Plants, Kites, and Remote Sensing
Today was the second day of the science fair, kids were given an introduction to plants. Kids were introduced to different kinds plants of edible and medicinal value.
The UTEP kites flying as kids look on (Picture by Vanessa Lougheed).
I was surprised how much these kids already knew! The Grand Valley State University students lead the plant walk outside BARC and later to a plant scavenger hunt in the tundra. During many of the events kids enjoyed collected bouquets of plants to make teas at home. I assisted the UTEP Systems Lab (SEL) with the GPS candy scavenger hunt. Earlier in the day, Dr. Tweedie hid bags of candy throughout the tundra for the event.
Kids use a GPS to locate hidden treasurers in the tundra.
We were given about 20 waypoints and we assisted kids with finding the bags! Kids learned about the importance of waypoints and basic GPS functions. While the older kids were walking in the tundra, younger students flew kites with graduate student Mariana Orejel and PostDoc student Sergio Vargas. The kites are equipped with cameras and are used for aerial photography. Remote sensing is one of the main tools used in the SEL.
Kids ask GVSU student if the plants are edible.
I was even able to attend a teacher inservice, held by the BARC and Department of Wildlife Management (DWM) on some of the opportunities and resources that the departments have to offer. Leslie Pierce, a PolarTREC alum, also helped lead the dissection of the animals from yesterday. We're hoping to have a Skype session with my students back in El Paso. After the days events, the BARC treats the community to a barbecue followed by presentations led by Dr. Tweedie, about the UTEP research team and some of the technology that is opened to the community. The Barrow Area Information Database (BAID) is an informational website open to the public that gives real time data on coastal erosion, a imagery time viewer, and information on research that is taking place in Barrow. It's a very cool website that also link some useful sites to view the marine traffic and where the wind is blowing. By the end of the night we are all pretty tired and excited for the next days events!
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