Clemontene Rountree
Alice Deal Junior High School
Washington, D.C. 20016
Dear National Science Foundation,
I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation and gratefulness for the tremendous learning experience your foundation provided me this summer. Needless to say, without the funding your organization provided for the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program, I would not have been able to work with such highly respected, extremely talented, internationally known staff at the Smithsonian. Dr. John Pandolfi, Coral Paleontologist and Allegra Jabo, Coral Research Assistant, were very patient and understanding as they guided me through the research process. In an atmosphere conducive to learning, they gave me time to learn and become familiar with the most recent and important tools of a researcher.
My research was to assess the species boundaries and ecological distribution of each of the three purported species of the Montastraea "annularis" species complex from Carrie Bow Caye, Belize. I was taught how to measure non-traditional morphological characteristics, such as endothecal dissepiments, corallite diameter, and area of pores. This technique would indicate how skeletal morphology varies among growth forms. A second part of my research was to summarize the transect data with statistical analyses to quantify the ecological distribution of the three reef coral species.
When I return to my classroom, my students will learn to identify the three species of Montastraea using measurements that they will make from various corallites and from photographic enlargements, they will learn how to enter data on a spread sheet, using Microsoft Excel and to analyze this data using a statistical program. Using data I collected this summer, my students will analyze this data and graph the characteristics to show the relationship between the three species making up the Montastraea "annularis" complex. My students will also have the opportunity to do extensive research on coral formation, ecological importance, biological communities, the influence of pollution, and investigate ways to conserve and keep them healthy.
This summer has been an incredible, invaluable, enlightening, awesome experience that has broadened my knowledge base, introduced me to the depth of scientific research, opened doors professionally, and provided me with a new intellectual curiosity that is infectious. My students will be the beneficiaries.
I can only hope that your organization will continue to fund this all important experience for teachers. I found the experience to be extremely rewarding.
Sincerely,
Clemontene Rountree
Research Experience for Teachers, 2003
|
Research
Abstract
|