By Jeannie Briones, Tulalip News staff
TULALIP, Wash. – Every Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club, kids ages 8-12 learn about undersea exploration. On January 9th, the kids enjoyed an educational video called the “Return to the Titanic”, which was shown in the Club’s immersion room.
“It’s impressive to see how much the kids remember from lesson to lesson and how much they retain and get excited to come back and share what they remember. Lessons are very different; some are science experiments, art base, and games,” said Christina Gahringer, Director of Education Technology for the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club.
The movie takes place 12,500 feet below sea level and explores the Titanic, whose wreckage was discovered by Dr. Robert Ballard in 1985. Christina showed three video clips, after each clip she get kids to participate by asking questions. The video provides information on how state of the art robots, like the Hercules and Argus, work hand-in-hand, and how Hercules excavates and transmits images back from the site of the wreckage.
The Hercules is a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that maneuvers in difficult areas under sea. The ROV has the capability to take images from a high definition video camera and can lift up to 600 pounds.
The Argus is also a ROV and is attached to the Hercules with a 100ft cable. Argus’s primary duty is to provide light to the Hercules. The Argus pumps 1200 watts of light at the bottom of the ocean.
The kids participated in a fun interactive activity using lines of string to demonstrate how information and images are relayed and filtered through the Hercules, Argus, and to surface ship.
For more information about Tuesday afternoon activities , please contact Christina Gahringer, Director of Education Technology at cgahringer@bgcsc.org.
Jeannie Briones: 360-716-4188; jbriones@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov