CEES Premieres New DSE Program – Center for Earth and Environmental Science

Introduction to Energy Is the Latest Addition to the Discovering the Science of the Environment Series.

Multiple forms of energy are on display at Artist’s Point in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by VR Schmalhofer.

CEES premiered a new program at Needmore Elementary School: Introduction to Energy. Introduction to Energy provides a basic overview of energy – what energy is, how it is generated, how it is used to do work – from multiple perspectives.

Yellowstone is famous for its geysers, hot springs, and fumaroles – all examples of geothermal energy.

Throughout the park, the charred remains of trees stand in mute testimony to the destructive power of forest fires – events that involve a tremendous release of energy from biomass.

The scree that has accumulated in Sylvan Pass is a consequence of the conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy.

A buffalo utilizes chemical energy to exercise its right-of-way through the park.

Different energy sources (e.g. solar, wind, biomass, fossil fuels, etc.) and energy types (e.g. light, chemical, heat, etc.) are covered. Various ways of categorizing energy, such as potential versus kinetic and renewable versus non-renewable, are also part of the program.

Solar, hydro, and wind are three of the more commonly known forms of renewable energy.

All photos by VR Schmalhofer.