The American Museum of Natural History, 5/21/11

Pics from our recent trip to the AMNH:

Penguin brand shirt? Nah, Rolman loves marine stuff so much he stitched that on himself.

Walking to the museum ...Reservoir Dogs??

In awe of the mollusc.

Teaching the AMNH staff about plankton.

"Zach, I'm so confused. I don't know if I should become a zooplankton ecologist or a phytoplankton ecologist." - Nyell

Juan and Rolman trying not to smile.

Rolman, not doing a very good job.

And then crumbles Juan.

Duane and Yashira in the Hall of the Universe.

Group shot 1

Group shot 2

Schooba presents at Earth Day Rockaway!

This past Saturday, the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation hosted the 5th Annual Earth Day Rockaway celebration, a fun-filled afternoon of environmental education, arts and crafts, and entertainment on the boardwalk at Beach 59th Street.  Schooba was there in full force, tabling materials and presenting workshops to kids, teenagers, and adults alike.  Have a look at some highlights from the day:

Schooba, a participating organization

"Com'n, hurry up! We can't be late for the Schooba workshop!" - about 30 screaming fans at 12:29 PM

Setting up our table

About an hour before the festivities

The boardwalk at Beach 59th St., Rockaway, Queens

The Schooba table!

A bit closer up

Open the gates!

Yashira, drawing a crowd

A grown man amazed

And signing up for more info!

Yashira explaining the Cartesian condiment experiment

Amazing the crowd

Little girls, just prior to being amazed.

Little girls, about to do the Diving Raisin experiment

More grown men fascinated

Science through scuba.

Experimenting some more

And blowing minds left, right, and straight ahead

"Heck yeah I want more info!"

Lovin' the raisin experiment

The Shrinking Lung experiment

Our new friend's activity for the next 45 minutes.

Already looking forward to attending next year!

Explorers Club, 4/16

Yet another successful expedition.  Some captured moments in time:

G'Imani, really into her scuba diving magazine.

Duane and a big cat.

Dr. Russell Seidel, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Dowling College, our lecturer for the day.

"Aww, Com'n, Dr. Russ, I thought we were going to do some tough stuff today." - The Schoobents, sulking

"Yeah, no duh." - The Schoobents, in unison.

G'Imani exploring the Explorers Club flag and all of the places it has been.

G'Imani and Nyell exploring the Cheetah.

Boss Duane, with his elephant tusk.

Boss Duane, with his elephant tusks ... again.

Nyell, looking at the Explorers Club flag and thinking about exploring.

Having a look at some of the different Explorers Club explorers.

Big thanks to everyone at the Explorers Club and Dowling College!  Next weekend trip – Earth Day Rockaway, 4/30!

Sometimes science just goes wrong …

Like when you’re experimenting with eggs.

Snapshots from Tuesday’s tutoring session:

Schooba featured in Our Schools NYC!

Read all about it!  (Paperboy voice.)

http://www.ourschoolsnyc.org/2011/04/science_of_schooba/

NY Aquarium trip 4.2.11

Another fantastic expedition!  Check it out:

Hakeem in his new shirt

Waiting for the L train ... Before some serious lectures on why Mike and Ikes, Oreos, and Good 'N Plenty are not a balanced breakfast.

Hakeem and the Cyclone

The Crew, actin' cool

Big thanks to Richard Blankfein, Dive Safety Officer of the Aquarium, who hooked us up and gave us another behind-the-scenes tour of the compound.

Yashira exploring coral reefs

Wise words from the kiosk ...Can we call that a kiosk?

Who knew neon tetras could be so cool?

Richard and the seals ... Ok, that sounds like a band name.

Hakeem and a Sand Tiger

Yashira and the jellies ...Ok, that also sounds like a band name.

Wait for it ...

Wait for it! ...

(Sound of water rushing.)

"Phew, that was a close call. We almost got drenched!" - Yashira

Yashira on the beach.

Hakeem on the beach.

And a short video clip: Hakeem getting shut down.

Next trip: Explorers Club, 4/16/11 – Stay Tuned!

LES Ecology Center Trip!

This past Saturday, we took a small group to the Lower East Side Ecology Center.  They’re located in East River Park, and “work toward a more sustainable New York City by providing community-based recycling and composting programs, developing local stewardship of green space, and increasing community awareness, involvement and youth development through environmental education programs.”  Have a look at some snapshots from the day.

Yashira and Nyell, two of our newest Schoobents, show off their new gear.

Upon arrival at the park, we were met by Dan, the Education Director of the center.

First, he brought us to the CSO (Combined Sewer Overflow) and schooled us on the ramifications of a polluted sewer system.

We then did a bit of water sampling. Here we are getting the temperature. Any guesses?

Now, testing the salinity.

Any guesses?

It was then time for a little East River fishing!

Yashira and Nyell getting ready.

Dan cutting the bait (squid!).

Yashira, getting baited.

Fishing!

Yashira, showing us all how to use the equipment.

Was that a nibble?

Basketball?? ...A little Jimmy Buffett, and Duane has carved himself a little slice of heaven.

Next trip: NY Aquarium on 4/2.  Stay posted!

Pool session 3/13/11

On January 15, The Schooba Academy launched its pilot program.  On March 13, it went out with a bang.  For their last event of the course, the Schoobents got back in pool to test their wits at some underwater science!  (All underwater photos courtesy of Oceanblue Divers.  Thank you!)

The mile long walk from the L train ain't no thang for The Schooba Academy.

Again, we did our training at Waterside Plaza with Oceanblue Divers.

We took a short detour to bask in the sights, sounds, and smells of the glorious East River.

We got to the pool and began gearing up.

Lassana and Rodney gearing up.

Some more gearing up

The scene upon arrival.

Matt, taking in the Schooba scene.

There was a quick refresher course, and we were all set to go!

Big thanks to JW for coming down and helping out both in and out of the water.

"Hey Zach, can you help me out. Please hurry up because I want to go scuba diving so bad. Schooba rules." - Rolman

"Now that's more like it." - Rolman

Once underwater, some science was in order.

The classic Cartesian diver experiment, not so classic anymore.

"Yo, that's crazy. Let me see that! ...Science rules!" - Rolman

"What are you guys so excited about? Hold on, I don't want to miss any science. I'm coming over." - Lassana

"Hold your horses. I'm coming. This underwater world is new to me." - Lassana

"Ok, I made it. Now, let's see what all the fuss is about." - Lassana

"Oh, no way! Science underwater!! Now, that's cool. No, I won't give it back yet. Not until I experiment with it for a while." - Lassana

Lassana experimenting underwater.

We then turned our science experiment into a football and invented a new sport!  …All the while investigating the amazing properties of water.

Juan examining hydrodynamics.

Rolman doing exactly the same.

The pool was our playground inside of a classroom.  We scuba’d, we science’d, and we had a whole lot of fun.  A few more shots from the day:

Rodney surfacing after his first experience underwater. ... He didn't stay for very long.

Me chillin' with the dudes underwater.

Rolman cleaning up after his science experiment did not go as planned. (It's a balloon.)

Lassana, feeling right at home.

Group shot before our departure.

Big thanks to Oceanblue Divers and all who came down and helped out.  More to come soon, so stay with the tune!

Curriculum expanded!

At the beginning of this week, The Schooba Academy began its second program at Lyons Community School.  This time around, we’re working exclusively with over-age and under-credited kids, all of whom are eligible to receive high school science credit upon completion of the course.  We’ve expanded the curriculum to fit the program, and the Schooba manual now aligns scuba diving to 9 NYS Intermediate Level Science Core Curriculum Major Understandings:

• LE 1.2d  During respiration, cells use oxygen to release the energy stored in food.  The respiratory system supplies oxygen and removes carbon dioxide (gas exchange).
• LE 1.2f  The circulatory system moves substances to and from cells, where they are needed or produced, responding to changing demands.
• PE 1.1d  Gravity is the force that keeps planets in orbit around the Sun and the Moon in orbit around the Earth.
• PE 2.1b  As altitude increases, air pressure  decreases.
• PE 3.1d  Gases have neither a determined shape nor a definite volume.  Gases assume the shape and volume of a closed container.
• PE 3.1h  Density can be described as the amount of matter that is in a given amount of space.  If two objects have equal volume, but one has more mass, the one with more mass is denser.
• PE 3.1i  Buoyancy is determined by comparative densities.
• PE 3.3a  All matter is made up of atoms.  Atoms are far too small to see with a light microscope.
• PE 3.3b  Atoms and molecules are perpetually in motion.  The greater the temperature, the greater the motion.

Schooba to run a new program, this time bearing credits!

With just a week to go until the end of our pilot program, Lyons Community School has commissioned Schooba to run another course!  The decision came as a result of their recent receiving of a grant, so details are still a bit up in the air.  Some things we do know:

• The course will be 54 hours long!
• We will be working exclusively with students that are over-age and under-credited!!
• Students will be able to receive up to 3 High School Science credits!!!
• We’ll be getting paid!!!!
• Classes start Monday, 3/7!!!!

Stay tuned!

Schooba, out.