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Teachers from Around the
World Examine Life in Extreme Environments
September 8, 2009 | |  |
| Teachers from around the world collect data at a thermal feature in Yellowstone National Park with Tina Vesbach from the University of New Mexico. |
Sixteen teachers from
around the world convened at Montana State University
(MSU) on July 13th for a weeklong class called “Examining
Life in Extreme Environments: Insights into Early Earth
and Beyond.” Students in the course gained an
understanding of the relation of extreme environments
to early earth and astrobiology research. They also
learned about the latest research conducted in these
areas,
and how to teach and discuss these topics within their own classrooms.
Part of the class included a field trip to Yellowstone National Park in which the teachers discussed, sampled, and characterized extreme environments in Yellowstone National Park. Joe Deluca who teaches in the Netherlands was amazed by Yellowstone and was most surprised by “how drastically and quickly the changes in microbe gradients were in the thermal features.” Paula Wang, a teacher from Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. called the class “fun, convenient, and practical.”
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| Students identify optimal growing conditions for extremophiles by testing pH, temperature and optical density. |
Holly Faris, a teacher from Hamilton, Montana said, “One of the most important things this class made me think about is how nature doesn’t follow lab rules. One of the researchers talked about taking a sample from a hot springs and coming back the next day to find a buffalo had died in the springs. It is an important point that we need to remember to convey to our students and it illustrates to them how they need to go and constantly test things because nature is always changing. We often forget that in the sterile, controlled environment of the lab.”
The class was offered by MSU as part of the Master of Science in Science Education Program (MSSE) and is only one of the many MSSE courses that involve field work in Yellowstone and the surrounding areas. The course was also open to teachers desiring graduate credit in chemistry and/or biology for professional development purposes. Organized by Monica Brelsford, Hot Science! Program Coordinator at MSU’s Astrobiology Biogeocatalysis Research Center, ABRC, this interdisciplinary course featured speakers from several arenas such as John Peters, professor of Chemistry and Director of ABRC; and John Priscu, professor of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences and member of the NASA Astrobiology Institute Icy Worlds team.
More information about MSU’s Astrobiology Biogeocatalysis Research Center can be found at http://abrc.montana.edu and the MSSE program can be found at http://montana.edu/msse
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