[dramatic percussion music]
>> HEY, THERE. WELCOME TO "NASA LAUNCHPAD."
I'M YOUR HOST, AMBER WHALEN.
EVER WISH YOUR TEACHER COULD JUST GET OUT OF TOWN FOR A WEEK?
I KNOW I DID.
WELL, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE ALL KINDS
OF WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES
AND THINGS THAT YOU CAN SUGGEST TO THEM.
BUT WHAT ABOUT ONE THAT CAN REALLY HELP THEM
UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT WHAT SCIENTISTS DO DAY TO DAY?
WELL, HERE'S ONE FOR YOU TO MENTION:
THE HISTORY OF WINTER, IN LAKE PLACID, NEW YORK.
AND GUESS WHAT; IT'S SPONSORED BY NASA.
HERE'S PEGGY MAHER, AEROSPACE EDUCATION SPECIALIST,
TELLING US MORE ABOUT HISTORY OF WINTER, OR H.O.W.
>> THE HISTORY OF WINTER PROJECT IS A WORKSHOP
AND FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES THAT ARE WEB-BASED
THAT REALLY INTENDS TO INTRODUCE TEACHERS
TO THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE STUDY OF SNOW AND ICE
AND DO IT AS SCIENTISTS RATHER THAN AS TEACHERS
SO THAT THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO DO SOME AUTHENTIC SCIENCE
AND TO SHARE THAT WITH THEIR STUDENTS,
NOT JUST IN THE STUDY OF SNOW AND ICE
BUT IN KIND OF EVERY ASPECT OF WHAT THEY'RE TEACHING.
I HOPE THEY GET A CHANCE TO MAYBE STEP AWAY
FROM BEING A TEACHER FOR A LITTLE WHILE
AND TO BE A SCIENTIST INSTEAD.
>> SCIENTIST.
YOU KNOW, IN A LOT OF CASES, YOUR TEACHERS
DON'T GET TO SPEND A WHOLE LOT OF TIME BEING SCIENTISTS.
THEY GO RIGHT FROM BEING TOLD
WHAT TO DO IN THEIR LABS IN COLLEGE
TO TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO IN YOUR LABS.
NOT A LOT OF TIME IN BETWEEN FOR THEIR OWN RESEARCH.
BUT AT H.O.W., PARTICIPANTS GET TO DO ALL KINDS OF RESEARCH,
LIKE MEASURING DENSITIES OF SNOW IN SNOW PITS,
BUBBLE LAYERS IN ICE,
DIAGRAMMING SNOWFLAKES,
EVEN FIND OUT ABOUT THE SCIENCE BEHIND ICE-CLIMBING.
BUT HOLD ON.
WHY DOES NASA CARE ABOUT ALL THIS SNOW AND ICE?
WELL, IT TURNS OUT THAT THE SNOW AND ICE ARE PART OF SOMETHING
SCIENTISTS CALL THE CRYOSPHERE.
THE TERM "CRYOSPHERE" DESCRIBES ALL THE PARTS OF EARTH
WHERE WATER IS FOUND IN SOLID FORM.
THAT INCLUDES SEA ICE, RIVER ICE, SNOW GLACIERS,
AND ICE SHEETS.
EVEN THE FROZEN GROUND IN PERMAFROST AREAS
ARE PART OF THE CRYOSPHERE.
AND THE CRYOSPHERE IS AN IMPORTANT PART
OF EARTH'S GLOBAL CLIMATE SYSTEM.
HERE'S PEGGY AGAIN TO EXPLAIN.
>> WELL, NASA DOES A LOT OF EARTH SCIENCE,
AND GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, WHERE I WORK,
ACTUALLY HAS MORE EARTH SCIENTISTS
THAN ANY PLACE IN THE WORLD, ALL IN ONE SPOT.
SO WE HAVE THE EARTH-OBSERVING MISSIONS,
INCLUDING MISSIONS THAT STUDY SNOW AND ICE.
WE HAVE A SATELLITE CALLED ICE SAT
THAT JUST STUDIES SNOW AND ICE,
AND WE HAVE INSTRUMENTS ON OTHER SATELLITES
THAT STUDY ICE ALONG WITH SNOW COVER
AND THAT KIND OF THING,
ALONG WITH OTHER KINDS OF TERRAIN.
SO NASA'S VERY INTERESTED IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE EARTH.
NASA'S NOT JUST ABOUT MANNED SPACE FLIGHT.
WE HAVE A LOT OF OTHER SCIENCE GOING ON.
>> AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO NASA TO INCLUDE TEACHERS?
HERE'S DR. PETER WASILEWSKI, ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF H.O.W.
>> THE FUTURE OF THE NASA WORKFORCE
DEPENDS ON, YOU KNOW, VERY CLEVER, INNOVATIVE KIDS
GROWING UP INTO FIRST-CLASS SCIENTISTS.
AND I THINK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE
IN THE NASA ORGANIZATION,
ALL THE WAY UP AND DOWN THE STRUCTURE,
THAT LOOK ON--
AND THERE'S--THEY'RE VERY STRONG EMPHASIS ON S.T.E.M. EDUCATION.
>> WONDER WHAT PETER MEANS WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT S.T.E.M.?
IN THIS CONTEXT, S.T.E.M. IDENTIFIES
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS.
AND NOT JUST THESE TOPICS STANDING ALONE.
IT REALLY LOOKS AT HOW SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING,
AND MATHEMATICS RELATE TO EACH OTHER
AND ARE CONNECTED TO SOLVE PROBLEMS.
WITH ALL THE HIGH-TECH EXPLORATION NASA DOES,
IT'S NO WONDER THEY WANT STUDENTS WITH THE BEST IDEAS
AND A GREAT S.T.E.M. BACKGROUND TO COME TO WORK AT NASA.
THE TEACHERS AT H.O.W. ARE TRAINED
TO THINK AND ACT LIKE SCIENTISTS.
AND THEN THEY RETURN TO THEIR CLASSROOMS
TO TEACH THEIR STUDENTS TO DO THE SAME.
THESE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS HELP NASA AND OTHERS
LOOK MORE CAREFULLY AT SNOW AND LOG THEIR OBSERVATIONS.
TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND CITIZEN SCIENTISTS
ALL HELP GATHER SETS OF GLOBAL DATA
THAT HELP SCIENTISTS LEARN ABOUT THE DYNAMICS
OF OUR ATMOSPHERE
AND HELP THEM PREDICT CLIMATE CHANGES.
UNIQUE PATTERNS OF SNOWFLAKES CAN ACTUALLY HELP METEOROLOGISTS
TRACK A STORM'S MOVEMENT.
BUT, STUDYING SNOW?
THAT'S ALL WELL AND GOOD.
AT LEAST, IF YOU LIVE IN AN AREA THAT GETS SNOW REGULARLY.
WHAT IF YOU'RE DOWN IN FLORIDA OR NEW ORLEANS OR ARIZONA
OR SOMEWHERE THAT'S NOT FRIGID IN THE WINTER?
WHAT DO YOU CARE ABOUT ALL THE SNOW AND ICE?
>> WE PRACTICE THE HISTORY OF WINTER
IN LAKE PLACID, NEW YORK,
BUT THE SAME PRINCIPLES CAN BE APPLIED TO ANYWHERE.
AND IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER: THE BASIC CONCEPTS,
THE BASIC TOOLS, THE BASIC ATTITUDE,
YOU KNOW, GEOLOGIC HISTORY,
HISTORY OF WINTER, SAME BASIC PRINCIPLES.
ALL WE'RE DOING IS USING DIFFERENT TOOLS
BUT ASKING THE SAME BASIC QUESTIONS.
NOW, THESE SAME BASIC IDEAS AND THE SAME ATTITUDES
CAN BE APPLIED TO SPRING, FALL, SUMMER.
JUST A DIFFERENT APPROACH.
EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT A SCIENTIST,
ULTIMATELY, IT MAKES YOU A BETTER DISCERNING CITIZEN,
AND WE NEED A LOT MORE OF THOSE.
>> OKAY, I GET IT.
SCIENTIFIC STUDIES HELP US THINK CRITICALLY.
AND PRACTICING SCIENTIFIC PROCEDURES
HELPS US TO APPLY WHAT WE KNOW IN NEW SITUATIONS.
WHAT WE LEARN ABOUT ICE HERE ON EARTH
COULD BE APPLIED IN ICE ON, SAY, MARS OR ENCELADUS.
AND, HEY, EVEN THOUGH EXPERTS SAY
THAT THE AMOUNT OF NEW TECHNICAL INFORMATION
IS NOW DOUBLING EVERY TWO YEARS,
THOSE SCIENTIFIC SKILLS AREN'T.
SO REMEMBER: THAT'S THE HISTORY OF WINTER.
MENTION IT TO YOUR TEACHERS.
IT MIGHT GET THEM OUT OF THE CLASSROOM FOR A WEEK
AND HELP THEM BECOME BETTER TEACHERS
AND HELP MAKE YOU A BETTER STUDENT.
SO IT'S A WIN-WIN FOR EVERYBODY.
OH, AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE YOUR TEACHER,
HEY, IT GETS REALLY COLD UP THERE.
JUST SAYING.
WELL, THAT'S IT FOR NOW. THANKS FOR WATCHING.
I'M AMBER WHALEN, AND WE'LL CATCH YOU NEXT TIME
ON "NASA LAUNCHPAD."