Cabrini High School Scie
nce Department Head Ann Smart was selected to participate in the Ocean Sciences Polar-Ice Educator Workshop at the Audubon Aquarium on February 21st.
The workshop is being held in conjunction with the Ocean Sciences Meeting taking place in New Orleans that week. One of only 10 teachers from around the country invited to participate, Smart joins an elite group of teachers helping polar scientists adapt their data and studies for use in a high school learning environment.
The selected teachers will learn about the cutting edge research currently being conducted in Antarctica and will review lesson plans and activities prepared by polar scientists for high school classrooms. Each teacher will pair with 2 or 3 polar scientists to assist them in presenting their studies in a format readily understood by the general public. The teachers will present the adapted lessons to their classes, then communicate with their scientists/partners via the “Ask a Polar Scientist” feature on the Polar ICE website, testing the effectiveness of the adapted lessons in real-time.
“I am extremely excited to take part in this workshop,” noted Smart. “Not only do I get to learn about the latest breakthroughs and studies in Polar Science, but I get to assist the researchers in creating lessons and classroom activities that will effectively communicate their findings to my students. I am beyond thrilled to be a part of this endeavor.”