Lewis and Clark Science

Contents (Use scroll bar to see all 26 links)

Preparing for the Journey: Investigate Lewis' training in Philadelphia with the leading scientists of the day.

Boats and Buoyancy: Why does a boat float? Find out in this archive.

Learning from Rocks: How are rocks formed? What can we learn about the earth from rocks? Check out this program to learn more.

Finding Yourself by the Stars: Compare the use of sextants and octants on the expedition to the use of GPS technology today.

Map Making and the Expedition: The science of cartography has sure come a long way. Meet experts from the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.

Psychology of Explorers: Check out the segment in this conference on space's new explorers involved in the X Prize Project.

Plants and the Expedition I--Identifying and Preserving Specimens: What did Lewis need to know to identify and preserve plants on the expedition? You're about to find out with our experts from the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Power of the Rivers: See the physical power of the Mississippi River and learn how locks and dams operate to control the flow of the river traffic today.

The National Bientennial Exhibition--Part 1: Science played a major role in the expedition. Find out more in this tour of the exhbition with the curator, Carolyn Gilman.

The National Bicentennial Exhibition--Part 2: Finish the tour with Carolyn Gilman.

Live with Lewis from Carrollton, KY: Travel to Big Bone Lick archaeological site.

Live with Lewis from Henderson, KY: Learn about the life of famed ornithologist and illustrator John James Audubon with the curator of the Audubon Museum and Nature Center in Henderson.

Live with Lewis from LaBenite Park, MO: Join Dale Blevins from the USGS to re-enact Clark's log reel experiments and to compare sediment levels in the Missouri River today to information recorded in the journals.

Live with Lewis from Nebraska City, NE: Learn about Nebraska's plant and animal habitat.

Live with Lewis from Omaha, NE: Here's an opportunity to compare the topography of the Missouri River then and now and learn about positive and negative outomes of channeling the river.

Animals and the Expedition--The Buffalo: We explore the important role the bison played in the life of the American Indian and learn about the lifestyle of the animal as we see artifacts made from the buffalo and view footage of the bison on the plains.

Plants and the Expedition II--The Grasslands Prairie: Join experts from the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Pierre National Grasslands to explore the rich diversity of the grasslands eco-system in the United States.

Live with Lewis from Winter Camp: This week's feature focus takes a close look at the repair and maintenance work being done to the Discovery Expedition's replica red pirogue. See the repair plans and the framework of the boat as the work proceeds. Watch some physics principles put into action as you view video of the white pirogue being overturned to prepare it for repairs.

Live with Lewis from Winter Camp, Part 4: As part of this program's feature focus, take a virtual field trip to the land of North Dakota and eastern Montana. See geographic features and many animals of the area including prairie dogs, mule deer, pronghorn antelop and beavers.

Hydropower--Using a River to Create Energy: Join us for a virtual field trip to Garrison Dam. Learn about the basics of electricity and how electricity is created. See the inside of a turbine, take a tour of the entire power plant operation that uses the power of the Missouri River to create electricity and then find out how the electricity generated there gets to your home.

Live from the Tent of Many Voices--Plants and Preservation: Meet Don Despain of the United States Geological Survey as he discusses Lewis' work in collecting and preserving plant specimens during the expedition.

Medicine and the Expedition: This program examines Euro-American and Native American medical practices at the time of the expediton and explores medical events during the journey and how they were dealt with by Lewis and Clark. Our expert guest is Dr. David Peck, author of "Or Perish in the Attempt."

The Salmon: Learn about the natural life cycle of the Pacific salmon, its role in the ecosystem, how man has affected its habitat, how many has attempted to compensate for those effects, and how the salmon has played an important role in the lives of native peoples in the Pacific Northwest.

The Geography and Geology of the Columbia River Valley: Investigate important concepts of earth science as we explore the exogenic and endogenic forces that shaped the Columbia River Valley. See examples of those forces at work int the river, mountains, volcanoes, waterfalls and topgography of the region.

Live with Lewis from the St. Louis Zoo: Take a virtual tour of the St. Louis Zoo with Assistant General Curator Bill Houston and learn about the role that zoos play in animal conservation.

Animal Identification on the Expedition: Join experts from the St. Louis Zoo and Oregon Zoo to learn how to name animals like a taxonomist. See animals described by Lewis and Clark on the expedition including the California Condor. Learn about efforts being made to increase the number of condors in the wild.