Meet the Participants
I
teach 7th grade Social Studies and Language Arts for ESL/Bilingual students
at Fuller Middle School in Framingham, MA. My Master's degree is in Intercultural
Relations. My hobby is cooking and I lovel travelling, especially
to foreign countries!
Looking forward to: Everything except for the small plane rides! I am
very excited to see capybaras and all of the other animals so up close!
I am truly happy to be able to see what the scientists do first hand,
and to be able to contribute to their research. I also cannot wait to
bring this back to my students and my friends and family.
I teach 7/8 Science
at Edison School in the Burlington-Edison School District. I have a Masters
in Science Ed./Natural Science. My hobby is science, but also camping
and geocaching with my family. I was a zookeeper at Point Defiance for
a short period of time.
Looking forward to: The entire experience, a whole new continent and hemisphere,
working along scientists, horseback riding, and I really hope I get the
opportunity to see the constellation Southern Cross.
Hi my name is Kleyton. I from Aquidauana, a small city in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. I have recently graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Tourism. I am the only one on this expedition team who is not a teacher; however, due to my interest in research, I was chosen by Conservation International to join this expedition. As a tourism professional I hope to be able to promote ecotourism throughout Brazil, but especially in the Pantanal.
I teach middle
school science at Bruce M. Whittier Middle School in Poland, Maine. Hobbies
include knitting, hiking, cooking, natural history and reading (not simultaneously).
I can't wait to
explore new habitats and see a piranha for real (can all those stories
about them be true??)
Holding a False Coral Snake.
My name is Neuci and I live in Campo Grande, Mato Gross do Sul. I am a mathematics teacher and currently I am a principal at a K-12 school in Campo Grande. My objective in participating in this Earthwatch expedition is to raise the ecological awareness of my students. I hope to show that our Pantanal is a natural laboratory where one can learn endless things just by being there. In addition to bringing environmental awareness to the students of my school, I also hope to pass this along to the teachers as well.
I teach 7th and
8th grade social studies and computer tech at Allen School in the BurlingtonEdison
School District. I have a Masters degree in educational technology.
My hobbies are fishing and other outdoor activities.
I'm looking forward to catching tropical fish, seeing the stars in the
Southern Hemisphere, visiting a whole new continent and country and seeing
another culture.
I teach visual arts to 7th and 8th grade students at Aldrich Junior High
School in Warwick, RI. I also spend one month each summer teaching at
the RISD Young Artist Program, located on Narragansett Bay. During the
other month of summer vacation, I choose an exotic location and go in
search of indigenous art and unusual cultural experiences. Past trips
include South America, Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.
Next stop could be China or Africa!
From 1983-1985, I lived in Salvador, Bahia, in the northeast of Brazil,
as an artist/researcher of Afro-Brazilian religion and culture. Two years
ago, I visited the Pantanal and found the environment to be fascinating.
I am thrilled to be going back, and excited about learning research methods,
collaborating with other teachers, and finding creative ways of integrating
conservation issues with my art curriculum. Oh, and I am definitely looking
forward exuberant Brazilians, dynamic music, and delicious food! Que Saudades!
I teach 7th grade science
and geography in Buckfield, Maine. We are in western Maine in the foothills
of the White Mountains with plenty of mountains, waterfalls, lakes,
and wildlife.
I enjoy hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and most other human-powered
outdoor activities. I also enjoy learning about the earth: geology canyons,
mountains, minerals), mammals, birds, reptiles, trees, and bugs!
I also like to travel and have taken 2 cross-country trips with my family
and spent 5 months living in Costa Rica with my family, mostly in the
rainforest.
I am looking forward to seeing the wildlife of the Pantanal, working
with the scientists and fellow teachers, being below the equator, sharing
my experience with my students, and making a fool of myself as I try
to speak Portuguese,
My name is Elisangela and I am from Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul. I teach English, physical education, and art for rural elementary school students in a fishing community. I like to garden and I like to go fishing, but what I love most is teaching my students. I hope to pass along to my students a better understanding of environmental conservation so that we can continue to enjoy the beauty of the Pantanal for years to come.
My name is Daiana and I have a Bachelor's degree in biology from The Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul. I teach high school biology and chemistry for sophomores. I like to travel and to learn about other people and their cultures. Through this trip, I hope to have a better understanding of conservation and to be able to pass this along to my students
I teach Geography
and education courses at Blue Mountain College in Mississippi. I taught
at the elementary level for 13 years and have been teaching at the college
for 5. I am also the director for our Mississippi Geography Alliance.
My hobby is traveling and I love to spend time with my two grandchildren.
(Allen 7 and Victoria 5)
Interesting tidbit: I worked a summer in the Entomology Dept at Mississippi
State University. We collected and counted Thrips and identified affects
of Boll Weavils in the cotton fields. Hot and dirty work!!!
I hope to bring home first-hand experiences that will enhance my classes
and help me to inspire my students (future teachers) to grow with every
experience they can have. As the director for the Mississippi Geographic
Alliance, I will return home with experiences that will make me a better
geographer and a better leader/mentor to teachers. I am very thankful
for this opportunity and I hope to get my visa in on time, also.
I teach 9th grade Science and Health at Penobscot Valley High School in Howland, Maine. I completed my Bachelors degree in Interdisciplinary Studies: Geology/Geography, during which time I spent a summer giving tours of an extinct volcano for the National Park Service. I also have Masters in Science Education and a passion for Earth Science.
In my free time I like to spend time in the outdoors with my husband and Border Collie. I hope to see a variety of wildlife during my time in the Pantanal and get some great pictures to share with my students.
I teach 7th grade science at York Middle School in York, Maine. In addition to being a teacher I also am a musician (guitar, bass, vocals).
I am hoping to bring this experience back in a very real way to my students with the ultimate hope that many of them will one day become involved in conservation issues.