Liberty Science Center

On the morning of January 11, 2017, the fourth grade boarded a private coach destined for The Liberty Science Center, located in Jersey City, New Jersey.  The center offers a wide array of interactive exhibits designed to educate students on topics related to biology, chemistry, and physics.  Many of the exhibits have a practical application as well.  The boys learned about the ecology of the Hudson River and the forces that engineers consider when designing skyscrapers.  Students played a video game akin to “Asteroids” where they zapped microscopic invaders to simulate a human body’s immune response to bacteria and viruses.  They learned how energy is transferred from one system to another to make machines work.

After lunch, our students then watched an exciting IMAX movie on “Extreme Weather.”  They learned that small changes in one place can have surprising results in another.  Scientists believe, for example, that human impact may be related to a recent increase in severity of storms, wildfires, and rising sea levels.  Our students also saw how the scientific method is applied to study these phenomena.  They gained a greater understanding of the impact that our actions have on our planet.

After arriving back at St. Bernard’s the boys were asked to reflect on the trip.  Below are excerpts from a few examples of essays they penned:

This week the fourth grade went to the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City.  My favorite part of the museum was the IMAX video on extreme weather.  I think I liked it so much because it made me feel more aware of the natural disasters that are occurring around the world.  We learned about many things, but video mainly focused on glaciers and tornadoes.  The thing that stood out to me the most about glaciers was how much has been “calving” and falling off over the years.  If this keeps up, in a few years Alaska’s glaciers could be no more.  Lastly, because of the increasing energy use, scientists are wondering if that will provoke more tornadoes or less.  This is why I found this film so interesting.

                                                                                         David F.

 

My favorite part about the Liberty Science Center was the Touch Tunnel.  I liked the Touch Tunnel because you had to navigate around in the dark to get out of the maze.  Owls are nocturnal, so they can see in the dark and navigate.  Some snakes have special eyesight so they can see heat, which helps them see their prey.  One trick in the tunnel was that you could hold the wall to find your way around in the maze.  I liked that there were cameras so the parent chaperone could see what your strategy was.
                                                                                      Charlie M.

My favorite part was when I learned about estuaries.  I learned that an estuary is when a river and ocean connect and make rough water.  I learned that the New York Bay has an estuary where the Hudson River connects with the Atlantic Ocean…We did an experiment about an estuary…First we took a beaker and dropped water into a wooden rectangle that told us where the fill line was.  Then we put the divider in, which split the box in half.  Then we put blue food coloring in the right half and red food coloring in the left half.  We put salt in the left half to make it dense.  We lifted up the divider and the blue half went underneath the red half because the blue half was denser.  Then we put in the divider and mixed it, and it turned to brackish water.  We lifted up the divider and made an estuary.  This is on the fourth floor and it was one of my favorite parts, and my group was even better.  Thank you to Mr. Russell, Mr. Davis, Mr. Smith, and the chaperones.

                                                                                    Brennan C.