Hi! This is Kathy Grimes, a teacher argonaut from Las Vegas, Nevada, where I am the science specialist for Woolley Elementary School. I have been a member of the JASON VI team this week with some terrific students, teachers, scientists, and production staff. This whole experience is incredible, as I am sure have learned by now from reading the journals from the other argonauts. We have hiked over active lava flows, taken lava samples, observed Jupiter's moon (Io) through telescopes, learned of the Drosophilia flies, and more from the really cool scientists here on site. These people are really neat -- they talk to us between broadcasts about their topics. They are excited about their work, and that excitement is contagious to us, too!
Today was especially wonderful. At the 5:00 a.m. broadcast, I was at the lava fields for a segment with Dr. Steve Mattox. He is studying the particles from the plumes, as you remember. Maybe some of you sent him particulate traps for his project. Anyway, as we were setting up and getting ready for the broadcast, (it is totally dark at this time, remember) the lava had several "breakouts" and poured very close to us. It was really cool -- or should I say HOT! This was spectacular! Beautiful stars overhead, and beautiful fire below. This made me think how our planet is indeed a living and breathing organism. Dr. Ballard has referred to the lava flow as the Earth's blood. That came to mind today as I viewed in awe the wonders before us at the site. We certainly had reverence for the area; it humbled us. I talked to some of the crew members that are Hawaiian, that strongly believe in the cultural spirituality of the place where we are studying. This was the highlight of my day.
To go back to yesterday, I must tell about the trip to the forest on Mauna Loa with Cheryl Tarr, the biologist who is studying the honeycreepers. This was the first time I had ever been on a bird watch/walk. Some of the students chose to hike ahead for the fun of the hike. And, some of us chose to hang with Cheryl for the birdwatching. After waiting in silence for about 15 minutes, the birds finally started to appear -- slowly at first, then more and more gathering. Through our binoculars we saw the beautiful Apapane, bright crimson, perched at the very top branches of a ohia-lechua tree. Several of his friends joined and seemed to play and perform for us. However, as soon as we began our journey back to the vans, they took flight with the slightest sound. The progression of silence, hearing their songs, seeing one "scout", and finally their playfulness was thrilling. I have been a member of the Red Rock Audubon Society in Las Vegas for about a year now and have never been on a field experience. I cannot wait to become more active in this now -- and it's because I gave it a try out here. Thanks, JASON, for this opportunity. This walk was also remindful of how healing nature can be to tired bodies and souls. It was WONDERFUL -- Thanks, Cheryl. By the way, there will be some pictures of this bird walk, as well as other parts of our experiences on the JASON Homepage. So, watch for those to come on line.
I'll write more info tomorrow. We have a great day planned, and the school where I teach, Woolley Elementary, will be at one of the broadcasts. So, I had better get some beauty sleep for that!!
Aloha from Hawaii -- Kathy Grimes
JASON VI Home Page
JASON Project homepage || Teachers' Guide || Students' Corner || Search
Gene Carl
Feldman
(gene@seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov)
(301) 286-9428
Todd Carlo Viola,
JASON Foundation for Education
(todd@jason.org)