We are excited to announce the launch of Earth Institute Live (EI Live), an online video series beginning April 6, which will provide educational content to K12 students and educators. The series will feature scientific experts from across the institute in 60-minute live sessions where they will share aspects of their work through lectures, interactive activities, and/or demos.
The series will be streamed live to YouTube and will occur twice a week beginning April 6 until June 29 on Mondays and Wednesdays at 2:00pm EDT. Below is the schedule for sessions up until May 13, and we will be announcing the rest of the schedule at the end of April, so stay tuned!
All the sessions are free, but pre-registration is REQUIRED for each event. RSVP links are available below. We will send a YouTube link to all registered participants 30 minutes prior to the start of the programming. All the sessions will be recorded and hosted on a site for easy accessibility. If you would like to submit any questions before the event, please send them to Cassie Xu (cassie@ei.columbia.edu).
Parents/Students: Each session has a specific age range, so please make a note of that.
Educators: We suggest tuning in for the sessions that correspond with the age groups that you teach, and where we are able to, we will share additional readings and resources.
Part 1 of 2: In a Disaster, the Buck Stops Here
Monday, April 6, 2020 | 2:00 to 3:00pm EDT
Presenter: Jackie Ratner, Senior Project Manager, and Jeremy Brooks, Senior Program Coordinator, National Center for Disaster Preparedness
Target Audience: Grades 10-12
Description: In this session, Jackie and Jeremy will discuss the role of the three branches of government in disasters. They will provide an overview of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (otherwise known as the Stafford Act), the legislative and executive processes of emergency management, and how the judicial system can initiate systemic changes. Jackie and Jeremy will also spend time exploring how these things are beginning to change in response to recent disasters.
RSVP here.
Part 2 of 2: In a Disaster, the Buck Starts Here
Wednesday, April 8, 2020 | 2:00 to 3:00pm EDT
Presenter: Jackie Ratner, Senior Project Manager, and Josh DeVincenzo, Project Coordinator and Instructional Designer for the National Center for Disaster Preparedness
Description: In this follow-up to The Buck Stops Here, Jackie and Josh will help us understand the big picture of how disasters affect the economy in direct and indirect ways. They will also take a closer look at financial concepts of assets and liabilities and why some businesses recover from disasters better than others.
RSVP here.
The Tip of the Ice Sheet: What’s Happening in Antarctica
Monday, April 13, 2020 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm EDT
Presenter: Jonny Kingslake, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Target audience: Grades 7-12
Description: In this lecture, Jonny Kingslake will take participants on an adventure traversing the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to measure the way the ice flows. He will talk about the physics behind the changing ice, his fieldwork, the data he collects and analyzes, and how his work is critical to understanding the impacts of changing ice on sea level rise.
RSVP here.
Rivers of Ice With Glacier Goo
Wednesday, April 15, 2020 | 2:00 – 3:00pm EDT
Presenter: Elizabeth Case, PhD Candidate, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Target audience: Grades 5-8
Description: In this demo, Elizabeth will help you explore how glaciers flow in your home kitchen! While they may look like solid blocks of ice up close, glaciers are so heavy that gravity causes the ice that makes up glaciers to ooze, like honey. Together, you’ll cook up some goo* and get a feeling for how glaciers actually move.
RSVP here.
*To make and experiment with your own glacier goo (which is not mandatory, but suggested), here’s what you’ll need:
Part 1:
1 20 oz cup
1 stirring stick
3/4 cup warm water
1 cup Elmers white glue
Part 2:
1 8 oz cup
1/2 cup warm water
1 stirring stick (for the 8 oz cup)
2 tsp. Borax powder
1 qt plastic zip lock bag
The Sound of What’s Shaking
Monday, April 20, 2020 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm EDT
Presenter: Genevieve Coffey, PhD Candidate, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Target audience: Grades 5-9
Description: Join Genevieve for this interactive session where students will explore seismology, the study of earthquakes. This session will explore seismic sounds, what those sounds mean, and how scientists use this information to learn more about earthquakes.
RSVP here.
Microplastics, Mega Impact
Wednesday, April 22, 2020 | 2:00 – 3:00pm EDT
Presenter: Laurel Zaima, Education Program Assistant, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Target audience: Grades 3-5
Description: Join Laurel in this session to explore the science behind microplastics. They have been found everywhere, from Arctic snow to the depths of the Mariana Trench, and they are even found in our food webs and our laundry! Laurel will introduce students to exactly what they are, where they can be found, and why we should care about their emergence in multiple aspects of our lives.
RSVP here.
Let’s Get Fired Up With Energy
Monday, April 27, 2020 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm EDT
Presenter: Erin Blanton, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy
Target audience: Grades 2-4
Description: What makes the lights go on, heats our homes, and makes our cars go? Join this interactive session with Erin to learn about the basics of energy and the different finite and renewable natural resources that provide us with the energy that we need.
RSVP here.
To Farm or Not to Farm: An Introduction to Index Insurance
Wednesday, April 29, 2020 | 2:00 – 3:00pm EDT
Presenter: Dan Osgood, Research Scientist, International Research Institute for Climate and Society
Target audience: Grades 6-8
Description: Play a game with Dan! Students will take on the role of farmers faced with making decisions in a changing climate. Within the game scenario, students will be asked to make decisions to play it safe, or to take a risk based on relevant climate data that will be presented. This activity will then be connected to real-life situations that farmers are experiencing around the world in the face of climate change.
RSVP here.
Put a Ring on It
Monday, May 4, 2020 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm EDT
Presenter: Cari Leland, Lecturer in Earth & Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Target audience: Grades 3-5
Description: What can we learn about a tree’s life and history by examining tree rings? During this session, students will learn how to analyze tree rings and how dendrochronologists use tree-ring research to improve our understanding of past climate and environment.
RSVP here.
Microscopic Superheroes of the Ocean
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 | 2:00 – 3:00pm EDT
Presenter: Sheean Haley, Senior Staff Associate, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Target Audience: Grades 3-6
Description: Did you know that some superheroes are microscopic? In this lecture and activity, Sheean will introduce you to these amazing, and amazingly tiny, organisms, called phytoplankton. Students will learn how phytoplankton help our planet, and how different phytoplankton use unique superpowers to survive in the ocean. Students will also participate in an activity where they will come up with a fantastical phytoplankton species, based on what their new species would need to survive in the ocean.
RSVP here.
Get the GIS of It (Grades 3-6)
Monday, May 11, 2020 – 2:00 – 3:00pm EDT
Presenter: Dara Mendeloff, Geographic Information Specialist, Center for International Earth Science Information Network
Target audience: Grades 3-6
Description: Learn introductory basics of GIS (Geographic Information Systems), work with ArcGIS Online for interacting with maps and exploring social and environmental processes. GIS specialist Dara will teach students about what GIS can be used for, how to identify patterns on a map, and to understand how maps can be used to solve real world problems and tell stories.
RSVP here.
Get the GIS of It (Grades 10-12)
Wednesday, May 13, 2020 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Presenter: Dara Mendeloff, Geographic Information Specialist, Center for International Earth Science Information Network
Target audience: Grades 10-12
Description: Learn the basics of GIS (Geographic Information Systems), work with ArcGIS Online to interact with maps and explore social and environmental processes. GIS specialist Dara will teach students about applications that GIS can be used for, to identify patterns on a map, and to analyze data and maps for addressing real world problems and telling stories.
RSVP here.
