Knox studies
Sixth-grade students from Knox Middle School are investigating global climate change with real-world data-collecting technology at Horizons Unlimited.
Students used Vernier LabQuest technology to capture real-world measurements not previously obtainable in the classroom. Students used LabQuest handheld computers combined with bio-chambers, dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide sensors to collect real-time data in the laboratory.
This advanced technology enables students to measure and analyze gases at concentrations from 0 to 100,000 parts per million. Students designed and directed their own research.
One of the teams measured and compared the respiration and photosynthetic rates of different organisms to identify species that most effectively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to improve air quality.
Others measured rates in cold-blooded animals and compared them to human respiration. The biochamber is engineered to model our own biosphere, the cycling of matter and the interdependence of plant and animal populations.
This experience allowed students to investigate Earth’s atmosphere and through experimentation provided a better understanding of how Earth supports life.
Exposure to data-collection technology improves learning and supports science education standards that are difficult to teach without using technology. Students will extend their experience back in their classroom through on-going research and collaboration.