IIT Architecture Students visit Tumamoc

We had architecture students visiting from the Illinois Institute of Technology at Tumamoc today. Dr. Susy Fish gave them a tour of the villages at the top of the Hill. Dr. Owen Davis gave them a tour of the USGS dirt lab and his soon-to-be relocated to Tumamoc Pollen Lab.  I showed the the remaining buildings and gave a brief history of the founding of the Desert Laboratory.  The students were in town to visit Tumamoc as part of their theoretical design proposal for an Education and Visitor’s Center. We also visited their theoretical project site at the base of the Hill.

Manzo Geology Class

We had two geology classes this week. Students from Drachman Montessori and Manzo Elementary came to Tumamoc. To see photos from the Drachman Montessori visit, please click here.  Below are photos from Manzo Elementary.

Our simulated volcanic eruption using diet coke and mentos worked today!  Here’s the video:

Walk Sentinel Peak!

Walk “A” Mountain in Sentinel Peak Park – Tumamoc’s sister peak!
First Fridays of every month, 6 a.m.

Do you love walking Tumamoc? Would you like to find a place near Tumamoc to walk when Tumamoc is closed to walkers? – Tumamoc is closed for University of Arizona research between the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday but open on weekends.

Diana Rhoades of City Councilor Regina Romero’s office will lead a walk every first Friday at 6 a.m. Round trip distance is approximately 3.5 miles (Tumamoc is 3 miles) with approximately 600 foot elevation gain on trails and roads (Tumamoc is approximately 800 foot elevation gain). Please wear sturdy shoes because although the trails are good, they are rocky. It’s partially on the road and partially on trails. It takes between 1 hour and 1 hour and 15 minutes, depending on speed.

Parking:
Park at Corrales Menlo on W. Grande – the horse stables about ½ mile south of W. Congress on the West side of Grande in a dirt lot (this is not a public lot). We’ll walk to the top of the A and back down alternating between roads and trails.

Directions:
We’ll walk from the dirt lot west on a horse trail between houses and the gravel pit – heading toward Sentinel Peak Park Road. Head Left on this road (also called Cuesta) and walk up the road just past the first, lower parking lot. When you see the big sign that says Sentinel Peak Park, walk toward it and onto a trail behind it that heads toward Tumamoc Hill (Sentinel Ridge Trail). This ½ mile trail winds around and ends at Sentinel Peak Park road again where the loop road intersects.

Walk against the down traffic (there won’t be any traffic because the road is closed until 8 a.m.) to the top parking lot. At the southeast corner of the parking lot road there is a sandy entrance to another trail (a new trail created by Ward 1 and Southwest Conservation Corps volunteers). Head east on the trail that winds to the “A”. Head up the “A” to the top of Sentinel Peak. Head down the mountain on a new trail that winds around to the other side of the “A” (where the cars park). Take Sentinel Peak Road against traffic back to where the loop road intersects again. Now look east to a trail near the garbage can. You will walk on this dirt trail back to the gravel pit and the Corrales Menlo (horses).

Geology Classs

Dr. Jessica Kapp lead today’s class on the Geology of Tumamoc. Students quickly learned some tips for becoming a geologists. Then we went outside to  practice the methods of geologists, students infer information from rocks, group rocks, and share drawings and explanations found at Tumamoc. Using the rock hammers was a big hit, as you might well imagine!

 

 

 

Back in the classroom,we discussed the observation and thoughts about the rocks we found and how we thought Tumamoc formed. Dr. Jessica Kapp continued her presentation on plate tectonics and volcanoes. Students studied the different rock types (focusing on igneous rocks), and learned to distinguish between intrusive and extrusive rocks.

 

 

After learning about the different rock types, and when these rock types formed, student then looked at rocks containing ancient fossils and dinosaur bones to understand the geological history of the Tucson Basin.

 

 

 

Volunteer at the Tucson Festival of Books – Science City!

Tucson Festival of Books is taking place on the University of Arizona Campus March 10th-11th, 9:00am-5:30pm daily. The UA College of Science and Bio5 Institute have partnered to offer a diverse array of hands-on science activities and exhibits, called the Tucson Festival of Books: Science City. Multiple thematic tents and stages spanning the exciting world of science and technology will engage visitors of all ages as they experience the connection between their daily lives and advances of science in venues such as the Brain & Body, Science of Food, Natural World, Space and Light, and many others.

How can you be part of this exciting event? Volunteer! Be a part of bringing the world of science to our community by volunteering in Science City at this year’s Tucson Festival of Books! We need volunteers to help with all aspects of Science City. There are a variety of  volunteer jobs available.

Training will be provided for volunteers at the Science City Volunteer Orientations. To make sure you are prepared and feel comfortable for your role(s), it is expected that all volunteers attend one of the two scheduled Orientations. Science City Volunteer Orientations will be held at UA Flandrau Science Center at the following times:

Thursday, March 1st, 5:30pm-7:00pm (It’s not too late to attend!)
Thursday, March 8th, 5:30pm-7:00pm

How do I sign up to volunteer at Science City? Send an email to Kellee Hanson, kelleeh@email.arizona.edu. Please include the following information in your email:
• Your name
• Your email address
• Your phone number
• Volunteer job(s) of your choice
• Day(s) and time(s) of preferred shift(s)
• The date of which Science City Volunteer Orientation you plan to attend

Volunteer jobs are filling quickly, so make sure to sign up by emailing Kellee Hanson as soon as possible!

 

 

Investigating Artifacts

We held two classes last week that focused on our new archaeology class: Investigating Artifacts: Uncovering the Past through Middens.

After a presentation that covered the Two Villages of Tumamoc Hill, student got to work excavating their middens.

The science of archaeology often focuses on old village sites known as “middens”. Middens are deposits that people have left behind, the remains of settlements, the “garbage dumps” of long lost communities. In this session, students examined “middens” representing sites of prehistoric Hohokam people at Tumamoc. After a demonstration of the procedures that will be used to excavate the site, teams of students acted as archaeologists working together to excavate objects from the layers of the soil in shoe box “middens”.

Students learn that materials discarded or lost by people long ago can provide valuable clues for reconstructing a picture of an earlier culture. While practicing the methods of archaeologists, students infer information from objects, group objects, and share drawings and explanations from clues of the past.

The kids had such a great time uncovering treasure, they completely forgot they were excavating shoe boxes! The photos below are of the Manzo Elementary students. To see the Drachman Montessori student photos, click here.

Vail High School – Agave Class

Juniors and seniors from Vail High School joined us today for a class on Cultural History and Archaeology. We examined objects made out of agave fibers and native food products. In the experimental archaeology area, they then created a rock terrace and planted agaves, using traditional rock tools just like the native people did. It took them fifteen minutes to construct a ten-foot long rock terrace and plant five agaves – excellent job!

 

 

 

I wanted to see how long it would take the students to dig a ten-foot by ten-foot roasting pit using stone tools…but only a couple of students were up for it!