Science Trek
Science Trek is an integrated Web and broadcast project designed to: introduce science topics to elementary-age schoolchildren; provide educational materials for teachers and parents; and inspire students to investigate science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) career potentials.
- 1999-2026
- 27 seasons
- Idaho Public Television
- Family
Science Trek is an integrated Web and broadcast project designed to: introduce science topics to elementary-age schoolchildren; provide educational materials for teachers and parents; and inspire students to investigate science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) career potentials.
Season 27 Episode Guide
17 Episodes 2025 - 2026
Episode 1
Archaeology: Digging Into the Past with Dr. Zahi Hawass
Mon, Sep 1, 2025 7 mins
Archaeology is the study of people and artifacts from the past. Learn more about archaeology from a world-renowned Egyptian archaeologist, Dr. Zahi Hawass, and about what it is like to discover a mummy 60 feet deep underground.
Episode 2
Archaeology: PEMSEA Field School
Mon, Sep 1, 2025 6 mins
Learn more about the excavation process of archaeology as Dr. Peter V. Lape and his international team of colleagues and students dig up history in the Spice Islands of Indonesia.
Episode 3
Simple Machines: The Fantastic 6
Wed, Oct 1, 2025 5 mins
A simple machine is a tool that helps us do work. They use clever shapes to help us move, lift, cut and other types of work. Learn more about the inclined plane, the pulley, the lever, the wheel and axle, the wedge, and the screw.
Episode 4
Simple Machines: Simple Experiments with Simple Machines
Wed, Oct 1, 2025 6 mins
Simple machines make work easier to do. But how? Join Joan at the Discovery Center of Idaho as she tries various experiments with simple machines.
Episode 5
Rocks and Minerals: Rocks Your World
Sat, Nov 1, 2025 5 mins
Discover how the Earth formed, the three types of rocks, the rock cycle, and how minerals shape our world-from concrete to toothpaste. Fun, science, and surprises await.
Episode 6
Rocks and Minerals: Hidden Gems
Sat, Nov 1, 2025 7 mins
There are about 6,000 different types of minerals, but only a couple hundred are gemstones. Learn more about these special minerals and how someone like you can find your own gemstone.
Episode 7
Birds of Prey: Built to Hunt
Mon, Dec 1, 2025 7 mins
Birds of prey include eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, and vultures. These amazing birds have specialized adaptations to make them nature's greatest hunters and a key part of their ecosystems.
Episode 8
Birds of Prey: World Center for Birds of Prey
Mon, Dec 1, 2025 6 mins
Researchers are trying to find ways to save a number of birds of prey from extinction. Visit the World Center for Birds of Prey and see what scientists are doing and learn what you can do to save these amazing birds.
Episode 9
Hearing: How Your Ears Work
Thu, Jan 1, 2026 4 mins
How does your ear and brain turn sound waves into speech? Learn how sound travels through your auditory system so your brain can hear what's going on.
Episode 10
Science Trek: The Podcast: Hearing
Thu, Jan 1, 2026 7 mins
Evie and Garret, along with their student guests, ask Audiologist Debbie Baerlocher hearing questions. Learn how sound travels through your auditory system so your brain can hear what's going on. Find out how your ears work.
Episode 11
Urban WildLife: What's in Your Backyard?
Sun, Feb 1, 2026 5 mins
Animals make their homes in lots of places, sometimes right in your own backyard. Urban Wildlife live in cities because they can find the four things needed to survive: space, food, water, and shelter. Find out more about Urban Wildlife.
Episode 12
Urban Wildlife: An Urban Wildlife Tour
Sun, Feb 1, 2026 6 mins
Everyone should spend time in Nature. It's healthy, and you can learn a lot. But you don't have to travel far to find a natural setting. Most urban environments have kept a piece of the wild in them.
Episode 13
Yellowstone: Secrets Beneath Yellowstone
Sun, Mar 1, 2026 7 mins
Yellowstone is the world's first national park and a geological wonder. Learn more about the park and its five kinds of thermal features: geysers, hot springs, mud pots, fumaroles, and travertine terraces.
Episode 14
Yellowstone: A Most Unusual Neighborhood
Sun, Mar 1, 2026 8 mins
Yellowstone National Park is unlike anywhere else on the planet. It's the last intact temperate zone ecosystem on Earth and has a wide variety of animals and plants. Discover more about life in Yellowstone and the threats to its existence.
Episode 15
Fossils: Hagerman Horse and Clarkia Leaves
Wed, Apr 1, 2026 7 mins
Idaho has at least two special fossil sources: The Hagerman Fossil Bed National Monument and the location of Clarkia Leaves. Find out more about the interesting place and how fossils are found and prepared.
Episode 16
Fossils: The Super-Secret Life of a Fossil
Wed, Apr 1, 2026 6 mins
What do paleontologists do? How does a fossil go from being in the ground to on display in a museum? Learn the process and all the different jobs done in the process.
Episode 17
Galaxies: Home Sweet Home
Fri, May 1, 2026 7 mins
Galaxies are the fundamental building blocks of the universe. By studying them, we can learn how the universe began and how it's changing. That's important because a galaxy is where we live. Learn more about galaxies.