Antarctic Expedition 2010
FFAE2010 Team Members
Lyndsay Hilton
Can tiny particles, so small you can’t even see, really stop global warming......or even prevent your socks from smelling?
Nanoparticles can only be seen through a high powered microscope (think 10,000th the diameter of a human hair!), and billions of pounds are being spent by industry and the government to evaluate their benefits.
- Exciting new research has found that the glaciers in Antarctica may contain nanoparticles of iron oxide which may be able to slow global warming.
- Currently, the growth of phytoplankton in the Southern ocean is limited by a lack of iron.
- It has been suggested that, as global warming causes the glaciers & icebergs to melt, the iron oxide will be leached into the ocean and boost the growth of phytoplankton.
- As they photosynthesise, the phytoplankton will remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and could slow global warming.
Lyndsay will analyse the glaciers to determine if they do contain iron oxide, how much, and if this will have an impact on climate change in the future.
Lyndsay will also test ‘self cleaning trousers’ and ‘socks that will never smell no matter how long you wear them’ which also contain nanoparticles that have been engineered to produce clothing with special properties.
Lisa Wood
Science Co-ordinator, Kaizen Primary School, Newham, London
Ricky in Antarctica
Lisa, a primary science teacher, firmly believes in encouraging curiosity in children at an early age.
With the help of ‘Ricky’, the puppet, she will be working with schools prior to the expedition to help design, produce and test clothing and equipment that will be suitable for ‘Ricky’ to use whilst he is in the Antarctic:
- Which materials will keep him warmest?
- Will it be better for him to wear layers?
- Will colour of a coat make a difference?
- Is it better to wear new fancy materials or coats made from animal skins?
- Which materials will be hardest wearing?
Once in Antarctica, ‘Ricky’ will put their creations to the ultimate test to see how they fare under extreme conditions. Through daily blogs, ‘Ricky’ will feed back his findings for schools to analyse and compare with their own results and where necessary, he will also call on the assistance of his young team of scientists to help investigate and solve many of the day to day dilemmas which arise!
Tim Miall
Physics teacher, Twyford Church of England High School, Twyford Crescent, Acton, London W3 9PP.
Antarctica: Mars on Earth - Antarctica competition 2010
Antarctica, the coldest and driest place on planet Earth, is an ideal testing ground for equipment and technology that will be used for future missions to the Red Planet. Over the last decade engineering and materials science has been an unpopular subject.
In order to motivate pupils in these subjects we will involve them during 2009/2010 academic year in the ‘Antarctica:Mars on Earth’ competition, in collaboration with the Space Academy of the National Space Centre and the Universities of Leicester and Nottingham.
Students from across the country will be encouraged to put together Mars themed science and engineering projects. The best will be taken to the Antarctic where they will be tested in a challenging and hostile environment.
Roussel De Carvalho
Physics teacher, Samuel Ward Arts and Technology College, Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 OLD
Life, Ultraviolet Radiation and Sunscreens. How Tough is your Sunscreen?
· Can your sunscreen really protect you in harsh environments?
· When you go skiing, climbing, diving, or simply lying on the beach or walking through deserts, how protected are you?
· Does the cream really do what it says on the tin?
This is a project to engage students in real-life Physics-Chemistry of sunscreens as well as educating them about the dangers of UV radiation and skin cancer;
Ultraviolet Radiation & Antarctic Life
If life has managed to survive deep in Antarctica, an environment ravaged by UV rays, these organisms must have adapted to survive UV Radiation.
- How do they behave?
- Have they developed UV absorbing/reflecting pigments?
This is a project to contribute to the study of ultraviolet radiation and its impact on Antarctic life measuring the efficiency or inefficiency of the ozone layer.
Page last modified: 1st Feb 2011 - 13:45:05