On Friday, February 17, science will come alive in a new way for about 1,000 sixth to eighth grade students in the metro area. Through a special datacast made possible by Rocky Mountain PBS, these young minds will have a chance to interact with Dr. Kirk Johnson, a paleontologist from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and Dr. Sam Bowring, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology geologist whose lab can accurately determine the age of the earth?s crust. It's all part of the R@DIUS Project, a partnership between the Museum and Rocky Mountain PBS. R@DIUS is an acronym that stands for "Research at DMNS: Investigating and Understanding Science."
Datacasting combines data transmission with broadcast television. Information can be embedded within a digital television (DTV) signal and sent to receiving devices connected to PCs and laptops. It provides a cost-effective method for delivering high bandwidth, real-time video and audio to multiple locations in the television station's coverage area.
The February 17 R@DIUS Project datacast will allow students in classrooms up and down the front range to talk about paleontology and geology with Johnson and Bowring , both of whom will be in the PBS studios. The scientists discuss geochronology and the study and measurement of geologic time. Students will learn how Bowring and his colleagues are able to accurately determine the age of volcanic ash layers by looking for zircon crystals. Johnson uses this information to help put accurate dates on the ancient landscapes that he reconstructs based on the fossils he finds in these rock layers. This scientific collaboration between Bowring and Johnson is part of an effort funded by the National Science Foundation called EARTHTIME, which seeks to develop ways to make a high-precision timeline for earth history.
These datacasts will happen between 7:40 a.m. and noon at the participating schools: Morey Middle School, Hill Middle School, Lake Middle School, Smiley Middle School, and Dora Moore Elementary School in the Denver Public Schools; Cherry Creek West Middle School, Sky Vista Middle School, and Thunder Ridge Middle School in the Cherry Creek School District; Ranch View Middle School in Douglas County Public Schools, Erie Middle School in the St. Vrain School District; and Kyffin Elementary in Jefferson County School District.
Rocky Mountain PBS's KRMA-DT, the station's digital television (DTV) channel in Denver, will broadcast the sessions as digital data in a small portion of the KRMA-DT digital signal, while continuing to carry KRMA digital programs to Rocky Mountain PBS viewers. In order to receive the datacast signal, the schools will be equipped with special data receivers and a directional UHF antenna that can decode the data and present it as pictures and sound in the classroom. Rocky Mountain PBS has supplied the participating schools with the equipment for the datacast and provided the technical consulting for the project.
About the Denver Museum of Nature & Science The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain Region's leading resource for informal science education. A variety of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth and the universe.
