Take the Pledge! I did.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
National Geographic Animals website
This is a good one to look at if you like to read interesting stories about animals!
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/
Friday, June 28, 2013
June 26, 2013 National Geographic tour, Vision Statements, and the Gala
Thursday started with a trip to National Geographic headquarters in Washington DC. The Delegates heard presentations on the Nat. Geo. grant opportunities for participation in their Young Explorers program and the chance to travel around the world pursuing their passion to understand more about nature.
They were also given a presentation by one of the National Geographic staff about the research and questions answered with the installation of critter cams - video cameras attached to wild animals to study their behavior.
After lunch, Delegates toured the National Geographic's exhibits. The first was a commemoration of the 125 years of National Geographic exploration. Here, students enter the exhibit by travelling through a hall with every cover of the Nat. Geo. magazine since it's birth.
Of course, the White Team we could not pass up the opportunity to take a group photo before leaving.
After returning to George Mason, Delegates were asked to write down one idea that they would take from the conference and implement in their home community to make the world a better place.
The hard work was done. The Delegates did a great job all week, so not it was time to kick back and have some fun. THE GALA!
Here are all the Delegate's vision statements that were displayed at the Gala for everyone to see.
\\
After a night of fun, the Delegates walked back to their dorm rooms, sharing the experiences of the week.
Many lingered in the courtyard, not wanting the night to end until we shepherded them off to bed.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
June 26, Capitol Hill, Visits with Representatives, Museum visits, Environmental Simulation and more...
Today we started off by travelling to the Capitol Hill for a group picture on the Capitol steps. Delegates will also get a professionally taken individual picture with the Capitol in the background.
A group of Delegates also opted to take a tour of the Capitol Building. After emptying our bags of liquids, potential weapons, and the like, we were allowed to enter the People's House. The art and architecture were splendid! Here is a picture inside the Capitol dome.
Here is our tour group in front of a replica of the Freedom Statue whose twin sits atop of the Capitol Dome.
Next I went to the Museum of the American Indian. The self-guided tour did not live up to my expectations so next time I'll investigate this museum with a good guide.
Here's most of the White Team Group in front of the Air and Space Museum. The rest of our group was touring the Holocaust Museum.
A group of Delegates also opted to take a tour of the Capitol Building. After emptying our bags of liquids, potential weapons, and the like, we were allowed to enter the People's House. The art and architecture were splendid! Here is a picture inside the Capitol dome.
Here is a statue of Alexander Hamilton, one of my ancestors!
The roof in this chamber reminded me of a nautilus shell.
Here is our tour group in front of a replica of the Freedom Statue whose twin sits atop of the Capitol Dome.
Next I went to the Museum of the American Indian. The self-guided tour did not live up to my expectations so next time I'll investigate this museum with a good guide.
Here's most of the White Team Group in front of the Air and Space Museum. The rest of our group was touring the Holocaust Museum.
Reluctantly, we left the Capitol to go to the Arlington campus of George Mason University where the Delegates completed a simulation exercise taking roles in a contentious fight over water rights and environmental issues in California and Oregon. After dinner, then attended more rounds of small group sessions. This one was with Dr. Barry Klinger speaking about the Dynamics of Climate-Related Ocean Features.
After a long, but satisfying day, we returned to the Fairfax campus of George Mason for some well deserved rest.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
June 25, Smithsonian Conservation Biological Institute
Today I accompanied WYSE Delegates to the SCBI.
The day started off with a great panel discussion including :
Not to be afraid of initial rejection, perseverance, making personal choices and being aware of their impact on the world, being concerned about invasive and non-native plants, being an optimist, learning to communicate effectively, getting jobs through effective networking, drawing on previous experience to tackle new issues, not being afraid to follow your passion where ever it leads, shot-gunning blind emails to people that can help you with your career can sometimes pay off.
Next, the Delegates participated in 3 field experiences.
The first was learning about characteristics to identify songbirds using binoculars in the field. We spotted probably 8-10 different species this way.
The second exercise was learning how remote camera capture techniques can be used to identify animals in the field. The Delegates learned to identify likely places where wildlife might set off the camera's motion and infra red detectors to capture images. The Delegates installed two cameras and, after two days and nights, any wildlife captured by the cameras will be reported back to the group - exciting!
Lastly, the Delegates were lead to the crane compounds to get an behind the scenes view at rare and threatened cranes and learned about their captive breeding programs and how they are handled to conserve the species.
It was a great day at SCBI and many of the Delegates made great contacts for follow up networking!
The Cicada hatch!
The day started off with a great panel discussion including :
- Paul Marinari, Senior Curator of Animal Operations
- Alonso Aguirre, Executive Director of the Smithsonian - Mason School of Conservation. smithsem@gmu.edu
- Nucharin Sogasen, Research Biologist
- Priscilla Joyner, SCBI Associate Veterinarian / Department of Conservation Medicine, and
- Cooper Aitken-Palmer, SCBI Chief Veterinarian, Department of Conservation Medicine.
Not to be afraid of initial rejection, perseverance, making personal choices and being aware of their impact on the world, being concerned about invasive and non-native plants, being an optimist, learning to communicate effectively, getting jobs through effective networking, drawing on previous experience to tackle new issues, not being afraid to follow your passion where ever it leads, shot-gunning blind emails to people that can help you with your career can sometimes pay off.
Next, the Delegates participated in 3 field experiences.
The first was learning about characteristics to identify songbirds using binoculars in the field. We spotted probably 8-10 different species this way.
The second exercise was learning how remote camera capture techniques can be used to identify animals in the field. The Delegates learned to identify likely places where wildlife might set off the camera's motion and infra red detectors to capture images. The Delegates installed two cameras and, after two days and nights, any wildlife captured by the cameras will be reported back to the group - exciting!
Lastly, the Delegates were lead to the crane compounds to get an behind the scenes view at rare and threatened cranes and learned about their captive breeding programs and how they are handled to conserve the species.
Crane treats - meal worms, and baby mice
It was a great day at SCBI and many of the Delegates made great contacts for follow up networking!
The Cicada hatch!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)