Annual INSTAAR/NSIDC Open House

On April 8th, nearly 200 eighth graders from Southern Hills Middle School and 40 volunteers from INSTAAR, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), and the U.S. Geological Survey participated in the annual INSTAAR/NSIDC Open House.  Students were treated to a combination of presentations and hands-on activities as they learned about some of the science happening at INSTAAR and NSIDC.

Alex Mass, a graduate student at INSTAAR, spoke about her experiences conducting research in Antarctica.  Dr. Tad Pfeffer, CWEST Education Chair and glaciologist, and Dr. James Balog, an INSTAAR affiliate and Extreme Ice Survey Director, answered questions about their Sundance award winning film, Chasing Ice.

In addition, students toured a variety of INSTAAR/NSIDC labs as well as the nearby Boulder Creek where they saw cool demonstrations and participated in activities as varied as racing “glaciers” and learning to do stream pebble counts.   Check out INSTAAR’s photo gallery to learn more about the different labs and Boulder Creek stations visited. 
http://instaar.colorado.edu/galleries/open-house-for-southern-hills-students/.