EXPLORATORY SCIENCE with Mr. Smith

Update November 1st

Prior to watching the movie 2 Million Minutes, students are being given a survey that has them estimate the time they spend on their homework, studying, reading fiction and non-fiction for pleasure - as well as the amount of time they spend with technology including cell phones/phones, computers, videogames, television, MP3 players/iPods, etc.  So far I have tabulated results for 3 classes that have a total of 45 students.  The results for the average student in those three classes show a student that each week:

 1.  studies or does homework for 4 hours. 

 2.  pleasure reads fiction for less than 3 hours.

 3.  pleasure reads non-fiction for less than 1 hour.

 4.  watches television for 13 hours.

 5.  plays video games for 4 hours.

 6.  listens to MP3/iPods for 7 hours.

 7.  uses cell phones/text messages for 8 hours.

 8.  uses the internet on the computer for 11 hours.

The total number of hours in a week is 168 hours.  Taking away the hours a student spends in school or travel to and from school ( - 40) leaves 128 hours.  Taking away the number of hours a student sleeps/assuming 8 per day ( - 56) leaves 72 hours.  Assuming students spend about 1.5 hours eating per day and .5 hours in the bathroom/shower (- 14) leaves  68 hours remaining for everything else.

Thus, this average student each week spends over 63% of their discretionary time indoors using technology for entertainment (43 hours) and less than 12% of their discretionary time reading, studying and doing homework (less than 8 hours).

It is worth noting that in the movie 2 Million Minutes it is claimed that:

•  60% or engineering degrees awarded by universities and colleges in the United States go to international students, and only 40% to Americans.
• a Chinese student will spend twice as much time studying and in classrooms by the time they graduate as compared to an American high school student.
• the United States in now finishing in 24th place out of the 29 industrialized countries on Earth, in mathematics proficiency.
• in addition: Indian and Chinese students have a longer school day, a longer school year, and also go to school on Saturdays.  They are doing far more advanced mathematics, physics, chemistry and science than American students.  100 million Chinese students are now studying English.  Chinese and Indian parents enforce strict study regimens at home and the reading of non-fiction trumps fiction - while the use of technology for learning trumps the use of technology for entertainment.

Very sobering thoughts for a generation that is now going to have to compete in a global economy.  One thing I am changing in my own home is that I will now sit down at the kitchen table to do more math with my own children, not only to help them do better but to raise my skill level.  It is evident from watching the movie that my own math skills lag far behind Indian and Chinese high school graduate's abilities.  In addition, I will attempt to insert more non-fiction reading into my children's reading time. 

I also note that in my home town (Mansfield) the board of education recently approved $30,000 to entice teachers to offer additional lessons on weekends, vacations, before and after school to strengthen the basic skills of their elementary and middle school students.

With the financial difficulties and waning international influence of the United States, coupled with our declining educaitonal level compared to international students - perhaps we are facing another 'Sputnik' moment and will respond with as much focus as we did 50 years ago.

Update October 26^th

We have now experienced a few frosts in the area and winter temperatures seem ever closer.  The sun continues to drop lower in the sky each day as we lose evermore sunlight and gain increasing darkness each day that passes.  Those that suffer from S.A.D. must surely be feeling it a bit by now.

Last week some classes were able to visit with Dr. Morris from Trinity College who along with her college and grad students came to Two Rivers and set up multiple mist nets.  Many birds were captured and banded. 

In addition classes were brought outside for investigation of seasonal changes.  This included eating crab apples that were now noticeably less sour due to the frosts.  Wooly bear caterpillars are being found under boards in the field and appear curled up to ride out the winter.  Box elder bugs are flying around in swarms during warm, sunny periods.  New England Aster remains in bloom.

In the classroom students have been warming up with the Periodic Table of Elements and are learning how the table is organized.  First we covered the all important symbol and element name by focusing in on H (hydrogen) and He (helium).  Next we covered atomic number which gives us the number of protons and electrons.  Then came atomic mass and how to calculate the number of neutrons by subtracting away the atomic number.  Students got a chance to observe Mg (magnesium) ribbon being burned which gives off a very bright, penetrating white light.  Then students were able to handle some Nd (neodymium) magnets as a model to better understand why NaCL (table salt/sodium chloride) does not upon ingestion separate out into its deadly-to-us individual elements of explosive Na (sodium) metal and toxic green Cl (chlorine) gas.  Few students could pull apart two of the magnets no matter how hard they tried and the point seemed well taken by them.  This coming week we will continue with warm up review of the Period Table of Elements with a short practice worksheet.  We will be using fuel cells and electrical current to separate out H and O from distilled water.  Observations will be made on what happens when a lit wooden match is put into hydrogen gas and a smoldering match put into oxygen.  In addition, if I can get a loaner Geiger counter from GHAMAS, we will observe radiation given off from fiesta ware plates made with uranium glaze as well as background radiation, smoke detectors etc.

7^th graders will in addition be finishing up with their forensics investigations (completed so far including fingerprints, hair analysis, fiber analysis) and move on outside to water quality investigations.  We will compare/contrast the Connecticut River, Hockanum River, retention pond and a vernal pool using temperature, pH and TDS (total dissolved solids) information.  Students will practice basic graphing skills with this data.  Over the next few weeks we will progress into collecting additional data including dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nitrogen and phosphorus. 

6^th graders will investigate some alien invasive species and dissect stems of common reed (Phragmites australis) to locate and identify some insect species that attack this terrible weed and help keep it from producing as much seeds as they would normally be capable of).

Additionally I plan on showing all classes a short DVD movie titled ‘2 Million Minutes’ which follows two high school students from each of three different countries = United States, China and India.  I have only seen the trailer so far, but with additional reading up have concluded that this will be an important movie for many students to watch as it helps expose the different levels of academic rigor that average students bring to their studies in different countries.  Motivation to aim higher and work harder is the goal for seeing this movie.

Science bowl students have been practicing every Wednesday for numerous weeks now and starting this past Thursday CATALYST students will now be meeting every Thursday to participate in the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technologies hands-on and energy focused after school curriculum.

 With the generous offer from one of our students and a friend of their fathers who worked on the Mars Lander parachute system (this from memory so I hope I got it right), arrangements are now underway to bring this technician/scientist to Two Rivers to do a NASA presentation.  Along these lines, another student whose father was a nuclear submariner is attempting to get us some great digital visuals on what it is like to be on a submarine.

Update October 19^th

The American Carp Society is finished with their Connecticut River tournament that ran 72 hours from Oct. 15^th – 18^{th .}   Half of Exploratory Science students were able to visit with some of the teams competing for over $30,000 in prize money.  Unfortunately none of the teams we focused on were fortunate enough to cash in on the money prizes.  Val and Luis just missed cashing in by coming in fourth place with over 418 pounds of carp caught.  Ed and Mike came in a distant 6^th.  Check out the tournament webpage for results and plenty of photos to better understand how big the fish can get in our river as well as to visualize what it must have been like to participate in this 3-day non-stop event.

http://www.acstournaments.com/grid_index.html

Update Sept. 23rd

A major mosquito hatch is ongoing following upon the heels of heavy rainfall we received from the remnants of former Hurricane Hanna.   Students going outdoors are being swarmed by hundreds of the little buggers, so parents may consider sending their child with insect repellent of bringing along a long sleeved sweat shirt to cover themselves with when outside with Exploratory Science or P.E.  Hanna arrived on Sunday Sept. 7^th and dumped several inches of rain.  The mosquito life cycle takes about 2 weeks to go from egg to feeding adult (only the female drinks blood) and starting Monday we noted a huge increase in the pests.

Along the shores of the CT. River are fresh tracks of deer, muskrat, otter, raccoon, great blue heron, sandpipers, fox and beaver.  Maybe its time for us to set up a critter cam that can snap pictures of nocturnal wildlife passing by.  Perhaps next year’s budget will provide such.

Starlings and cowbirds are flocking and getting ready to move south.  Starlings are the worst alien invasive bird species we have (some may say the English sparrow is) and the cowbird often parasitizes other birds nests by laying its egg in them, whereupon the baby cowbird hatches and kicks out the other birds eggs or hatched young.

While driving along our highways now one can observe red maple swamps and wetlands turning brilliant red as the trees leaves turn to their autumnal colors.  By some estimates, red maples comprise almost 50% of all trees in Connecticut.  Should the Asian long horn beetle establish an uncontrollable population here in the U.S. – we may see some devastating changes to our forest mix with sugar maples, red maples and ash leaved maples (box elder) in serious decline.  Right now the government is trying to eradicate a population of beetles that was discovered near Worcester Massachusetts.  This is one area the government and tax payer would do wise to pay more attention to and provide more funding to.  Alien invasives are having a huge negative impact on our economy, and it seems few people are paying attention. Wish the government well on this one!

Update Sept. 21st

Baby snapping turtles are hatching and crawling into the Hockanum and CT. Rivers.  Students have already captured 6 specimens.  5 were in the CT. River just below where the Hockanum River enters.  They were casually swimming immediately next to shore and were thus easy to pick up.  1 other individual was found on the grass of the large field just below the concrete stairs up to the bridge.  They are feeding on small earthworms captured when a student turned over a concrete block.  By the way - earthworms/night crawlers are an alien invasive species.

A large green caterpillar was turned in by Mr. Skarzynski.  Initially I called it a Tomato Hornworm but on further investigation beleive it is a Tobacco Hornworm as the 'horn' is red.  Reading up on the Sphinx moths/hornworms I learned that this large caterpillar will pupate underground.  I was wondering why it was ignoring my addition of tomatoe and potatoe plant stems until I read that.  Once I had filled a small terrarium with loose soil it immediately burrowed in.  We'll wait and see if it will emerge a winged sphinx moth.

A small black and white warbler was turned in.  As another specimen before, it was killed after a fly-in with a Two Rivers window.  Many migrating birds are killed every year by our large reflective windows.  This happens almost exclusively in the fall and spring.

Update Sept. 7

Welcome to my schoolnotes webpage.  We are looking forward to another very exciting year.  Below you will find a short description of what students need to be prepared for, followed by all three curriculums by grade beginning with 6th grade, followed by a section on the extracurricular activities I do and ending with some interesting facts concerning Connecticut's flora and fauna that may very well be misunderstood.

Students taking Exploratory Science with Mr. Smith need to come prepared to class with appropriate clothes and shoes as we will often go outdoors during the warmer months as well as taking advantage of good winter days when they happen.  All students have been given the meeting dates for their own classes and were required to write such in their planners for each of the class dates so they would remember to bring along older sneakers/shoes that can handle some grass or dirt as well as wear socks and long pants that are appropriate for hiking.

Beginning with 6th grade and ending with 8th grade, please find below the new curriculum that was designed for 2008/09.  I will be sticking as close to this curriculum as possible - excepting where some changes will necessarily be made due to all CREC Magnet Schools now needing their curriculums matching the state recommended units by grade.  For example, I will newly need to teach some water quality/Long Island Sound sections in 7th grade this year.  These changes will be implemented at a later date. 

FYI - Continue past the listed curriculums below to find information on our Science Bowl team, CATALYST program, MYO Conference for 8th grade girls, BioBlitz and other extracurricular activities I help run.

Two Rivers Middle Magnet School Sixth Grade

Exploratory Science Curriculum

Sixth Grade Theme: Diversity of Life: Study of Two Rivers
Guiding Questions	Student Learning Objectives
How are the Connecticut and Hockanum River connected?	·         Learn about the history of both rivers ·         Hike the banks of the rivers ·         Identify features of the rivers which include flood plain forest, riparian zone, vernal pools, meadows, etc.  ·         Search signs of wildlife ·         Discover the multiple uses of these valuable resources
What’s happening to the river?	·         Define what is erosion ·         Identify evidence of erosion on the Connecticut and Hockanum River ·         Gauge the rate of erosion ·         Examine sediments to determine level of erosion/deposition ·         Learn about flooding and the impact on local area
How does the river flow?	·         Determine the flow rate over time (day, month, years) of the Connecticut River and Hockanum River ·         Collect and analyze turbidity data ·         Discover how regional and local weather events impacts differently the two rivers ·         Compare and contrast the Connecticut River and Hockanum River

What does the water tell you?	·         Gather and analyze water quality data (Nitrogen, Dissolved Oxygen, Temperature, Co2) ·         Draw conclusion based upon data collected
What happens to our waste products?	·         Visit Waste Water Treatment Plant ·         Hike to the water treatment plant ·         Learn about primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment
How does a treatment plant work?	·         Make model of treatment plant ·         Communicate model through interactive presentation
What lives in or along the rivers?	·         Identify characteristics of  Keystone Species; Beaver ·         Search for signs of Beaver on tributary that feeds into the Connecticut River ·         Describe impact that Beavers have on local aquatic environment ·         Investigate food chains and food webs ·         Discuss adaptations Beavers have in order to survive

What else lives in the rivers?	·         Gather  microorganisms and plankton samples using plankton tow ·         Grow and identify bacteria from river on Petri plates ·         Use microscopes and keys to identify microorganisms and plankton ·         Draw conclusions about evidence found
What does not belong?	·         Use collecting equipment to gather benthic organisms in the Connecticut River ·         Identify, count, and record species (ex. Asian Clams, Fresh Water Mussels, and Sea Lamprey) ·         Define alien invasive species ·         Conduct a population count of native and invasive species
What does not belong?	·         Identify Purple Loosestrife and  Water Meal ·         Conduct a quadrate population study of Purple Loosestrife at the pond ·         Introduce Galerucella calmariensis L. and Galerucella pusilla Duftschmidt (Coleoptera: (Chrysomelidae); leaf-feeding beetles from Europe that were approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1992 to control Purple Loosestrife ·         Life cycle of beetle in relation to Purple ·         Determine effectiveness of beetle, a biological control of the Purple Loosestrife
What does not belong?	·         Identify autumn olive ·         Calculate population density ·         Gather berries from an individual plant ·         Using mathematical formula calculate the number of potential offspring from shrub ·         Draw conclusions as for fecundity of species

What does not belong?	·         Identify Phragmites ·         Collect stem samples from next to school ·         Dissect stems to locate and identify location on stem of insect predators ·         Use Cornell Interactive webpage for identification of insect species. ·         Submit data to Cornell ·         Discover there could be biological controls for invasive species
How is the Connecticut Science Center connected?	·         Putting the pieces together: trip to the CT Science Center Gallery: A River of Life ·         Use Science Center exhibits to enhance understanding about the Connecticut River Watershed ·         Discern how the Connecticut River has changed over time ·         Learn about rich collection of animals that are sustained by the Connecticut River

Two Rivers Middle Magnet School Seventh Grade Exploratory Science Curriculum

Seventh Grade Theme: Two River’s Crime Scene Investigators
Guiding Questions	Student Learning Objectives
Crime Scene 1: Who did it?	·         Introduction to lab protocols ·         Observe and investigate crime scene ·         Collect, record, and preserve evidence at crime scene

Crime Scene 1: Whose prints are they?	·         Create and analyze own fingerprints ·         Identify fingerprint patterns (loop, core, delta, and arch) ·         Describe ways we obtain fingerprints ·         Analyze fingerprints at crime scene ·         Cast footprints ·         Analyze footprints from crime scene
Crime Scene 1: Whose hair is it? What kind of fiber was found?	·         Prepare slides with hair samples ·         Examine hair sample under microscope ·         Compare animal hair (do, cat, etc) with human hair ·         Sketch and label appearance of hair samples ·         Determine if hair from crime scene was human or different kind of animal ·         Prepare slides with fiber samples ·         Examine fibers with microscope ·         Observe fibers from own clothing ·         Compare and contrast natural fibers to synthetic fibers ·         Determine what kind of fiber was found at the crime scene
Crime Scene 1: Where did the soil come from?	·         Describe the characteristics of the soil ·         Discover the density of the soil sample found at the crime scene ·         Determine the pH level of the soil ·         Describe and record the seeds found in the soil sample ·         Determine where the soil sample is from

Crime Scene 1: Who wrote the note? Where did that glass come from?

·         Analyze ink from written note found at crime scene ·         Conduct chromatography test ·         Compare and contrast chromatogram of different inks with samples found at crime scene ·         Identify pen used to write note found at crime scene ·         List properties of glass ·         Determine density of several types of glass (i.e. automobile, window, and Pyrex) ·         Estimate refractive index of glass ·         Identify type of glass found at the crime scene

Crime Scene 1: Is that blood? ***IMPORTANT: No blood or blood products are used

·         Discuss blood types, inheritance of blood, and use genotypes of blood to determine phenotypes • Complete blood typing lab to determine the antigens present in the blood samples found at the crime scene and determine the blood type of the victim of the crime • Discuss how to analyze DNA and to perform gel Electrophoresis. •Complete lab on DNA analysis to match samples found at the crime scene

Crime Scene 1: Who did it?	·         Analyze evidence collected over several weeks ·         Draw conclusion who committed the crime ·         Solve the case
How is the Connecticut Science Center connected?	·         Tour Picture of Health Gallery ·         Explore skeletal and muscular system in motion ·         Use Doppler stethoscope or ·         participate in crime scene investigation-style forensic activities in coordination with Dr. Henry Lee, the famed Connecticut investigator
Crime Scene 2: What happened to the fish?	·         Introduce students  to lab protocols ·         Observe, investigate, document, and preserve evidence at crime scene ·         Gather evidence, (i.e.  number of dead fish, temperature, dissolved O2, nutrients, turbidity, colorimeter)
Crime Scene 2: What happened to the fish?	·         Teams meet to analyze data ·         Draw conclusion what caused the Fish Kill ·         Solve the case
Crime Scene 2: What happened to the fish?	·         Research real life Fish Kills (Millstone, Gulf of Mexico, and Aquaculture Ponds) ·         Compare and contrast causes of real fish kills ·         Make connections to simulated crime scene

Is Two River’s pond healthy?	·         Gather and record evidence temperature, dissolved O2, nutrients, turbidity, colorimeter of the pond on Two River’s school ground ·         Observe and record evidence of wildlife in and around the pond
Is Two River’s pond healthy?	·         Analyze current data and compare with historical ·         Use evidence to determine if Two River’s pond is healthy

Two Rivers Middle Magnet School Eighth Grade Exploratory Science Curriculum

Eighth Grade Theme: Exploring the Universe With NASA
Guiding Questions	Student Learning Objectives
What are your ideas about the universe?	·         Complete cosmic survey to determine students prior knowledge ·         Order a given set of objects from the universe by size, distance, and age ·         Compare and contrast a set of objects from the universe ·         Calculate abundance of elements in universe
What types of stars are in our universe?  How do we know?	·         Review properties of waves and  their relationships of energy, wavelength, and frequency in the electromagnetic spectrum ·         Discover how wavelengths in electromagnetic spectrum can be used to see things we can not see with our eyes ·         Correlate images taken by Hubble and other astronomical instruments to wavelength, color, temperature and that is found in the electromagnetic spectrum ·         Discover relationship between mass, color, temperature, and age of stars

How far away are the planets?	·         Outside create a model demonstrating scale distance of Solar System from the sun using the ground of Two Rivers ·         Calculate scaled distances between planets in our solar system to the sun ·         Compare and contrast planets and their distances from the sun ·         Locate Two Rivers on a map ·         Use map scales to determine how far away planet would be from Two Rivers
How does NASA plan a mission to another planet?	·         Plan a mission to Mars ·         Discover the complexity of the design process ·         Developing science goals of mission ·         Identify constraints associated in mission planning ·         Deign prototype of spacecraft ·         Revise and retest their space craft ·         Present final mission design
How do launch towers withstand the force of a launch?	·         Define thrust structure. ·         Understand structures and forces ·         Determine  how to make designs strong and lightweight ·         Design and document of launch structure ·         Build launch structure ·         Recognize a need for a standard test procedure ·         Test launch structure ·         • Make observations and collect data ·         Record test data ·         Distinguish between effective and ineffective design features. ·         Incorporate design strategies gleaned from experimentation and observation. ·         Refine, revise and redesign launch structure ·         Test new launch structure ·         Draw conclusions based on analysis of test result data. ·         Analyze test data and draw conclusions. ·         Communicate findings to peers

How do you design a spacecraft survive the heat of entering a planet’s atmosphere?

·         Define and understand the need for thermal protection systems ·         Understand heat transfer, conductors, and insulators ·         Design  and document design of spacecraft ·         Build spacecraft ·         Test thermal protection system on spacecraft ·         Make observations and collect data ·         Record data in a table ·         Distinguish between effective and ineffective design features ·         Incorporate design strategies gleaned from experimentation and observation ·         Revise, refine and redesign spacecraft ·         Retest new thermal protection system ·         Draw conclusions based on analysis of test data ·         Communicate results to others

Life on earth. . . .  And elsewhere?

·         Compare real and fake or live and dead objects ·         Form an operational definition of life ·         Refine the definition by playing 20 Questions to identify an object or organism ·         Test the definition by conducting a simulated experiments with  mystery soil  samples similar to experiments on the Mars Viking Lander ·         Observe carefully and record data ·         State relationship between the soil samples using operational definition of life ·          Make inference about the possibility of life on Mars based on data obtained

What does life require - Extremophiles?  What makes a world habitable?

·         Determine that life requires water, nutrients, and energy ·         Discover organisms that live under extreme conditions on earth ·         Draw conclusions and make inferences using extremophiles as an analog for extraterrestrial life ·         Look for habitable conditions in our solar system ·         Infer and draw conclusions about the possibility of life in the solar system

How is the Connecticut Science Center connected?

·         Examine the Moon’s different surface features with the Moon projection globe ·         Observe the geologic features of Mars by participating in a simulated flyover of Mars ·         Take a virtual trip of the solar system and observe features studies in class ·         Use the electromagnetic spectrum to observe stars

What are NASA latest missions?

(Note: This block will change due to reflect NASA’s current Exploratory missions.) Recommend the following missions for the 2008-2009 school year. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Planned launch: no earlier then November 24, 2008 The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is the first mission in NASA's Vision for Space Exploration, a plan to return to the moon and then to travel to Mars and beyond. LRO will launch no earlier than November 24, 2008 with the objectives to finding safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology Recommended Educational Materials: Lunar Nautics; Designing a Mission to Live and Work on the Moon Educators Guide and NASA’s Field Trip to the Moon Mars Science Laboratory                                                Planned Launch: Fall, 2009 Building on the success of the two rover geologists that arrived at Mars in January, 2004, NASA's next rover mission is being planned for travel to Mars before the end of the decade. Twice as long and three times as heavy as the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, the Mars Science Laboratory will collect Martian soil and rock samples and analyze them for organic compounds and environmental conditions that could have supported microbial life now or in the past.

Extracurricular Science Activities with Mr. Smith

Science Bowl Team - Our school is proud of our accomplishments as a team - one that has never finished lower than 2nd place in the U.S. Dept. of Energy's National Middle School Science Bowl Northeast Regional which is held at UConn, this year on Saturday March 28th..  Teams from CT., MA., RI. and VT. compete in this regional vying to be the chosen team to represent the Northeast at the nationals which has normally been held in Colorado - but which this year moves to Washinton D.C. for the dates of April 30th to May 5th  Many consider the National Science Bowl to be the nation's premiere middle school science academic competition.  2RMMS was instrumental in having the DOE open a northeast regional event at UConn and we have continued to assist all participating schools by selflessly sharing questions, holding practice sessions with other schools and providing pizza, lending out our spare buzzer system and even writing a grant so another school would get their own buzzer system. 

Connecticut BioBlitz - This tremendous event is held every 2 years and brings hundreds of scientists/biologists together in a 24-hour race against the clock to try and identify as many species of plants and animals as possible.  The entomologists 'twig' regularly identify the most species with botanists coming in second - and a sort of Yankees vs. Red Sox  has resulted.  The organizers of this event decided to hold the 2005 BioBlitz at Two Rivers Magnet Middle School - which was a first for any school as the scientists had previously tented out with port-a-potties.  Due to the great success of the Two Rivers BioBlitz, the organizers saw value in making a permanent addition to the BioBlitz by including students from across Connecticut ranging from 6th grade to 12th grade.  In 2007 the BioBlitz was held at the Snow School in Middletown.  The 2009 date and location have not yet been set, but expect to see some more of our students joining their peers from across the state in another adventure of accompanying scientists while they snag bats out of the air, run mercury vapor lights with large cotton sheets at night to attract flying insects, dissect road kill to identify parasites, use electro-shock boats to capture large fish specimens and much more.  This is a dream experience for any young person interested in nature.

Multiplying Your Options - This day long event is open to 8th grade girls who have demonstrated an aptitude or interest in science and/or engineering.  It is a fine event run by the School of Engineering at UConn and allows young women to meet and interact with accomplished female scientists and engineers.  This years MYO Conference at UConn is scheduled for Thursday April 9th and we are seeking a few female chaperones to accompany this years contingent.  We are normally allowed to bring 20 students.

TRUE or FALSE?

1. False – The cottonmouth/water moccasin is found from southern Virginia/northern North Carolina and further south.  In Connecticut we have the Northern Water Snake which very much resembles a water moccasin but which is not poisonous.
2. False – Goldenrod is a native plant with pollen that is too heavy to be carried easily by breezes and instead requires bees to carry pollen.  The actual plant that causes hay fever is ragweed whose flower being green and much less noticeable than goldenrods bright inflorescence, allows ragweed to escape notice and hence blame.
3. True – We have a population of water meal (Wolffia sp.) that on no-wind days covers the retention pond in front of our school.  We use the schools microscopes to view the plant and tiny flower and/or seed.
4. True – We here in CT. have the river otter whose tracks we have seen along the CT. and Hockanum Rivers.  But the river wolf is another name for the giant river otter of Peru and some Amazonian rivers.  There are no wolves that howl that live in rivers.
5. False – The best evidence to date shows that the Eastern mountain lion is likely extinct.  Reported sightings of mountain lions anywhere in New England are almost always hoaxes, sightings of bobcats (probably large males) or some other large native animal.  On rare occasion Western mountain lions have been released or escaped into the New England woods and have been captured, shot or run over by cars.  But every mountain lion specimen that has been found in New England had western mountain lion DNA.  Science does not say with 100% authority that the Eastern mountain lion is extinct.  Should one turn up someday and a DNA test confirms their existence, I will be a believer.