Week 2 - The Rock store

This was a week of meeting new people. I had the pleasure of meeting Charles Polk who is the founder of the Martian Trust - https://martiantrust.org - he has high hopes that in time research settlements will become more common place on Mars. This project was just launched last week and I am excited to see where it goes.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Christine Woods who is the founder of a group called 'Girls Mean Business'. She is very passionate about empowering girls to embrace the world of STEM and engage in the wonderful ideas they have - http://www.girlsmeanbusiness.nz

I mustered some bravery of my own in order to walk in on some students working in the labs to introduce myself. I helped find plankton with a microscope and attended a 'coastal seminar' where I met a team of enthusiastic academics who are studying ocean acidification and the effects of waves on small islands. I absolutely loved listening to the questioning that they happily threw at each other and pride the students had in their research projects.

Kathy and I also took a trip out to the University's rock storage unit. This is a fantastic unit where the very enthusiastic Neville collates the items that have been used for study in the past - http://www.env.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/our-school/facilities-and-resources/geological-collections.html

I got to hold Moa bones, assembly Kiwi bones, size myself up against the biggest mussel fossil I've ever seen and marvel over a fantastic Lava Bomb. Neville was full of knowledge and was very patient as I oohed and ahhed over the sparkly rocks. I saw a cross section of a stalagmite, it was beautiful to see the growth marks - a bit like tree rings.

We collected these rocks for a lesson at Kowhai next week. I'm excited for the opportunity my students are going to receive through this partnership.

Lastly, I attended a field trip for a 200 level EARTHSCI paper. We went out to Mathesons bay where there is an abundance of opportunity to see the history of the area in the rocks. I was amazed to see the fossils and learn about the history through the differences in each rock type. I engaged with some of the students, a couple of which really knew what they were talking about. They were mapping the area and its different rock forms for an assignment later in the semester.

My reflection point for this week has been around embracing the different learning styles that I am now surrounded by. I am loving the enthusiasm that emanates from my colleagues and from the students. My host has introduced me to a bunch of people who - plainly put - LOVE WHAT THEY DO. They are so comfortable questioning each other and in return have the answers ready to share back. I would love to have that openness in my classrooms.