The Scientific Toolbox

More than 45,000 students from the U.S. and around the world are participating in a 23-day expedition (November 29 through Dec 21) to the depths of the ocean floor led by University of Delaware scientists. Teachers and students in Extreme 2003 classrooms (grades 6 –12) get updates on the mission via an interactive web site, printed curriculum, video documentary, and evaluation materials.

Check out the Extreme 2003 Web site for more information on the mission!

To read the NSF Press Release about the Extreme 2003 mission, click here.

Also of interest…
BRIDGE is “a growing collection of on-line marine education resources. It provides educators with accurate, useful, content-correct and content-current marine and data information on global, national, and regional marine science topics, and gives researchers a contact point for educational outreach.“

What do rubber duckies have to do with ocean currents? In 1992, a crate containing about 29,000 toy plastic ducks was washed overboard from a cargo ship in the Pacific Ocean during high seas. Dr. Curtis Ebbermeyer, an oceanographer, has been able to track the movement of these toys with the help of beachcombers who have reported ducks that have washed ashore.

Find out more about the “migration” of these toys at www.seabean.com. They have a page on their site dedicated to these Plastic Duckies aka Rubber Duckies. Their site has a link to Dr. Ebbermeyer’s website, along with links to news articles and other websites about these plastic toys now roaming the ocean.