The Science of Rock Climbing in the Lake Placid News
http://www.lakeplacidnews.com/page/content.detail/id/522040/Science-from-the-side-of-a-cliff.html?nav=5059
Science from the side of a cliff
August 15, 2014
LAKE PLACID - Students from the Lake Placid
Middle-High School got a chance for some hands-on learning in the
backcountry in late July.
The students took a rock climbing and science course
with Lake Placid guides Don Mellor and Michael Bauman. The course ran for
two weeks, with eight students participating each week.
The students were taken to some of the popular local
climbing locations, such as the cliffs near Chapel Pond and those on
Pitchoff Mountain near Cascade Lakes, and taught the basics of the activity.
In addition, the students learned general concepts about physics, including
gravity, energy transfer through rope and anchor systems and friction,
through field tests. They also learned some geology.
Climbing guide and mechanical engineer Michael Bauman
teaches Lake Placid middle school students.
"It's a fun way to learn science, and it really
brings it to life," said Lake Placid principal Theresa Lindsay. "It's
actually twofold. One is that it brings science to life for kids. Two, it
gets them out into what this area has to offer, and a lot of these kids
that are doing this would never have that opportunity."
Lindsay said the idea for the course came from a
team-building session for middle school students last September. The activity
for the session and the activity was rock climbing. Around that time, Lindsay
started talking to Bauman, who led the session and mentioned that he has done a
science and rock climbing program for students in Vermont. The program is called
Adventure-Science.
When the Lake Placid schools recently received a Science
Technology Engineering and Math grant, Lindsay came back to Bauman and asked him
to teach the course here.
In addition to being a guide for High Peaks Mountain
Guides in Lake Placid, Bauman works as engineering consultant. He earned his
master's degree in mechanical engineering from Rochester Institute of
Technology. Bauman has more than 17 years of experience developing and testing
products in various industries, including semiconductor manufacturing,
industrial equipment and military weapons.
"(The program) gets them outside and teaches them a lot
more than just the physics or the science of it because they have to work
together as a groups," Bauman said. "We work on planning and safety, and we talk
about conservation of the outdoors, environment. We bring a lot of different
elements into it. So overall, I think it's a great learning experience for
them."
Eddie Orsi, who is just 11 years old, said he enjoyed
himself during the course.
"I think it was fun," he said. "When we first were doing
a real cliff, I freaked out because I didn't know I was afraid of heights until
that moment."
Orsi said he was up about 50 feet at that point and was
nervous. Over the week, he overcame his fear of heights. In the process, he said
he learned some basics about rock climbing and also about friction and erosion.
He said he was glad he participated in the program.
Student Tony Matos, 14, said he learned about G-forces.
"We'd fall and the rope would catch us, and we'd see how
many Gs we'd generate," he said. "We also learned about friction and how the
rocks can tear apart the ropes as well as friction with the belayers."
Mellor is an English teacher at Northwood School in Lake
Placid and is also the author of numerous rock climbing guidebooks. He was
encouraged by the way the students supported each other during the exercises.
"I think it's got really good potentially," he said.
"Obviously, the people who are good at things learn by doing it. All of the
achievers learned by doing - by getting out there and getting their hands dirty.
So science with a piece of chalk is different from science when you're
(rappelling) off a cliff. Physics takes on a different meaning."
|
