University of Arizona and Biosphere II
November 9, 2012- A group of students in the STEP program went down to Tucson, Arizona to tour the University of Arizona and the Biosphere II--I must say it was a blast!
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| That's me Amber (: |
Hello Everyone!
My name is Amber and I am writing this post on the STEP blog and will be telling about this adventurous day we had and will be sharing photos for everyone that was not able to make it.
University of Arizona
The day started at 8 am when we headed out knowing it was going to take a while to get to Tucson, but still extremely anxious. We got to The University of Arizona around 10 am where we sat in on an information session about applying and transferring to the university. We got a lot of good information and anyone interested should click this link
U of A- Future Students and that will give you all the information needed.
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| Kaitlyn |
After that we met Kaitlyn, she was our tour guide and she did an awesome job: very detailed, loud voice, and did an awesome job at walking backwards around the entire school for an hour and a half without falling or walking into a light post.
After our tour, we met Bob who is the Program Coordinator of TRIO Student Support Services down at The University of Arizona. Any TRIO/STEP student considering transferring to U of A should contact Bob to learn about the TRIO SSS down there in Tucson.
After meeting Bob and having lunch, we met a very interesting character who just wanted to make a difference, put a smile on some peoples faces and just completely had us in awe. His name is Owen, and he stood in the middle of a walkway holding a sign that says "FREE LISTENING Need someone to talk to? (Plus hugs if you want)" Many people didn't pay attention to Owen, but not SMCC STEP Students, we took him up on his offer and talked to Owen and asked him what influenced him to doing this etc. He just wanted to make people feel better is what he told us. Would you have stopped to talk to him? Or simply kept walking paying no mind to the kid holding a sign?The conversation ended with HUGS of course! I think in a way, we ended up making a difference for him, putting a smile on his face, and making him feel better. Kudos to Owen for influencing us to want to make a difference and do something similar at our SMCC campus!
Needless to say our visit to The University of Arizona was more than an informational experience.
Biosphere II
After our experience at The University of Arizona we traveled north to Oracle, Arizona to visit the Biosphere II which has been owned by U of A since June of 2007.
Now can you take a wild guess as to why it is called Biosphere II? No, it does not mean that there are two locations, or a replica in another city.
Biosphere I is good old planet earth.
Biosphere II Facility is absolutely gorgeous! The campus is about 40-acres and the of that the Biosphere itself is about 3.14 acres.
Fun Facts:
- 7,200,000 Cubic feet of sealed glass, 6,500 windows
- 91 ft at the highest point
- Sealed from the earth below by a 500-ton welded stainless steal liner
- The biosphere is the largest closed system ever created
On our fun adventure to the Biosphere around the same time we thought the weather would permit, it started to rain! We just about turned a 10 minute walk into a 5 minute run trying to run for shelter. The rain lasted about 5 minutes and then after, looking out towards the mountain it was just beautiful.
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| Notice the door? |
Once we arrived at the Biosphere, there was something that captured my attention, the door was similar to a door you would expect to see on a ship. The Biosphere was created and used for research. In 1991-1993 a group of four males, and four females, were locked inside of the biosphere which was made completely air tight in order to conduct their research. Can you imagine having to stay in a building for two years? Keep in mind this was before Facebook :p
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| Bananas! |
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| Ocean Biome |
Once inside the Biosphere we were instantaneously transported to an oasis. In the first room we entered there was something I had never seen in the state of Arizona before, a Banana Tree! After that we saw the ocean biome which was said to be 25 feet deep and also had a coral reef.
Next was my least favorite room in the Biosphere, the Rain forest. It was so humid that my glasses kept fogging up and the camera lens as well.
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| Foggy Camera Lens |
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| Desert Biome |
Soon after we entered the Desert Biome which, kind of just looked like home (minus the scientists lab in the middle) which made us all just feel comfortable again after experiencing the humidity in the Rain Forest.
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| Entrance to the Tunnel |
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| Tunnel |
The next part was my favorite! We had to walk under the Desert Biome which led to a basement that had air coolers that were on HIGH and they sure were strong; blowing everyone's hair around like crazy. At the end of the basement we had to go through an underground tunnel that led to the next building.
Once we got to the end of the tunnel, everyone had to duck and go through a walkway that led to the coolest room ever.
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| 12 ft Difference |
This room is the inside of the building that looks similar to a golf ball, except that this room is actually just a room inside that big golf ball like building with a difference of 24 feet in diameter. The ceiling in that room is actually only held up by air. Air pressure and air displacement are what keeps the ceiling from imploding. I believe our tour guide said that at night the ceiling comes down and that is why it has legs just as a table does. Of course once he told us that it was only held up by air a few of us took a steps away from it, kind of hard to believe isn't it?
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| Check out that ceiling! |
After that we visited the kitchen, dining room and living quarters which the scientists who were in the Biosphere from 1991-1993 used. Also known as the "Human Habitat".
And so the day ended and we headed back to South Mountain Community College each of us with a better understanding of The University of Arizona, Biosphere II and most of all, of each other. From what started for most of us as a trip with students whom we had never met before, ended with friendship.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE Biosphere II Photo Gallery TO SEE MORE PHOTOS!
We all headed outside and the tour guide explained to us about all the resources, food options and everything inside the University Union building. I didn't mind being outside because the weather was just beautiful! I could not stop looking up at the San Francisco Peaks and I also could not stop taking photos!
