SCIENCE NEWS - Mendenhall Elementary - Hillsborough County ...

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Page 8 - Michele Wiehagen, Foster El. I received a generous grant from the Tampa Bay Rays. They sent me on an Earthwatch trip to Cat Island in the Bahamas. Our task was to study the Coastal Ecology of the Bahamas. I flew to the Bahamas and met 8 other people from around the world. Our research team consisted of other teachers, business professionals and graduate students from the States and the Bahamas. Our head researcher was a Marine Biology Professor from University of Miami. I learned a lot being part of this team; we were up daily at 5:30 a.m. and working on the coast by 6 every morning. We were split into different teams with each team being responsible for different tasks. The first two days I was on the water quality team, along with a College of Bahamas graduate student; we took samples of water and sediments around the whole island. We tested the water for the pH, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. We then were responsible for doing 1- hour snorkeling dives in that area collecting as many different types of algae we could find. We did this at a variety of locations throughout Elementary Science Department Science News Coastal Ecology of the Bahamas the day. In the evenings, when we would get back to our residence, we would have a lecture about the Bahamas and then lab work. Our lab work for the water quality team consisted running tests on the samples we took, separating the sediments to find out the content, and separating and identifying all the algae we found. The next two days I was on the fish team with two other graduate students; we would do one hour of snorkeling, fish surveys, and transects. We were responsible for keeping a record of every type of fish we saw as we swam. We were interested in finding lion fish; they are an invasive species to the Bahamas and are eating the native fish, killing out populations. If we found a lion fish on our dives, we were to spear it and record where it was found. Part of our community outreach was to teach the residents of Cat Island about these lion fish, which are extremely poisonous. After spearing a lion fish, we would dissect the fish to find out what it was feeding on and this data was submitted to the Bahamian government. The following two days I was on the Coastal profile team; where we worked with the head researcher, Dr. Kathleen Sealey. We found the elevation along the coastline, the different zones of the area, and the vegetation that is native and invasive of the area. After we did the coastal profiling, we were responsible for doing 1- hour snorkel dives to find the different types of coral that were present at the site. We rotated on these teams for two weeks, compiling all of the data to create a profile of the island. Learning all of this I am excited to bring the ideas back to the classroom. I plan on taking the students to the Hillsborough River, dividing them into these teams, and having them participate in gathering similar data. This data can then be utilized in the formation of a community
Page 9 - Glenda Tombs, Muller Magnet As an environmental sciences magnet school, Muller has a garden, named the Gator Garden after our mascot! First through third grade students participate in a weekly gardening class. Each class has their own 10’ x 10’ garden box in our Gator Garden. We plant flowers and vegetables See-Through Gardens - Cheryl Carroll and Judith Fell, Citrus Park Elem. In May of 2010, a new bird feeding station took wing at Citrus Park Elementary. Made possible through monies from the Tampa Bay Rays as part of an Earthwatch grant, the large, yet intimate viewing station made of nylon covered chain length fence, features twoway mirrors, bird feeders, plantings and birdbaths. The bird feeding station, located adjacent to the Elementary Science Department Science News in them. One of the first things we do in the school year is to plant our See-Through Gardens. Using a 16-oz. plastic cup, the students fill the cup with some soil and using the eraser end of a pencil make a hole on the side of the cup for their flower seed. They drop the seed in the hole and cover it over with soil. Using this as a long-term investigation, each week the students monitor the growth of their seed. The students get so excited when their roots and sprouts begin to emerge. They measure the length of the root that they can see through the side of the cup, the height of the sprout, and count the number of leaves, etc. They record all their observations and measurements in their garden field journals. When the plants are tall enough, we transplant them into our garden, where the students can continue their observations, eventually experiencing the joy of seeing their flowering plant bloom! Citrus Park Goes to the Birds... lunchroom, was designed by parent Paul Foley and constructed by the Dad’s Club at the school. Students have been observing, identifying, photographing and counting birds that feed and water at the station throughout the year. Specialized plants as well as seed attract a variety of birds, butterflies and squirrels. AGP students have been maintaining the station, with individual homerooms now signing up to monitor and manage the station on a weekly basis. A school-wide naming contest for the station is now underway. For more information contact Judith Fell.
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SCIENCE NEWS - Mendenhall Elementary - Hillsborough County ...

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