Written by Crystal Pletka, Ph.D.
School of Ice Participants and Leaders at Eliot Glacier Observation Site.This summer I was lucky enough to attend the School of Ice at Oregon State University. The School of Ice is a workshop that provides a variety of educators at minority serving institutions the chance to increase their knowledge regarding the climate record and climate change through analysis of ice-cores acquired through the U.S. Ice Drilling Program. The importance of this content cannot be overstated as climate science is so important and is constantly incorporating new information and changing. Climate change is obviously a major topic in today’s world, and learning about new advances and data in the field is imperative in teaching the next generation. This amazing experienced lasted five days and I got to experience a multitude of experiences! Each day had a variety of educational activities that included best practices in pedagogical advances, hands on activities, demonstrations with instructions to allow for incorporation into our own classes, lectures from climate experts, and field trips to various locations.
View of Mt. Hood with Eliot Glacier shown in center.I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite activities/lessons/field trips but please know that the entire workshop was fantastic, but I don’t have the space to write about everything! In terms of demonstrations and in-class activities for students, a few of my favorites covered proxies through the measurement of mass of washers, impacts on glacial speed, and the measurement of conductivity, which is an indicator of the amount of CO2 in a sample. Additionally, we were shown some amazing resources that include “virtual field trips” which are wonderful for incorporating into classes that allow for equitable education and experiences without having to worry about financial and other potential hardships. All of these virtual experiences contain field guides/worksheets/activities to increase engagement and retention. While we were in Oregon, we were able to visit a variety of locations including the Marine Geological Repository where we toured various labs and storage facilities, including ice core storage (-9° F) and sediment core storage. We also were able to spend some time in the Geochemistry Lab where they sampled an ice core and conducted analyses on them in real time
Mannequin wearing typical arctic weather research gear. for us to experience. While the whole workshop’s lectures and activities were exceptional, it was a field trip to Mt. Hood and the observation of the Eliot Glacier field that really tied in everything we had learned in the classroom and through activities, with the personal experience of being able to see the impact of climate change on the retreat of a glacier. Throughout the week we had discussed and learned about the rate of natural climate warming, using ice (past and present) to understand climate, and how to estimate glacier zones of accumulation and
ablation and the Equilibrium Line Altitude using the extent of the glacier as recorded in 1900. Once we hiked up (300 ft elevation gain over 0.5 miles!) to an observation point where we could see the full extent of the glacier, we had a discussion with Dr. Ed Brook, the Director of COLDEX (an NSF Science and Technology Center in search of the oldest ice in Antarctica), and estimated the current extent of the glacier in 2024, as well as see first-hand the evidence of the former extent of the glacier through glacial striations and the lateral and terminal morraines. The School of Ice was an exceptional experience, academically, professionally, and personally, that provided me with a large amount of knowledge regarding advances in climate science and pedagogy, while building relationships with educators from all over the United States with varied backgrounds. If anyone ever has the chance to apply to this, I highly recommend it!
View a compilation of images from the School of Ice by clicking here.