SLEUTh Academy

The theme at Eagle Point Elementary this year is Mapping the Curriculum: Eagle Point Charts the Way. With this in mind I have come up with seven super SLEUTh scientists that have used maps and charts in their fields of science. These scientists represent all the general areas of science (STRANDS, in standards speak) we will cover this year.

Here they are – the seven team names for the 2006-2007 Science Lab at Eagle Point Elementary:

• Ben Franklin (1706-1790): Mapping weather and mapping the gulf stream. The first Postmaster General for the USA and overall great statesman and scientist.
• Galileo Galilei (1564-1642): Mapping the stars (constellations) and the moon phases. A great physicist and inventor of the telescope.
• J. Craig Venter (b. 1946): Mapping the human genome – Dr. Venter was determined to do this faster and cheaper than everyone else so he used science to divide up a HUGE map into smaller pieces that could be figured out all at the same time. This map will be used to help understand and cure diseases today and in the future.
• Robert Ballard (b. 1942): Mapping to explore the ocean floor. Dr. Ballard’s most famous find in the ocean was the wreck of the Titanic. He invented robotic submarines to help in his quest.
• Richard Axel (b. 1946) and Linda Buck (b. 1947): Drs. Axel and Buck won the 2004 Nobel Prize in Medicine for mapping the olfactory system – how the brain and nose work together to tell if something is stinky or sweet.
• Meave (b. 1942) and Louise (b. 1972) Leakey: This mother and daughter team is the latest in a long line of Leakey family members mapping the history of humans as fossil hunters in Africa.
• Charles (1928-2005) and Ralph (b. 1957) Keeling: This father and son team is mapping carbon dioxide and oxygen in the atmosphere. Dr. Charles Keeling was the first to notice a dramatic carbon dioxide rise that has since been linked to global climate change – also known as global warming.

It was tough limiting it to seven – so let me know what you think. Did I forget a favorite scientist?