Elementary School: Messy Discoveries
SCI-90033
Students will conduct messy and noisy experiments as they investigate glaciers, volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides, permafrost, sea level rise and tsunamis. We will make slime-like “flubber” to model glacier movement and create a landscape in a box to simulate the destructive power of earthquakes and tsunamis. Students will also observe lava flow in a volcano fueled by baking soda and vinegar. These and other fun, hands-on experiments provide an engaging introduction to geology, seismology, oceanography and other branches of Earth science.
What you'll learn
- Learn about glaciers, volcanoes, earthquakes and other Earth science phenomena through messy experiments.
- Gain a basic understanding of a variety of phenomena in Earth science.
- Model the movement of a glacier using “flubber”.
- Use water and ice to simulate ice-ocean interactions.
- Create a landscape in a box and then model the effects of earthquakes and tsunamis.
- Observe a model volcano during an eruption caused by combining baking soda and vinegar.
- Learn about the forces that cause landslides.
- Investigate how sea level rise affects salinity.
Course Information
Course sessions
Section ID:
Class type:
All class meetings held in-person according to published location, dates and times. Students may be expected to engage with course content online during the published course dates.
Textbooks:
All course materials are included unless otherwise stated.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 5/31/2025
- 1st meeting mandatory
- Early enrollment advised
- No UCSD parking permit required
- No visitors permitted
Schedule:
| Date | Day | Start | End | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/7/2025 | Mon | 1:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | UCSD Division of Extended Studies University City Center, 6256 Greenwich Drive, San Diego |
| 7/8/2025 | Tue | 1:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | UCSD Division of Extended Studies University City Center, 6256 Greenwich Drive, San Diego |
| 7/9/2025 | Wed | 1:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | UCSD Division of Extended Studies University City Center, 6256 Greenwich Drive, San Diego |
| 7/10/2025 | Thu | 1:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | UCSD Division of Extended Studies University City Center, 6256 Greenwich Drive, San Diego |
| 7/11/2025 | Fri | 1:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | UCSD Division of Extended Studies University City Center, 6256 Greenwich Drive, San Diego |
Instructor:
Sasha Carter
BS in Earth Science, PhD in Geological Science,
Dr. Sasha Peter Carter (he/his/him) joined Sally Ride Science Junior Academy in 2016 to create the kinds of science classes he always wished existed – classes that emphasize direct, hands-on interactions with physical science phenomena; classes that get students doing science in the first 15 minutes; classes that foster a collaborative learning community; classes that put students in the driver's seat and give them ownership over their discoveries. His Junior Academy instruction began with Messy Science in 2016 and now includes five different workshops. Sasha brings to the classroom eight years of post-doctoral research in Antarctic water systems and more than five years of teaching students of all ages. When he's not working for Sally Ride Science, he’s teaching Earth science at local colleges and exploring the natural wonders around us.
