COOL Classroom Newsletter

C.O.O.L. Classroom Newsletter,
Issue #1

The Glider Contest And the Winners Are....
Well, it was a tough decision; we received plenty of good ideas for the names of our gliders. We would like to thank everyone who entered. However, we could only pick two. So, our team of scientists and educators got together and finally agreed on these names: Poseidon Entered by Mrs. Heaney's Science Classes at Stony Brook School Chosen because we just think it's really cool to name our glider after the Greek God of the Sea. Croozer Entered by Katherine Elliott Chosen because that's what our gliders do: "crooz" through the ocean. So, in addition to naming one of our gliders, the chosen recipients will also be receiving a "Winner's Certificate" from Rutgers Marine and Coastal Sciences (RMCS) and are invited to our Tenth Anniversary Celebration on March 10th so that we may thank them in person. Thanks again to everyone who entered!
About the glider
I might look like a six-foot hot dog with wings, but I'm even more amazing than that. Inside I have a waterproof computer and a compartment for water.
When my computer tells the compartment to take in water, I get heavy and I sink. But not straight down like a rock. My wings make me glide forward as I sink. No propellers needed! When I get to a certain depth, my computer tells the compartment to blow out the water. Whoosh! I get lighter and I rise, once again gliding forward thanks to my wings. All the while my sensors are sniffing and checking out the ocean water and collecting information. Then I sink again. Then I rise again. This moving and computing uses very little energy, and that's why I can travel hundreds of miles over many weeks on just a little battery. When my battery is just about used up, I bob up to the surface and signal scientists by satellite (Ahoy!) to come get me and recharge my batteries.