Research Experience Reflection
The dynamics of studying a bird are very involved. Birds, by their nature, do not sit still very often. In my classroom experience, the animals that have be studied have been small and have had very short life cycles. Students have always greatly enjoyed the experience, but have had some difficulty relating to a small organism, which most commonly has been an invertebrate.
On my Polartrec application I explained that my interest in polar research was to study organisms that live in extreme environments. I have wondered what adaptations developed to allow their survival. In being selected I was paired with a researcher, Ann Harding, who was studying a high arctic seabird, the Little auk, Alle alle.
The opportunity to be involved with the study of a bird was hard to imagine. I have never been involved in animal research, even as a university biology student, although I have read about and watched documentaries on such research. How to even collect data on a bird was hard to comprehend. The tools would be unfamiliar and the methodology would be new. That was just fine, for I love learning and having new experiences.
I was thankful that I had the chance to meet and get to know the primary researcher, Ann Harding, in March, just prior to the Polartrec orientation. Visiting with her for a few hours alleviated some anxiety about my role. The anxiety was based on the fact that I am many years removed from university level research.
Several times anxiety built up. One of these was when I began practicing using a satellite phone to upload internet journals. It did not work easily, but, due to the patience and drive of the Polartrec project managers, I left the comfort of home with rudimentary skills in hand.
Another period, not just a single moment, of anxiety, was traveling from Chico, California to Kap Hoegh, Greenland. Plane delays and close calls at airport gates help me appreciate that I made all of the connections. I also appreciated that my husband told me to put my toothbrush in my purse since my luggage arrived in Iceland the day after I did.
The team was very welcoming to me as a new member. This in itself, reminded me of the importance of creating a welcoming environment for my students. With all four team members already having worked together for three weeks prior to my arrival, it would have been simple to continue as a team and leave me as an observer. But that did not happen, and I attribute it to the personality of our leader Ann, and to the passion each individual felt for the bird species which was being studied. Each person on that team had a love for birds, seabirds and the beauty of nature. They were eager to share that with me in the hopes that I would also feel that passion. Again, this was a strong reminder that when someone conveys to others what they love, the results are infectious.
I arrived during the beginning of a very busy period of data collection and so was utilized as an integral member of the team. The role I had as a Polartrec participant was highly regarded also. It was recognized that the journals and publicity I would deliver to the public were essential to convey the depth of this research to the public. Most of the time everyone worked in pairs, with the makeup of the pairs changing depending on the data being collected. I was always included; in order to increase my understanding of the project parameters and also to assist so that the maximum data could be collected.
One of the items that really impressed me and that I want to convey to the public is Ann’s dedication to utilizing this field opportunity to gather as much data as possible. One of her concerns that we discussed was how some research projects she has been aware of have gone into an animal colony to collect data but only gathered data on a few parameters. A year or two later, another research team might go to the same colony and gather data on another one or two parameters. Then later, another team may invade that colony again. This continual disturbance must have a lingering effect on the health of the colony; no matter what is being studied. The presence of humans on a regular basis must have a negative impact on the dynamics of that population. Her colleagues and she have made an attempt to conduct as much research data as possible, on several parameters, in the hope that each of the colonies being studied will be able to be left alone at the end of this field season. Her hope is that much of the raw data will be made available so that others who wish to study Little auks will not need to disturb those colonies in the future, and will be able to use the raw data that her colleagues have gathered. This is the third year of a three study so there is no plan to return and cause further impacts to the Kap Hoegh field colony.
That was the major reason that this field work was intensive, rigorous and constant. But, each field site that was working on Little auks simultaneously, was working equally intensively. Some of the field work that we were collecting would not be used by Ann in her research, but would be used by another researcher who was currently collecting data on Spitsbergen. At the same time, those research teams on Spitsbergen were collecting data that would be used by Ann in her research. Some of the data collection was also specifically for Jerome fort, the PhD student on this Little auk team. Data was also being collected for him on Spitsbergen.
The integrity of this team was unquestionable. There were times when we talked about having a bit less integrity and a bit warmer cabin time. Or we mentioned that the Little auks may not need to be recaptured until after the rain storm had passed. But we did not compromise; and trudged up the hill in the cold and in the rain. Only the risk of hypothermia altered our plans, at least during the time I was with the team.
As I consider how to implement some of this great experience into my classroom, I have become especially inspired about a few aspects of this field experience. One major aspect that I will directly use in my classroom is the realization that I participated in the scientific method in action as can be taken directly from our new Focus on Life Science textbooks.
I am currently creating a power point slide show that shows how Ann and her colleagues have worked through the steps of the scientific method as they have studied these seabirds. Professional papers that have been published thus far even give some preliminary conclusions. Students will be made aware that the scientific method is not just some textbook process they need to memorize, but a vibrant, well used sequence of steps to resolved questions a scientist has.
I am very excited at this inspiration. I want to quit this essay and get to work on the slide show, for I know I will deliver it with the passion that I lived it for a short time. Last weekend was spent editing portions of the oral interviews that I recorded of each team member. Recalling that now; listening to their voices now in my mind, visualizing their faces and location they were each interviewed, reminds me of the joy they had, of the good fortune they felt, and of the important role they sensed in being at the Kap Hoegh field site in Greenland.
Visualizing them inspires me to deliver their messages well and accurately. My hope is that some students will become inspired to pursue scientific research and to become involves in ecological understanding for our planets health.
It was hard to leave the field site. There were times during the field work, I confess, when I wanted to go back to a warm fluffy bed, to a clock and skyline that told me the time so my body and mind could make sense of the world around me. But most of the time I was in awe of the gift I received; to be able to participate in a study of an amazing animal, with such incredible individuals, in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in. I hope to always convey to others that this experience was a tremendous gift. I also want to convey to students, to teachers and especially to my colleagues that we need to seek out and take advantage of opportunities to broaden our lives and enrich everyone we come in contact with.
I also want to thank my sweet, innocent seventh graders who inspired me to even apply for this program. Had they not questioned me about the possibility, I may not have pursued this opportunity. They gave me an incredible gift and reminded me that you can’t choose whether or not you wil accept an opportunity, if you don’t try for that opportunity.