Is there a pressing question — a societal need — or even just a cool idea, the answer to which can be found on the ocean floor? This is your turn to be the scientist. Yeah, you be the scientist! We challenge you to design an experiment for the Extreme 2003 team at sea!

One experiment per classroom or student may be submitted. Your teacher should submit the experiment using the on-line form in the Teachers Corner. The scientists will review all the experiments and select a number of them to perform aboard R/V Atlantis and the submersible Alvin.

Keep in mind that the scientists will be over 1,000 miles offshore and nowhere near a hardware store. So you should use common, everyday materials that you might expect to be housed aboard a ship that serves as both a laboratory and a home on the ocean for the scientists and crew. To see what students submitted last year, check out Extreme Experiments 2002.

The scientists have selected the following experiments to conduct. The results will be posted once they are available.

Undersea Presidents

School: Memorial High School

Teacher: Beverly Pierson

Experiment Question: What will the pressure, chemicals, and heat do to a quarter and penny?

Experiment Hypothesis: The pressure will compress the coin; the chemicals will distort the color.Or the coin will be able to withstand the pressure and only the chemicals will affect the color. The coin may be able to withstand all elements at the bottom with no adverse effect.

Step 1: Take a penny and a quarter and duct tape (or somehow affix) each of them to the robotic arm of Alvin.

Step 2: When down at the bottom, hold the arm over one of the hydrothermal vents for a period until results are either present, or non-existent.

Step 3: After holding the arm over the vent for a period of time, remove the arm and after the dive is complete remove the penny and quarter from the arm and take to the lab for examination.

Step 4: Determine the effects the depth, and chemicals had on the coins.

Scientific Results Objective: Materials: Procedure: Defacing U.S. coins is against the law. For the sake of science, these coins were drilled in the center and looped with titanium wire, which was affixed to Alvin's Hi-T probe. Defacing U.S. coins is against the law. For the sake of science, holes are drilled in the coins. Craig threads titanium wire through the two coins. Final product. Coins are attached to Alvin's Hi-T probe the night before the dive. Results: Unfortunately, due to the busy schedule to meet all the dive objectives, the experiment was not conducted, so we do not know how the heat from a vent would have affected the coins. Explanation:

Plop Plop, Fizz Fizz

School: Anderson High School

Teacher: Mr. McFawn

Experiment Question: Will Alka-Seltzer create bubbles when opened in a high-pressure environment?

Experiment Hypothesis: Alka-Seltzer will not form bubbles because the high pressure will cause the gases to be quickly absorbed by the water.

Step 1: Place Alka-Seltzer in a water-proof container suitable for carrying to the ocean bottom.

Step 2: Open the container at depth and watch for the reaction and presence of bubbles.

Step 3: A control group consisting of an empty, identical container may be needed.

Scientific Results Objective: To determine if the high pressure of the deep-sea environment would suppress the bubbles that are usually produced by a dissolving Alka Seltzer tablet. Materials: 2 Alka Seltzer tablets, plastic pouch, FoodSaver vacuum seal, tape to attach pouch to biobox, cup of seawater Procedure: Dr. Cary begins preparations for the experiment by placing one tablet of Alka-Seltzer in waterproof plastic. Then the plastic was cut to size and vacuum sealed. Pictured here: one tablet is ready to go to the deep sea, and the other is left as a control. The vacuum-sealed tablet is taped to the top of a biobox in Alvin's basket the morning of the dive. Alvin pilot uses Alivin's arm to puncture the plastic to allow water to seep into the pouch. The water begins to dissolve the tablet, but no bubbles are produced. Back on board, the control experiment was conducted using seawater. As expected, the Alka-Seltzer tablet fizzed until it was completely dissolved. Results: In the deep sea, a tablet of Alka-Seltzer dissolves in the water, but does not produce bubbles as it does at the surface. Explanation: Under high pressure, gas is compressed.

Air Bubble Pressure Gauge

School: Naches High School

Teacher: Aram Langhans

Experiment Question: Can pressure be determined by the size of an air bubble?

Experiment Hypothesis: Yes, by using the gas laws we should be able to calculate pressure.

Step 1: Obtain a large graduated cylinder graduated all the way to the top.

Step 2: Mount it upside down on Alvin where it can be seen.

Step 3: Dive

Step 4: Measure the volume of the trapped air at different depths during the dive. (perhaps 15--20 points). Also measure water temperature and pressure using Alvin's data collection probes.

Step 5: Record data.

Step 6: Send us the data.

Step 7: Use the gas laws to compute the pressure in the tube at various depths.

Step 8: Compare with Alvin's pressure readings.

Additonal Procedures: Used marker to darken ticks on cylinder, and added green food color to the water to increase visibility.

Scientific Results Objective: To observe the effects of pressure on the air trapped in a graduated cylinder. Materials: Plastic graduated cylinder, black permanent marker, clear plastic container, green food coloring, duct tape, water. Procedure: Craig adding food coloring to the water. Pouring water into the cylinder. The water filled only to a certain volume, leaving air space. Cylinder inverted into a clear plastic container. The cylinder was secured inside the plastic container using strips of duct tape. Cylinder is secure, and water is trapped inside. The inverted cylinder is mounted in Alvin's basket the morning of the dive. Results: As depth increased, pressure increased, forcing water into the container and up the graduated cylinder. This happened at a very shallow depth. Upon descent, water was forced back out of the container, and the level returned to its initial volume (approximately). In addition, the water was a lighter shade of green due to dilution. Explanation: Since the Alvin cameras were not turned on until after the descent began, the progress of the water level in the graduated cylinder was not captured fully. There was only a relatively small amount of air space left initially, so the maximum level was attained at a shallow depth (about 32 meters).