Open House 2004 - Program

Open House Map (PDF download - 1.86 MB)

Saturday, October 9, 2004
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Located on a 157-acre campus on the Hudson River, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) is the only research center in the world examining the planet from its core to its outermost atmosphere, across every continent and every ocean. From global climate change to earthquakes, volcanoes, shrinking natural resources, environmental hazards and beyond, LDEO scientists continue to provide the basic knowledge of Earth systems that must inform the wise stewardship of our planet.

For their safety, please note that it is essential that children be supervised at all times.

Bus from Morningside Heights
The bus departs for LDEO from 118th Street and Amsterdam Avenue at 9:30, 10:00, 11:00, and 11:30 a.m. Buses leave for 118th Street and Amsterdam Avenue from LDEO at 2:00, 2:30, 3:30, and 4:00 p.m.

Shuttle Bus from IBM Conference Center, Route 9W
People arriving in cars or vans should park at the IBM Conference Center on Route 9W just north of the LDEO campus. Shuttle buses are provided from and to the parking lot continuously from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. All shuttle buses arrive to and depart from the Geoscience Building at LDEO. Persons with special needs should contact the LDEO Development Office at 845-365-8634.

LDEO Alumni Information
All LDEO faculty, staff, and student alumni are invited to a special hospitality suite in the Lamont Hall Seminar Room, open all day. A general meeting of the Alumni Association will be held in Lamont Hall from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m

TENT #1 /WELCOME TENT
(in front of bus stop near Geoscience Building)

Receive Open House programs and campus maps here. Also at this tent:

Walking Tours
Sign up for walking tours of the LDEO campus. This outside walking tour is on paved roads and sidewalks with some moderate inclines. The 45-minute tours, limited to groups of 20 people, depart from the front of Geoscience at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Hiking Tour: The History of Eastern US Tree-Ring Analysis
Aspects of forest ecology, climate change and tree-ring analysis in the Eastern US will be discussed. The primary goal of the hike is to introduce you to our outdoor laboratory, the forest, and how we use trees to study environmental history. The hike is approximately one hour in length, depending on the amount of discussion generated. Bring good shoes, an appetite to learn and energy for the hike!  The hiking tour, limited to groups of 15, departs from the front of Geoscience at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Become an Earth Observer! (Children's Activity)
Become an Earth Observer by exploring LDEO's exhibit tents and answering questions on our earth science quiz. Complete your quiz and come back to the Welcome Tent for a special prize!

GEOSCIENCE BUILDING, ROOM 204
Center for International Earth Science Information Network - CIESIN
CIESIN, part of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, is actively engaged in a number of research areas that address the impacts of human activities and institutional arrangements on the environment, and in turn, the ways in which environmental change affects human health and welfare. Visitors can use our Web-based mapping tools to examine the Environmental Sustainability Index. View our Gridded Population of the World (GPW) map to see how crowded our location is compared to the rest of the world. (Group size is limited.)

TENT #2 /CORE REPOSITORY/ HUDSON RIVER RESEARCH (Children's Activity)
Biology and Paleo Environment and Marine Geology and Geophysics Divisions
(across from Core Lab)

Deep Sea Sediments
LDEO's Deep Sea Sample Repository stores sediment cores from every major ocean and sea around the world. The deep-ocean bottom cores tell us many things about Earth’s history, and what is going on now. Examine the sediment and learn the stories these cores have to tell.

Hudson River Research
Explore highlights of LDEO's ongoing research on the Hudson River. Learn what is an estuary and how it works- making your own "mini" estuary. Examine recently completed maps of the river bottom showing differing sedimentary environments. See how contaminants would spread in the estuary. Examine core samples from the Hudson that reveal changes in salinity levels, impacts of the brick industry, and surges in oyster colonies.

Coral skeletons (Children's Activity)
Come and see how tropical corals can tell us about droughts and river floods in the past. Under UV light, bright lines, reminiscent of tree-rings, appear in the skeletons of coral from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. These are a visual diary of the timing, length and intensity of the wet season rains and the number of river floods that reach the reef. Since these coral
colonies can live for centuries you will be able to see rainfall patterns from the time of the American revolution and compare them to today.

TENT #3/ SEISMOLOGY, GEOLOGY & TECTONOPHYSICS
(near Seismology building)

Faults and Fault Rocks
Faults break rocks, cause earthquakes, offset geological features, and lead to the development of mountain ranges. This display illustrates faults and fault rocks in the context of ongoing research aimed at understanding how they develop.

Global Disaster Hotspots: Managing Natural Disaster Risks
Global Studies and Local Examples
Earthquakes, floods, landslides, severe storms and other natural hazards cause massive disruptions. Scientists have analyzed historic records of natural hazards and have identified the regions and countries most at risk. This information can be used to design effective natural hazard risk management strategies and prioritize their application throughout the world.

Demonstration of Space Geodetic Methods
See demonstrations of GPS (Global Positioning System), real time navigation and positioning and how it tracks the motion of the North American Tectonic Plate.

Lectures and demonstrations by scientists from the Seismology, Geology and Tectonophysics division:

Seismology Building, Seminar Room, 2^nd floor

Lamont-Doherty Cooperative Seismographic Network
Seismology Building, Room 201
See a demonstration of the modern, real-time seismographic network for the East coast. A computer display will show real-time seismic signals coming in from around the world. Learn about earthquakes in the Northeastern U.S. and view the LCSN web page (http://www.LDEO.columbia.edu/LCSN) for images of recent earthquake activity. (Group size is limited.)

Rock Touching Room
Seismology Building, Room 214 -- (Children's Activity)
Touch and examine rocks and minerals from around the world. Kids love them.

MARINE BIOLOGY BUILDING
Room 1A
Marine Life: From Shore to Sea
See aquatic life under our microscopes.

Room 3
The Spectroradiometer
Demonstrations on the measurement of ocean color and the principles of satellite remote sensing of ocean biology.

TENT #4 / FOOD TENT
(near Marine Biology Building)
Purchase sandwiches, beverages, and other delectable edibles.

TENT #5/ GEOCHEMISTRY (Children's Activity/HS)
(in front of Geochemistry)

Groundwater Flow and Transport
LDEO scientists study how water and pollutants move in the ground. They have also developed a K-12 curriculum in collaboration with NYC school teachers centered around interactive sandtanks, which visitors may explore. For more information visit
http://research.radlab.columbia.edu/emsi/edout.

The Solid Earth Cycle
In the last half-century, earth scientists have related dynamic processes, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, to the motions of large tectonic plates on Earth's surface. Rocks bear witness to this cycle, recording the birth of new ocean floor, volcanoes and mountain ranges, as well as their destruction. Come see and touch these rocks for yourself and understand how their creation can be a window into the deep Earth.

Lake Vostok, Antarctica
Lake Vostok, Antarctica - Buried under 2.5 miles of ice in the heart of the Antarctic continent lies Lake Vostok, one of the world's largest freshwater lakes. For some 25 million years the Lake has been covered by an ice sheet and isolated from the atmosphere. Located in 1996 by European satellite imagery, it is the focus of international research. LDEO is using radar data and GPS measurements to understand the dynamics of the water exchange system of the Lake.

GEOCHEMISTRY BUILDING

LDEO's Clean Chemistry Lab
Room 6

Mass Spectrometer Lab
Room 18
Tour the clean lab where trace elements are separated from rock samples under ultra-clean conditions, and then onto the mass spectrometer lab, where isotope ratios are measured on samples as small as a billionth of a gram. LDEO staff will demonstrate the uses of mass spectrometry in the earth sciences to determine ages of samples, to trace geological processes, and to investigate the history of our planet. (Group size is limited.)

TENT #6 / OCEAN AND CLIMATE PHYSICS (Children's Activity)
(next to Oceanography Building)

Climate Phenomena
Investigate the physics of climate phenomena in the atmosphere and oceans and how changes affect the environment. View tank experiments modeling some of the amazing processes found in oceans and the atmosphere.

Pollutants in Science
Chlorofluorocarbon gases, which have been released to the atmosphere from refrigerators and factories, enter the surface water of the ocean. In high latitude regions, surface waters are made very dense by cooling, and sink beneath the warmer near surface water at lower latitudes. This is demonstrated by a tank experiment and by showing chlorofluorocarbon distributions measured in the deep ocean.

Salt Water Tasting Contest
Collect water from an oceanographic water sampler, test your taste buds and see how you fare against modern oceanographic instruments in the Saltwater Tasting Contest.

OCEANOGRAPHY BUILDING
Lectures and demonstrations by scientists from the Ocean and Climate Physics division:
Room 104

Movies and Climate-Kids Corner (Children's Activity)
Room 105
Short movies from research cruises to Antarctica provide impressions of the landscape, work on board the ship and the amazing ice. Research the climate with interactive activities. (Group size is limited.) http://ocp.ldeo.columbia.edu/open_house

Lectures and demonstrations by scientists from the Marine Geology and Geophysics division:
Room 108

TENT #7/ CICAR AND WILDLIFE TRUST

CICAR
CICAR, the Cooperative Institute for Climate Applications and Research is a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Columbia University. CICAR brings together scientists from NOAA Laboratories, most notably the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey and scientists of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, primarily the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York, to advance climate research, education and outreach.

Wildlife Trust
Visit the headquarters of this conservation science organization working to protect nature and safeguard ecosystem and human health in partnership with scientists and educators worldwide. Discuss with Trust scientists the "New York Bioscape Initiative," which works to conserve species and habitats in the New York City metropolitan region.

TENT #8 / INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR CLIMATE PREDICTION AND TROPICAL AGRICULTURE
(in front of Monell Building)

See the latest forecasts of El Niño and next season's climate and learn how they are made; learn how information about the climate can help people make better decisions; discover why hunger remains a serious problem in many parts of the world; and hear about recent climate variations and their impacts on people.

Rockland County Rainfall and Drought
An analysis of the historical rainfall record reveals that drought emergencies in Rockland County relate as much to increasing population and demand for water as they do to deficient rainfall. Drought conditions comparable to those of 1995, 1999 and 2001 can be expected at intervals of three to five years.

TENT #9 / MARINE AFFAIRS
(near Tree Ring Lab)
The next 15 years of Excellence in Research at Sea: LDEO begins Conversion and Operation of NSF's newest Research Vessel.

TENT #10 / ACADEMIC RESOURCES (High School Students' Exhibits)
(next to Tree Ring Lab)

DEES
Talk to representatives from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences to learn about pursuing a degree or an internship program in the earth sciences at Columbia University. High school students who would like advice about how to best take advantage of Open House should come here.

Undergraduate Admissions
Members of the Columbia University Office of Undergraduate Admissions will be available to discuss admission requirements and undergrad opportunities in the sciences. An information session reviewing the application process and undergraduate opportunities at Columbia will occur in Monell Auditorium at 2:00 p.m.

Earth2Class
"E2C" is a unique professional development program designed to improve the knowledge, teaching and technology skills of middle and high school science educators. The E2C Team provides theme-related content information, curriculum activities, technology integration and educational resources. For more information, this year's schedule and registration, go to www.earth2class.org.

DLESE
Preview the Digital Library for Earth Science Systems (DLESE) - an essential tool for any science teacher. Online tour provided.

TENT #11 / GIFT SHOP
Purchase LDEO t-shirts, baseball caps, mugs and more!

TENT #12­ / BATHTUB SCIENCE (Children's Activity)
(in front of Tree Ring Lab)
Feel how a bathtub full of cornstarch and water can be used to understand the dynamics of the solid Earth.

Research Greenhouse Laboratory (Children's Activity)
Biology and Paleo Environment Division
Plant a seed. Take it home. Watch it grow. Graduate students will provide pots, seeds and soil and help children plant a seed that they can take it home and watch it grow, just as we do in our research greenhouse.

Tree Ring Laboratory -- (Children's Activity)
Biology and Paleo Environment Division
Dendrochronology is the science of analyzing annual growth rings of old trees to learn about past environmental changes. Each ring is like a chapter in a history book that records what trees have experienced in their lifetimes. There are many applications of tree-ring analysis that assist scientists in myriad disciplines, including climatology (e.g., El Niño, droughts, and global warming), earthquake history, archaeology, forestry, fire, history, art history and even law. View tree core collections from around the world and discover the many ways in which tree ring scientists gather, interpret and use tree ring information to unfold history.

TENT #13 / BOREHOLE RESEARCH GROUP
Marine Geology and Geophysics Division
(in front of Borehole)
Discover the world of downhole logging, where scientists unlock the mysteries of our planet by deploying an assortment of geophysical tools in holes drilled deep into Earth's crust, both on land and beneath the ocean.

TENT #14 / DINOSAURS (Children's Activity)
Biology and Paleo Environment Division
(Northeast of Borehole Building)
Dinosaurs once ruled the very ground that LDEO occupies today. Examine the beginning of the age of dinosaurs in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania through the research of an LDEO paleobiologist. Visitors will see local fossils from 200 million years ago, including those of dinosaurs and their contemporaries, and exhibits describing the unique geological setting and history of our region.

TENT #15 / WHERE ARE WE? (Children's Activity)
Marine Geology and Geophysics Division
(near apple orchard)

Spatial Skills/Map Skills Challenge
This interactive software helps elementary-school aged children learn to read maps.

Field Geologist's Challenge
Pretend you are a field geologist by visiting simulated rock outcrops to figure out the shape of a buried geological structure.

TENT #16/ LDEO CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER (Children's Activity)
(across from Lamont Hall)
Hands-on activities for young children. Information about on-site childcare in Bright Horizons daycare center.

Earth Science Lectures
Monell Auditorium

Columbia students will be available before and after the undergraduate admissions lecture to talk about their work and answer questions.

Underwritten in part by a generous grant from:

Last Updated 10/5/2004