2011 - 2012 Winter EduTrip Schedule
Mount Washington Observatory is proud to offer the following schedule of 2011-2012 Winter EduTrips. For more information on any of these trips, please contact Michelle Cruz, Director of Education, at mcruz@mountwashington.org or (800) 706-0432, ext. 225.
To begin the registration process, or to check availability, please click on any of the dates below.
NOTE: Registration closes one week prior to the event. Availability for EduTrips is extremely limited (limit of nine participants), and tickets are sold both online and offline. In the event that this event is sold out, your purchase may be refunded or applied to another event date.
NEW! Studying Stars from the Summit
Instructor: Dave McDonald, Director of Education at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center
This course will provide an overview of basic observational astronomy. We will learn about how to navigate through the night sky to find constellations and prominent stars. Weather-permitting, we will put our new knowledge to the test in finding the real objects in the real night sky from New England's highest summit. How would you like to see Jupiter and its moons?
NEW! High Altitude Medicine
Instructor: Paul W. Evans M.D., Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician
The human body has an amazing ability to adapt and survive in the extremes of cold, wind, and high altitude, yet can be plagued by serious illness in these environments. Through both classroom and experiential sessions in the breathtaking and humbling environment on top of Mt. Washington, we will explore the physiologic effects of altitude, acclimatization, and the unique illnesses caused by cold and high altitude. Whether you are a casual hiker or aspiring mountaineer, this course offers something for everyone!
Weather Basics
Instructor: Marsha Rich, resource agent for American Meteorological Society
Learn the fundamental factors that cause weather, in the interrelationships between the sun and the earth, air, land, and water in its many forms. Also enjoy a basic introduction to weather observation, with a special session on the peculiarities of mountain weather. This trip is geared toward anyone with a general interest in weather, and is especially appropriate for middle and high school teachers.
New Year's Eve on Mount Washington: A Very Special MWO Fundraising Event
Join us for a memorable New Year's Eve high atop New England's tallest peak! Our third annual New Year's Eve EduTrip will be led by Mount Washington Observatory Outreach Coordinator Jeff DeRosa, who will offer an in-depth look at the work of the Mount Washington Observatory and the extreme weather that the mountain is known for. Like any EduTrip, the Observatory provides all meals, beginning with coffee and pastries upon arrival on New Year's Eve and ending with lunch on New Year's Day.
While the mountain provides the stunning scenery, a spectacular nine-course meal will be presented by Chef Marc Kurnick of Lovell, ME, with assistance from volunteer Ed O'Malley. Marc and Ed will team up to present an impressive culinary masterpiece, all prepared in the Observatory kitchen for New Year's Eve.
Tickets for this extraordinary event are $1,000 per person and will be available this fall. Each participant will receive a very special commemorative gift and a framed 8" x 10" group photograph from the event.
Global Climate Change: A View from the Rockpile
Instructors: Mark Van Baalen, geologist at Harvard University, and Tim Allen, geologist at Keene State College
What can the study of glaciers, including the glacial history of the White Mountains, tell us about changes in the Earth's climate through geologic time? The White Mountain landscape records a subtle, occasionally violent, geologic history, and this workshop will utilize this natural laboratory to investigate the interplay between geology and climate.
Winter Mountaineering Essentials
Instructor: Joe Lentini, professional climbing guide of more than 30 years and vice president of the New Hampshire Mountain Rescue Service
Learn the mountaineering skills you need for travel in any of the mountain ranges of the world, and spend the night on top of the highest mountain in the Northeast. Learn the proper use of crampons and ice axes, self-arrest, and navigation as well as avalanche safety and avalanche transceiver use. In the evening, watch a slide show that will take you from Mount Washington to Pakistan. In the morning put your skills to the test with a dawn hike around the summit. Join professional climbing guide Joe Lentini for a trip you will never forget.
Winter Mountaineering Essentials II: "What If...?"
Instructor: Joe Lentini, professional climbing guide of more than 30 years and vice president of the New Hampshire Mountain Rescue Service
What do you do if your winter mountain adventure doesn't go as planned? This workshop will cover the potential dangers of winter above-treeline travel, and what you can do if you lose your way or if someone in your group becomes injured. Topics include: crampon and ice axe use, emergency snow shelter building, avalanche survival, and how to search for people buried in the snow. Also includes a mountaineering slide show and trip planning instruction.
Outdoor Photography: The Challenges of Capturing Nature's Beauty
Instructor: Jerry Monkman, award-winning and widely-published photographer of EcoPhotography
Learn from the best in the business! This course will consider both the technical challenges of working in cold, snowy, wet environments and the need to understand one's equipment, as well as the artistic challenges of creating striking and memorable images. The course will combine indoor instruction with outdoor field experience. Participants must bring their own camera equipment.
STEM in Extreme Environments: THE EduTrip for Educators
Instructors: Bill Church and Steve Roberts of New Hampshire Science Teachers Association
The focus of this trip will be to explore, brainstorm, and define how teachers and K-12 students can use Mount Washington as a laboratory for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) learning activities. During this trip, teachers will utilize resources such as the unique environment of Mount Washington, Observatory facilities, Mount Washington Regional Mesonet, Vernier and Texas Instruments data collection systems, National Instruments LabVIEW software, and TETRIX and LEGO robotics systems. Activities will be a spring board for project ideas teachers can utilize in their own schools after the trip.
Session on the Science of Weather and Climate
Instructor: Michelle Day, scientist at the University of New Hampshire
Join Michelle in discussions about this hot-button issue and learn about her experience as a research scientist drilling ice cores in Antarctica. Sessions will include: evidence of past alterations in our planet's climate, possible causes of climate change today, and how past changes can help us understand the implications of climate change on our future.
NEW! Winter Skills and Stories for Women
Instructor: Joan Veilleux, Eastern Mountain Sports Climbing Guide and Storyteller
Join us for this special weekend for women. Learn ice axe and crampon skills, white-out navigation with a compass and how to pack, dress and take care of those things that men don't have to worry about in the cold. Joan has lead trips as a hiking and climbing guide for over 10 years in the White Mountains in all seasons. She is a member of the Mountain Storyteller's Guild and has presented on numerous occasions in and around the Mount Washington Valley.
NEW! New England Nature Photography: Capturing Images in Dramatic Light and Atmosphere
Instructor: Jim Salge, award-winning nature photographer and former MWO weather observer
This course will teach participants how to compose and expose intriguing outdoor images in all seasons. Through hands on instruction and image critique, participants will discuss predicting and pre-visualizing images, and gain the techniques to capture the beauty in front of the lens in the final image. Special consideration will be given to the challenges of winter photography.
Glacial Geology of the Presidential Range
Instructor: Thom Davis of Bentley University
Investigate the impact that glaciers, both continental and alpine, had on the White Mountain landscape. Learn what glacial features we can visit today, and discover how the study of today's glaciers elsewhere on Earth gives us clues about the glaciers that once covered northern New Hampshire.
The schedule for the 2012-2013 EduTrip season will be available in early autumn of 2012.
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