ARTICLE

ARTICLE

NG Live: The Tech Lab

NG Live: The Tech Lab

National Geographic engineers invent new technology for exploration.

Grades

9 - 12+

Subjects

Biology, Engineering

















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Program
NG Live

These videos were filmed on March 24, 2012 as part of the National Geographic Live! Lecture series at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., United States.


Introduction

National Geographic's Mark Bauman, Eric Berkenpas, and Mike Shepard give a special look at the gadgets and gizmos inside the Nat Geo technology lab. There is nothing National Geographic's team of intrepid engineers can't create to get the "shot" from high in the sky or deep in the ocean. Mark Bauman, emcee of the event, is the executive vice president of National Geographic Television. Eric Berkenpas is lead engineer of a small engineering team that develops specialized equipment to help National Geographic media groups, collaborating researchers, and explorers meet their technology needs in the field. Mike Shepard, a design engineer, has specialized in designing submersible equipment and has been a field engineer for 14 National Geographic projects.

National Geographic Fellow Corey Jaskolski's new 3-D technology puts you in the driver's seat and lets you explore the deepest underwater caves and inner reaches of King Tut's tomb. Corey Jaskolski is an engineer, specializing in creating technologies for some of the most challenging environments on Earth. He is currently developing new imaging solutions to help National Geographic explorers—and others—capture imagery that lets us all see the world in new ways.

Video Descriptions

  • Video 1: Gadgets and Gizmos: Inside the Nat Geo Tech Lab. There is nothing National Geographic's team of intrepid engineers can't create to get the shot from high in the sky or in the deepest, darkest ocean. (27:28 min.)
  • Video 2: It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a... Colugo? National Geographic engineers develop a tiny camera to show us what it's like to fly with a colugo—better known as a flying lemur. (2:11 min.)
  • Video 3: Underwater Robot. National Geographic Fellow Corey Jaskolski's new 3-D technology puts you in the driver's seat and let's you explore the deepest underwater caves and the inner reaches of King Tut's tomb. (3:13 min.)


Strategies for Using Video in a Variety of Learning Environments

  • Have students preview several of the videos and choose the one they find most inspiring. Have students describe in writing a conversation they might have with the speaker(s).
  • Freeze the video on a relevant image. Have students observe details in the still image and jot down predictions of what the full video might address. Discuss students’ ideas before and after watching the video.
  • Pose an open-ended question before students watch the video, and have them discuss their ideas before and after in small groups.
  • Have students determine what they think the key message of this video is. Was the speaker effective in getting his or her message across?
  • Show a short clip to engage students during class, and then have students watch the full video at home and write a paragraph responding to the content or a question you give them.
  • Have students note statements that represent facts or opinions, including where it’s difficult to tell the difference. What further research might help distinguish facts vs. opinions? How might the speaker’s viewpoint compare with others’ viewpoints about a topic?
Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Page Producers
Nina Page, National Geographic Society
Samantha Zuhlke, National Geographic Society
other
Last Updated

October 19, 2023

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