The Great Debate 2022
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CaveSim: Cave-inspired STEM Learning
Presented by: Dave Jackson
Date: Thursday, April 28, 2022
A presentation about the trailer-bound simulated cave that is a learning tool for teaching young people of all ages about the importance of the under-ground, how to appreciate a cave and its contents, how to navigate it, and some of the mathematical and engineering concepts employed.
CaveSim is the brain-child of Dave Jackson, who not only designed and built 66 feet of cave passage into a 12-foot box trailer, but also filled it with cave features, including stalagmites, stalactites, and even bats. The object is for the caver' to wriggle through without disturbing any of the pretties and the critters along the way.
There are ulltra-violet cameras throughout the cave, which allow visitors to watch as a 'caver' makes his or her way through the maze (yes, there are choices to make!), and sensors to score the disturbances to the cave that occur. Dave even wrote the code used to make all the features respond to touch and tally up the number of disturbances as the caver passes through. It's a teaching tool for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, not to mention caving appreciation.
(46:04) Download a copy (474 MB)
What to Expect at the
NSS Convention in 2022
Presented by: Carol Tiderman, AVP Adam Weaver,
and Chair Chris Pelzcarski
Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2022
The Presentation will be an update on the plans for the 2022 Convention in Rapid City, SD, on June 12-17.
It will answer such frequently asked questions as:
Will there be ride service available from the airport? What are the camping and lodging recommendations and plans? What exciting events are expected at convention this year? Where is the Howdy Party? When and where will caving be available? What are the best rock-climbing locations or other exciting outdoor activities?
What are the local
tourist destinations?
Where is the JSS going?
This is going to be one of the most exciting conventions
ever, and the convention volunteers want to give you all the information you
need to make the most of all that the Black Hills have to offer! (1:17:18) Download a copy (316 MB)
Central Texas Cave Life
Presented by: Colin Strickland, NSS 24000
Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Starting at the entrance and working his way deeper, Colin Strickland will show photos and videos of the commonly encountered organisms found in Central Texas caves. Join us to see Colin "shedding light" on organisms underground, from a pseudoscorpion hunting food to animal fun at cave entrances. (43:11) Download a copy (296 MB)
Colin Strickland is a second-generation caver; his NSS number is 24000 since his dad "kind of cheated" when he was offered the number before Colin was born. He works at the City of Austin Balcones Canyonlands Preserve as a cave biologist. One of his main goals is to shed light on Central
Texas cave organisms through photography and videography.
Education:
Master of Applied Geography - Geographic Information Science, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, 2016
Bachelor of Science, Biology - Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, University of Texas, Austin, TX, 2010
Certificate, Applied Multimedia Technology - Visual Communication & Design, Austin Community College, Austin, TX, 2005
Check out Colin Strickland's Youtube channel Biosubterranea: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQFvoKJbPjTF1-HiTrSfugg
Our Race With Coronavirus: Part 5
Variants, Immunity, and Boosters
Presented by: Dr. Hazel Barton
January 26, 2022
Dr. Hazel Barton, of the University of Akron, and a very active caver, presents an update about the Coronavirus and its variants.
Dr. Hazel Barton's research is geared toward understanding microbial interactions and adaptations to nutrient-limitation, as experienced by ecosystems in deep subsurface cave environments (see Dr. Barton's cave science site). This work has has been funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and US National Park Service. The other research in the lab aims to understand the ecology and evolution of the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of the White-nose Syndrome epidemic in bats. This research is funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. (1:34:09) Download a copy (333 MB)
Hazel is also an avid caver, having explored caves on five continents. She is a past director of the NSS, the Quintana Roo Speleological Survey, and an award winning cave cartographer. Her cave research has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Forbes, National Geographic Explorer, Outside, Science News, Popular Mechanics, Wired, Geo and Smithsonian Magazine, among others.
Moon Diver: Descent into the
Ancient Lavas of the Moon
Presented by: Dr. Laura Kerber
June 10, 2021
In 2009, several deep volcanic collapse pits were discovered on the Moon by the Japanese spacecraft SELENE. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera subsequently captured high resolution oblique images of the pits, revealing that some of them opened into subterranean caverns, and that the walls of the pits exposed up to 40 meters of pristine lava stratigraphy.
The Moon Diver mission concept proposes to send an extreme terrain rover into one of these pits, rappelling down the wall to expose the history of the lunar mare, and to illuminate the workings of the flood basalt eruptions that created them: eruptions on a scale never before witnessed in the history of humankind.
This seminar will describe the science behind Moon Diver's goals, explain some of the engineering challenges that must be overcome to make it possible, and provide a window into how NASA mission concepts are developed from idea to reality. (53:09) Download a copy (265 MB)
Dr. Laura Kerber is a research scientist at JPL with interests in physical volcanology and extraterrestrial cave environments. Dr. Kerber holds two Masters Degrees, in Geology and Engineering, and a PhD in Geology from Brown University. She enjoys combining remote sensing, field work, and modeling, and working on the interface between the surface geology and planetary atmospheres. She is the Deputy Project Scientist of the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission and Principal Investigator of the Moon Diver Discovery mission concept.
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