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2008 Future Tech Conference
CMMAP's Diversity and Higher Education Manager,
Melissa Burt, represented CMMAP
at the 2008 Future Tech Conference at the University of New Mexico on November 8,
2008. Jim Benedict, a CMMAP graduate student, and Gretchen Kuhl, a Little Shop of Physics
intern, helped organize and lead the demonstrations with Melissa.
The 2008 Future Tech Conference was a diversity initiative led by the National
Science Foundation (NSF)
Science and Technology Center
for Materials and Devices for Information Technology (CMDITR). It was a
hands on learning experience for students interested in the science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines and an opportunity for students to
learn about the research conducted at five NSF sponsored STCs. Students also
learned about graduate school and summer research internships at each of the
centers.
Approximately 75 students visited CMMAP's demonstration titled Clouds,
Climate, and Modeling. Melissa, Gretchen, and Jim were very enthusiastic
and were able to provide stimulating, engaging, and thought-provoking activities
for the students. The students were very interested in learning about climate
and modeling and never thought of Atmospheric Science as a career. Our
participation in this event may have opened the pathway for students to learn
more and pursue a career in Atmospheric Science. All of the STC demonstrations
were evaluated by the students, and CMMAP received the highest overall rating.
What did the demonstration team say about their experience at Future Tech?
- Gretchen:
The Future Tech event was a success! I gained experience working with college students, an age group that I hadn't previously taught. It was a valuable experience working with my coworkers from CMMAP with the planning and cooperative group effort of the presentation. I also received some insight on the logistics of preparing such a large event. Overall it was a fun and rewarding experience. - Jim:
I thought the Future Tech workshop was an excellent way to introduce students to post-undergraduate opportunities in the science fields. The conference was very well organized and, as a demonstrator, it was rewarding
to answer student questions about graduate school and how the scientific community operates.
More information on our activities:
- How do cities affect the weather? (Cloud in a
Bottle Experiment)
The cloud-in-bottle demonstration shows that some amount of solid particles (dust, pollution, etc.) are needed to help make tiny liquid cloud droplets from gaseous water vapor molecules. Also, the air containing the gaseous water vapor molecules must cool to a point where the air cannot "hold" the vapor anymore. At this point, the vapor waits for a surface to condense onto, where it condenses to liquid. When we look at a cloud we are seeing these tiny liquid drops. As the vapor condenses to liquid, it releases heat to its surroundings. - How can freezing make something warmer? (Energy
Transfer Experiment)
The freezing pack demonstration shows that the processes involved in cloud formation help to transfer heat energy from one place to another in the atmosphere. When ice crystals melt or liquid drops evaporate, heat is taken away from the surrounding air. However, when gaseous water vapor condenses (as in the cloud-in-bottle experiment) or liquid drops freeze, heat is given to the surrounding air. Because ice crystals, liquid drops, and water vapor move with the air currents, heat is transferred from place to place in the atmosphere. As with the cloud-in-bottle demonstration, gaseous water vapor will have trouble condensing to a liquid unless a suitable surface is present. Similarly, the supercooled liquid in the freeze pack will not freeze unless a suitable surface (a solid crystal) is present. Popping the metal disk creates such a crystal upon which the surrounding liquid drops will freeze. - What is a "model"? (Climate Modeling
Experiment)
Climate models attempt to simulate these two processes and many others that occur in the real atmosphere. Because the atmosphere is so complicated, however, it is sometimes useful to use simple models to investigate the more basic relationships between physical processes. The model demonstration simulates in a very simple way how radiation interacts with the solid Earth and the atmosphere above it. Because the Earth has a layer of air surrounding it, energy that the Earth receives from the Sun does not escape as efficiently to space compared to if the Earth did not have an atmosphere. We find that, given our atmosphere and the way heat energy is exchanged between the various components, the temperature drops with altitude.
