TERC Field Trips and Virtual Field Trips
UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center is open for in-person field trips, live virtual field trips, and self-guided pre-recorded field trips:
- In-person field trips are available by reservation. Read about all of our in-person field trip offerings here. Most field trips have no student minimum and we can accommodate up to 60 students total. In-person field trips costs either $5 per student or a $50 minimum for any group of less than ten participants. Fill out the Field Trip Request Form (https://forms.gle/5CX1AbTv7M4vgkNNA) to request to schedule a visit to the Tahoe Science Center!
- Virtual field trips are facilitated live by a TERC educator and can be conducted with students on independent devices or by video calling into your classroom. Read about each of our virtual field trip offerings (brief descriptions available). There is a $5 requested donation per student. Use this Field Trip Request Form (https://forms.gle/5CX1AbTv7M4vgkNNA) Sign up here!
- Pre-recorded virtual field trips are accessible through our YouTube channel for students to complete at their own pace. Each video has a field trip guide and materials associated with the field trip; you can obtain all materials necessary for free by simply filling out the request form here. Trees of Tahoe, the Aquatic Food Web, and Climate Change are available now with the Formation of Lake Tahoe and Forest Health coming soon.
- Tahoe Science Center Virtual Tour Series videos are available in this playlist (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa3BRSex0pXxmpDVfh5bMoNvyyV9Cpv-m) on the UC Davis YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/ucdavistahoe). There are currently sixteen virtual tour videos as part of this playlist along with many more specialty videos available on our channel. Subscribe to the UC Davis Tahoe channel to receive updates.
- This website compiled a list of the best virtual field trips for you, so enjoy your “visit”! https://www.weareteachers.com/best-virtual-field-trips/
- UC Davis TERC compiled a list of other science resources available online at https://tahoe.ucdavis.edu/home-science-resources.
The Tahoe Science Center is open for tours by reservation which you can learn more about at TahoeScienceCenter.com. We look forward to seeing you and your students soon!
Thematic In-Person Field Trip Programs at the Tahoe Science Center (Incline Village, NV)
Descriptions and Themes
Most Themes and Activities can be adapted to accommodate grades 3-12
Water on Earth: Students explore watersheds, the water cycle, freshwater as a limited resource, and Lake Tahoe water quality. Hands-on activities may include Blue Planet, Drop in a Bucket, Incredible Journey, Blue River, or Incline Creek Stream Monitoring (weather dependent).
- Freshwater is essential, scarce, and needs to be protected for all living things.
- Different environments have different baselines for water quality.
- Freshwater changes as it moves through the watershed, picking up both nutrients and pollutants.
Shaping Earth's Surface: Students explore the forces behind the creation of Earth’s landforms by using models to explore how landforms are shaped by water through erosion and deposition. Students also learn how to read, utilize, and create their own topographic maps from 3D models.
- Explore different geologic forces and how they have shaped the Tahoe Basin.
- The topography of our region has been transformed by various geologic processes and these forces continue to alter our landscape.
- Models can demonstrate how erosion and deposition shape landforms.
Geology/Plate Tectonics: Students will learn about the geological processes that formed Lake Tahoe and how tectonic activity is still at work in the Tahoe Basin. Students also discover how seismic energy flows throughout the earth and shapes the entire world. Activities may include Earthquake Energy, Rock Detective, Rock Around Tahoe, Earthquake Triangulation, Pangaea Puzzle, and Science on a Sphere Earthquake dataset.
- The Tahoe Basin and the mountains around it continue to move and change.
- All plate boundaries are fault lines but not all fault lines are plate boundaries.
- Seismic waves travel through our earth and can cause extreme damage to human property.
Aquatic Food Web: Students participate in a scavenger hunt in our Underwater Lounge to learn about the wildlife of Lake Tahoe and create an aquatic food web. Students use their created food web to explore changes in our local Lake Tahoe aquatic food web. Students learn unique details about specific Tahoe organisms and use that knowledge to model the flow of energy with their peers.
- Come make new aquatic friends and learn how each one fits into Lake Tahoe’s complex food web.
- Living organisms in Tahoe’s food web are part of a fragile ecosystem that is currently threatened by invasive species and climate change.
Environmental Detectives: Students will investigate human impact on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems while assessing watershed health. Students play the roles of the concerned public, scientists, and community leaders and collect and examine data to solve the “Mystery of the Dying Fish.” (4 hours / $250 minimum)
- The fish are dying and only you can discover what is happening using scientific data and human testimonies.
- Release your inner detective and solve the mystery behind the declining health of Gray Area.
The Tahoe System: This program provides an overview of the Tahoe Basin with a focus on systems thinking. Students explore some of the features of Lake Tahoe that make it so special and learn about the threats to the lake. Hands-on activities may include Watershed Model and Build Lake Tahoe, Pollution Adds Up, Incline Creek Stream, Race to Save Lake Tahoe, and Macro-invertebrate Monitoring.
- Think like a scientist and discover the features that make Lake Tahoe so unique.
- Get a glimpse of Tahoe’s unique environment and navigate the complexities of balancing tourism and conservation.
Earth System Science: This program includes an engaging game show that helps students conceptualize the Earth science concepts of life webs, cycles of matter, and flows of energy. A 3-Part Play shows how energy continuously flows through Earth and all of its life forms. Other topics covered on this field trip include the carbon cycle, the carbon budget, and the greenhouse effect.
- It all starts with sunlight: almost every living thing depends on energy from the sun to survive.
- Sunlight is transformed into chemical energy that fuels our food web and all living things.
Trees of Tahoe/Forest Health: Students learn how to identify the common tree species found in Tahoe’s forests. They get to practice and apply these skills by performing a forest survey to assess the local biodiversity. Students then use their data to discuss and determine the health of Tahoe’s forests.
- There are many factors that contribute to determining the health of a forest.
- Management strategies combined with climate change have created challenging conditions within the forest community.
The Microplastics Problem: Students learn how plastic products are rarely recycled and how the “chasing arrows” symbol at the bottom of plastics items is an example of green-washing. Students examine real microplastics and learn how they can prevent microplastic pollution. Students can develop original solutions to the global plastic problem, taking inspiration from different education programs, policies, and emerging technologies aimed at reducing microplastic pollution, plastic consumption, and/or plastic litter.
- Analyze current strategies aimed at combating the global plastic problems and use these ideas to inspire your own action.
- Plastic never degrades, it is forever and will continue to break down into microplastics that pollute our waters.
Climate Change at Lake Tahoe: Students start with an active and engaging lesson that discusses ways to combat climate change from a personal to global level. This is followed by an evidence-based exploration into how our changing climate affects Tahoe specifically. The field trip is designed to give students the information they need to understand the implications of this global crisis while empowering them to get involved!
- Learn the difference between weather and climate and examine the effects of climate change at Lake Tahoe.
- We all play an important role in the fight against climate change.
Printable version of UC Davis TERC Field Trip Thematic Programs