Day 5

Day 5 of our trip included trips to a surface mining operation and a cleaning and processing operation both in Logan County. The surface mine operation is known as Mount Laurel. It employs about 295 people with an average total compensation of just over $88,000. This amount, though impressive in its own right, is not what captured my attention; the reclamation projects going on in conjunction with the mining were very impressive. Both flora and fauna appeared to be flourishing. This is in stark contrast to some other reclaimed areas we have visited this week. It is this scenario which should give hope and solace to all West Virginians about the potential environmental impact of mining in their state.

Our next visit, a cleaning and processing operation, demonstrated to me the importance of science concepts in real world application, something so very important to the student of today. At the very start of our tour, our guide began discussing specific gravity, or relative density. This is typically viewed as the ratio of the density of an object, coal for example, to the density of water. This should not be confused with specific weight which the density of an object multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity.

At every turn, another science application that can be used in the classroom jumped out at me. The specific gravity is a play on Archimedes principle. Moving a fluid through smaller and smaller pipes to increase its velocity is based on Bernoulli's Theorem and mass flow rate calculations. These are just a couple of examples; but rest assured, this operation was based on the very standards and objectives we as teachers are to be basing our instruction on.

The day concluded with a meal at the Logan Country Club - good food, good friends, and a great experience. What else needs to be said? Well, there are a few things to say about Steve and Pat, but I will leave those for another time.

Goodnight,

William Strait

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