MR WOLGEMUTH (email)
Class Phone (253) 530-1517
2024 - 25 Teaching Schedule:
- 2nd Period: Astronomy
- 3rd Period: Physics
- 4th Period: AP CSP
TELESCOPES & SUCH
2023-2024 was an AMAZING time for our observing program. I'd like to thank my *most* awesome student observers Julia K., Nathan L. and Emily L. and Ash C. for their tremendous hard work and dedication to making the program a resounding SUCCESS!
Please See Our Viewing Page HERE
MR W BIO
Although I was born in southern California (don't tell anyone-- shhhhh!) my family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii just before I started 3rd grade. Hawaii was a great place to be outside all year 'round and I surfed, body surfed and snorkeled, although I spent most of my time competing in swimming.
I swam all through middle school, high school and college and was fortunate to land a scholarship at UPS where I majored in both Physics & European History, minored in math and still managed to be named an NCAA Div II All-American in swimming (twice).
My first job out of college was a "Telescope Operator" at the Mauna Kea Observatory at almost 14,000 ft on the "Big Island" of Hawaii. My shift was 6:00 PM until 5:30 AM. (It took a lot of getting used to eating "lunch" at midnight).
Check out this "shadow on the sky" that the mountain sometimes casts at sunrise & sunset.
Also, see this 'fire and ice' photo I snapped of the full moon reflecting off the snow on the summit with the Kilauea Volcano erupting in the distance.
I worked as a database consultant for 15 years in my own company (Blue Shift Consulting, LLC) before finally giving in to a long time desire to teach. I went back to school at UW/Tacoma for my masters and I am absolutely thrilled to be teaching at Gig Harbor HS.
I was selected to attend an astrobiology seminar at the University of Hawaii in the summer of 2009 & 2010.
-- TEACHING STUFF --
→ National Board Certified Teacher in Earth & Space Science
→ WA State Certified Teacher in all Secondary Sciences
→ CTE (Career & Technical Education) Certified in:
* Environmental Science
* STEM Learning (including computer science)
* Work site Learning Coordinator
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Did You Know...
That Brian May (he's the guitarist for the rock group Queen who wrote "We Will Rock You") earned his PhD in Astrophysics in 2008 when he was 61?
Click here to read about his thesis: "Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud"
He also wrote my favorite song called '39. If you look closely, you'll see it's all about Einstein and relativity and faster than light travel (really!)
TSUNAMI CURRICULUM
Growing up in Hawaii I have always had a fascination for tsunamis. 2 years ago I was fortunate to work with scientists, engineers and data professionals at the U of W who are associated with the Ocean Observatories Initiative. Under a National Science Foundation Grant (Secured by the fine folks at West Sound), I wrote curriculum for a high school science unit on tsunamis using real-time data gathered through state-of-the-art instrumentation on the OOI - Cabled Array. My work is being adapted to their website and should be available on their Education page sometime this winter! That curriculum is included in whole in my Physics classes and in part in AP CSP classes.
Mount Osorno, Chile 2005
TRAVEL
I enjoy travel a great deal, and so far I've visited the Scottish Highlands (check out the Ring of Brogar), New Zealand (the original bungy jump and yes, I did), Greece (The eruption that destroyed much of the island of Santorini is most likely the basis for the Atlantis myth. The central caldera/lagoon is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen), Namibia (this is a very cool backpacker's lodge), Botswana (The amazing Okavango Delta-- ask me about the time my guide and I were charged by an elephant on foot (really), Zimbabwe (I liked the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe so much that when I came home, I named my new cat Mutare-- unfortunately the country is in a very bad way now (ask your Social Studies teacher about that!!)), Zambia (check out the spectacular Victoria Falls! I had a truly amazing rafting experience that started right at the base of the falls), Chile (Punta Arenas is right at the tip of South America-- it is also a jumping-off point for many Antarctic Expeditions) and the Falkland Islands. They are just about as far away as you can get from anywhere. The husband and wife who owned the hotel I stayed at took me to visit a sheep ranch, and I spent the day helping while they sheared the sheep. They insisted that I give it a try, but I'm afraid I wasn't very good at it and mostly I pushed a broom around.)
I love to look at a map and just kind of wonder what is out there. My rule is that I don't carry anything more than I can fit in a backpack that will fit in the overhead compartment on the plane. It is such an incredible feeling to be in a part of the world that is waayyyyy different from home. I can't recommend travel highly enough.
A friend of mine recommended this really AWESOME dinosaur museum in Wyoming back in 2013... so a week later I hopped in my car and drove over 2100 miles! I signed up for the Dino Dig for a Day and spent the day digging for dinosaur bones and working in the dino lab (below) separating out a dino bone from the surrounding rock.
2023 - Midwinter Trip to Switzerland and 2024 Winter too!
I got skunked on a trip to Malta (in the Mediterranean Sea) a few years back due to Covid. I had a use-it-or-lose-it ticket on British Air. My college buddy said "Hey, why not take a train through the Alps?".
That sounded just about perfect to me so off I went and I absolutely fell in love with this hotel on top of the Alps overlooking Lucerne.
One of the folks working there told me I *HAD* to come back for New Years. Who am I to say no so I'm going back over Winter Break!!! (I did but got snowed out of a view). I'll be going back this winter too (2024). 7000 ft up in the Alps -- the day tourists leave on the last gondola at 4:30. It gets VERY quiet, very still and very, very restful!
2021 ROAD TRIP!!!!
One of my students shared the Montana DINOSAUR TRAIL with me so of course I just HAD to head out to Montana.... and then I kept going!
I stopped at a working fossil quarry in Kemmerer, WY on the way back. I paid a lot extra to actually help them excavate all night (it was much too hot to work during the day). The quarry has layers of sedimentary rock that are pretty amazing. The owner used a diamond-tipped portable rotary saw to cut the entire quarry floor into a series of 3 foot x 6 foot x 2 inch slabs. We then (gently) inserted slats under those slabs and (*gently*) flexed them up and down until the slab broke along the cut lines. The owners then took each slab away and stored it for later processing. By working late into the night we were able to clear the entire part of the quarry of one 2" layer. The next night they repeated the process and the next night and so on and so on.
They cut slabs all summer and spent all fall and winter cleaning and prepping what they found in those slabs. It is hard, demanding, dusty/dirty and absolutely fascinating work!
Here's a picture of the fish we found in the ground. The folks there then cleaned it, framed it and sent it to me. Check out the before (below) and after (below the below)!!
<fossil fish in the ground - they had me write my name right on the fossil>
<fossil fish cleaned/prepped & framed> Note: The level/ruler below the fish is 24" in length!
2019 Travel Across the U.S.
I figured it was time to see MUCH MORE of the U.S. --- so I flew to Charleston, SC and spent several weeks working my way back west. I didn't have much of an itinerary except that I kinda wanted to see New Orleans 'cept that a Hurricane blew in and ended up chasing me north.
I really wanted to see the BATS in Austin (1.5 million of them come out for dinner every night from their roosting place under the Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown) AND to spend some time on a long-distance train, so I headed south. Every night a whole gaggle of people gather on the bridge, on the lawn next to the bridge, and in boats underneath the bridge to watch the bats come out!
From there I boarded a train to LA. The train was very definitely NOT easy travel but I met some amazing people and saw some incredible country so it was well worth it.
I rested up with friends in Huntington Beach (near LA) and then flew home the next day.
2017 Eclipse
The summer of 2017 brought me to about 30 miles outside of Fossil, Oregon to see THIS (and yes, it truly was a chance of a lifetime). The air suddenly got colder, there were odd bits of cool breezes suddenly floating by, the planet Jupiter became visible, and of course there was THE VIEW:
Here's what former student Emma said about her experiences watching the eclipse down in Oregon:
"...And like a light switch the moon was totally covering the sun and it was honestly the most amazing thing I have ever seen."
Mt St Helens Institute - 2016
I signed on with the FINE FOLKS of the Mt St Helens Institute in 2016 and took a hike INSIDE the belly of the beast. To say it was awesome is quite the understatement (they only let 50 or so people in per year):
2013 Presidential Inauguration Trip
I took a group of students to the Presidential Inauguration in January, 2013 on a trip sponsored by the non-partisan CLOSE UP organization... it was absolutely OUTSTANDING (although it was VERY COLD)
... but that was no worries, 'cause we had over 700,000 of our closest friends to keep us warm!
