Spectroscopes for everyone...
This morning we geared up for our first class that involved making stuff. I think the team was in good shape because we had done a test run of making spectroscopes on Saturday night. We started working with the Junior class (grades 5-8) after recess. The first part was a short talk on ozone depletion and how spectroscopy can be used to study molecules in the ozone layer. We had the students act out the ozone reactions with each one being an oxygen atom and one being in UV photon. We reinforced this by reviewing the processes a couple of different ways. Then we moved on to the spectroscope activity.
Everyone in the class got to build their own spectroscope. The tricky bit was making sure that the slit and the grating were properly aligned. Jeff was the professional "slit-cutter" and Tobias, Dejian and I were running around with the tape. Next, Jeff explained that what they were going to next was very similar to what he does each day in the lab. He had the students imagine that they worked in my lab and I had asked them to analyze three different light sources and record their results. We looked at the classroom lights, an incandescent light bulb and scattered sunlight. It turned out that it was completely overcast so we didn't have to strictly monitor how the students were observing the Sun. However, they all had to promise that they would never use their spectroscope to look directly at the Sun (safety first!). We had worksheets for each student to record their results. There was one smart student who noticed that there were two spectral images (one on either side of the slit) and wanted to know which one he should be using. After a bit more discussion and investigation, he discovered that they were mirror images of one another. We wrapped up the activity by having the students report and compare their results. In addition, we had a fourth light source (a compact fluorescent bulb borrowed from the hotel) and they had to determine which of the other sources it was most similar to. It was a busy but exciting morning. We thank the Junior class and their teacher Jackie for their enthusiasm. Thanks also to Laura for her support during the first half of the class.
The afternoon was filled with planning for the last two classes we have to visit tomorrow. The hotel was a bit busy because the census team was in town. They were going door to door to interview to people. In Nunavut, everyone fills out the "long-form" to ensure that they have the best statistical data. Also, they do the surveys early (in March) to have a better chance of finding people at home instead of out on the land. The pilots for the census team charter spent the afternoon at the hotel and they managed to find space around or on our outreach materials to have a nap.
We took a break in the middle of the afternoon to visit the RCMP officers who had invited us to come over some time for coffee. It was interesting to talk to Matt about policing in the community and see pictures of their outpost further north on Ellesmere Island (it is not permanently staffed anymore). We did a little shopping too. They have some items for sale so you can have an RCMP souvenir of Grise Fiord. They use this to raise money for movie nights that they run for the community.
When we returned to the hotel, school was out so we had a visit from some of the students. One of the Senior girls had a broken laptop so Dejian, Tobias and Jeff jumped into action. It was fortunate that Clive's toolbox had not fit into any of the PARIS boxes so we had taken it with us to Grise. Eventually, they decided that the fan was causing the problem but I wouldn't let them take my laptop apart to get a working fan. No matter how many times they said I wouldn't notice that it was gone, I still wouldn’t play ball. In the meantime, I chatted with a cross-section of the local kids about life in Grise Fiord and what they were learning in school.
We had a full house for dinner with the ACE team, the pilots and the census group. We had to do a little scrambling to find enough chairs but everything worked out in the end. After they had finished the last few houses, the census team left. We will see the pilots again tomorrow when they come on the regularly scheduled flight from Resolute Bay. We did our final after dinner visit to the school computer lab to finish up the talks and check our e-mail. Then it was home to start thinking about packing up and especially cleaning up our mess in the lounge.
Best regards,
Kaley.