a 10 hour layover in Anchorage, during which I attempted to sleep on a bench in the airport. I think I slept an hour or two at best. Deliriously sleepy, I ate a reindeer omelet, and caught my next flight into Prudhoe Bay, also known as Deadhorse.
Deadhorse must have been beautiful in its past, but now it is a wretched splattering of oil industries.
As I got off my plane, it was as if I stepped into a freezer. In this frozen hell, I was greeted by Ted Raab.
Ted is an amazing scientist out of Stanford University, and will be working with our team. https://works.bepress.com/ted_k_raab/
As I got off my plane, it was as if I stepped into a freezer. In this frozen hell, I was greeted by Ted Raab.
Ted is an amazing scientist out of Stanford University, and will be working with our team. https://works.bepress.com/ted_k_raab/
Our team will be studying how the element chlorine cycles through the ecosystem. We will do this by collecting cores of soil from the tundra and analyzing their contents.
Ted & I have a one day layover in Deadhorse, then Dr. Lipson will arrive tomorrow and we'll continue on to our worksite even further north, at the Toolik Field Station. We are staying in this strange hotel that reminds me of college dorms that provide a cafeteria with free food, but it's all for oil workers, tough looking guys with big beards, several languages are spoken, lot of Russian. They look at us like we are clearly outsiders. The windows in our tiny room are duct taped with trash bags to keep out the nonstop light. We walked down to the end of town, a vast frozen lake about a half mile off. I wore layers, but my face felt frozen. Later, we walked to the general store, which turned out to be about three miles off. We never saw another person walking, everyone drove. I bought a face hood to protect my mouth & nose. On the ride back, a truck pulled over and told us that a bear had been sited and we accepted their lift back.
After lunch, I became restless. I was stuck in this arctic oil town and wanted to do some artwork. I like the area at the end of town, so I hiked back down to make some progress. There was a huge snow berm that bordered into ice flats over swamp and then into frozen lake. I liked this area, and decided to do something here. I really didn't have anything to make art from, so I used whatever was there in an Andy Goldsworthy style. I played with the idea of the chlorine atom while watching for bears.
I started by assessing my materials and trying to get good at using them. There was snow, dirt, and rocks. I tried doing a positive/negative element tile.
Then, I decided to try to make a model of the chlorine atom. I noticed that some stones were very light, while others were very dark. I'd use them as protons & neutrons. I'd use the light stones as the neutrons as they are harder to see in the snow, just like neutrons that are neutral (no charge), they were hard to notice until James Chadwick found them. I played with a couple different configurations in the snow. I noticed that in order to add electrons, I had to make footprints in the snow, which reminds me of how a scientists' observation becomes part of the experiment.
My footprints are negative space, just as electrons are negatively charged. I decided to use my footprints as electrons. I started with 2, 8, & 7 electron footprints in each successive cloud, but I found myself moving in the clouds which blurred their exact location, which is how we see them (in a cloud, not one place). This aspect reminds me of the artwork of Richard Long who walks to make marks on the earth. I also left an open space for the missing outer electron that makes chlorine such a reactive atom...a halogen. I pointed this opening towards the lake as a source of new electrons. The snow was deep in areas, and I got super cold. Snow hit my face sideways like sand in my eyes. I'm a little worried about frostbite, as I've never been in a situation like this before.
This evening, we learned that Dr. Lipson's plane was delayed. He will join us at Toolik coming from a totally different direction. In the morning, a small group of scientists from two different teams fly in to Deadhorse. We all load onto a van that will run along a road built for the construction of the Alaskan Pipeline. This is the only way in. It turns out to be like a arctic safari as we site multiple reindeer, amazing geography, musk ox, and a grizzly. Our van driver was a local indigenous woman. She was quietly funny. When everyone piled out of the van to see the musk ox, I asked her a question about its rarity, and she smiled and said yes, he's usually on that hill. She knew these animals. What must it be like to live here all year?
We arrived at The Toolik Field Station. It is an amazing science compound of tent cabins housing teams from all over the world, each team studying different things. I see labs, experiments and high tech equipment everywhere I look. It is at the edge of a lake which is mostly frozen. They shared an orientation and we settled into our tent cabin. I was initially worried that it'd be too cold, but it had a great heater. Slept well enough, although I woke about 3am and stepped outside for a moment into broad daylight, so very strange.
Friday morning...beautiful coffee on frigid porch alone over frozen lake. The cafeteria was brimming with 80 caffeinated scientists. I sat with two women for breakfast. They would be helicoptered in to a even more remote area and dropped off to count certain plants that reindeer eat over a series of square meters. They and everyone here are so excited to work. It reminds me of Headlands for the Arts in San Francisco. Enthusiasm across the fields of art & science. David will arrive this evening, but we should get started with our science now. Ted and I decide to scout out our experiment spots. We communicate with the resident map experts, and grab a can of bear spray. This sort of science practice will infuse my art, but also help me be a better science teacher.
We hiked about 9 miles through mashy tundra. The snow has melted in most areas as summer arrives. I can see the arctic ecosystem waking-up from its long cold hibernation. As we crossed a remote stream, we heard a wolf howl. There were lots of small bridges and boards to get across the marsh. As we hiked, I found myself thinking about the metaphor of a bridge as passion between art and science.
After our little expedition, we split up.
Ted continued off to check on a last remote experiment location, while I splintered off to do some art.
I found a patch of snow and decided to make a bridge out of snow to symbolize passion between art & science. I wanted to see how big I could make it and soon learned that the snow wouldn't do that. I tried compacted snow, snow with stick armature inside and even exterior crutches. All the while considering the metaphorical implications of each method.
Ted continued off to check on a last remote experiment location, while I splintered off to do some art.
I found a patch of snow and decided to make a bridge out of snow to symbolize passion between art & science. I wanted to see how big I could make it and soon learned that the snow wouldn't do that. I tried compacted snow, snow with stick armature inside and even exterior crutches. All the while considering the metaphorical implications of each method.
The snow liked to make small arches. This made me think about how people network to accomplish goals. I stacked snow arches and got a nice pyramid going. I took a break to eat, get dry gloves & socks, and grab my bear spray that I'd forgotten.
I returned to my network and the wind had melted it, and it had collapsed. I decided to rebuild it and would see how big I could get it. I got up to 5 high, and it collapsed. I rebuilt again and again for hours. It collapsed many times. I began to see it as a corporation. It was too big. I also noticed that it was the top people (arches) that tend to fall. Metaphors of power, the network can be wide, but not high.
"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." Mahatma Ghandi.
Exhausted, cold and wet, I returned to camp for dinner. The sun came out tonight.
"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." Mahatma Ghandi.
Exhausted, cold and wet, I returned to camp for dinner. The sun came out tonight.
Dr. David Lipson arrived and had passed a moose on the road in. I hung my towel outside to dry. In the morning I woke up to find it frozen solid. That never happens in San Diego.
David and Ted worked towards science, while I returned alone to my patch of snow. It is about the size of a football field on the backside of a hill, about a kilometer from the compound. A beautiful morning hike. I've decided to do a more in-depth chlorine mandala. I will make this one large in an Earth Work style. I played with my footprints as drawn line (Richard Long) and used only natural objects from the location (Andy Goldsworthy). I worked all day. I used the entire snow patch like a giant canvas...a complete composition.
David and Ted arrived at the end of the day with a drone that we used to get arial video as it flew over. There was a learning curve to this as arctic winds were blowing. I left the piece in place. It is still there now.
David and Ted worked towards science, while I returned alone to my patch of snow. It is about the size of a football field on the backside of a hill, about a kilometer from the compound. A beautiful morning hike. I've decided to do a more in-depth chlorine mandala. I will make this one large in an Earth Work style. I played with my footprints as drawn line (Richard Long) and used only natural objects from the location (Andy Goldsworthy). I worked all day. I used the entire snow patch like a giant canvas...a complete composition.
David and Ted arrived at the end of the day with a drone that we used to get arial video as it flew over. There was a learning curve to this as arctic winds were blowing. I left the piece in place. It is still there now.
David arrived with a drone and got this footage (below).
Today, I focused on science. The three of us tromped through the tundra for untold miles. I thought the tundra would be dead under the snow, but everything is alive! Its hard to even find raw dirt. I only find it if an animal has dug out a burrow, otherwise it is a foot deep mosses & fungus, all types mixed with flowers tangled through it. It is like walking on a huge living sponge. Its difficult to walk, like in deep sand. Often, its wet or completely under water (swamp). Small ponds are everywhere, with ducks & geese & arctic swan. We took turns pulling a snow sled that more or less glided over the lumpy tundra. The sled carried our tools, largest of which was a monstrous drill 5 feet tall.
The map experts came with us for the 1st part to pin point our experiment locations with GPS. Next, we would drill (2 of us) into the earth. The bit was hollow and when retracted held a 'core' of soil. David would pull out this tube of soil and collect it to study. At one remote site, we buried my students carbon drawings inside a tube. We'll dig them up next year to see how much was eaten by microscopic organisms in the permafrost.
They packaged up their soil cores to bring back to San Diego for research. The next day, we started the long trek home, more vans, more bears & reindeer. On the plane from Deadhorse to Barrow, I was marveling at how flat the vast frozen land was. Eventually, it dawned on me that it wasn't land, but frozen ocean...such a strange place. On the plane, I had a great conversation with an indigenous woman about how her family lives off the land during different parts of the year. She was from Barrow. I will be returning to Barrow next year and hope to work with their community.
I eventually made it home, and deeply enjoyed the sunset and the sweet darkness of my warm little home town, San Diego.
This summer, I'm painting a positive/negative space piece on the polar bear. It will be part of my Animals of Absence series.
Here's my start...
Here's my start...
We made Atomic "Zines"
Students in my science classes were guided to create little comic books that shared their knowledge of atomic theory and how they cycle. These comics ended with the idea that atoms are the same no matter where you are, but cultures are different. They were prompted to speculate on what life for kids in the Arctic is like. The last page, is a pen pal page. They introduced themselves and asked questions of their Arctic pen pal.
Here is the project description:
Students in my science classes were guided to create little comic books that shared their knowledge of atomic theory and how they cycle. These comics ended with the idea that atoms are the same no matter where you are, but cultures are different. They were prompted to speculate on what life for kids in the Arctic is like. The last page, is a pen pal page. They introduced themselves and asked questions of their Arctic pen pal.
Here is the project description:
| atoms_of_the_world.docx |
Over the Summer, I finished the Polar Bear Painting! I alternated the patterns between "man made" and "Arctic nature". The polar bear as negative space implies its possible extinction.
Next, I went to Arctic. This expedition had goals in science, education and art. I met Dr. Lipson in a town called Deadhorse, then we flew into Utquigvik (also known as Barrow). This trip was MUCH colder than the last trip. It was closer to winter and I was even further north. In fact Barrow is as far north as you can go on land. It kinda hurt to breath.
We stayed in a NARL facility.
The folks from UIC Science & NARL facilitated our project. They were amazing!
They geared us up, made sure that we were safe, taught us to ride snow machines and guided us through the tundra.
They geared us up, made sure that we were safe, taught us to ride snow machines and guided us through the tundra.
We started by snowmobiling out 50 miles into the Tundra. This was our science goal; to collect cores of soil and analyze them for chlorine. I wore 5 pairs of pants, 2 face masks and ski googles. You could have NO skin exposed or else risk frost bite. They sent a guide who'd watch for polar bears. As we rode, there were lots of caribou. We pulled a sled with our gear behind a snow machine.
Out in the tundra, we used a giant drill to obtain our cores of soil. I brought a container of water to drink, but it froze in my pocket. I could only take a couple photos because my camera battery would freeze and shut down within a minute of coming out of my pocket.
Out in the tundra, we used a giant drill to obtain our cores of soil. I brought a container of water to drink, but it froze in my pocket. I could only take a couple photos because my camera battery would freeze and shut down within a minute of coming out of my pocket.
After a tough day of work, we returned to NARL. A small storm happened, and I found myself riding through a white out. I could only see a few feet in front of me. I was pretty scared and stuck to our guide like glue.
This drilling went on for a couple days, then I got a window of time to practice my art.
I was interested in freezing water into ice bars and then use them to sculpt a structure. I thought I might use PVC pipe, but then started noticing long icicles all over the place and decided to try using them.
Lipson and I drove around Barrow a bit and I harvested a nice lot of them.
I decided to try to build a DNA double helix.
I made a series of small twisting sections by laying them in the snow and dripping water on as glue.
Finally, I assembled all the sections on a hill of snow in front of the NARL research facility.
I made a series of small twisting sections by laying them in the snow and dripping water on as glue.
Finally, I assembled all the sections on a hill of snow in front of the NARL research facility.
Next day, we needed to get soil samples too far for us to snow mobil to, so we used a helicopter. There was a lot of ice fog that slowed down our voyage, but it eventually cleared. I've never been in a helicopter before. It felt like we were floating along in a bubble.
We collected soil cores from multiple sites with nothing but snow to the horizon in every direction.
We returned to Barrow. It doesn't get dark at this type of year. The sun is ALWAYS out, so I went for an after dinner walk. The indigenous population here is whaling right now. There are whale bones from years past all around town.
On the following day, we got on a tiny 8 seat plane and flew off to Atqasuk. It is a village of just over 200 people. We are headed there to collect more soil cores, and I will work with the students. The flight there was interesting. The runway was covered in snow. At one point, I looked out the window and couldn't tell the difference between the ground and the sky...it was all just white.
To my surprise, there was no airport, not even a building. We landed on a snowy runway. An old man in a pickup truck opened a fence and a line of other trucks rolled in. They drove right up to our plane on the runway. Families united, filling trucks with suitcases and laughter.
No one arrived to guide us to our new home. The one police officer of Atqasuk was looking at us as we stood out like sore thumbs. He was super friendly and offered us a lift. His name was Mardy. We had an address, but many houses had no number. We walked into one house and realized it was the wrong house. I'm glad there was no dog. Around this time, Doug the Mayor arrived. He was helpful and brimming with amazing stories. Finally, we found the correct house. It was pretty snowed in. I had to dig out the front door. Inside, snow was half up the windows.
We settled in, and I geared up to go teach at the Atqasuk school. I had worked with Kaare Erickson to arrange the lesson. I boxed up my materials, and walked off into the snow towards the big blue school at the far side of the village.
When I arrived, no one seemed to know who I was. I explained that this had all been planned a month in advance, and they explained that most of the staff had switched out. I was dealing with substitute teachers and even the principle was a sub. However, they were kind and professional. Eventually, they connected me with a kindergarten teacher named Rodney. He was an inspirational educator and was aware of our prior plan.
I taught a fun lesson about how everything is made of atoms to the K-1st grade. We did the science and then explored pointillism as an artistic method to illustrate the scientific concept. They seemed to learn and love it!
I taught a fun lesson about how everything is made of atoms to the K-1st grade. We did the science and then explored pointillism as an artistic method to illustrate the scientific concept. They seemed to learn and love it!
Next, I did lessons with the 2nd & 3rd grade classes combined, as well as the 4th & 5th together. With these older classes, I taught the same atomic theory ideas, but added that they all cycle. I talked a bit about some specific cycles. Finally, I presented the comic books (with pen pal elements) that my San Diego students had made to share with them. They dove in!
Elated, I gathered my materials into a box. Put on my layers of clothing and walked out the front door into the freezer like air. I walked with confidence, but soon realized I was pretty lost. I'd left in a totally different direction than I'd arrived from. It was nice to explore the village as a decompression to my lessons. Eventually, I found my way home. Here are some photos I took.
I made a small dinner and went to bed. To my surprise, it sounded like a river flooding through in waves. I think maybe the pipes are all shared and have to keep moving to avoid freezing. That's my guess, I could be entirely wrong. In any case, I'm a lite sleeper and it freaked me out all night. At one point, I jolted and accidentally kicked the wall, breaking my big toe nail nearly in half...ouch.
The next morning, I returned to the school. We had planned to do a "Zoom" conference between the students of Atqasuk and my students in San Diego. It would be an opportunity to go beyond the pen pal inspiration and actually speak in person. I arrived thirty minutes early to set-up my computer and orient the students. However, when I arrived, it was yet a new substitute principle. She didn't know who I was or anything about my project. In fact, she said that the students were testing and probably couldn't do it.
I explained that this had all been set-up more than a month in advance, and asked if she could check on the testing. Maybe we could arrange something after the tests. She did, and I found myself ushered into a class with only minutes to spare! 10AM in Atqasuk, but 11AM in San Diego. Christina Conerly had set-up the Zoom link and would team teach with me on the California side.
It worked! The students asked great questions of one another regarding time, video games, ecology, video games, and sociology. It was a truly beautiful connection.
I explained that this had all been set-up more than a month in advance, and asked if she could check on the testing. Maybe we could arrange something after the tests. She did, and I found myself ushered into a class with only minutes to spare! 10AM in Atqasuk, but 11AM in San Diego. Christina Conerly had set-up the Zoom link and would team teach with me on the California side.
It worked! The students asked great questions of one another regarding time, video games, ecology, video games, and sociology. It was a truly beautiful connection.
https://www.facebook.com/jcssdaas/videos/1814838088554654/?t=0 Click here to see video segment!
After class, I was exhausted and fell asleep. I woke up, pounded some black coffee and joined Dr, Lipson in the tundra to collect our last soil cores. We returned and I thought it was 5 or 6PM, but it was really closer to 10PM, but the sun doesn't set here, so it is strangely hard to tell.
Before we left town, we stepped outside and some local kids that had been in the class came up to say hello. Really cool kids.
Before we left town, we stepped outside and some local kids that had been in the class came up to say hello. Really cool kids.
I feel like something special happened here. Despite the physical, social and political challenges, we facilitated a positive educational experience for these kids between Atqasuk & San Diego. I thank all involved.