What a wide range of science fieldwork today!
BIOLOGY
Students visited various green roofs around the city to learn about their assigned system, in order to design their own system for our roof. They practiced drawing schematic diagrams of the roofs they visited – a skill they will use when developing their own designs for the BCS roof.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Students looked at climate mitigation and resiliency initiatives happening in various parts of NYC, including at the Javits Center in Manhattan and around the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. Students engaged in some impromptu clean-up along the esplanade/canal while looking at green infrastructure and storm water management systems. It was good that it was raining!
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Students visited with programmers at Def Method, a NYC software consultancy company and FloodHelpNY, a non-profit that helps people understand their risk for flooding in NYC.
CHEMISTRY
Students met with experts who work in various careers that utilize nuclear chemistry/technologies on a daily basis. Students explored three different applications of nuclear chemistry: 1) NY State Energy Research and Development Authority, speaking with experts on policy and regulatory affairs; 2) US Navy – speaking with an officer about the ways the Navy uses nuclear technologies; and 3) the American Museum of Natural History, exploring The Dating Game exhibit for radiocarbon dating (Spitzer Hall of Human Origins) and Dating Rocks exhibit for determining the date of various rocks using radioactivity (Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth).
PHYSICS
Students worked through three stations aimed at supporting their Physics PBAT. Station 1 involved using Motion Detectors to collect data on Velocity and Acceleration. Station 2 involved a PHET simulation on Forces. Station 3 involved conducting background research on automobile collisions.
GREEN ENGINEERING
Students toured the Brooklyn Co-Gen Plant to learn how electricity and steam are generated in NYC. The Brooklyn CoGen plant is a natural gas-fueled facility that generates electricity and uses leftover heat to generate steam.