Shell Shocked: Engineering Solutions

• This video takes students into a NOAA Laboratory in Seattle and discusses ocean acidification and the challenge of measuring the global pH in the oceans.
• Students will learn about the competition sponsored by the XPrize Foundation to come up with an engineering solution to accurately capture the data.

Positives

• This video provides interviews with real scientists doing research to help quantify how acidic our oceans are becoming.
• It also provides inspiration for students who want to become scientists and engineers.
  

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with the terms ocean acidification and climate change.
  

Differentiation:

• From 1:25-2:38, there is a good animation of how carbon dioxide acidifies the ocean and a description of how much carbon we're putting into the ocean.
• Beginning at 4:20, the video discusses why ocean acidification is dangerous for marine organisms and compares it to our blood becoming acidic, which can be deadly.
• Engineering and science students can use this video as a hook for learning about green careers, the importance of data in science and technology, and connecting to topics such as the scientific method, data analysis, and innovations in science.
  

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.