Ellis Island Ambassadors Barbara DeSantis, Cindy Jenkins, and Beth Topinka are interested in  investigating how government policy and science are intertwined and in the historical context of innovations and discoveries. They participated in a summer project at Ellis Island on  the science of historical restorations, in which teachers studied topics such as the chemistry of paint chips and floor coverings and the biology behind the medical screenings that took place at Ellis Island during the 20th century.
They shared some of the projects in which elementary students researched some of the diseases and other physical conditions for which immigrants were screened. They also shared some poignant photographs of Ellis Island, how they also integrated language arts with the projects, and anecdotes about their studies.
They encourage teachers to use the historical places and artifacts in our own locations as a basis for scientific inquiry. Barbara, who is doing a Web 2.0 session on Sunday, also demonstrated several web-based tools that students and teachers use to organize and display their work.