Anna Ruth Halberstadt, a geoscience Ph.D. candidate from UMass Amherst, recently visited Winchester’s Acera School to share her research in sea level rise and sedimentology, and discuss her upcoming expedition to Antarctica.
Halberstadt led the elementary school students in a discussion about the importance of Antarctica as an international research station, the species that live there, and the science-based activities — including mapping the seafloor and studying sediment cores — that she will conduct during her expedition.
Throughout her three-month journey, Halberstadt will be in regular contact with students via Skype, and will visit Acera School again upon her return in May, according to Acera teacher Elena Rossen.
“The kids were so engaged, and asked excellent questions,” said Rossen. “We are incorporating the topics that Halberstadt discussed into our learning throughout the year, including climate science, geoscience, natural history, physics, statistics, biology, and international relations.”
Founded in 2010, Acera is a non-profit STEM school serving high-ability students in grades K-8. The school engages students in individualized, inquiry-based learning that is designed around their passions and aligned with their own abilities. In addition to K-8 education, Acera offers daily after-school enrichment programs as well as February, April, and summer vacation camps. For more information, visit aceraschool.org.
