I was so thrilled to be chosen to attend the San Diego Zoo’s Conservation Teacher Institute last summer. The San Diego Zoo is so much more than a zoo.  I was unaware of how extensive their influence carries to all parts of the world, until I spent a week  learning with other educators in early August of 2011. The Conservation Institute is located near the Safari Park about 30 minutes northeast of San Diego.  Also known as San Diego Zoo Global, it has become an international conservation organization which has been saving species for over 95 years.  Their approach is to identify the most significant problems for conservation and restoration of endangered species, and then to apply the most innovative and creative science possible to solving them.  They focus on scientifically based breeding, conservation, and reintroduction programs for endangered species.  Here is a link to their website:  http://www.sandiegozooglobal.org/

There were so many highlights it is hard to pick my favorite activities; however, several of the week’s events really inspired me.  

     I loved the photo caravan where we were able to travel into the exhibits and photograph the animals at close range.  Feeding the giraffes and rhinoceroses was amazing.  The tour guide told us the animals know the difference between the photo caravans and the trucks the veterinarians arrive in to check them.  Sometimes the vets have to trick the animals and ride in on the photo caravan so the animal of interest doesn’t run from them. 

I enjoyed touring the animal hospital and seeing how animals are taken care of during routine checkups and more involved surgeries.  The amount of care demonstrated by the hospital staff concerning the animals was phenomenal.  A desert tortoise had just had surgery to remove a kidney stone and the x-rays were still visible.  The round white ping pong ball shaped structure on the right side of the picture is the kidney stone.

     Watching the “Cheetah Run” went by way too fast.   A cheetah and her best friend, which happens to be a dog, are raised together from a young age.  Both animals are brought out in front of a large crowd. The dog helps the cheetah relax and be more comfortable in front of all the people.   After the dog trots down a long strip of grass after a toy, the cheetah, the world’s fastest land mammal, flies down the lane after a stuffed animal.  If you blink your eyes you miss it.  I tried to take a video clip and before I could hit record the chase was over.  The dog and cheetah are both rewarded with a treat.

 Check out this video clip:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xJym5u9O3Y

       I loved listening to each speaker as they told about their work.  Whether they were reestablishing the California condor into the wild or using GPS to track koala bears in Austrailia, their love for the animals was unmistakable.  Their passion for conservation and protecting these animals was admirable.  The word perseverance comes to mind when listening to all the obstacles these scientists struggle with to help these animals so they can  remain living on planet earth. 

     Loved the gorilla exhibit at the safari park.  Baby Monroe is well taken care of by mom Kokamo.  Monroe was born June 17th, 2011 and was just old enough during my visit to really work the crowd.  So darn cute!  I showed my students my photos and they all let out a collective sigh when these photos of mom and baby appeared in the slide show. 

 I enjoyed my visit San Diego.  A trip to the San Diego Zoo and Sea World finished a glorious week surrounded by many people whose passion is keep our world full of all the living organisms that make it so interesting and full of life.  I can not fathom a world without polar bears, pandas, cheetahs, elephants, tigers, giraffes….the list goes on and on.  I am thankful that Sandiego is keeping watch over these animals whever they roam and encouraging breeding, conservation, and reintroduction into the wild.  If you get a chance as a teacher apply for their summer program.

     Slime Molds are a funguslike single celled organism that uses spores to reproduce.  During part of their life cycle they can appear as a gelatinous “slime” hence the name slime mold.  Slime Molds are found all over the world.  They feed on microorganisms that live in any type of dead plant material. For this reason, these organisms are usually found in soil, lawns and logs.  They are also found on fruits and in the canopy of trees.  Most slime mold are smaller than a few centimeters, but some species may reach sizes of up to several square meters and weigh  up to 30 grams.   They appear in many  colors  such as yellow, brown, pink, orange, purple, red and white. 

     Slime molds begin life as single cells.  They quickly multiply asexually  if they encounter their favorite food.  These amoebae can mate sexually if they encounter the correct mating type and form zygotes which then grow into plasmodia. These contain many nuclei without cell membranes between them, which can grow to be meters in size. The plasmodium grows into an interconnected network of  cytoplasmic filled strands. If one strand is carefully watched for about 50 seconds the strands can be seen to slow, stop, and then reverse direction. These moving strands can reach speeds of up to 1.35 mm per second which is the fastest rate recorded for any micro-organism.  When the food supply diminishes, the strands will move to the surface of the object it is crawling over and through and transform into rigid fruiting bodies. The fruiting bodies or sporangia are what we commonly see, they superficially look like fungi or molds but are not related to the true fungi. These sporangia will then release spores which hatch into amoebae to begin the life cycle again. 

Real World Applications:    

     Since the best city planners around the world have not been able to end traffic jams, scientists are looking to a new group of experts: slime mold.  Recent research has studied the movement of slime molds since they find the quickest most efficient route to the food source.   Check out this video:

                            Slime Design Mimics Tokyo’s Rail System

The researchers placed oat flakes in various spots on a wet surface so that the resulting layout corresponded to the cities surrounding Tokyo. They even added areas of bright light (which slime mold tends to avoid) to correspond to mountains or other geologic features that the trains would have to steer around.  The scientists let the mold organize itself and spread out around these nutrients, and found that it built a pattern very similar to the real-world train system connecting those cities around Tokyo. And in some ways, the amoeba solution was more efficient. The slime mold built its network without a control center that could oversee and direct the whole system; rather, it reinforced routes that were working and eliminated repetitive channels, constantly adapting and adjusting for maximum efficiency.  To take advantage of what nature and evolution have spent millennia perfecting, the researchers fed information about the slime mold’s feeding and growing habits into a computer model, and hope to use it to design more efficient and adaptive transportation networks.  The article describes what researchers discovered about the way the Slime Molds movement mimicked the rails sytem in Tokyo. 

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1812670/slime_design_mimics_tokyos_rail_system/index.html

If you have seen something in your mulch that looked liked scrambled eggs or dog vomit the chances are you have seen a slime mold up close but just didn’t know what it was. 

     I love fireworks!  Doesn’t everybody?  Years ago at a conference I attended, a firework company presented a lecture about the chemistry of fireworks.  We ooohhh and aaahhhhhh over the bursts of colors creating  umbrella like designs we see in the sky, then  jump when there is an exceptionally loud bang.  Rarely does a year go by that we don’t read about some firework company explosion due to an accidental spark.  Extreme caution is taken to prevent incidents like these from happening. Workers wear rubber shoes with a grounding wire down the leg of their clothes.  They even touch a special plate to discharge static electricity upon entering the building where the fireworks are produced.  Buildings are spaced out to prevent a chain reaction explosion if there is an accident in one of the buildings.  Many companies have guarded their secret recipes for generations.  Apparently the color blue is the hardest firework to produce.  When you really start looking for blue fireworks in the sky you don’t see very many.  You see lots of white made with magnesium, green made from copper or barium, red made from strontium, yellow made from sodium, violet/pink from potassium and there are many other chemicals used to make fireworks:

                photo by Wendy Dunn

   Availability and use of consumer fireworks are hotly debated topics. Critics and safety advocates point to the numerous injuries and accidental fires that are attributed to fireworks as justification for banning or at least severely restricting access to fireworks. Complaints about excessive noise created by fireworks and the large amounts of debris and fallout left over after shooting are also used to support this position. There are numerous incidents of consumer fireworks being used in a manner that is supposedly disrespectful of the communities and neighborhoods where the users live.  Meanwhile, those who support more liberal firework laws look at the same statistics as the critics and conclude that, when used properly, consumer fireworks are a safer form of recreation than riding bicycles or playing soccer.  Concerns over pollution, consumer safety, and debris have restricted the sale and use of consumer fireworks in many countries. Professional displays observed at concerts, rodeos, 4th of July celebrations, New Year’s Eve and athletic events are so popular around the world.  I am not sure these events would be the same without fireworks.

     Even though the 2010-2011 school year is in the books, I seek out interesting events related to science and share them with my students who are enjoying their summer break.  This summer I am participating in three programs that are sure to be engaging and entertaining to my past and future students. 

     This is my fifth year to team up with the University of Arkansas GK-12 Program which pairs me with a scientist who will become an integral part of my classroom next year.  This experience for the University fellow allows them to continue their research and recieve a stipend for planning and participating in activities with my 7th grade students in our science classroom.  My students benefit by having a scientist in the classroom two days each week providing them with inquiry based activities integrating science and math.  I benefit by having a scientist who is able to share engaging activities with my students that are real world type of experiences.  They gain an understanding of what a scientist is capapable of  contributing  in today’s world.

     My students look forward to our visiting scientist arriving each week and are usually on the edge of their seat or more often than not “out of their seat” asking questions, participating in experiments and activities.  Just recently a past GK-12 fellow scientist visited and met my students and literally wowed them from the beginning to end of each period.  The event was even picked up in the press and made the finance section of yahoo.  Check out the link for the article:  http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Silicon-Solar-Solutions-iw-1468321289.html?x=0  As a teacher I was able to observe Doug Hutchings graduate student become Dr. Doug Hutchings CEO of Silicon Solar Solutions and can now reflect on how a graduate student was able to extend his area of study and start a business that  America and the rest of the world is obviously in desperate need for as we try to find alternative solutions to fossil fuel.  I bring up his work during my unit on alternative energy.  My knowledge of how a scientist is trained to think has increased tremendously by working with such a  knowledgable individual.  I am a much better teacher because of my involvement in the GK-12 Program.   Here is recap of the four visiting scientists I have had in my classroom and their areas of study:

Frankie Cooper:  Micro Electronic Physics – currently finishing his PhD

Naomi Marty:  PhD Biology

Douglas Hutchings – PhD in Physics now CEO of Silicon Solar Solutions Fayetteville Arkansas

Lara Douglas – PhD in Biology now Presidential Management Fellow at Bureau of Land Management Washington DC

The scientist I have been paired  to work with for the 2011-2012 school year is Matt Smith who is completing his PhD in Biology this spring.  His dissertation is related to the physiology and morphology of the Prairie Rattlesnake.  We start work Monday planning for the next school year.  Can’t wait!

     I recently attended the National Science Teachers annual conference which was held in San Francisco.  During this trip I took a field trip to Berkeley and the Lawrence Hall of Science.  Beautiful location with impressive views.  Upon returning home I used their Fossweb/Planetfoss website and had my students participate in the “Photo Challenge,” on Planet Foss.  Neat idea to have students go out and find objects that represent the diverse areas of science and photograph them.  The learning takes place when the students have to decide what qualifies for the photo challenge and  then write a description.  Here are some of the samples of photographs my students have submitted so far. 

 The National Science Teachers Association is holding their annual convention in San Francisco this year during March 10-13.  I strongly encourage any science teacher who is able to obtain funding to plan a trip and attend the conference each year.  So much information can be gleaned from attending the NSTA conference, I try to attend every couple of years.  Bill Nye is a conference regular, and I met Robert Ballard, the discover of the final resting place of the Titanic, at a previous conference.  The ever popular Harry Wong spoke one year in Dallas at the convention and I soaked up every word he spoke.  My teaching benefits tremendously from the infusion of excitement and new ideas learned and absorbed through the various activities at the conference.

   My class at the Exploratorium went on a field trip to the California Academy of Sciences last Wednesday.  I was so impressed with how dedicated the “living museum” is to enjoying and respecting the earth.   The first thing on our agenda at the museum was lunch.  The chefs are dedicated to  providing locally sustainable, organic food choices.  Therefore the menu varies according to the growing seasons.  My chicken enchiladas with guacamole were terrific.  Everyone at lunch commented on how good their food was and how reasonable the prices were.  I think my lunch was around twelve dollars which included my fresh squeezed lemonade.  After lunch we had about 25 minutes before we were supposed to begin our learning part of the field trip so I made a mad dash to the roof of the museum.  This was #2 on my list of things to see after the “Golden Gate Bridge.”  I had seen the roof on video podcasts that I had shown my students.  The roof is covered with native grasses and flowers from around the area.  The museum was designed to look like it was “springing up” from the grass at the Golden Gate Park.  Designed to be the greenest museum on Earth, it is supported by recycled steel, insulated with recycled denim, and powered in part by the solar panels. 

     The museum was founded around the time of the Gold Rush.  The 1906 earthquake and fire destroyed the structure then on Market street.  The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake also damaged  the previous structure of the museum located in the current spot of the Golden Gate Park.  The devastating earthquake gave the Cal Academy, as it is commonly known, a chance to think about it’s goals for the future.  San Franciscans supported a bond measure, private funding was obtained, and plans for the new California Academy of Sciences began to become a reality.  The museum moved temporarily to a downtown warehouse.  Extreme care was taken while moving all the living animals and plants.  The Academy also has an extensive collection of fossils and preserved specimens.  Some of the remains are the only evidence that these animals ever exisited on earth.  This “unmuseum” as it now likes to be called is the nations only combined natural history museum,  planetarium, aquarium, and research institution.  The California Academy of Sciences recent and current expeditions include:  Madagascar, Galapagos, The Phillippines, Tansania, Namibia, New Guinea, Yunnan China, Myanmar and The Gulf of Guinea. 

 The California Academy of Sciences definitely “shakes things up,”  in an citythat is used to challenges.  I was so speechless after my field trip that I quickly made plans to attend the following nights “adults only,” event.  Every Thursday night the museum reopens from 6-10 for the +21 crowd.  The line to get in was long but moved quickly.  I soaked it all in for a second time.  After reflecting back on my month in San Francisco, I think the California Academy and the Exploratorium were the most memorable and amazing adventures I had.  Check out their websites:  exploratorium.edu  and calacademy.org

     One my favorite things to do in San Francisco has been to watch the sea lions at Pier 39.  Unbeknownst to them, they are always entertaining a crowd of people gathered to photograph and watch them play around, sleep, and swim.  I could watch them all day.  The sea lions use to hang out at the infamous “seal rocks.”   According to the Pier 39 website:  “The sea lions camped out in PIER 39′s West Marina have been endearingly coined, “Sea Lebrities.” The boisterous barking pinnipeds started arriving in droves, taking over the docks in January 1990 shortly after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. At first they numbered from 10-50, but due to a plentiful herring supply, available dock space and the marina’s protected environment, the population grew to more than 300 within a few months. Each winter, the population can increase up to 900 sea lions, most of which are male. During the summer months, the sea lions migrate south to the Channel Islands for breeding season, but in recent years a small group stays year-round at PIER 39′s Dock.”

      The sea lions play fight with each other and lay on top of each other.  For many of the docks the saying, “the more, the merrier” seems to apply. 

Former home of the seals – “Seal Rocks”

     I rented a car for the weekend and drove down the beautiful Highway 1 to Monterey California.  My students have enjoyed watching the sea otters on the webcams at the aquarium from time to time, and  I will be able to tell them about my experiences at the aquarium.  While at the aquarium, I learned that the sea otters had gotten separated from their mom in the Monterey Bay years ago and the aquarium rescued them and successfully rehabilitated them and raised them all together.  Releasing them back into the wild was not an option since they never learned the survival skills from their mother. 

Otter

    I could have watched the otters roll around all day.  They are so comical and loved the attention they solicited from their captivated audience.  The jelly fish were also fascinating.  Hard to belive they are animals.  Living things take so many shapes and forms. 

The aquarium had several “touching pools,”  that allowed anyone to touch bat rays, barnacles, sea cucumbers, sea stars, grouper fish, sand dollars, kelp, and many other animals. 

The Monterey Bay Aquarium was built fairly recently on a site that used to house “Cannery Row’s”  largest cannery.  Most canneries closed when the anchovie based fishing industry collapsed.  Many shops and tourist attractions have taken over the previous canneries.  The aquarium incorporated some of the former canneries architectual style such as  smoke stacks.  The land and bay around Monterey and Carmel are  beautiful.  The water temperature averages about 50 ° F, yet we still saw adults and children in bathing suits out in the water.  The cold water upwelling is the reason so many living organisms thrive in the San Francisco Bay area.  The kelp can  grow 6 inches  in one day.  Giant Octopus, whales, sea otters, jelly fish, seals, and sea lions move in and out of the bay on a daily basis.  The aquarium has an exhibit that examines possible consequences of global warming.  By educating young and old alike, the Monterey Bay Aquarium hopes to make a difference in the way we interact  with our world. 

Check out the website…………… http://www.montereybayaquarium.org

     Over the 4th of July holiday I went to Muir Woods the National Park full of coastal redwoods.  The scientific name for these trees is Sequoia sempervirens.  I was humbled at the beautiful trees which have lived there for over a thousand years.  William Kent purchased the land to protect the trees from our desire to use the wood for homes and buildings.  He later donated the land to the federal government to prevent attempts  by others to acquire the land by eminent domain.  A section from the Muir Woods website explains how the Kents felt about their purchase……

1905: William Kent and his wife Elizabeth Thacher Kent acquire the property now known as Muir Woods. They purchase 611 acres at the time, for the discounted sum of $45,000.  Elizabeth questions the expense, but is convinced by her husband’s (perhaps joking) response: “If we lost all the money we have and saved these trees, it would be worthwhile, wouldn’t it?”

Fires have left their mark on the trees at Muir Woods.  Luckily the trees are fairly fire resistant, hence one of the reasons they are  valued for buildings.  Many of the trees have a hollowed trunk from fires long ago.  The trees are able to send up new shoots from downed or fire battered logs.  The rugged beauty of the redwoods is truly indescribable. 

The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity… and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.   William Blake