KABT Fall Conference
Thanks to Pat Lamb for planning and all who presented and attended to make this year’s Fall Conference successful. Below is a summary of the presentations along with web sites mentioned by each presenter.
Valerie Wright discussed the Konza Environmental Educational Program that students across the state are participating at their locations as well as on The Konza. Students become the researchers and collect data that can be entered into The Konza’s data base. Teachers can have their students record phenology data (first events such as recording when a plant blooms for the first time each year) on their web site and compare year after year. To view data forms and databases go to http://konza.ksu.edu/keep/dataentry.htm. If you want to know more about the Konza Prairie go to http://kpbs.konza.ksu.edu.
Students can test their nature-knowledge by participating in an area Ecomeet. Students test in four areas: habitat, focus test, scavenger hunt and interpretation. To learn more about area ecomeets go to http://kansasecomeet.org/#What.
Noah Busch presented on using Daphnia in the classroom. Effects of chemicals and temperature on heart rate can be studied as well as anatomy, phototactic behavior, and predator response. For more information friend Noah Busch here on KABT.org.
Dr. Eva Horne and Dr. Robbie Bear from KSU listed web sites for programs to help with active learning. Some of these sites are:
http://bio150.chass.utoronto.ca/foraging/
Dr. Tony Joern and Adam Skibbe presented recent data collected using GIS on Konza Prairie to determine density distribution of bison. They took KABT on a tour of the Konza and let us view the bison.
Harry McDonald, with Kansas Citizens for Science, invited all to attend the Science Cafe on November 8. For more information go to http://kcfs.org/.
Thanks again to all who attended. Next year we will have the Fall Conference at the KU Field Station. We look forward to having you!
