SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Dr. Robert Ballard, famed oceanographer, to give presentation at Washoe County Middle School
Robert Ballard, Ph.D., best known for his 1985 discovery of the TITANIC, will give a presentation for students at George L. Dilworth Middle School on Wednesday, April 21.
The 7th grade students, who are attending the presentation, will visually accompany Ballard as he relives his history of oceanic research, discusses his passion for science, and talks about his dream to explore the last great unchartered territory.
The day before the event the students will be participating in a graphing project that allows them to understand and appreciate the scope of Ballard’s discovery of the Titanic.
“Essentially, it’s a lesson in scale. The students will be graphing Ballard’s search area for the Titanic in the North Atlantic and will then cut to scale the size of the ship and the depth of the ocean. It’s really like finding a needle in a hay stack,” said Georgette Knecht, Dean of Students at Dilworth.
Ballard’s presentation comes at a time when students at Dilworth are hard at work preparing for Earth Day. The school participates in DRI’s GreenPower program, a curriculum that helps educate students on renewable energy and teaches students to incorporate conscious living practices into their daily lives. This year Dilworth chose to explore the environmental benefits of bicycling.
As part of the preparation for both Ballard’s presentation and Earth Day, students at Dilworth were asked to take part in an essay contest. Each essay was to include why biking is healthy, what positive impact riding a bike has on the environment, and a personal story about biking.
“Dr. Ballard’s appearance is kicking off a great period of scientific learning at our school,” Knecht said. She added, “The students are really working hard. They’re excited about this, and they’re spending time outside of school on their essays. They’re making sure they do a really good job.”
During Ballard’s presentation, three students, whose essays demonstrated the best understanding of the criteria, will be recognized and awarded savings bonds donated by Wells Fargo Bank.
Dr. Ballard, The National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and Institute for Exploration President, is a veteran of more than 125 deep-sea expeditions, many in search of lost ships and ancient artifacts. Ballard is celebrating 50 years of scientific exploration and discovery, and while his shipwreck discoveries have captured the imagination of the public, Ballard says, those are not his most important discoveries. “Locating the hydrothermal vents and ‘black smokers’ in the Galapagos Rift and East Pacific Rise in 1977 and 1979 along with their exotic life forms living off the energy of the Earth through a process now called chemosynthesis, were some of the most important of my career,” Ballard stated.
Ballard’s presentation at Dilworth will be made available for Washoe County School District Teachers to download from the WCSD website.
For more information about Robert Ballard visit http://www.dri.edu/nevada-medal.
School Assembly Details:
10 a.m.
Student Presentation at George L. Dilworth Middle School located at 255 Prater Way Sparks, NV 89431
Remarks by Bruce Meissner, George L. Dilworth Middle School Principal
Introduction of Dr. Robert Ballard by Dr. Stephen G. Wells, DRI President
Media opportunities for interviews, video and photographs:
10 a.m.
Student Presentation at George L. Dilworth Middle School, located at 255 Prater Way Sparks, NV 89431
10:45 a.m.
News Conference in a media lab located at George L. Dilworth Middle School
