Spring Branch ISD Featured News

 

Back to reality with a lifetime of Amazon memories for SBISD science teacher and student

Searching for tarantulas the size of a hand in the Amazon rainforest with an endoscope is not something high school seniors get to do every day… or ever… unless selected to be a JASON Argonaut.

Named after the explorers from Greek mythology, the highly selective Argonauts program, provides “life-changing STEM travel experiences” to high school students and teachers from around the world.

A teacher and students from Spring Branch ISD were selected to be part of the most recent JASON Learning excursion. From October 19 through 26, Spring Woods High School 12th grader Pedro Zavala and teacher Jamie Flint traveled by plane, bus and boat to get to the Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies (ACTS), near Iquitos, Peru, for a week-long study of arthropods (animals with exoskeletons).

They stayed at the research camp in un-air-conditioned rooms, with mosquito netting over their beds. The ‘luxury’ of fans was only available in the dining room. Cold showers and vault toilets emphasized the bare bones way of life at a research station.

When asked what was the most uncomfortable part of the journey, though, Zavala did not name the accommodations:

“Holding insects was the most uncomfortable thing I did,” said Zavala. “But I got over it.”

He also was brave enough to have a large stick-like insect walk on his face.

 

This was Flint’s second trip to ACTS with JASON Learning, having gone last year with a student from Stratford High School.

“I decided to apply again, and encouraged my students to apply as well,” she said. “This year I got to accompany one of my own students.”

Zavala applied to be an Argonaut because he had seen documentaries about research and wanted to go with his teacher to see how things are in the Amazon.

The trips were underwritten by Spring Branch ISD partner, Chevron. Flint and Zavala expressed thanks to Chevron for funding their Argonaut quest.

“It was enjoyable and we gained a lot of information,” said Flint.

“I learned a lot about myself,” said Zavala of his scientific adventure to Peru. “I learned how much hard work research is. We had to stay focused and journal our findings every day.”

For this weeklong expedition, the group of seven students and six teachers, collaborated with JASON Learning experts and The Bug Chicks (two women entomologists) to study the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest.

Zavala and Flint were on a small team that studied tarantulas. They learned that members of this species live alone in ground burrows. The bigger the hole, the bigger the spider.

Through observations in the field, the group found there were more tarantula burrows closer to where humans reside versus on the trail to the rain forest canopy.

“Our hypothesis is that because there is light near where humans live, it attracts other insects that the tarantulas eat,” said Zavala.

The students used an endoscope to put a tiny camera down into the tarantula burrows and wirelessly project live images onto their cellphone screens. They also had the opportunity to share their research project with students at a nearby high school.

Besides studying tarantulas, the teachers and students also learned: insect photography techniques, about the relationship between herbivory and medicinal plants, and how indigenous groups living in the area care for the rainforest.

They also ate the honey from a species of stingless bees, took excursions on the river, hiked in the forest canopy on rope bridges, and so much more.

 

The ripple effects of Flint’s and Zavala’s scientific adventures are sure to continue for years to come. Zavala plans to major in aerospace engineering as he heads off to college next year. Flint will use her experience to teach her students how to do inquiry-based research with the tools available.

Submitted by Becky Wuerth, SBISD Communications
Becky.wuerth@springbranchisd.com