'Real World' Science Accented in Class

By David J. Hoff

El Paso, Texas

On the Ice: Expedition to Antarctica Raelene Showery and Ericka Tarrant may know more about the polar desert of Antarctica than the U.S. desert they live in.

The juniors at El Paso's Montwood High School have watched two of their teachers go to the southernmost continent in consecutive years. While the teachers worked on scientific research there, the teenagers completed a significant project of their own here in the farthest western reach of Texas.

For both teachers and students, the adventure became a lesson in how to work as professional scientists might, analyzing data that might not otherwise make sense, earning the respect of others because of their participation in a project that required teamwork, and drawing conclusions that explain how delicate life systems function in the...