Friday, August 7, 2009

“So, why are you going to Woodbridge….?” Or, what to tell your friends about your Field Study experience.

Between August 10 and August 14, 2009, ten brave Virginia educators will trek into the wilds of Northern Virginia with Dr. Maurakis and me. They’ll be participating in classes, labs, and field collections in streams and rivers… all in an effort to… well… do lots of things, actually. Check out this blog next week for pics and reports from the field. (No snow this time!)

In the meantime: for those ten intrepid pioneers who are having trouble explaining this project to friends and family, I have provided you with some possible answers to “So, tell me again why you’re going to Woodbridge for a week?”

Take your pick!

“I’m going to Woodbridge because I want to….”
a) learn how to design and conduct a research project
b) wear rubber pants in public… in a socially acceptable setting
c) hang out with other teachers and share ideas
d) experience the natural world in a new way

“I’ll spend a lot of time…”
a) in the water, collecting samples
b) stuck in traffic (this is Northern VA, baby!)
c) thinking about how I could use this “mark and recapture” lesson plan with my students
d) reminding myself “don’t put your hand in the water when the shocker’s on… don’t put your hand in the water when the shocker’s on…”

“This field study project is important because…”
a) I’ll be doing real science… Dr. M’s study will establish a baseline for climate change
b) I’ll get to work on my tan while I’m learning, oh, and we even get to watch some videos!
c) I’ll get help from Summer to develop a proposal for my own study
d) I’ll learn about so many things: fish and invertebrates and stream characteristics and maps and human impacts and….

“The best thing about this project will be…”
a) the scientific equipment, specimens, data, and technical knowledge I’ll take home
b) meeting new people, hanging out under bridges, and getting free meals for 5 days
c) I’ll get resources and materials to do some great work with my students
d) I’ll do things I’ve never done before!

1 comment:

Rich Conti said...

Be careful and try not to bring back anything infectious!