This summer, I had the privilege of participating as a MESRP intern at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. For eight weeks, I served as an intern for the Earth Observatory team, which provides a freely accessible publication on the Internet where the public can obtain new satellite imagery and scientific information about our home planet. This site can be found at http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov. Its focus is on Earth's climate and environmental changes. In particular, the Earth Observatory hopes their site is useful to public media and educators.

To make this site more useful for educators, Dave Herring, the site management team leader and also a science writer, asked Ereni (in-service teacher intern from another program) and I to concentrate on one section of the site called Experiments to add to existing lessons and classroom activities. We began with work on the global data set comparison project. This project was established to provide teachers and students with some compilations of satellite imagery products that can be viewed in different ways, such as movable globes, still frames or ongoing movie animations. For instance, a user can compare vegetation to precipitation over several years in an ongoing animation, or compare ozone levels in 1979 to those in 2000. We created a set of questions and answers for each comparison, identified credible links for teachers and students to do further research, and laid out a format for how the information should appear on the site.

We also created new lithographs for the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) team. Gene Carl Feldman, an oceanographer, asked us to come up with classroom activities using images the SeaWiFS has captured. Some of the topics were El Nino, biosphere, coccoliths, dust, and coral reefs. Ereni and I enjoyed gathering ideas together and using our creativities for this project. We actually came up with a spectacular experiment for El Nino. After many trials and errors, we succeeded at getting two different temperature waters to layer to represent El Nino (during El Nino, warm waters create a 300-foot-deep cap that prevents thecolder, deeper waters from upwelling). We were pleased with the experiment because it will be useful for teachers to demonstrate El Nino and to help students to understand the effects of it.

Another project we worked on was correlating the Earth Observatory site with National Standards. We matched each article on the Data & Images, Features, Reference, Experiments, and Image of the Day sections from the EO site to the National Standards. Although we had a tough time completing this project, we knew that it would be very useful for teachers to search the site by standards. This also provides credibility to the site.

I am very thankful that I am able to take such great experience home. This summer, I definitely had a chance to expand my knowledge of science and technology and gain valuable resource materials and personal contacts while participating in the internship program at NASA. I have so many good stories to share with my family, friends, professors, and other teachers. I learned the importance of being able to make connections between what I have done through the internship and my future classrooms!

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This summer I participated in an internship with Stacy Markowitz at the Baltimore Zoo. The research that I participated in was a grant project in collaboration with the Herpetology and Education departments of the Zoo, which involved Dr. Donald Forester of Towson University. The project began two summers ago. Its purpose was to study the effects of repatriation on non-indigenous Eastern Box Turtles.

Originally the study began with 25 turtles; some native and some introduced. These 25 turtles were tagged, mounted with radio transmitters and then released onto the zoo grounds. With this project the researchers wanted to see if the introduced turtles had the ability to survive and adapt to their new environment.

When we started this internship, we would take a group of summer camp students out onto the zoo grounds to track 14 eastern box turtles. As the internship progressed we realized that we were spending our time tracking turtles, and the campers were not grasping the importance of the research. We then decided to reduce our tracking to eight turtles. This allowed for classroom time, explanation of the research, data collection and data plotting.

We started the summer camp students with an introduction lesson. This included an introduction to the equipment and explanation of the research. Following the introduction were two days of turtle tracking. During the turtle tracking, each group was responsible for tracking and recording data for two to four turtles a day. Once the turtle was located using our radio receivers, the group measured the distance in meters from which the turtle had moved from the previous day. Once the distance was recorded, the group used a compass to find the angle of movement. Along with the measurement and degree of movement, the turtles were weighed at the end of each week. We concluded with a wrap up talk, which addressed unanswered questions and allowed time for the data collection and data plotting. The students were able to plot a turtle's home range and enter the data, which they had collected onto Microsoft Excel.

This research experience has definitely allowed me to witness scientific field research first hand and has enlightened me about the world of science research. I have learned first hand the importance of accuracy and precision in science research, and the hardships of conducting a research study. I now realize that the more meticulous you are with your research, the better it is. I truly admire the hard work and dedication of scientists. Field biology is definitely an interesting field, and this summer I was able to get an idea of what a career as a scientist would entail. Although I am glad that I had this opportunity, I am happy to say that my place is still in classroom teaching science. I can take what I have learned this summer with scientific field study and apply that into my classroom to have my students get more involved and enthused about science.

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This summer I had the opportunity to be an integral part of the Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS), a statewide initiative to assess the health of Maryland’s 8,800 miles of freshwater streams. The survey is being conducted by the Monitoring and Non-Tidal Assessment (MANTA) Division of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. With more and more of Maryland’s forests being converted to housing developments, the health of our streams is under serious threat due to degradation and loss of habitat suitable for aquatic species. The goal of MBSS is to compile a database that can be used to determine how human activities are impacting Maryland’s streams. One parameter used to measure stream health is the abundance and variety of fish species found in the stream, referred to as the Fish Index of Biological Integrity. Certain species of fish are extremely sensitive to low pH and dissolved oxygen levels while others are pollution-tolerant. Fish species are collected from the stream segment using an electrofisher and nets. The final assessment of the stream’s condition incorporates data on water chemistry, aquatic animals (fish, benthic macroinvertebrates, reptiles, and amphibians), physical habitat (places for organisms to seek shelter or reproduce), and land use upstream of the segment.

My duties during the summer included carrying equipment, operating the hydrolab to collect water chemistry data, assisting with block net installation, netting and bucketing fish after they were shocked to the surface, and measuring wetted widths and stream flow. I quickly learned to resist my impulse to reach into the water for a dropped net or a floating fish. 500 volts is not enough to seriously harm a human, but the sharp tingling sensation is fairly uncomfortable. I am also happy to say that I only “fell” into a stream once, and even though I was transporting a bucket filled with water and fish, not one data point got away.

Being outside, despite sweating in chest waders, the occasional insect bite, and poison ivy exposure, was a welcomed alternative to writing curriculum or feeling confined to a lab. Eventhough I was exhausted at the end of our typical 10 hour days, I enjoyed the physical aspect of my internship. My crewmates were both knowledgeable and entertaining and always made me feel like a part of the team. After sampling streams that were over 20 meters wide, I have a deeper appreciation for the degree of cooperation and organization necessary to conduct an accurate survey. I often found parallels between my DNR internship and my teaching experiences. Organization and preparation are invaluable; sampling and lessons flow much more efficiently and effectively when assignments are discussed beforehand and materials are prepared before the first five minutes of class. Bureaucracy and lack of funding were often lunchtime topics. As teachers, we must be flexible when presented with the latest in educational panaceas and learn to make do with sub-optimal materials and classroom space.

I look forward to showing my students slides of my summer experience. They will get a good laugh if not anything else. I plan to invite a couple of my crewmates to Towson High to help sample the stream that borders our campus. My internship experience has many applications within the 9^th grade biology curriculum. We can assess the abiotic qualities of our stream including pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen and nitrate levels. The volumes of data collected during the survey offer opportunities to discuss how to present data in meaningful ways, specifically with charts and graphs. As part of our ecology unit, we can use our stream as an example of how human activities including land use, pollution, and the introduction of non-native species can impact our natural resources. I thank Towson University and MANTA for the opportunity to learn by doing and plan to use my summer experiences as a springboard for classroom activities that have real world significance.

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Research Site: University of Maryland / Center for

As a MESRP Pre-service Intern, I worked and lived on Maryland’s Eastern Shore on Assateague Island. Assateague Island National Seashore is part of the National Park System and works to promote and regulate the use of national parks and to “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such a manner and by such means that will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations”. The vital mission of Assateague Island and all other parks in the National Park System is to protect and manage the natural, historical, and recreational resources of the National Park System for the perpetual benefit and enjoyment of the people.

Assateague Island National Seashore is not only a resource management organization, but also a people-serving organization. These two organizations come together through the Interpretation division at the park. The main job of the Interpretation staff at Assateague begins with answering visitors’ questions. Its purpose is to enhance visitors’ enjoyment and understanding, to inspire appreciation of the parks, and to promote their use and conservation of not only the parks resources, but all natural resources.

For twelve weeks during the summer I was fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work with the wonderful Interpretation staff at Assateague as a Park Ranger. During this time I conducted personal services to visitors who came to the park through guided nature walks, campfire and illustrated programs, recreational demonstrations, children’s activities, environmental education to school groups, information desk operations, and informal roving contacts. The programs I was involved in ranged from aquarium talks/feeding and bay discovery, to guided canoe trips and shell fishing demonstrations.

My internship began with two weeks of intensive training that enabled me to learn how the park works, program guidelines that need to be followed at all times, important theme development for each of the programs, as well as important historical and biological information that needed to be used in many of the programs that I would be conducting. I worked along with three permanent interpreters, three seasonal workers, and one other intern during my time at Assateague. I completed extensive research to help broaden my knowledge of the importance of uses of the local bays and wetlands, and ways to help educate and stress key environmental conservation and protection issues to the park visitors. During my twelve weeks I was also given the opportunity to work with Resource Management doing water quality monitoring of the ocean and bays surrounding Assateague.

Conducting environmental programs and doing field research with water quality monitoring helped me to gain a greater sense of awareness of the importance of protecting our environment and ways that I can help spread this important message to others. This internship has given me the foundation to prepare lessons dealing with environmental issues for my future classrooms. I believe that students need to learn how to appreciate and protect their environment so that they can not only live in a clean world, but also pass the message along to future generations.

I enjoyed working on Assateague. It has shown me the importance of educators doing field research and working within an educational research setting to help me grow not only as an educator, but also as person. I have not only gained a greater sense of knowledge about environmental issues related to the world in which we live, but I have become more interested in completing further internships dealing with research science. Most importantly, I have become a more confident and self-assured person when speaking in front of large groups, an asset that will help me not only in the classroom, but in situations that I encounter in my everyday life.

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Our Maryland Summer Educators’ Research Project internship took place at the Center of Marine Biotechnology (COMB). The COMB facility is located in the Columbus Center on Pier Six of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. We worked with Adam Frederick and Dan Terlizzi, PhD. Adam is Head Maryland Sea Grant Education Specialist, and Dan is a Sea Grant Water Quality Specialist.

Our research was part of an ongoing experiment using biofilms to assess water quality. Biofilms are made up of an organic slime produced by and containing primarily bacteria. This slime protects the microbes from the environment and helps them stick to surfaces. Biofilms can be found in many areas of the human body and the environment: teeth, intestines, medical devices, contact lenses, drainage pipes, and the bottoms of ships. To obtain the biofilms for our study, we placed 4-inch diameter acrylic disks in the Inner Harbor. In less than three days biofilms formed, allowing for a succession of aquatic organisms. The biofilm community changed rapidly in composition (biodiversity) and biomass over the three week time period they were observed.

Each week the disks were brought into the lab and exposed to phosphate pulses. In addition to a control group that did not receive phosphate, there was a one-hour exposure, two-hour exposure, and a four-hour exposure. Biomass was measured and biodiversity was calculated. We also measured a variety of parameters that may affect the experiment, such as weather, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphate levels, secchi depth, salinity, etc.

The culmination of the project was a phosphate uptake experiment. The four groups were exposed to 10ppm of phosphate and the depletion of phosphate was recorded for four hours. The results suggest that the greater the exposure a biofilm community has to phosphate the less phosphate the community will uptake. This may indicate that the communities store phosphate during previous exposures.

We are thankful to have had the opportunity to work at such a great site with knowledgeable and helpful mentors. It was a fantastic experience and provided an insightful look at the way science research is done beyond the classroom. Due to our backgrounds, we plan to use this information in different ways.

Ron plans to use biofilms to have students investigate how water quality affects the biodiversity of the community throughout its succession. The idea being that stressed environments should show less biodiversity over time.

Lisa will use biofilms to look at the diversity of microorganisms within a community and have students predict which type of environment will show a greater diversity over time.

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This summer I had an opportunity to intern at the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Baltimore, MD on the Johns Hopkins Bayview Campus. I was placed in the Preclinical Pharmacology section of NIDA and conducted brain research in the Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, where we conducted motor activity experiments. We were particularly interested in the A1 and A2A adenosine receptors because of their high affinity for caffeine.

Caffeine belongs to a group of chemicals called xanthines. Xanthines stimulate the nervous system and can cause people to feel restless, nervous, or unable to fall asleep. Caffeine, an adenosine receptor antagonist, blocks the A1 and A2A receptors in the brain. Adenosine agonists induce motor depression and adenosine antagonists such as caffeine, induce motor activation.

We conducted experiments using the A1 agonist, CPA and the A2A agonist, CGS. The A1 antagonist was CPT. We wanted to determine if the blockade of the adenosine A1 receptor was inducing motor activity. Sprague-Dawley rats were administered I.P. injections of CPA (0.003 mg/kg, 0.01 mg/kg, 0.03 mg/kg, 0.1 mg/kg, 0.3 mg/kg, 1mg/kg), CGS (0.005 mg/kg, 0.015 mg/kg, 0.05 mg/kg, 0.15 mg/kg, 0.5 mg/kg, 1.5 mg/kg in 2ml), CPT (1.2 mg/kg, 4.8 mg/kg, 7.2 mg/kg in 3 ml), CPT (same)+CPA(0.1 mg/kg), CPT(same)+CGS(0.5 mg/kg).

Each experiment consisted of four groups with six rats in each group. The rats were randomly placed in motor activity chambers. Recordings were taken every five minutes for one hour. Recordings showed that motor activity was depressed with increasing doses of the A1 agonist CPA and the A2A agonist CGS. However, recordings showed that motor activity increased with increasing doses of the A1 antagonist CPT. Although motor activity increased with increasing doses of CPT when the A1 antagonist CPT was administered with the A1 agonist CPA, motor activity was not increased with increasing doses of CPT when the A1 antagonist CPT was administered with the A2A agonist CGS.

It is widely accepted that the blockade of adenosine A2A receptors are involved in the motor effects of caffeine. These results strongly suggests that the blockade of Adenosine A1 receptors are also involved in the motor effects of caffeine.

Working at NIDA this summer was a very valuable learning experience. I enjoyed interacting with people from diverse backgrounds who were working on various research projects. I also enjoyed working with scientists who were excited about their research, shared ideas, and worked well together. I plan to encourage this type of atmosphere in my classroom. I enjoyed being actively involved in the scientific process. We made a hypothesis, conducted experiments, obtained results, analyzed the results and formed a conclusion. I am very grateful to Dr. Sergi Ferre and Marzena Karcz-Kubicha for allowing me the opportunity to conduct brain research with them this summer. They are excellent scientists who work well together and enjoy their research. I enjoyed working with them this summer.

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During the summer of 2001, I worked with AnnMarie Bassolino at the Baltimore Zoo in Baltimore, MD in partnership with Dr. Don Forester and the biology department of Towson University, Towson, MD. AnnMarie and I tracked indigenous and non-indigenous Eastern Box turtles on the grounds of the zoo using radio telemetry. Areas where we tracked the turtles included the woods, gardens, and unused paths in the zoo.

Several non-indigenous Eastern Box turtles were donated to the zoo. The zoo wanted to do research with those turtles and the indigenous population, and several people, including Dr. Forester, collaborated to write a grant to research the effects of repatriation on the introduced (non-indigenous) turtles. Included in this grant was a program to educate children about conservation of the box turtles, the use of field research, and the use of technology to track the turtles and record the data collected. Many of the introduced turtles, along with native turtles, were tagged with a microchip for the zoo’s capture and release program, but 25 native and introduced turtles were fitted with radio transmitters to be tracked in the grant program. Data were collected and comparisons were made between the home range, weight, and other environmental factors affecting the introduced and native Eastern Box turtles.

The research for this grant is very important for the conservation of the Eastern Box Turtle. If, as is possibly the case, the Eastern Box Turtle doesn’t do as well when removed from its home range and introduced to another environment, we need regulations in place to conserve native habitats. Programs like the one AnnMarie and I worked with are also necessary to educate children about the importance of the survival of the Eastern Box turtle or other endangered species. These types of programs are also important because children learn about the importance of field research and the processes of science.

The turtle tracking program will not continue in its present form. There are plans to offer it as a program to children just like other programs at the Baltimore Zoo.

I found the turtle tracking program worthwhile, not only from a conservationist’s point of view, but from an educator’s point of view. So many times, science takes place just in the classroom with little “field research”. I came away from this experience with a renewed commitment to taking science beyond the classroom as much as possible. The students are more engaged, and they are exposed to the joys and frustrations of field research, as well as to the importance of a well-designed experiment in a very real world application.

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Since 1942 the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, MD has been a research and development organization dedicated to solving problems of national security and global interest. With over 200 separate programs conducted for various governmental agencies, APL is involved with strategic systems test and evaluation, submarine security and survivability, space science and engineering, information warfare technology, and theater air defense just to name a few. APL, a division of The Johns Hopkins University, also serves the public community by offering master’s degrees programs and operating the largest part-time graduate engineering program in the country. This summer, we (Mike and Autumn) interned under Kerri Beisser, head of the Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) office for the Space Division at APL.

Throughout the summer we were asked to contribute our educational expertise to items developed by the E/PO office. After reviewing the “Careers in Space” video we made suggestions to enhance its educational value for teachers. We reviewed and helped rewrite the script for the final NEAR video, which will explain the mission from beginning to end. We also reviewed and helped make more teacher friendly the TIMED mission model and mobile activities.

The research part of my internship involved a mystery discovered by the NEAR mission. NEAR traveled to asteroid 433 Eros. The asteroid is heavily cratered but upon closer inspection Eros does not have as many smaller craters as expected. My mentor, Noam Izenberg, believes the low saturation may be due to seismic shaking. My research involved looking into the already existing research literature to learn how seismic waves generated by large explosions generate ground motion and thus may be a candidate for the source eliminating smaller craters. Since there is very little in regards to the effects impacts on asteroids have the search concentrated on data from nuclear test explosions and earthquakes. My research provided evidence that seismic shaking may indeed reduce the frequency of smaller craters.

My time here at APL has been very rewarding and enriching. The experiences I have had will enable me to provide a much more global perspective of space missions to my students. I am thankful to MESRP for providing the opportunity, to Kerri and Linda for being great bosses, and to Autumn for making each day so much fun.

I focused my summer on the development of final location for the virtual movie, “Careers in Space.” Previously the video was housed on the TIMED website along with baseball style cards of the mission team. This summer a webpage is in development to highlight the people who impact a space science mission in traditional and non-traditional roles. I interviewed a principal scientist, engineer, photographer, and an administrative assistant. The interviews were written as first person stories in kid-friendly manner. The purpose of the website is highlight JHU/APL and its involvement in Space Discovery programs, introduce students to different careers in space, and to highlight current missions. The website is under construction and will be easily updated with new and different space department personnel.

I have greatly enjoyed my time here at APL. Everyone has been encouraging and willing to lend his or her time and experience in helping to expand our knowledge in the exploration of Space. I would like to thank my partner Mike for his physics tutorials and support of my project this summer. I would also like to thank Kerri for her support and for giving me the time to review NASA and other educational materials. This summer was truly a professional development experience!

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I was placed at the National Institute On Drug Abuse ( NIDA) located in Baltimore Maryland on the Johns Hopkins Bayview Campus for my 2001 Maryland Educators’ Summer Research Program ( MESRP ) Internship. I worked in the Cellular Neurobiology branch. Development and Neuroplasticity section. This section is involved with developing immortalized cell lines for neural transplantation and other developmental and drug studies.

Nanotechnology is an area of science dealing with the study of objects and associated processes on a nanometer scale. This new technology allows us to see atoms and molecules, to manipulate them, to study their mechanical properties and to measure forces between them. While essentially a branch of physics, the applications extend into all other areas of scientific research, medical research and industry.

The work in the nanotechnology lab at Towson University involves the use of scanning probe microscopes and is directed by Dr. David Schaefer. Invented at the IBM labs in 1981, these microscopes have undergone refinement and development over the past twenty years as new uses and applications are explored. Scanning probe microscopes differ from optical microscopes in that they generate images on a computer screen using data gathered from the electro-mechanical interactions with the surface of a sample. Because they are not limited by the physical properties of light, they can attain resolutions in the order of magnitude of 10^-10 meters, or tenths of nanometers.

The type of scanning probe microscope used most frequently in the Towson lab this summer is the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). This microscope relies on mechanical interactions with the surface of a sample in order to gather the data necessary to generate an image. It is being used to gather visual information with respect to industrial adhesion research. It is also providing visual information in a study of feldspar erosion. Students of Dr. Schaefer are working on projects involving fungal spores. One is using the AFM to image fungal spores and to study the mechanical properties of the spore walls. A second project involving spore adhesion will be using the AFM to measure the adhesion forces between fungal spores and substrates under varying conditions.

The first part of my experience dealt with becoming familiar with the AFM in theory and in practice. In order to learn how to use the AFM, I practiced along with another student, imaging a series of prepared samples whose surface topography is well documented. Using these samples also gave us the opportunity to explore the data analysis capabilities of the software. I then explored the current research being done with the AFM and focused my attention on biological applications. I ultimately decided to use the AFM to image DNA samples. After doing preliminary research and gathering articles providing procedures for successful imaging, I embarked on my own project meeting with some degree of success.

I also had the opportunity to participate in the spore adhesion research. We were involved with determining an effective adhesive and method of application for attaching a small (1 micron to 10 micron diameter) glass sphere to a probe for use in the AFM. Ultimately the method when perfected will be used to attach a fungal spore in the same size range to a probe in order to measure the adhesion forces with a substrate.

The summer experience has provided me with a wealth of relevant, up-to-date information, experiences and illustrations that can be used to enrich the physics curriculum. The principles underlying the operation of the AFM apply directly to the topics of simple harmonic motion and interaction forces. The data gathering method of the scanning tunneling microscope provides real examples and images of phenomena that tend to be counter intuitive for high school students. I hope to have my advanced physics students visit the lab, research nanotechnology with respect to instrumentation, developments, and applications to other areas of research.

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Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary is an ideal site for environmental education with a research focus. This summer, as the education intern at the Sanctuary, I had the opportunity to work with a wide range of age groups on a variety of projects. The most rewarding experiences of the internship involved the “Teen Adventure” program at Jug Bay. This program introduced high school aged students to a wide spectrum of ecological research projects.

Working closely with Karyn Molines and Elaine Frieble, naturalists at Jug Bay, I led groups of students in data collection on diverse projects. One week we hunted by canoe for submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the Patuxent River. Another week, we tracked box turtles using telemetry equipment and searched census plots for still more turtles. Additionally, we sampled streams for benthic macroinvertebrates, and recorded data on banded birds.

For my research project, I combined the stream sampling data that we collected during the “Teen Adventure” with previous years of data collected by Jug Bay naturalists and volunteers. By analyzing the number of tolerant and intolerant taxa using a variety of indices, I was able to gain baseline information about a relatively unpolluted stream. This information is vital as I begin a stream-monitoring program with my high school biology students at Thomas Stone.