Day 10: Last Day of Camp

Pictures from Andy Alligators last night

The past two weeks have been so much fun for everyone. The students gained knowledge about a range of Earth’s cycles through hands-on activities, experiments, and demonstrations. The campers really enjoyed the college campus and atmosphere. Below are a few quotes from students talking about these two weeks:

“I learned a lot from the camp and I really enjoyed it.”

“I really liked going to the Arbuckle Mountains because you can drink straight from the springs.”

“My favorite part of camp was going to the Wichita Mountains because I got to learn about how and why types of rocks form.”

“Camp was fun; I got to go the mountains. I liked all the outdoor activities and the food was ok…”

“The counselors were really nice, fun, and awesome. I am going to miss them!”

“The food was good. I liked the French fries and tater tots.”

“The ice cores activity was really cool because you could see how old they were in the summer and winter.”

The counselors and staff have really enjoyed working with all the kids this week. It has been a true pleasure. Every student is very talented and unique with great potential. I cannot wait to see wait to see what their future holds.  

Day 9: The Carbon Cycle

Today the campers are learning about the carbon cycle. During class the students played a game aimed at finding ways to reduce carbon output. The students analyzed the best ways to reduce carbon but also understood why some ways would not be practical in the world today.

This afternoon the students are working on their final presentations. Students are conducting Internet research to supplement the information they learned in class about their topic. They are then using Microsoft PowerPoint to create slideshows for their presentations. The kids are all very excited for the presentations tomorrow and can't wait to show off their hard work.

Tonight the students will be taking a trip to Andy Alligator’s Fun Park in Norman. There will be miniature golf, Go-Karts, rock climbing, and many other fun activities. It will be a great way to end the last night at camp!

Also, check out this article published in the OU Daily about media day on Friday with Dr. Harris:

Click Here

Day 8: Field Trip

Today has been so much fun – the students definitively enjoyed a break from the classroom. The day started off very early with breakfast at 7:00 AM. Then the campers were off to southeast Oklahoma to visit Ten Acre Rock. The rocks in the area were igneous, primarily granite. The students observed the effects of weathering and erosion on the granite, noticing large divots in its faces. 

After the hike it was time for lunch at Vendome Springs in Sulphur, Oklahoma. The students ate at picnic tables by the spring. The spring’s water is high in the mineral sulfur, which smells similarly to the scent of rotten eggs. This prompted some students’ complaints to say the least.

After lunch, everyone was free to taste fresh spring water from the drinking fountain at the park. The students gave the water mixed reviews with the most common complaint being “it tastes like eggs.” Interestingly, if you hold your nose, the water may taste better though (or so the students said).

The afternoon had two stops. The first was at a sight just off the highway known to contain many fossils. The students enjoyed searching for these fossils and even took some rocks home to keep.

The final stop on the field trip was at Chickasaw National Park. The campers hiked to see two more springs known as Antelope Springs and Buffalo Springs. (Thankfully neither had sulfur so everyone was happier.) The trip ended at the park’s nature center where some students chose to participate in activities that qualified them as Junior Park Rangers.

Note: Tomorrow the blog will resume its normal schedule of 3:00 PM updates.

Day 7: Pressure

Starting this morning, the campers discovered a new pastime – lanyard making. After finding out about the camp’s large assortment of string, everyone began choosing their colors to make the fun key chains. The campers are now trailing strings wherever they walk, using any spare moment to work on their lanyards.

Today the students are studying pressure. The class did a variety of experiments to gain a better understanding of air pressure. One notable experiment included watching a marshmallow inside a homemade air vacuum – the marshmallow expanded, almost doubling in size. The teacher also suggested the kids (with adult supervision) check out this youtube video at home that shows a marshmallow peep undergoing the same conditions: Click Here

This afternoon the students will visit the National Weather Center to learn about how meteorologists predict weather and what tools they use. 

Tomorrow the students are headed to the Arbuckle Mountains for a field trip. Because of this, the next blog update will not be posted until 7:00 PM tomorrow (Wednesday). Be sure to check back then to see pictures from the trip!

Day 6: Let the Good Times Roll

Friday at the Sam Noble Museum

It was so great to see everyone back yesterday for another fun-filled week at Earth Cycles camp! After dinner on Sunday, campers let the good times roll at the bowling alley in Moore. Many students showed off their skills, bowling strikes and spares. The evening concluded with highly competitive games of ping-pong and the NBA finals on television.

This morning the students studied climate change and global warming. Every camper participated in an activity that focused on ice cores: The students analyzed model ice cores to determine what the different layers in the cores represented as well as the reason for the sizes of the different layers. They then talked about global climate change and the data scientists have collected from ice cores in Antarctica that supports global climate change. The students also began working on their final projects today in preparation for their presentations on Friday during closing ceremonies.

Currently, the campers are learning about the lack of available, clean water in many areas of the world. Dr. Mike Soreghan shared some of his experiences with the students about when he traveled overseas to these areas where drinkable water was scarce. With this in mind, the students will end their classes today by creating a water filtration system that aims at attaining clean water.

Day 5: Media Day

Campers were anxiously anticipating Media Day this morning. Dr. Bernard Harris visited with campers at OU to lecture about his experiences, conduct an activity with campers, and offer advice to many listening ears. Students learned all about Dr. Harris’ extensive education, accomplishments, and opportunities. Most notably, he was the first African American to walk in space. The room was full of questions after his talk, ranging from “What was space food like?” to “Do you have any pets?” Dr. Harris happily answered many of the students’ questions with ease and confidence.

The morning’s main learning activity involved the creation of space suits that were able to shield against impacts. Students learned that real space suits must be capable of withstanding micrometeoroids (meteoroids the size of sand grains that can travel up to 90,000 mph) and therefore need to be created with many layers. Students then broke into small groups to create pseudo space suit swatches out of common day materials like paper, styrofoam, and aluminum foil. The swatches were then tested for their durability by dropping a weight down a tube. The winning team’s design had only four of its fourteen layers penetrated.

This afternoon, the camp is visiting the Sam Noble Science Museum located on OU’s main campus. Students will then be picked up to spend the weekend with family back at home. Earth Cycles Camp cannot wait to see everyone again on Sunday for yet another action packed week filled with fun, educational activities. 

Day 4: The Environment

This morning began with a slow start; everyone was still worn out from yesterday’s big hike. However, as time progressed, campers perked up for another day full of experiments and fun activities. The day began with a study about humidity and evaporation. Students used a compact “whirling” hydrometer to measure the relative humidity inside and outside the building. Students found that the humidity for today was approximately 60%.

Another concept students focused on today was how environmental change affects animals. Students used M&M’s and calculators to simulate a bear’s hibernation schedule relative to food supply. This was many campers’ favorite activity of the day because they got to eat the M&M’s after the project was finished.

The afternoon involved lessons on wind power. Students created model wind turbines and then tested the power output of them. Afterwards, they studied which models were the most efficient and thus ideal to create in real life.

Tonight, the campers will take a short trip to Reeve’s Park. At the park, campers will play games including tug-of-war. Ice cream in the park will follow to bring the evening to a close.  

Day 3: Exploring the Wichita Mountains

Today has probably been the campers’ most adventurous day yet. The field trip began in the early morning hours (7:30 AM) with a drive down to the Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma. After arriving at the wildlife reserve, campers started their excursion with a morning hike. During the hike, students utilized topographic maps to navigate their way through the trails. The trail ended at Little Baldy Mountain where students were given the option to hike to the top. Most students opted to partake in this additional journey and were surprised by the strong winds (about 18 mph) at the peak that they measured using an anemometer.

After hiking for about two hours, everyone was famished. The campers were driven to a picnic spot on the reserve to enjoy boxed sandwich lunches catered by OU. Then the students headed to a field nearby where prairie dogs have been known to reside. The little creatures put on quite a show for everyone: scurrying from one hole to another and even venturing close to the fence where student stood.

 

The field trip ended with a stop at Mount Scott’s lookout point. From an elevation of about 4,500 ft. above sea level, campers saw the beautiful mountains as well as Lake Jed Johnson in one breath-taking view.

The evening concluded with a big dinner followed by a night of sports outside. Every camper should sleep soundly tonight after such a long day!

(Note: Blog updates for the rest of the week will resume at the normal scheduled time of 3:00 PM.) 

Day 2: Let's Talk about Carbon

The campers’ day began with a field excursion this morning at OU’s duck pond on the east side of campus. Students were split into groups to participate in a scavenger hunt. The trip outdoors allowed the students to apply their knowledge gained in the classroom yesterday to real world settings. One interesting thing students learned was that algae is high in nutrients; the students proceeded to scoop algae from the bottom of the pond and feed it to the ducks, who happily gobbled up the slimy green substance.

After spending about an hour outdoors, everyone was ready to hit the air conditioning. The students heard a presentation from a guest speaker who lectured on natural sciences and explained the importance of minorities entering the fields of math and science.

For campers, the afternoon consisted of an in depth focus on the carbon cycle. The most memorable experiment involved burning food with a calorimeter to gain a deeper understanding of what a calorie is scientifically. This evening, the camp will be venturing to the movies here in Norman. Each student has the option of seeing either Rango or Rio. 

Tomorrow, Earth Cycles Science Camp is taking an all-day field trip to Oklahoma’s Wichita Mountains. Because of this, the blog will not be updated until 7:00 PM tomorrow (Wednesday). Be sure to check back then to see exciting pictures from the day spent with nature and hear all about your student’s adventures! 

(Click on any picture to enlarge)

Day 1: Welcome to Camp!

The ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Science Camp is so excited to have 48 of the most talented students here at the University of Oklahoma this week. During the opening ceremonies on Sunday, the students learned about Dr. Harris’ accolades and were told why knowing and understanding “STEM” (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) will be key in the future. After students said their goodbyes to family and friends, counselors took everyone to eat at Couch Restaurants. The evening concluded with team building activities, basketball, volleyball, soccer, and the Mavs vs. Miami Heat basketball watch party.

 Monday morning began very early for all the campers. Most campers woke up around 6:00 AM and ate breakfast at 7:00 AM. Needless to say, the counselors were amazed at the students’ eagerness to begin the day. Students were then driven to OU’s Sarkeys Energy Center for their first day of class. The students learned about the rock cycle during class and conducted a range of experiments to better understand different properties of rocks.

One experiment allowed students to explore how rocks are formed. The students took crayon shavings wrapped up in aluminum foil and began to compress the wax pieces. The result was similar to a sedimentary rock, which  is formed in nature when sediments are compressed. They then heated up the foil and exposed the crayon pieces to water, creating a metamorphic “rock.”

After enjoying a delicious lunch, the campers were reenergized for their afternoon classes. They are studying the water cycle and will be doing more hands on activities involving water. Tonight’s evening activity will involve journaling. Students will get to bind their own book to write in and learn the importance of communication.

Countdown to Summer Science Camp.....one day!