As a child of the "60"s, I first became aware of the world around me because I had the great fortune of being taught by a group of scientifically and politically active teachers. They made me aware that our world is complex in both a scientific and political sense and as such, one discipline influenced the other. The 1960s were a time when the environment began to take center stage. The abuses by industry on the environment began to make themselves so evident that humans could no longer look the other way. Our President at the time, John F. Kennedy, recognized this and in a speech stated:
Never before has man had such capacity to control his own destiny, to end thirst and hunger, to conquer poverty and disease, to banish illiteracy and massive human misery. We have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history of the world--or make it the last.
He also knew that the way to begin to solve the problems we had gotten our world into was through education. His thoughts on that is best summed up by the following quote delivered to the nation:
Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.
It is this mindset that has been the credo to which I try to live my life. However, it was not until my two daughters were in school that I decided to return to school and get my degree in education to begin teaching Earth and Physical sciences. I was not happy with their science education and I thought there was only one way to be part of the solution, join it! I believe that science must not only be studied but also experienced and learning best takes place when students are actively involved in discovery. I have tried to run my classes with this in mind and look forward to involving not only my students but also all students around the world in the discoveries and work we will do with TEA. The decision to become a teacher was life changing for me and I hope I may be able to help others become aware of their world and their role in protecting it. A final quote from John F. Kennedy:
Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce.
Science is more than a dicipline, it is a way of life which I use daily in all my recreational persuits, whether we are sailing, skiing, climbing or biking one must know the physics of the sport to get the most out of it as well as its impact on nature to make sure we preserve the ability of others to enjoy recreation long after we are gone.
Read more about Andy's research on his school's webpage: www.perucsd.org/hsearthscience
Dr. William Hammer
Mt. Kirkpatrick
I am an earth science teacher in northern New York, and I think I have not met a season I didn.t love. This winter, I get a chance to test my love of
winter weather when I journey south to Antarctica, to work with paleontologists, geologists, geophysicists and in general a wonderfully talented group
of people all living in a remote camp in the Beardmore Glacier area in the Trans-Antarctic mountain range. From this base camp, we will spread out on
various missions to remove rare dinosaur fossils, map the paleo-magnetic image of the Beardmore Glacier area, examine the type and number of fossil
weevils as well as map and examine the fluvial patterns of some of Antarctica.s ancient river valleys. Pretty heady stuff for a teacher from a rural
high school just south of the Canadian border. I count myself among the most fortunate people in the world being afforded the opportunity to work along
side these scientists in a most remote part of the Earth, helping them with their research that will aid humankind to better understand the paleoclimate
of this planet.
The Principle Investigator I will be working with is Dr. William Hammer. Dr, Hammer is returning to Antarctica for the sixth time. Primarily to Mt.
Kirkpatrick, where in 1990-91 he discovered the fossil remains of the first dinosaur to be discovered in Antarctica. At an elevation around 15,000 feet,
entombed in mudstone, Dr. Hammer and his team recovered around 135 fossil bones and some 16 teeth belonging to several different animals. The big find
was that of a Cryolophosaurus or the .Frozen Crested Dinosaur., which is one of the reasons for this return expedition. Using explosives, jackhammers
and chisels we will try to free more of the fossil remains and bring them back to the .States for close examination. We will also travel to other sites
that are of the same geologic period to see if they hold any interesting fossil evidence. Getting to the site will be by helicopter and because of its
extreme climatic conditions, work will be very difficult and slow. I will also have the opportunity to hook up with other research groups as time and
weather permits. There are several groups working out of the same Beardmore base camp and I have been invited to lend a hand whenever possible. One of
these researchers is Dr. Allan C. Ashworth at North Dakota State University, he discovered a fossil of a higher fly (Diptera: Cyclorrhapha) in
Antarctica, this goes against the belief that the continent was never inhabited by these insects. These insects as well as the listroderine weevils
found in the same
formation are hoped to yield clues to the paleoclimate of Antarctica. So in short, I will spend my time digging into Antarctica.s past in hopes of
helping us look into the Earth's future.
Field Camp at Beardmore Glacier in earlier field season
(Courtesy of William Hammer)
Map of Research Site
(Courtesy of William Hammer)
Illustration of Cryolophosaurus
(Courtesy of Bill Stout)
Be sure to check out the images in the journal entries!
23 December, 2003: Christmas in McMurdo.
21 December, 2003: Home again, home again, jiggery jig!
17 December, 2003: Almost Done!
14 December, 2003: Fair weather means fine explosions!
13 December, 2003: Once again we are on hold.
12 December, 2003: No flights for us today.
11 December, 2003: It's funny how the weather works.
10 December, 2003: A 12-hour day at 12,000 feet.
9 December, 2003: Nature can be quite the tease.
8 December, 2003: Success!
7 December, 2003: It's Sunday and we still are on hold.
6 December, 2003: The bad luck continues.
5 December, 2003: Hello World!
4 December, 2003: All dressed up and no place to go!
3 December, 2003: This just in......
2 December, 2003: Dr. Bill Hammer, the sailing Paleontologist.
1 December, 2003: A tall man for a tall job.
30 November, 2003: We interrupt this journal........
29 November, 2003: Walk softly and carry a lot of wisdom.
28 November, 2003: Meet Nathan Smith, graduate student par excellence!
27 November, 2003: Meet the team.
26 November, 2003: A few more thoughts to add.
25 November, 2003: Life down under.
22 November, 2003: Time and time alone waits for no man!
21 November, 2003: Our team is assembled at last!
20 November, 2003: I 'm a certified "Happy Camper"!
17 November, 2003: Just a short entry today because we have been at it long and hard all day and we have happy camper school tomorrow.
16 November, 2003: Sunday, a day of rest?
15 November, 2003: Greetings from McMurdo again!
14 November, 2003: We are here!
13 November, 2003: G'day from New Zealand!
12 November, 2003: Hello from Christchurch, NZ.
10 November, 2003:
29 September, 2003: Hello friends!
29 August, 2003: Hello Friends!
9 August, 2002: A spark, puff of smoke, a roaring fire. One of the "H's" in our "Learn to
6 August, 2002: So it begins!
