Justin gives a 'Double Thumbs Up' for the geoscience concept presentations by all the scientists.

Rudiger Gens takes the participants infront of the Geophysical Institute for a hands-on training on the use of GPS units.

Participants record their first 'way point' location on a lovely summer afternoon in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Back in the building, Dr. Gens introduces 'geospatial data' and helps participant plot their GPS locations on Goggle Earth.

Introducing the participants to the power of 3-D for geoscience data visualization.

Rainer Newberry uses a stream table to demonstrate surface water movement and sediment transport.

Lisa Leeper carefully draws contour lines and learns about topogrpahic mapping.

Rainer reads out the results of a quick X-Ray Fluoresence (XRF) analysis carried out on a ring that Francis thought was made of 'pure' gold.

Group photo near the Ester mine, Alaska. Cold and rainy - no problems. We do not let weather come in the way of a field trip.

Overview of the Rock Creek Mine site infrastructure in Nome, Alaska.

Children dressed in reflecting vests and hard hats, first learn of mining safety regulations .

With the help of a model they learn about the entire gold mining operation.

Heavy machines in operation at the mine site. It is important to know what it takes to get to the final prize.

On way to the mine site. Vast wilderness is common, despite being close to the western hub of the State of Alaska.

Children come prepared to learn and take detail notes to later use in their digital stories.

Reflective thinking in the fresh open landscape of Alaska.

Mining is the economic base for the local population. Alaska has a growing need for teachnical and non-technical workforce.

A very happy group of students pose for a photograph with the mining experts.

Location is so important. Students record their location using a GPS and a local map projection system.

Transportation is a challenge in Alaska!!

We work hard to reduce our energy bills. Also we improvise and adapt (notice the wheels of the truck in the foreground).

Learning about map projections, topographic sheets, aerial photo interpretation, and the advantage of using many information sources.

So - do the heavy mineral really settle down? Let's test it out.

Brittle and ductile materials do behave very differently. We now understand more obout weathering than ever before.

Rainer working one-on-one with students, giving every child the oportunity to explore.

Sea level shown in flourescent PINK!! Hmm - Bizarre - but COOl. And we get the point.

So that's how gold got travelled long distances.

We had seen hiilly areas and some of us had seen topgraphic maps. But now we can make the connection.

We can even spot the gold.

We just can't have enough. The shape of our rivers now make more sense after this demonstration.

A closer look reaveals a lot more.

Rainer is so good at explaining the details of what we see. Every rock, every particle has its owns story.

Jason Ohler explains on what it takes to build a good story.

We are enjoying being a part of this project.

Francis shares his experience with the children. Coming from the same region and cuture, children naturally relate to him.

We get to include technology too. I can definitely handle this.

In front of the green screen. That's how they do the weather reports on the news too.

It's my chance to tell my story now.

Children as writers, actors, camera operators, producers, and directors.

We appreciate your help Jason. The learning curve here is steep!

Together we can make this happen.