The New Millennium Observatory (NeMO) is a seafloor observatory off the coast of Oregon, which studies the relationships between submarine volcanic events and the chemistry and distribution of hydrothermal vents and the biologic communities that depend on them. The research activities at NeMO provide an extraordinary educational opportunity, both from the daily reports from expeditions at sea and ... Full description.

In this investigation, students examine Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. After becoming familiar with a bathymetric/topographic map of the area, students select a transect along the seafloor to study some of the geological, biological, and physical features that are present. In this activity students use a bathymetric/topographic map as a tool for recognizing geobiological features of the sanctuary, ... Full description.

This online collaborative project is part of the Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) program, which has developed internet activities for the elementary, middle, and high school level student. Based on data collected by their household members and their classmates, students determine the average amount of water used by one person in a day. They compare this to the average ... Full description.

This on-line project is part of the Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) program, which has developed internet activities for the elementary, middle, and high school level student. Students measure the temperature, record the number of minutes of sunlight per day over a predetermined week, and determine their global coordinates. Each class then posts their data to this web ... Full description.

This middle/junior high school level activity requires students to color velocity and reflectivity radar images from the millimeter wave cloud radar (MMCR) in Oklahoma and to interpret their features including cloud thickness and height. The exercise is part of the Atmospheric Visualization Collection (AVC), which focuses on data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program's Southern ... Full description.

This elementary school classroom activity has students measure water temperature, use formulas to convert between Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin, and use a conversion tool to check their answers between the three systems. It is part of the Atmospheric Visualization Collection (AVC), which focuses on data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program. Full description.

This elementary school/middle laboratory activity requires students to watch a demonstration of air pressure changes and then answer several questions. It is part of the Atmospheric Visualization Collection (AVC), which focuses on data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program. Full description.

This lesson introduces students to planetary research. Using some of the most famous and interesting images of the Solar System, students learn to focus on details by studying uncaptioned images. They increase their knowledge of the planets and their features by comparing their observations to those of real researchers. Students organize their findings to infer a key difference between inner and outer ... Full description.

In this activity, students are introduced to sequencing and geologic time through relative dating techniques. Students begin by categorizing cards of nonsense words, then move on to cards with pictures of fossils. Once students begin to grasp "relative" dating, they can extend their knowledge of geologic time by exploring radiometric dating and developing a timeline of Earth's history. There is a ... Full description.

This activity teaches students how bathymetric maps (topographic maps of underwater landforms) are made by using sonar. Students use a simulated sonar exercise to map something they cannot see and then see how close they were to the actual shape. They produce a bathymetric map and answer questions about this process. Full description.