Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 18:46:51 -0500 (EST)
From: "Richard A. Kurnik"     
To: updates-lfrf@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov
Subject: LFRF  Update   January 15, 1998


LIVE FROM THE RAINFOREST Update   January 15, 1998
Volume 7, Issue 6

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1.  PTK Update including Weather World Winners
2.  PTK Video Schedule
3.  Meet another member of the LFRF Team
4.  LIVE FROM THE RAINFOREST Features
5.  Ordering Information
6.  Website of the Week

--------------------------------------------

1.  PTK Update

Welcome to LIVE FROM THE RAINFOREST, the Passport to
Knowledge program for the spring of 1998.  We have taken
the liberty of automatically subscribing the PRE-EXISTING
members of UPDATES-LFM TO this list.  We felt this was the
best way to keep you in touch with our latest PASSPORT TO
KNOWLEDGE project--LIVE FROM THE RAINFOREST.

UPDATES-LFRF, like UPDATES-LFM, will come to you just
once a week, providing the easiest way to keep up with this
rapidly-evolving project without too many messages. To
participate more actively, just as in LIVE FROM MARS, please
see below for instructions about how to join DISCUSS-LFRF,
our online "teacher's lounge", designed expressly for
brainstorming, sharing, and providing input to PTK and
LFRF.

We realize (though we much regret!) that some of you will
not want to be part of this list.  If you would like to
unsubscribe, please send a message to:

     listmanager@passport.ivv.nasa.gov

and in the body of the message write:

     unsubscribe updates-lfrf

PLEASE NOTE: This >MAY< not be the same address that
you used to subscribe to this list originally.

If you have any problems with unsubscribing, please send a
note to Eileen Bendixsen (ebend@netlabs.net) and she will
see that you are unsubscribed.

We hope voyaging with us to Mars over the past year and a
half has gotten you in the mood for virtual exploration!  We
hope you will travel with us this spring as we come face to
face with one of the most diverse and concentrated areas of
life on our own planet--the Amazon Basin and other
rainforests in the Americas and elsewhere.


WEATHER WORLDS WINNERS

The Weather Worlds Scavenger Hunt was immensely
popular.  Congratulations to these classes who won in their
sections.


Darlene Taylor's MESA Class at Dixon Middle School, in
Provo, UT


Susan Hurstcalderon's 8th Grade class at Blessed Sacrament
School, in Washington, DC


(Yes, Gentle Readers, Susan WAS one of the co-moderators,
but her class did come up with their answers independently
and we did not wish to discriminate against these enthusiastic
students.  We promise you they won fair and square!)


Cheryl Labbane and Patti Wood's 4th Grade class at
Southeast Elementary, in Jenks, OK.


CONGRATULATIONS!!!


Read on in UPDATES-LFRF to see more of what's planned,
and how you and your students can participate.



2.  PTK Video Schedule


LIVE FROM THE RAINFOREST will feature three live
programs originating at sites from Brazil to back home in
North America.  They will debut April 7, 14 and 21, 1998.

Program 1: MISSION TO PLANET EARTH

This first program sets the stage for all that follows, by
showing the planetary processes which form and shape
rainforests, introduces how we study them, and gives a first
look at some of the lifeforms which inhabit them, and why
rainforests are important.  Several rainforests around our
planet will be included in this first overview.  We ll meet the
cast of human characters who will populate this stage over
the next two weeks: Claude Gascon, field coordinator for
BDFF, who has been fascinated by frogs ever since a college
professor gave an assignment to research a rainforest
creature, and imagine yourself inside its skin (a similar activity
is in the LFRF TeacherÕs Guide), Heraldo Vasconcelos and his
leaf-cutter ants, and Susan Laurance and her tree studies.
WeÕll also see how NASA and INPE (Brazil's space agency)
use remote sensing to see, from orbit, what you can't see
down on the ground.


PROGRAM 2 "WORLDS BENEATH THE CANOPY"

Program 1 set the stage and introduces a few key players: this
program populates it with a rich cast of characters--human,
plant and animal, and explores the plot which links them all
together in the drama of life and death, survival and
adaptation or death and extinction.  Highlights will include
bats and dung beetles, always a student favorite.


PROGRAM 3: "CONNECT GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY"

The Amazon may be the largest rainforest on Earth, with the
greatest diversity of species, but the issues raised there in high
relief most definitely connect "back home", in urban
playgrounds, suburban backyards, and in America's rural
areas. This program will show how and why rainforests affect
the rest of the planet, literally and metaphorically.  We ll see
how the Smithsonian Biodiversity study is doing and show
results of the students  own biodiversity study which will
have been going on on-line for several weeks.  We ll also
explore the effect of man on rainforests and other habitats.


Each program will feature not only live segments with project
scientists but also classrooms at home using the program and
learning about the rainforest.  Live classroom sites are chosen
from those involved in the on-line projects.  Please be sure to
document your activities.  Videos submitted by teachers can
also be included in the programs.

ItÕs not too early to contact the Instructional TV person at
your local PBS station to ensure that they will broadcast the
program in your area.  Even though national PBS is a sponsor
of the PTK program, local stations are under no obligation to
show the programs.  To ensure local broadcasting, teachers
from that area need to assure the station that it is worthwhile
to do so.  Taping rights: one year from Broadcast dates. Call
908-273-4108 for  pricing on the 3 one hour videos if not
available via satellite access in your area.


3.  Meet another member of the LFRF Team

[Note from the editor: These are journals from scientists with
whom weÕll be working in Brazil.  You might want to save
these journal articles in a word processing file until youÕre
ready to use them.  ScientistsÕ journals are very interesting to
the students and help them get more into the project]


SUSAN LAURANCE

Susan Laurance, together with husband Bill, is one of a team
of ecologists tracking the interaction of plants, insects and
animals, and comparing the intact, developed and
regenerating forest areas. They're adding the latest chapter to
data extending back almost 20 years. She and Bill, an
American, have worked in rainforests in Australia as well as
in South America. Susan took PTK on a tour of the bi-national
Smithsonian-INPA sites north of Manaus, and provided some
practical "do's and don'ts" for living and working in the
rainforest:

PTK asks ÒWhy did I come to the Amazon?Ó

Well, the Amazon is one of those places where you're always using the
words the "biggest" or the "best", and in many ways to work
in the rainforest here is to work in the largest area of
rainforest. It's working in one of the areas which has one of
the highest diversity of bird species, one of the highest
diversity of plants species, of anywhere in the world, so it's a
very exciting place to be and to work here as a scientist.

I think one of the nicest experiences I've had was to
encounter a pair of spider monkeys in the canopy. While
being on the floor of the forest, to see a pair of spider
monkeys up close and to have them see me too, and respond
to me.  Not that they were very pleased to see me! They
were shouting monkey words at me and throwing down
sticks. But just that feeling that we were interacting. Not that
they were so positive about it, but I think that was really
exciting to see that.

I can't think of a bad thing.  I've never really had a very bad
experience working here. There's the bites, there's the spines,
when you have to open up a trail and you might get a whole
lot of spines all over your body that are painful, sore
muscles, insect bites, feeling like you're never going to be
beautiful again, but there's no really bad experience I've ever
had.

When you walk through the forest, you're always looking for
things. You look where you put your feet, you look where
your hands are going. You're looking for snakes, you're
looking for spiders, you're looking for ants, especially
ant-defended plants, which can be especially nasty--these
very small ants, but getting a LOT of them on you! You're
looking for wasps' nests, you're looking for spines. You don't
put your hand anywhere without looking where it is going.
You don't place your hand on a tree without looking at the
tree. It's really just common sense. It's really just being smart
when you are working in the forest.

I always carry a snake bite kit, for if I was bitten by a viper. I
always have a pen and paper. I carry a candle, because if
you're trying to light a fire in the rainforest, it's a much easier
way than using matches. I carry a small compass. So these are
some of the everyday things of just making sure that you are
covered.  We always carry plenty of water, it's a good idea!
Although it rains and you're in a rainforest, it's very hot and
you lose a lot of water. You can get heat exhaustion very
quickly working the forest, so you just need be aware of
what you're eating. Making sure you eat plenty of salt, make
sure you're drinking plenty of water primarily.

I grew up in a tropical area of Australia that has rainforest,
and I think that maybe that had a great influence because I
was always very comfortable in the forest. And our house
backed onto forest, and we had a little rainforest stream, and
as kids we spent a lot of time there. And it was not a foreign
type of environment for us, it was very normal. And I think
that had a lot to do with it. Also my family and myself,
we've always had a great love for animals, and for me it has
always been a very strong ambition to always work with
animals, to work with the environment. So I think that's
probably the biggest reason I can think of why I am here.

PTK asked Susan what is it was she most liked about working
in this "sticky, humid, hot 'hell'?"

I think it is the mystery of it, there is so much to discover,
there is SO little known, there's a lot of exciting things about
what wildlife is doing here, what plants are doing here. They
have evolved over time to develop some really fascinating
strategies for survival, and I think that's what so exciting
about working in the rainforest is that there is so much to
discover the mystery.


4.  LIVE FROM THE RAINFOREST Features


One of the high points of PTK has been projects such as THE
GREAT PLANET DEBATE, PET or WEATHER WORLDS...
online collaborative debates/discussions related directly to
the topic.  In the Smithsonian BDFF (Biological Dynamics of
Forest Fragments) project we have a real world
BIODIVERSITY (different species) SURVEY of DIFFERENT
FRAGMENTS over TIME (20 years.)

Students involved in LFRF will research some volume/area of
space in their region using a protocol they propose and
prepare in on-line discussions.  On a timetable which upfront
allows teachers to plan ahead, they will do such a survey.
Real rainforest scientists will mentor students and teachers
and help them with the project.

Separate but cooperating student teams for plants, insects,
mammals, weather(etc. etc.) will to spread the load of
research around.  The "GREAT BIODIVERSITY SURVEY"  (I m
sure you and your students working together can come up
with a catchier name!) will have kids going out and surveying
their chosen site.  In class, kids will digest and submit reports
on-line and the rainforest researchers and other students will
comment on, respond, and discuss the reports with the
students on-line.

Working on an on-line project like this involves students in
many ways--researching, writing, discussing, problem-solving,
etc.  ItÕs a great inter-disciplinary activity.



5.  Ordering Information

THINK AHEAD, and PLAN NOW for SOME UNIQUE
LEARNING EXPERIENCES


Support Materials:

Teacher's Guide Pack: includes 60 page guide featuring
hands-on activities, Special PTK full color LFRF poster,
student worksheets, and more. $20.00 per guide pack.


Multi-media Kit: includes Teacher's Guide pack described
above, teacher resource video with rainforest background
and segments demonstrating how to implement hands-on
activities via classroom demonstrations, sample online
materials, set of 35mm slides, and more! $125.00 per
multi-media kit.


Advanced orders may be placed by calling 908-273-4108.
Packs will be shipped when available in late February.


Online Resources:  Selected portions of the  Teacher s Guide,
full background on the LFRF project,  and many other
resources will be available via the Web at a site which is
presently under development. Web date availability: early
Feb.  Check 1-800-626-LIVE for updates!



6.  Website of the Week

Each week, UPDATES features a different website to help you
and your students become more knowledgeable about
rainforests.  You should either bookmark it in your browser
or save the addresses in a word-processing file so that theyÕre
available when you need them later on.  This weekÕs
website, Good Green Fun, is at:
http://www.efn.org/~dharmika/ggftrop.htm.  This is a great
site for everyone.  The opening page looks like itÕs just for
elementary teachers, but there are links to so many sites,
suitable for all ages.  LFRF, of course, does not encourage
you to buy anything at any sites we mention, weÕre just
providing these for the great information they have.



In addition to the weekly UPDATES, PTK also offers a
listserve or on-line discussion group by e-mail for educators
and others planning to use the project) which allows teachers
to ask questions, discuss problems, make suggestions, etc.

To subscribe to updates-lfrf or discuss-lfrf, please send e-mail
to: listmanager@passport.ivv.nasa.gov (note address change
from previous PTK projects!) Place ONLY the words:

subscribe updates-lfrf 
or 
subscribe discuss-lfrf

in the body of the message and that will automatically
subscribe you according to the Reply-To address embedded
in your e-mail. (Be sure to turn off your "signature", or add
the word  on the line after .

To be removed from the UPDATES or discuss list at any time,
follow the same instructions but type  in the
body of the message, for example:

unsubscribe discuss-lfrf



We hope you'll use UPDATES to keep abreast of PTK news
and "discuss" to let the PTK team and your colleagues know
what's on your mind, and to make suggestions about how to
ensure LIVE FROM THE RAINFOREST is an exciting and
worthwhile learning adventure. On behalf of PASSPORT TO
KNOWLEDGE, welcome to the new school year and this new
project! We know you'll enjoy traveling with us virtually to
some of the most amazing and instructive places on Earth.

    Source: geocities.com/~mister_dave