This program is one of two stories to model how scientific data can be used to build explanations of events. It is the fictional, but not impossible, story of a penguin feather found by a beach clean up crew in San Francisco. The concept of thermally driven ocean currents is explored. Using the ocean conveyor belt data set and the wind-driven currents data set, visitors are encouraged to refine their predictions. An actual possible path for the penguin feather is then revealed. Finally, visitors view a simulation of a particle moving around the ocean over hundreds of years and learn that there is really only one ocean.
The program sets up the story of the shoe spill and encourages initial predictions. Next, the concept of wind-driven ocean currents is explored. Using the wind-driven ocean currents dataset on the SOS, visitors then refine their predictions. Finally, the actual locations where the shoes were found is revealed.
The second story is The Hansa Carrier's Lost Shoes, the true story of the spill of a container of Nike shoes into the Pacific Ocean.
There are individual docent-led programs for each of the stories with demonstrations, as well as a school workshop version that includes both stories with hands-on activities. Each docent-led program is accompanied by a physical demonstration that, together with the SOS presentation, forms a 20 minute facilitator-led presentation. These presentations are docent-friendly and position the docent as storyteller and faciliator as visitors try to work out the mysteries, rather than as experts on ocean currents. Each docent presentation includes an introductory video setting up the mystery that is narrated. The school workshop version tells both stories and the demonstrations become hands-on activities conducted at several stations around SOS. A corresponding autorun movie that includes both stories is also available.
Science On a Sphere
