Seismograph Sschool Science Proket

Summer workshop brings scientific research to life for Herrick teacher

Earthquakes and glaciers are among the concepts that Herrick Middle School science teacher Jill Henry brings alive for her students each year—and during a summer workshop in August, she got hands-on lessons in both.

Henry was one of 25 middle and high school teachers throughout Illinois selected to participate in an EarthScope workshop at Illinois State University the first two weeks in August. The EarthScope program for educators, funded by the National Science Foundation, is designed to bring scientists and teachers together to educate students about scientific research being conducted on the earth. EarthScope has a network of scientists who study earthquakes and volcanoes throughout the United States; more information can be found on www.earthscope.org.

During the first week of the EarthScope workshop, participants learned about earthquakes and how to interpret data from seismograph stations. During the second week, they traveled to Missouri, Tennessee, and southern Illinois to see how the land was shaped by glaciers. Participants visited New Madrid, Mo., to see how the land was changed by the earthquakes that struck that area exactly 200 years ago, and checked out several quarries to see the layers of time that are revealed by digging deep into the earth's crust, Henry said.

“Overall, it was a great experience. I was able to learn more about earth science, get new ideas to use in the classroom, and collaborate with teachers from all over the state of Illinois. I hope to take what I have learned and share it with my students, as well as teach them about different careers available in the field of geology,” she said. “I also appreciated the field trip experience, because I was able to see parts of the U.S. that I probably would never have visited.”

The EarthScope participants will learn more about glaciers and rocks during two follow-up weekends in November and February.

This marks the fourth summer in a row that Henry has been selected to participate in a science workshop. In 2008, she went to Kauai, Hawaii, for a workshop in tropical ecology at the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Two years ago Henry participated in a two-week fellowship program with the Earthwatch Institute, during which she helped University of Miami students conduct a research project involving the coastal ecology of the Bahamas. Last year she took part in a National Science Foundation-sponsored five-week internship in the Morton Arboretum’s herbarium.

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