science

Guest

I am a student from Whatcom Day Academy and I wanted to ask you a few questions about your trip to Alaska.
1. Why did you choose to do your project?
2. What exactly are you trying to do or find out?
3. Why did you choose to do your project in Alaska instead of somewhere else?

Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 118

Thanks for writing-good questions. I chose to do this project because it's important and exciting to me to keep learning. It's always a challenge to learn new things, but I like challenges. What I'm trying to find out up here is a little different from what the science researchers are trying to find out. They have very specific questions they are trying to gather data on. Most of their questions are centered on "What if the tundra changes?" or "What if the climate or conditions in the Arctic changes?" I'm interested in their research, but I'm also interested in how scientists do research and what kind of research goes on here, because those are things I can bring back to my classroom to give students a more accurate look at how science research is done, and why scientists like what they're doing so much. I guess someday I'd like to try to do something similar in a warm place, but here in the tundra at Toolik Lake is such a unique opportunity. Very few people get to actually come stay and learn in this area, and I get to be one of them. Everything I knew about the tundra or the Arctic was from books. Now I have first-hand experience in seeing what it's like. Take care, and enjoy learning. Karen