Getting to Know the Getting to Know the 2010 Travel Delegation2010 Travel Delegation

Who are weWhy are we participatingWhat do we hope to gain

Let the Momentum Begin!I am a high school environmental science teacher near St. Augustine Florida. My background is in environmental science

and environmental education, and I have been teaching for the past 5 years. Prior to teaching, I have worked for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and have been education coordinator for a Sea Turtle Conservation Program. In my spare time, I enjoy kayaking, hiking...really any activity outdoors. I also volunteer with the local sea turtle conservation program along the beaches of Northeast Florida. I have spent time in Costa Rica in 1998 during a study abroad program, though I have never been to most of the locations we will be traveling to. I am very interested in meeting new people and getting to share exciting adventures with all of you during our time in Costa Rica! Pura Vida!

I am a 29 year old teacher from Calumet City, IL (south side of Chicago). I went to the University of Illinois and majored in Kinesiology focusing on education and athletic medicine. My masters is in educational administration and I received that at the University of Nebraska. I am a certified athletic trainer and worked in the sports medicine field at the college level before moving into high school teaching. I was on this costa rican adventure with the NSTA last year and loved it, so decided it would be awesome to do again! Plus, I am traveling with two of my colleagues and great friends.

I am very excited to be going on this trip with other science teachers. I love to muck about in the woods and streams looking at animals and plants. I live in the woods and to get to my house, you have to cross over a high swinging foot bridge. I teach middle school science and math, plus I do lots of extra science and math with the K-5 students in my small independent school. I have been teaching for 25 years, most of those years were in elementary grades.

I'm an outdoor person working in a suit job. Love to travel and meet other science educators concerned about our small planet and the education of our students. I think about education in a global era. What happens in one nation affects the life in others. International exchange is contemporary currency; it fuels new thinking and has the potential to eliminate misunderstandings. The U.S. has much to learn from other countries and much to teach , as well.

I want to have fun and learn as much as I can just as they do.

Let the Momentum Begin!I am excited about this adventure. I have been to Costa Rica once before but didn't see Tortuguero. I have volunteered on several turtle projects with Earthwatch and am looking forward to this experience.

I am a science teacher for grades K - 4 in an all boys private school. It's the best job in a fabulous environment. I love being outside and feel that after 30 years of teaching getting my students outside has become that the most important thing I do for and with students. I am currently in New York visiting my new grandson who is 3 days old! It is my husband's and my first grandchild so it has been a very exciting week for us. I am really looking forward to the trip to Costa Rica with fellow science teachers. I have been on other trips to other countries with educators ( Peru, Southern Africa, British Columbia) and find it the very best way to travel and learn, so enriching.

I am the science teacher at a small alternative high school. There are only six teachers - one for each discipline - and a student body of around 50. The students we serve are at risk of not graduating for a variety of reasons, the most common being mental health or substance abuse issues. In addition to being teachers, the teachers at my school are advisers, counselors, nurses, parents, etc. The academics sometimes come second. The students have generally not been successful in school and don't like it, so one of my most important jobs is to make science fun and interesting rather than a list of fact to memorize.

I will be about 5 months pregnant when we get to CR.

This will be my 4th visit to Costa Rica but the first time to the Caribbean coast. I'm looking forward to spending time exploring areas that I have never encountered and working alongside researchers. Even though I am no longer in the classroom, I work as a Science Instructional Specialist and many of my schools are wanting to integrate PASCO equipment into their classrooms. There is no better way to learn than to travel to Costa Rica and experience field biology firsthand while learning to use new technology.

I am excited to visit Costa Rica for a second time. The first trip with Holbrook was fantastic and I am looking forward to another rewarding experience!

I never STOP!!! I'm like the energizer bunny, I keep going and going and going. I want to learn and do soooo much, this world is fascinating!

What will make a Successful Field Expedition?What will make a Successful Field Expedition?I am very interested in seeing researchers in the field and developing techniques to bring back to my classroom. I need to

further develop my GIS skills, as I am required to integrate the software further into my classroom this upcoming school year. My school is also focusing on water quality issues, and I would like to focus on international examples of water quality for my students as well. Finally, I borrowed a flip video camera from my school to record researchers in their discussions with us, if that is acceptable to them. I would like to bring their own words back into my classroom for my students to enhance their learning.

I just want to have fun and learn some cool things in the process!

-Working with field biologist and geologist, experiencing their field work. -Getting to know the other science teachers on our trip and making lasting connections -Spending most of our time exploring different ecosystems, birding, insect watching, turtle work, monkey watching! -Making connections with a Costa Rican school that would be able to share information back and forth between students.

I want to touch it , see it , smell it. Take it outdoors. Bathing in a geothermal pool after hiking all day. Networking with others and brainstorming on how to allow all science teachers to travel.

Learning. I love to learn new things and I can always apply what I have learned to the classroom. I was also attracted to this trip because I am interested in getting involved in actual, authentic research using techniques that I have never had experience with. It is very appealing to be involved in a trip with experts in the field and fellow educators.

I am really looking forward to the volcanoes. I am hoping to learn a lot about volcanoes and hope that we are able to see them active. I am also really looking forward to the sea turtle research. I hope to see lots of wildlife, including snakes, frogs, insects...not just birds and mammals. One thing that can really make a trip like this successful, is the local guide. The guide we had last year was exceptional. Hopefully that will be the case again.

Taking as much away from this trip to enhance my knowledge base.

Adding another tool to my educational toolbox and being able to take great photos.

If it is as good as the last trip!

Participating in active educational research activities and learning something from it and not just simply going through the motions. Hope that makes sense.