Summer trip with Scripps, Woods Hole takes Mission Bay and Lincoln teachers to top of world

Steve Walters

Science teachers from Lincoln and Mission Bay high schools were part of a team of researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution that spent several weeks this summer investigating the origins of a cooling period on earth that began about 13,000 years ago.

Danny Blas, marine science teacher at Lincoln High, and Steve Walters, marine biology teacher at Mission Bay High, were part of a team of researchers on-board the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy collecting sediment samples on, and mapping of, the seafloor of the eastern Beaufort Sea, north of Alaskan-Canadian border.

"Science should be exciting, and being part of a large team of highly knowledgeable experts in the field makes me even more excited to share my experiences with my students," said Blas, who is serving as the project's blogger, targeting his blog to grade 11-12 grade marine science students. Walters is serving as a member of the seafloor sediment collection team.

Danny Blas

The cooling period, known by scientists the Younger Drays stadial, has been associated with sea ice in the Arctic and north Atlantic oceans, and the storage and release of fresh water from a large glacial lake in North America, yet its origin remains controversial.

Dr. Lloyd Keigwin (Woods Hole) and Dr. Neal Driscoll (Scripps), Principal Investigators for the mission, hypothesized the glacial lake (Lake Agassiz) released fresh water to the Arctic Ocean through the Mackenzie River, and if proven, the signal should be detectable in the oxygen isotope ratio in the shells of plankton found in the sediment.
The research mission ran from Aug. 14 to Sept. 9.

For more information, visit Blas's blog at www.dannyblas.com.

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Institute, schools team to tout canyons

IN THE NEWS: Under a proposal that San Diego school trustees unanimously approved Tuesday, more than 30 acres of Manzanita Canyon in City Heights will be transformed into an $8 million living science lab for thousands of students. Read more from UT San Diego»

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Bell Middle School students chart their career paths to medicine

Possible future doctors from Bell Middle School recently found out why doctors at the UC San Diego School of Medicine made their career choices.

Lekayla Noel, Leticia Alatorre, Kaye Bonifacio, Jazlynne Napoles, Jasmine Canedo, Darrell Buchanan, Marriya Uy, and Sharmaine Rosales, all in grade 8, visited the La Jolla facility along with their science teacher, Andy Morrison.

The visits were arranged as part of the Hippocrates Circle Program, , which is conducted at all of the Kaiser Permanente medical centers, reaches out to high-risk, diverse youth. Kaiser physicians mentor middle school students, and take them on a brief journey through our medical facilities and a local medical school. The goal of the program is to empower middle school students to believe that they can become a physician.

At UC San Diego, students meet with physicians and listened to their personal stories about the steps they took to become doctors. It was the first of five activities in the Hippocrates Circle Program. Other activities include: a field trip to tour a Kaiser Permanente to see several physicians at work in various specialties and gain insight into the life of a physician; financial aide counseling; a tour of UC San Diego Medical School facilities.

For more information, contact Morrison at rmorrison@sandi.net.

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Mira Mesa High biotech students' "bright ideas" recognized

Jessie Garcia and Frank Pham helping
students to learn how to separate proteins.

Science kits designed and built by Mira Mesa High biotechnology students received the Bright Ideas Society award at the recent San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering.

After receiving the award from the San Diego City Council on March 19, students were on hand at the Festival on March 23 to show the 55,000 in attendance what they learned. The Bright Idea Society is sponsored by the Kimmich Educational Foundation at the San Diego Foundation. It recognizes three programs in San Diego county schools each year.

The students in the Mira Mesa High School biotechnology class were the recipients of the award not only for their own learning, but their effectiveness in passing on their learning to other science classrooms. In their biotechnology class the students learn both laboratory techniques and biological principals necessary for success in the biotechnology industry.

 Effects of Carbon Dioxide on ocean
ecosystems presented by Kristine
Lee and Manuel Lamug.

The students then apply their knowledge to manufacture four different interactive STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – science kits. The four kits are: ocean acidification, enzymes, bacterial transformation, and protein purification. Other high school students can benefit by using the hands-on STEM experiments. These STEM education kits are then distributed for free to more than 200 high school science classrooms throughout the year.

At the Petco Park event, Bright Ideas Society award winners from the Mira Mesa High biotechnology class presented their work to the approximately 55,000 children who attended the San Diego Festival of Science at Engineering at Petco Park. During the festival, the Biotechnology students had interactive STEM activities for children of all ages to learn about carbon dioxide effects on ocean mollusks, separation of specific proteins from a cell, changing DNA in bacteria to make them glow, and how enzymes work.

For more information about Biotechnology at Mira Mesa High School, contact Lisa Yoneda at 858-566-2262 or lyoneda@sandi.net.

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Whitman Elementary science night takes to the skies

Paper airplanes soared kites were flying, balls were bouncing and roller coasters were looping. In fact, everything and everyone were moving around the packed auditorium at Whitman Elementary School during a recent Science Night.

More than 150 people were part of this event, arranged by Whitman science teacher Cathy Watson. Visitors rolled up their sleeves for hands-on force and motion experiments.

“This momentum for science as the center for student learning will continue,” said Whitman Principal Pamela Thompson. In addition to specialized teacher training and science nights, Whitman also opens its doors to students on Saturdays; the classes are consistently filled, an often have to turn away student scientists.

In addition to committing to 300 minutes of weekly science instruction, Whitman teachers are partnered with Ruben H. Fleet Science Center. They receive monthly professional developments in innovative ways in integrating science to other areas of the curriculum. They are also part of the district’s “Science Centered Schools” initiative that provides educators with training and collaboration time led by experts in the field.

Check out Whitman’s upcoming STEM activities on their website: http://www.sandi.net/whitman. Keep on moving Whitman Cougars!

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Marshall Middle School student wins DuPont Challenge science award

Jake Yoshitake, an eighth grader at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Scripps Ranch, has won the grand prize in the DuPont Challenge, which calls on students to research, think critically and write a science essay that provides innovative ideas on our most pressing global challenges and demonstrates the application of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to our daily lives.

His paper was based on his project submitted to the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair. It took a solar tracking unit an attempted to increase efficiency. Jake will also be presenting his Science Fair project at the upcoming State Science Fair competition and the Broadcom competition. 

His prize includes a $5,000 U.S. Savings Bond, an all expense-paid Orlando trip in April 2013, and numerous prizes from Encyclopedia Britannica. His paper was based on his Science Fair Project on a solar tracking unit, and an attempt to increase efficiency. Jake will also be presenting his Science Fair project at the upcoming State Science Fair competition and the Broadcom competition.

Jake submitted his paper about three months ago, as did more than 9,000 other students across the United States. Jake's paper was read by scientists, teachers, and members of the business community and has been awarded the grand prize in the junior division (grades 7-9).

Elaine Gillum, Jake's eighth grade science teacher, continually challenges her students to excel in science based activities. Gillum is an advocate for her students and supports them as they reach for new challenges.

For more information about the Thurgood Marshall Middle School Advanced Science program, contact Michelle Irwin, principal at mirwin1@sandi.net or Elaine Gillum at egillum@sandi.net.

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Go crazy over the future with the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering

It's time once again for kids (of all ages!) to find out all about San Diego's science community with open houses, interactive exhibits and a big finale at Petco Park.

The San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering is coming up March 16-23 at locations throughout San Diego. Formerly known as the San Diego Science Festival, it features a week of interactive demonstrations, hands-on activities and dynamic speakers to engage kids and families in science and engineering.

Hundreds of community businesses and organizations present more than 35 events throughout the county the week leading up to Expo at Petco Park on the last Saturday of the festival. More than 55,000 kids, parents, scientists, educators and community members participate in annual Festival events.

For a full listing of events and information about expo day, go to www.sdsciencefestival.com.

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Robotics teams package robots to ring it up

Nine student teams from the San Diego Unified School District will join over fifty other teams at this year’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, Ring It Up. Teams from Madison High, Scripps Ranch High, Mission Bay High, Kearny Complex, San Diego High Complex, Lincoln High, Henry High, Crawford High and High Tech High have been building their robots since the kits were distributed on January 5, 2013.

The students rely heavily on the concepts they are learning in their Project Lead The Way Engineering courses. Each team was supplied with a kit of parts made up of motors, batteries, a control system, a PC, and a mix of automation components – with no instructions. The teams work with adult mentors over a six week period to build, program and test their robots. The deadline for packaging their robots for the competition event was midnight February 19, 2013. No more work can be done on any of the robots until the day of the event.

This year’s event will be held at the Valley View Casino Center on Sports Arena Boulevard on March 7-9, 2013. This year’s game, Ultimate Ascent, is played between two alliances of three teams each. Each alliance competes by trying to score as many flying discs into their goals as possible during the two-minute and 15-second match. Discs scored in higher goals score alliances more points. Matches end with robots attempting to climb up pyramids located near the middle of the field.

At the launch event in January 2013, Dean Kamen, FIRST founder, said, “FIRST isn’t about competing, it’s about cooperating, and recognizing that if you have the right tools, you’ll be able to make this world a better place for yourself and for the county. This is not stimulus package that will have as much return as stimulating a bunch of kids to become the workforce of the future, the problem solvers, the creators of the future.”

For more information about the FIRST Robotics event in San Diego, please access http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/regional-events.

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La Jolla High students raise, release seabass

La Jolla High is taking a hands-on approach to conservation, as students in Dave James’ marine biology class recently released into Mission Bay 18 young white seabass that had been raised from eggs.
The hope is that they will thrive and help replenish the depleted species.

James, a marine science and biology teacher, read online about a program where students were raising abalone and white seabass in the classroom and became interested in getting something similar started for his students.

After receiving a grant from the McCloud Educational Trust, he teamed up with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute and set up a mariculture system. The students have been nurturing the juvenile white seabass in their classroom since September, learning about sustainability of natural resources, aquaculture, environmental science and the importance of water quality.

“We took turns taking care of the fish, feeding them and cleaning the water. We measured them before putting them in the tank so we could record their growth process,” said Jacob Gonzalez, a senior at La Jolla. “Hopefully when we release them, they will be ready to go out into the wild.”

Michael Shane, a research scientist with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research who has assisted LJHS with the program, remarked not only on the educational value, but the positive environmental impact as well.

“We’ve released almost two million fish up and down the coast of California since the mid-1980s." said Shane. "These students are helping to replenish the stocks of white seabass that have been declining since the early 1950s.”

Before releasing the fish, students carefully scanned nine fish at a time for tiny tracking tags implanted in their cheek. These tags will help Hubbs scientists track how far the fish have traveled, how big they got and how healthy they stayed. They then slowly poured the bucket of fish into the chilly Mission Bay water.

“This program is wonderful,” said James. “Students are getting to learn real-world skills that they can apply when they go to college. It helps them put everything they are learning together — chemistry, physics, biology, ecology — and they get to be responsible for fish being released into the wild.”

News Coverage

• Seabass Released Into San Diego’s Mission Bay, KPBS»
• It's Graduation Day for This School of Fish, CBS8»

– Photos and story by Brett Higdon

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Worms bore path for future scientists at Lindbergh Schweitzer Elementary

Christian, left, and Darin discover their worms.

When Dr. Michael Maxwell visited Mindy Norman's third grade class recently at Lindbergh Schweitzer Elementary School in Clairemont, he brought along some friends.

Worms were Dr. Maxwell's pals, there to let the third graders learn about how insects, bugs and other creepy crawlies are very important to our environment.

The lesson was part of the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering’s Nifty 50 program; 50 scientists and engineers work together to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers. The program also focuses on getting girls interested in science.

The Nifty Fifty program is underwritten by Life Technologies Inc. Learn more about the festival and its week-long list of hands-on activities taking place March 16-23 at www.sdsciencefestival.com.

For additional information contact Media Production Assistant Julie Harris at jharris2@sandi.net or 858-496-8400.

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Barnard Elementary’s Science Night Gets SPAWAR Visit

Building a robot, making ice cream and how rockets fly, along with other science topics were on the table as scientists from SPAWAR, the Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, visited a recent science night at Barnard Mandarin Chinese Magnet School, which is located less than a mile from the research facility in Pt. Loma.

Dr. Randy Shimabukuro and Ana Borja, who are SPAWAR staff members and Barnard parents, were joined by Dr. Jim Rohr in the family science night event to stimulate the students' interest in STEM -- science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The scientists set up several experiment stations so kids could circulate and explore.

"This is the kind of great support that we get from not only our parents and our fine PTA, but our entire community," said Eddie Park, Barnard Principal. "We're hoping our students can use the Mandarin Chinese they learn here to be the leaders of tomorrow. STEM education helps them get that much closer to the kind of skills they need to compete in the world."

For more information, contact Bonny Sobiek at (619) 224-3306.

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Juarez Elementary Weather Lesson Comes Direct from Navy

Leading Chief Petty Officer David Hutchinson brought several of his Navy colleagues at North Island's Fleet Weather Center to give first graders at Juarez Elementary an extra special lesson in the weather.

Hutchinson talked about the equipment and procedures used to measuring air temperature, water temperature, wind velocity, pressure and humidity. All these measurements aid the captain and crew on Navy ships and carriers. The information is critical to many areas of the Navy, helping pilots plan missions, a ship's daily operations, and avoiding inclement weather while at sea. Students learned about devices such as weather balloons, anemometer, barometer, rocketsonde, bathythermograph, sling psychrometer, and the Kestrel 4000 handheld wind meter.

Weather is part of the first-grade curriculum in California. In addition to learning about measurements, students also find out about how the weather can affect their daily lives and the surrounding environment.

Juarez Elementary is also the host site for ESPN’s Weatherbug, a satellite device that provides weather data for nationally televised sports events that take place at Qualcomm Stadium, which is located right down the street from the school.

For more information, please contact Principal Marceline Marques at 858-496-8145 or mmarques@sandi.net.

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Two Lincoln High Students Join Crew on UCSD Research Ship

Julie Alvarez on
the R/M Melville

Lincoln High seniors Jonathan Franco and Julie Alvarez are spending 23 days on the R/V Melville, joining researchers from UC San Diego in a voyage off the San Diego coast to take scientific observations and perform other duties.

 The pair are blogging to keep family and friends up-to-date on their trip. Alvarez wrote on her blog that the the Melville is a "really big boat" and that she's not scared to be aboard. They are assigned duty shifts like any other crew member but are the only high school students on board.

"I have the shift from 4am to noon," she wrote on her blog Nov. 15. "Then i got the rest of the day to do what i want 7 is breakfast, 11:30 is lunch, and 5 is dinner but if you do skip a meal they put the left overs in the fridge or just go in and get the snacks they have."

Jonathan Franco
on the R/M Melville

The ship is taking measurements that include the ocean's temperature, salinity, oxygen, pressure, density. In response to a question, Jonathan wrote on his blog that he wasn't concerned that they'd be in danger if a big storm hit.

"I am not fearful of a heavy storm putting my safety at risk," he wrote. "The ship is a dynamic positioning ship roughly 279 feet long i feel even with significant wave heights of 5+ meters we will all be safe and free from harm." Their teacher, Danny Blas, said the Marine Sciences course at the Lincoln Park neighborhood campus helps prepare students for a university education in the field.

"The course builds on the physical and life science concepts learned in previous science courses," he said, "and applies those concepts to the exploration of the living and nonliving environments of our bays and oceans."

 Geoff Cromwell, a research scientist and Ph.D. candidate at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD), serves as the class' resident scientist. For more information, check out Blas's website or dblas@sandi.net.

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Pacific Beach Middle School Highlighted as SDG&E Energy Challenge Contender

IN THE NEWS: Pacific Beach Middle School welcomed SDG&E as the utility promoted it Energy Challenge. Registration ends Nov. 30 and your favorite participating middle school could win $10,000. Watch video from KUSI»

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