Studying Deep Subjects Jason Program Lets Students Follow Scientists Into The Sea, Beyond

Robert Ballard wants to introduce Idaho science teachers to his dear friend Jason.

Ballard is the oceanographer who discovered the wreckage of the Titanic in 1985. Jason is not a person - it’s an international program that lets schoolchildren see up close the expeditions that Ballard leads.

“We’re coming to you live, from the expedition. We handle questions from all over the world. Our job is to excite your students and to excite you,” Ballard told several hundred educators gathered at Lake City High School for the Idaho Science Teachers Association conference. Ballard also spoke Thursday night at North Idaho College about the discovery of the Titanic wreckage.

The Jason Project - named for Jason and the Argonauts from Greek mythology - was born after Ballard returned from discovering Titanic’s underwater grave. The discovery generated massive worldwide publicity, especially due to the photos taken by the robot that toured the interior of the ship.

Waiting for Ballard upon his return from that trip were 16,000 letters from schoolchildren who’d learned of his discovery.

The children had two basic questions: “What do I have to do to become an explorer like you?” And, “Next time you go on an expedition, can I go?”

Through connections at network television stations, Ballard pulled together satellite linkups and advanced communications technology. In 1989, he presented the first Jason Project to schoolchildren. That year, scientists explored the Mediterranean Sea, examined an ancient Roman shipwreck and retrieved artifacts from 2,100 feet of water.

Students questioned expedition scientists as they worked, using a two-way satellite audio system.

In the first year, 200,000 students and teachers participated at 12 sites in the United States and Canada. Eleven years later, some 5 million schoolchildren have been through the Jason program. It has expanded to 37 states and several foreign countries.

The first Idaho Jason Project center is in Idaho Falls, but Ballard said he hopes two others will be developed, based on where the greatest interest lies.

“You will get science that’s not in any of your textbooks because it’s only four months old,” Ballard told the teachers.

Teachers instruct students during the year using curriculum materials provided by the Jason Project, based on whatever is being explored that year. Then the classes travel to an interactive network site for the up-close view of the expedition and conversations with scientists.

This year, the Jason Project will take students to scientists living underwater and exploring the Florida Keys. The project also will go to a space station, where students can talk to astronauts while they explore space.

But it’s not free. The rights to broadcast the Jason Project cost $65,000, and the technical equipment needed for the satellite hookup and interactive component are expensive as well, said Scott Treibitz, a spokesman for the Jason Project.

Communities have paid for the program in a variety of ways, including seeking corporate sponsorship and asking their school districts to pay for it, Treibitz said. Also, a community must have a site where the interactive broadcasts can take place, such as a college auditorium.

“You really need communitywide support,” Treibitz said.