STEM Education Program

CryoConn 2010: Teachers warm up to winter science

Educators from across Alaska gathered for CryoConn 2010 at Chena Hot Springs to celebrate winter science and gather tools and ideas for teaching students about vital connections between the Earth's cryosphere (the portion of Earth's surface where water is in solid form--snow, ice, permafrost), atmosphere and biosphere. Held from January 6-9, CryoConn 2010 attracted 29 teachers hailing from Anchorage to some of the smallest Native villages in Alaska. The workshop was sponsored by JEDC's SpringBoard STEM program with funding from the US Department of Defense, and with additional support from the National Defense Education Program, which supplied STEM Learning Kits to participating teachers.

At the heart of CryoConn 2010 was a just-released book, Apun: The Arctic Snow, and its companion teacher's guide, written by Dr. Matthew Sturm, a physical scientist with the Alaska Projects Office of the Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL). CRREL is a worldwide leader in cold regions research and development in support of the U.S. military and the nation it serves. The lab's current challenges include seeking environmentally sustainable methods for developing Alaska's energy reserves, reducing freeze/thaw damage to northern military facilities, discovering more effective year-round construction methods in permafrost environments, and improving the military's fighting capability in cold regions.

At CRREL, Dr. Sturm conducts wide-ranging geophysical studies of the subpolar and polar snow cover and investigates sea ice, snow ecology and climate change. He has led more than 30 winter expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic. Mary Hakala, JEDC's STEM Education Coordinator, commented that "Matthew Sturm is an exemplary scientist and wonderful educator who is able to translate the science into meaningful ideas for classroom teachers."

For more information about CryoConn, contact Mary Hakala at 907-523-2336, mhakala@jedc.org.

Click here for the official CryoConn poster.

Participant Testimonials

"The direct interaction with scientists via lecture and field study was critical to my new understanding of snow and ice. Collaboration with my peers in addition to the new content will make a big impact on my science instruction and student learning. I wish more teachers could have this opportunity to energize their instruction."
--Traci Caves, Anchorage School District

"The CryoConn workshop provided a wealth of information. Even more importantly, it was information that can have a positive effect in my classroom. CryoConn has given me so many ideas for lessons and activities that will not only be engaging to my students, but could potentially provide that spark to make them future scientists."
--Kevin Younger

"The ability to gather usable information and resources while collaborating with other educators was a memorable experience that will only benefit me. For educators to truly change their students' thinking, their own thinking often has to be adjusted. CryoConn opened my eyes to the snow and winter with details that I had not thought of before."
--Jennifer Ruis

"This is not just another person trying to sell his/her curriculum. This is real science that real teachers can use in their Alaskan classooms."
--Cynthia Trytko

"I loved this workshop because all of the information and presenters helped me get started teaching a simple concept in a whole new way!"
--Vernetta Banning

"The opportunity to explore snow in a science-based approach in a hands-on environment was simply the highlight of a great winter learning escape."
--Jen Maki

"Excellent organization and administration. Overall content was practical for students of all ages. Knowledgeable presenters delivered interesting information with practical applications for attendees and their students. Thank you so much for the phenomenal experience."
--Jen Ratchye Rinaldi, ASD

"This was a great opportunity to network with educators from across Alaska while learning from Alaskan scientists."
--Robert Capuozzo

"The content-rich days combined with active experiences made for high-quality professional development. I appreciated being treated as an interested professional educator!"
--Jennifer Thompson

"CryoConn has connected teachers with very talented scientists, allowed us to learn cutting-edge scientific beliefs, and shown us a path to follow to impart some of this knowledge to our students."
--Zach Stenson

"The hands-on activities were the best! Not only for learning, but to be able to take them back to the classroom is great! I will look at the snow in a totally different way now, thanks to this workshop. Also, everyone was so nice and really helpful. Loved all the pics, too."
--Danielle Younger

"It's a great opportunity for teachers across the state to join ideas and gain knowledge from others. The activities presented are perfect for our students because they can understand how the concepts relate to them."
--Lindsay Spindler

"So much obvious planning time went into this workshop to make the topic presented as interesting and immediately useful in the classroom. Very high quality in-service."
--Neal Anderson

"CryoConn is everything a teacher professional development workshop should be…focused, fun, and fascinating!"
--Sally Kieper, Fairbanks

"CryoConn provided an amazing amount of information, ways to teach, links to resources, and opened my eyes further to my winter world and how I can bring it alive to my students and future scientists."
--Marie Gore

"It was exciting to get to work with scientists who are clearly passionate about what they do! This was real stuff in a real context."
--Nancy Peel

"As a non-math, non-science person, I was inspired by Matthew Sturm and Ken Tape to go back to my school and use what I learned in a hands-on way. They made the science of snow interesting, useful, and fun! Now I can too!"
--Ken Brown, Salcha Elementary

Other comments:

"It was great to work outside with scientists. Digging the snow pits and looking at the incredible depth hoar crystals in the snow pack was unforgettable. The magnetic water molecules and other molecular magnetic molecules were wonderful!"

"It is great to be able to walk away with usable, hands-on lessons for the class, not just great ideas."

"The opportunity to learn from world-class scientists studying climate change and snow science was valuable. Teaching Alaska's children about science with something we interact with every day, 9 months a year, is contextual and engaging!"

"Fantastic activities! The presenters had a wealth of knowledge to share with everyone. They actually knew details about the specific locations of study. It's refreshing to have presenters that have experienced the local conditions."

"This was one of the most useful and inspiring education workshops I have ever attended. I enjoyed all the presentations from the highly qualified scientists/presenters."

"In 13 years, this is the first workshop that has presented practical information, ideas, and equipment that can be used in a real school setting."