PINHEAD INSTITUTE: SCHOLARS IN THE SCHOOL

19 Feb PINHEAD INSTITUTE: SCHOLARS IN THE SCHOOL

Pinhead welcomes Dr. John Steinberg to our regional schools

Throughout the school year, the Pinhead Institute brings internationally renowned scientists into our regional schools with our Scholars in the Schools program. These acclaimed scientists lead labs, experiments, workshops, and field expeditions for students in grade school through high school. The initiative enables students from rural communities throughout the region to have the opportunity to interact with PhD scientists from around the world specializing in everything from nanoscience, to biochemistry, field biology, climatology, and much more.

Since its inception, the Pinhead Institute has placed over 50 scientists in our regional schools through Scholars in the Schools. During each academic school year, Pinhead places internationally renowned scientists in our regional schools, including Nucla, Norwood, Telluride, Ridgway, and Ouray, reaching over 2,000 students each year and exposing them to real-world applications of the scientific method.

In collaboration with teachers, the demonstrations and hands-on activities enhance the science curriculum, increase science awareness among students, stimulate scientific thinking, and put a human face on the scientific community. This coming week, Pinhead welcomes Dr. John Steinberg to town.

Dr. Steinberg is a Senior Scientist at the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research at UMass-Boston, where he directs a multi-year project in Northern Iceland to understand the formation of property rights during the Viking Age and after (AD 874-1700). Buildings from the Viking Age in Iceland were constructed out of turf and are now buried in deep wind-blown deposits. Their location makes them almost impossible to identify except through remote sensing. Dr. Steinberg uses GIS and shallow geophysics to study settlement patterns to understand broad trenches over the landscape.

Dr. Steinberg’s area of research spans both anthropology and archeology, melding history and science to better understand the ancient society he is currently studying. Dr. Steinberg will be on hand to teach student more about this connection between anthropology and archeology and how both are needed to understand how Vikings lived centuries ago. Dr. Steinberg also comes equipped with artifacts for students to handle to tactically understand how ancient tools have evolved into modern tools, such as the axe we still use to this day.

Learn more about Pinhead’s Scholars in the Schools program by visiting Pinhead’s website at www.pinheadinstitute.org.  There we provide more about the incredible scholars who work directly with our regional schools and how you can support this enriching program today to ensure our students stay excited and engaged by scientific discovery tomorrow.

Editor’s note: Images courtesy of Dr. John Steinberg and the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research