Celebrate DEEPSEA CHALLENGE with National Geographic Education!

Filmmaker (Titanic, Avatar, Terminator) and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence James Cameron has become the first person to complete a solo journey to Challenger Deep, the terminus of the Mariana Trench, and the deepest known point on planet Earth at nearly 7 miles below sea level.

Although it’s more like 2 leagues than 20,000, the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE mission has the potential to bring mysteries of deep-ocean worlds to light for scientists, students, and dreamers alike. This incredible moment in the history of modern exploration is being reported by major news organizations around the world today (see stories on the New York Times and CNN), and the National Geographic Education team could not be more excited to share in the fervor.

As the educational outreach arm of the National Geographic Society, the organization sponsoring DEEPSEA CHALLENGE along with Rolex, we have developed a complete suite of materials to help teachers bring this scientific expedition to conduct deep-ocean research into their classrooms.  Here is a quick overview of the Nat Geo Education materials available.

DEEPSEA CHALLENGE - National Geographic Education_IE_crop.jpgNatGeoEd.org/deepsea-challenge
The main DEEPSEA CHALLENGE education hub features maps, multimedia, reference materials, and more.  Below is a list of five favorite resources:

Learn about important milestones in underwater exploration, including the sinking of the Titanic and the inventions of Jacques Cousteau, through photos, illustrations, and maps.

  • Marine Ecosystem Illustrations

Explore the flora and fauna of ocean environments–from coral reefs to the deep sea–with these collections of beautifully detailed illustrations for grades 3-5 and 9-12.

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What Lies Below…

What do you think National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence James Cameron will find in Challenger Deep at the bottom of the Mariana Trench? Mysterious creatures? Miraculous plants? A portal to a secret world?! We invite students to share their ideas in the comments section of the blog. We also welcome drawings or other creative visuals. Please email all artwork as attachments (e.g. JPEG, PDF) to NatGeoEd@ngs.org SUBJECT: … Continue reading What Lies Below…

Five Fast Facts About the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE

Wednesday’s post explained a bit about the new branding and direction for the National Geographic Education blog–look for more information about that in the coming months. More importantly for our current purposes, we also mentioned that we will be focusing on DEEPSEA CHALLENGE, a historic event in ocean exploration, over the coming weeks. If you recall, James Cameron announced to the world this past Wednesday that he will be setting off (or rather, down) in a solo submersible that will take him to the bottom of the ocean and the deepest known place on Earth: Challenger Deep, located in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.

DEEPSEACHALLENGE_logo_crop_475x300.jpgHere are five fast facts about the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition to digest as you’re brewing your morning coffee this Saturday–and then regurgitate during your evening cocktail hour to impress your friends (the facts, not the coffee–that would be gross).

Who
: National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and Hollywood film director James Cameron (Terminator, Titanic, Avatar). While the dive itself is a solo venture, a dedicated team of scientists and engineers will support Cameron.

What: The DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition is an attempt by James Cameron to explore the deepest part of the ocean. While at the bottom, Cameron will perform important scientific experiments and collect media (i.e. photos, video).

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Photo of James Cameron by Mark Thiessen, National Geographic

When: Right now! On Wednesday, March 7, James Cameron announced that he
would be attempting this great exploratory feat over the coming weeks.
We’ll be following along on the Nat Geo Education blog, as will the
larger National Geographic community. You can see the latest updates from the crew
at http://deepseachallenge.com/the-latest/.

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Welcome to the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE

What’s new in the deep blue? To those who are visiting the National Geographic Education blog for the first time, let us first say welcome and thanks for your interest in National Geographic Education! This blog is one of our primary means of communication with our audiences of teachers, students, and others interested in education–a virtual window into the National Geographic Society from an educational … Continue reading Welcome to the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE