This site contains a series of six posters all relating to water education: wetlands, water use, waste water, navigation, ground water, and water quality. Each poster includes information about the topic as well as related classroom activities. The objective of the water-resources education program is to stimulate interest in and provide a basic knowledge of water resources for students in grades ... 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 activity explores the potential impact of climate variability and change on one of Earth's increasingly vulnerable resources, forests. Although the activity is designed to tap specific skills and knowledge through scientific inquiry, its broader intent is to stimulate thought about the long-term impacts of a warmer planet. The scenario invites students to examine higher level issues of climate ... Full description.

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.

This site is designed to engage students in grades 7-12 in activities that focus on collaboration and communication strategies. These activities will strengthen student understanding of and ability to use collaborative processes and communication practices to clarify, conceptualize, and make decisions. Students will compare the risks of varying courses of action that confront scientists and engineers. ... Full description.

In this article, The Why Files examines the effects of living in space on humans. From bone-mass loss, to poor air quality and isolation, many argue that living in space for long periods of time has numerous ill effects on the human body. This article looks at the negative effects space can have on the physical and mental state of humans, as well as discusses the healthy aspects of space travel. Full description.

In this lesson, students draw their perceptions of a typical scientist, evaluate stereotypes in their drawings quantitatively, and then discuss the origins of these stereotypes. The lesson objectives include considering that people like themselves can become scientists. Full description.

This essay walks students through the examination of a lava cave in Arizona and discusses not only how lava caves are formed but also the author's personal feelings and observations. The field journal notes from the expedition paint a picture of what it is like inside a lava cave and describes several lava features including lava ripples, splashdowns, cooling cracks or crevices, and lavasicles. Full description.

This letter is part of a series written by a glacial geologist working in Antarctica. In her letters home, Stephanie Shipp shares her work and discoveries. This letter includes an overview of the type of research on which Shipp concentrates, which is to study the ocean floor around Antarctica and to look at the geological history left behind after glaciers grew during the last ice age. She says that ... Full description.

In this lesson plan, students explore how the universe has evolved since the theoretical Big Bang and create dramatizations of various eras in cosmic evolution. This page provides objectives, resources/materials, a related article and timeline, activities, follow-up questions, evaluation ideas, vocabulary, interdisciplinary connections, and links to additional information. Full description.