Trees & Shrubs

Magnolia

Magnolia is a species native to Georgia. Magnolia is both its common name and its genus name. 

Ginkgo

The ginkgo is a non-native species to Georgia. The ginkgo is native to China. Its genus is ginkgo, and the type usually found in Georgia is the ginkgo biloba. 

Weeping Willow

The scientific name of the weeping willow is Salix babylonica. It is native to China.

Holly

Holly is in the genus Ilex. There are around 600 species. Holly is native to the Eastern United States.

Privet

Privet bushes are from the genus Ligustrum. They are native to Europe, Australia, North Africa, and Asia.

Dendochronology

Dendochronology is tree-ring dating. Dendochronology is useful in climatology and to date paintings and buildings. For this lab, we had to look at two trees, one that grew in Georgia, which was 50-55 years old, and another from Palm Springs, California, that was 30-35 years old. Through comparing the data from each at 5 year intervals, I found that there was almost no correlation between average summer temperatures and tree ring thickness.

Addtionally, I put dates on the trees to show significant events in history.

Georgia Tree

Palm Springs Tree

Mapping

Chloropleth Map

 A chloropleth map is a map that uses colors or shading across an area in order to show a value. 

Proportional Symbol Map

A proportional symbol map is a map in which a symbol is used over an area with varying sizes in order to show a value.

Dot Density

A dot density map is a map that uses dots to show the presence of a phenomenon. In areas where the dots are dense, the phenomenon is more concentrated.

Isarithmic Map

An isarithmic map is a map that uses lines to bind in an area in order to depict a phenomenon like elevation or weather phenomenon.

Isarthimic maps are often used to show elevation, as I did in this map of the San Gabriel Mountain Range in Southern California:

Geology & Soils

Igneous Rock: Diorite

Diorite

Diorite is a coarse grained igneous rock composed of plagioclase feldspar, amphibole, and pyroxine minerals. It generally also contains small amounts of biotite mica and a very small amount of quartz. It has a "salt and pepper" appearance, with white and dark minerals. Its cleavage faces intersect at oblique angles.


Metamorphic Rock: Quartzite

Quartzite

Quartzite is a metamorphic rock derived from sandstone. It is coarse grained and very hard. Heat and pressure on sandstone fuse grains of quartz sand in order to make quartzite. Quartzite is usually white or grey, but it can have a red or pink coloring if iron oxides are present in the sample, such as in the example quartzite to the left.




Sedimentary Rock: Siltstone


Siltstone is a sedimentary rock made from silt. Silt is another name for clay. It is very finely grained. Siltstone looks a lot like sandstone, except the grain of siltstone is finer than that of sandstone. Silica, calcite, and iron oxides are the minerals most commonly found in siltstone.



Soil Types:
The 12 soil types can be found here. Scientists classify soils based on the particle size and the texture of the soil. They classify soils based on the percent clay, percent silt, and percent sand found in the soil sample.

Barometric Pressure Lab

For this lab, we used a balloon, a bowl, and a straw to create a barometer. We then kept track of the straw's movement using a ruler in order to create a measure for atmospheric pressure. When atmospheric pressure is high, we often experience warm clear sunny days, while low pressure systems are usually associated with cloudy and stormy weather. We discovered this by observing our barometer through a variety of conditions, sunny days and stormy days. The barometer measured the air pressure because the balloon would expand or contract due to the variation of pressure caused by the systems. However, the data used in Excel to create the graph and chart came from Dr. Rood. 

Solar Trajectory Lab

SunCalc Chart for Macon

During the winter, we have shorter days and longer nights. During the summer, we have longer days and shorter nights. There is a simple reason for this. The sun takes a different path across the sky according to the different times of the year. In order to track the path of the sun across the sky, we measured the length of the shadow of a stick in the ground throughout the day and recorded our results. This information tells us where the sun is in the sky at different times of the day. In the picture to the left, the trajectory of the sun on this given day is shown by the orange curved line, and the possible paths that the sun takes over the course of the year is given by the shaded area. Using a stick, a ruler, and a compass, one can find all the data needed to track the path of the sun. Using the data collected by sticking the stick in the ground and measuring the length and direction of its shadow, one can find the tangent by taking the stick's height and dividing it by the length of its shadow. One can then plot this data on a radial graph, creating a nice visual of the sun's path through the sky.

Graph

Height	Length	Tangent	Degree	Direction
27	32	0.844	40	N
27	49	0.551	29	NE
27	134	0.202	11	NE
27	100	0.27	15	NW
27	56	0.482	26	NW
27	35	0.771	38	NW

. [Data Collected by Olivia Williams]

Sunflower Growth Chart

I planted my sunflower seed on February 11th, just the length of the tip of my pinky finger under the soil.

The point of the sunflower is to help clean the soil of community gardens in urban settings. Urban soils tend to be laced with lead, and while sunflowers supposedly can scavenge lead out of the soil without translocating the lead, concentrating it in the roots of the sunflower. 

It sprouted one week later on February 18th and grew very quickly.

First Day Sprouted, Feb 18

By February 25th, my sprout had grown to the height of 11 cm.

Feb 25

On March 1, my sunflower reached 14 cm tall.

Mar 1