Join us at Holmes Lake on Monday August 25 for our first BioBLITZ.  We will be spending a couple of hours (4-7:30pm) documenting as many of the organisms living at Holmes Lake as possible.

Everyone is welcome to come out and help us identify fish, birds, rodents, insects, plants, aquatic invertebrates etc.  Anything that lives is fair game and we want to see how many species we can find!

Here is a link to a short information sheet (with map).

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GEaZDpAwv4_k7NFvCuKR1E1xvsrHX4A8xdDxiQEag3g/edit?usp=sharing

I will be hosting a Fishing Night this Friday September 6th (6:30pm – 8pm) at Bowling Lake.  All students are welcome to attend.  Students can fish for bluegill, bass or catfish and will also have the opportunity to try canoeing!

If you have fishing equipment to bring/lend you are encouraged to do so but I will provide hooks, worms, bobbers and have several extra poles.

I am a certified Youth Fishing Instructor for Nebraska Game and Parks and am happy to introduce students (and their families) to one more way to enjoy the outdoors and get in touch with nature.

Bowling lake is in Airpark at the corner of NW 48th Street and West Cuming Street.

Students in Biology and Geoscience will be participating in a combined field trip to Platte River State Park on Sept 12.  We will be leaving from the Zoo parking lot at 9am and students will return to the Zoo parking lot at 3pm.  Transportation is provided by the NRD.

We will provide permission for you to get out of your home high school early on that day.  Students who have not turned in their “green sheet” by that day will not be eligible to participate so make sure to get that in.

Things to bring:

• brown bag lunch (no access to fridges, microwaves, hot water etc.)
• Bug spray / sun-screen
• clothing appropriate to hiking, kayaking
• shoes that can get wet – you WILL be wading in the water and MUST have footwear on at the time.

Things NOT to bring

• friends
• electronics
• pets
• high heeled shoes
• suede (does not react well to wading in muddy creeks)

We are trying something new.  Please click here to fill in the online permission form for your student to participate in “Spider Night”

On Tuesday Aug 20th from 9-10pm students are welcome to join me at the Zoo for an evening of spider trapping!  We will be hunting wolf spiders specifically in addition to any other bugs we may be able to find.  If you have flashlights, bring them!  We could also use a clothing tree and a large sheet for setting up a screen trap. (drape the sheet over the tree, put a bright light inside and pick the bugs off the sheet as they are drawn to the light…)

Welcome back to a new year and welcome to our new Science Chair: Emily!  We have moved some things around and my classes this year will be:

• 9th Grade Research (A-1)
• Physics (A-2)
• Zoology (A-3)
• Animal Behavior (B-1)
• Biology: Combined Diff 9 / 10 (B-2)
• Applied Chem (B-3)

You can find details about each class on the drop-down menu.

Emily will be teaching

• GeoScience
• Chemistry Regular / Diff
• Anatomy & Physiology
• 10th Grade research

We will be launching several experiments into space on Dec 8th!

Our students have created an experimental “pod” that will collect data on

• radiation levels
• temperature
• pressure
• how sound is affected by the thinning atmosphere (decreasing pressure)

These will all be launched from the SAC Museum on Dec 8th at 9:30 am.  Public is welcome and invited to attend.

Last weekend two student groups launched high altitude weather balloons from Memorial Stadium.  Attached to these balloons were a variety of experiments designed to see the effect of near space on things like seeds, fruit etc.  Watch a video of the launch here.

I participated in a similar launch earlier this year and have to say, it was one of the best hands-on science experiences I have had in my long history of professional development participation!  Below is a pic of a winter launch.

The picture below is of Cottontail lake (just south of Lincoln).  During a 2 day cool period in late August, heavy cloud cover caused a drop in photosynthesis which made a low oxygen problem even worse and…

1000 imaginary bonus points to the person who can identify this! I caught it Labor day weekend below Gavins Point Dam (Missouri river in Northern Nebraska).