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)