Call for Educators!

As mentioned earlier, education is one of our major goals for this trip. Until now, that goal has unfortunately gone without attention. Luckily, with our growing readership, I actually get reminded of things I write in here. Reader Cathy asked us if we would be interested in becoming the class project for a classroom full of second graders. So, I hope that we'll soon be able to welcome some students from the Abe Lincoln grade school to our project. This means we all have to start watching our mouths. No more cursing, and I'll have to begin using correct spelling and grammar...

Whether this opportunity to work with this particular second grade class works out or not, I'd like to extend an invitation to any educators: use us as a project for your students! Off the top of my head, I can think of several areas where this trip could fit into a classroom (I'm sure some excellent educators out there can think of more):

• Chemistry (of combustion) - how fuels burn, how different fuels burn differently, and the byproducts of burning.
• Chemistry (of fuels) - what fuels actually are, how different fuels are made, how to make biodiesel. (if you're a chemistry class and make a batch of biodiesel, we'd be happy to take it off your hands when you're done - just please prove to me that the pH and water content are good before we put it in the tank...)
• Environment - global warming, pollution, recycling vegetable oil as a fuel
• Health - exhaust pollution and it's effect on breathing diseases (asthma, etc)
• Geography - we'll be visiting a lot of places
• Physics and mechanics - how gas and diesel engines work
• Business - we actually started an LLC to fund this trip, you could talk about that

What we can offer your class:

• photos
• videos of our travels - we could post a video greeting to you!
• If you're on our way, we may be able to stop and show off the car, and give a demo of how we filter our fuel (it's messy, so I'm sure that kids will like it)

What we ask in return:

• A digital photo of your class for use on our website.
  
• If we stop by to talk to your class, a photo of your class with the car.
• Also, if your cafeteria has some used fryer oil (not grill oil please), we'd love to take some with us (we could even filter it as part of our demonstration...).

So, if you are an educator or know an educator, please contact us (please choose "education outreach" as your topic). If you have other ideas for things we could do to help educators, leave a comment for us. We're willing to talk to educators at any level - from grade school to graduate school. Send us your proposals!