Hannah Cotten is a fifth grade science teacher at Hill Elementary. She was fortunate to receive a travel grant through JASON Learning, sponsored by CoSN. She learned alongside Dr. Meg Lowman in the Amazon and was amazed at the life that surrounded me. Later in the year, Dr. Lowman and JASON Learning asked Hannah to come to Malaysia to help facilitate the learning of some students from Hong Kong, sponsored by WWF. There, she and other teachers and students learned along scientists from around the world as they conducted a biodiversity survey of Penang Hill in hopes of making it a Wold Heritage Site.

1. The Amazon & Malaysia
JASON Learning Expeditions
By Hannah Cotten

2. Outline
1. Hannah Cotten and The Discovery Den Science Class
2. What is JASON Learning?
3. Connections with real scientists
4. Amazon: The importance of the Amazon Rainforest
5. Malaysia: Biodiversity Surveys
6. How this impacted my own teaching
7. How can we be more conscious consumers?
8. Who should I support?

3. What is JASON Learning?
JASON Learning is an online resource for teachers that
"provides curriculum and learning experiences in STEM
for K-12 students, and high-quality professional
development for teachers.​"
JASON Learning:
● Provides online resources for teachers
● Offers travel grants through the Argonaut program
● Connects classrooms with real scientists
● CHANGED MY LIFE!

4. Resources & Grants
Apply to teacher grants!
There are so many out
there!
Be sure to check out my
website, with many
resources and guides
listed for teachers and
students.
TheDiscoveryDen.weebly.com

5. Connections with Real
Scientists
Dr. Meg
Lowman
Dr. Randy Miller

6. Dr. Meg Lowman
Margaret Lowman, Ph.D, is an American
educator, ecologist, writer, biologist, tree
climber and explorer. She focuses on
ecology, studying plant and insect
behaviors and relationships. Her aim is to
bridge the gap between the public and
scientific community. She is an avid
conservationist, constructing canopy
walkways around the world to save
rainforests through research, education
and ecotourism.
Advice for future Scientists

7. According to Explorama staff, "Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies (ACTS) Station
opened in 1993. ACTS provides a research station for scientists in the rainforest and an
opportunity for layman to share in their discovery." ACTS is the longest canopy walkway
in the world.
ACTS Canopy Walkway My ACTS Video

10. Herbivory
There were two scientific studies
we conducted throughout our
expedition. Our investigations
were:
1) Do insects eat more plants in
the understory or in the
canopy?
2) Which plants are eaten the
most? What defences are in
place to prevent predators from
eating the?

11. Implementation in the Classroom
● Artificial Bromeliad Experiment
● Build model of canopy walkway
● PBL on how to be conscious consumers
● Real long term scientific study and surveys
● iNaturalist to identify species
● Identify plants on campus using dichotomous key
● Pay attention to leaves
● Global perspective
● Citizen Scientist
● Videos from class

12. Dr. Randy Miller
Dr. Miller is the Director
of Student Research in
the Department of
Biology and Chemistry at
Baker University in
Kansas.
His main teaching goal
for his undergrad and
grad students is to teach
how to conduct research
well.

13. Tardigrades
Tardigrades can survive:
● Extreme temperatures
● Inordinate amounts of UV rays
● vacuum/space
● Harsh conditions (lack of water, food)
Tardigrades can:
● Live for 100+ years
● Go back and forth in life stages to survive
● Live on any continent in any condition
SURVIVORS!
My students found tardigrades!

15. Implementation in the Classroom
Year long scientific study and
survey of tardigrades
PART 1: Tree Species
Identification and Mapping
PART 2: Tardigrade Research
and Data Collection
PART 3: Data Summary and
Science Night
Tardigrade Research Blog

16. Why is the
Amazon rainforest
so important?
My Amazon Blog

17. Why Save the Amazon?
Reason 1: The Amazon is home to 80% of the
life on earth.
While in the Amazon, my eyes
were open to the amazing
biodiversity found in the rainforest:
We identified so many different
animals and plants: three-toed
sloth, Squirrel Monkeys, Pink
Dolphin, Capybara, Pirahna,
bioluminescent fungi...
We went on night hikes- not
scared of bugs anymore!
Tree snake, Red Rump Tarantula, Tree frog and Whip Scorpion

18. Baby Sloth!
Images by Patrick Shea

19. Squirrel Monkeys and Capybara Explornapo GoPro Video

20. Giant Earthworm
& Wholly Monkey
Baby Wholly Monkey
Earth Worm Encounter

21. Local children, Tapir, Pirahna, unknown water snake species

22. Why Save the Amazon?
Reason 2: RAIN!
Do you want it to rain in Texas? Well, then
you should care about the Amazon
rainforest! The Amazon rainforest directly
affects weather and climate in the both
hemispheres. Deforestation of the Amazon
causes less precipitation even in southern
states of America.
Think about the water cycle: Deforestation =
Less trees = less transpiration = less water
in the air = less precipitation

23. Why Save the Amazon? Reason 3: Climate Change
Rainforests
in trouble-
Meg
Image By
SCAD

24. Malaysia
What did I learn?
How to conduct a biodiversity survey
The Habitat at Penang Hill Bioblitz & Results

25. Where is Malaysia?
Penang Hill Bioblitz Video- Biographic.com
Image by World Atlas

26. Bioblitz
● Dr. Meg Lowman connected scientists
from across the globe to convene in the
rainforest of Penang to conduct a
massive “BioBlitz” survey.
● They conducted surveys of plants,
animals and critters that live on Penang
Hill in order to better understand the
pristine rainforest ecosystem.
● Their work will help conserve this
important resource, and could lead to a
UNESCO World Heritage designation.
Sensitivity Plant
Viper

27. Science Tools: Entomology
iNaturalist
Asperater
Night cameras
Fly traps (soapy water on plate)
Nets
Dissection tools
Presses- leaf pressing
Night hikes- search for reflection of eyes
How to Catch Spiders
Strangler Fig

28. New Species! Ghost Scorpion!

29. Never photographed before!
A tardigrade hatching from an egg!
Dr. Miller on Water Bears
JASON Learning and
Dr.Miller
Photographed by Dr. Miller

30. Unidentified Jumping
Spider
Dusty Leaf Monkey
Caught on hidden
camera
Priscillia Miard- Night Hikes - mammals
Eika and Mosquitos Dr. Kevin McLean and Mrs.Cotten- hidden cameras

31. Rare find! Dr. Keith Bayless found
Caecilian new Fly Species
Caecilians are rare, legless animals
that live deep in the ground from
which they hardly ever leave. This
makes them one of the most elusive
animals to find.

32. Catching Flies Tree Climbing
Poisonous Centipede

33. Monkey Attack!
Monkey Attack 1 video
After Monkey Attack video

34. Collaboration with
Scientists at
Penang Hill!

35. Trapdoor Spider!
And The Team!
Dr. Lauren
Esposito-
Arachnids

36. How has this impacted my
own teaching?
Project Based Learning
Long term scientific study
Connections with scientists and the real world

37. PBL and Long Term Scientific Study
Opened my eyes to real scientific
practice around the world!
Encouraged me to conduct more real
science with my students!
Conduct year long scientific study with
students, and collaborate with real
scientists.
Become a citizen scientist myself, and
model what a life long learner and
science enthusiast looks like.

38. How can we be more
conscious consumers?

39. What Can I do?
Think about what you are buying. Consumerism is one of the biggest issues to
address when thinking about environmentalism. Who is to blame for
deforestation? It’s actually us. America is one of the biggest problems.
We have to think about what we buy.
Here are some items we should think more critically about when purchasing:
coffee, fleece, shampoo, cereal, makeup, lumber, plastic straws, plastic
products, cars, gasoline, beef, vegetables, fruits…
Ask yourself these questions:
-Where is this product coming from?
-How was this product grown or produced?
-How did this product travel to America?

40. Say NO to Palm Oils
Palm Oil is pressed from the fruit of the oil palm tree.
It generates high yields at a low cost. It is the most widely used vegetable oil in
the world.
Palm Oil plantations use a ton of water and chemicals.
Palm Oil plantations cut down whole forests to plant these palms.
Palm oils are in all sorts of products. This is killing the rainforest of Asia.

41. Forests are cut down so
that people can grow
palm oil trees.
Palm Oil is found in
roughly half the
packaged products sold
in US grocery stores,
including snacks like ice
cream, cookies, crackers,
chocolate products, instant
noodles, cereals,
doughnuts and potato
chips. It’s also in shampoos
and makeup.
Image by Kids Dailies

42. Palm oil is likely present
in some form in nearly
every room of your home.
Palm Oil is being used
often as a substitute for
trans fat. But cutting down
these palms is one of the
leading causes of
deforestation and
endangering species like
the Orangutan.
Image by Sussex Green Living- Palm Oil

43. More on Palm Oil
Often times, palm oil in the ingredients of goods only reads as "oil". This
makes it hard to know what type of oil is in your product.
Therefore, shop at places who do the research for you, like Whole Foods, or
write to your public officials for the need for better labels on your plant
products. We need to know where our products are coming from and how they
are grown.
Palm Oil Info

44. Image By
Emily
Francis
Design

45. Say NO to Plastic Straws!
Image by The Last Plastic Straw

46. Image by World Watch Institute

47. Why are straws bad? You
can’t recycle them and...
It takes SO LONG TO
DECOMPOSE!
STATS for PLASTICS:
How long does it take to
decompose?
-plastic bag: 10-500 years.
-plastic straw: up to 200
years.
-plastic water bottle: 450
years.
You should recycle plastic
bottles and bags., but note
that plastic bags and light film
need a special location.)
Image by Straws Suck

48. Say YES to Shade Grown Coffee
Do you drink coffee? Make sure you buy shade-grown coffee. Shade-grown
coffee means that no primary forests were cut down to then grow a field of all
coffee plants in a secondary forest, thus the coffee is grown in the shade, with
many developed trees around it. This is an environmentally effective way to
support those who are growing coffee the right way.
(A primary forest is an old forest that has mature, developed trees. A secondary
forest, is a forest that has grown over a cut down forest. It is a younger forest,
with much less shade and coverage. Many farmers will cut down trees to then
plant a field of a product, like coffee. We do not want to encourage this.)
Meg Explains Primary/Secondary

49. Image by World without Coffee

50. Coffee, as well as palm oil, plantations tend to be
grown in secondary forest, where the forest is
grown after all the original trees are cut down, to
provide more room for all the type of tree the
plantation wants to grow.
However, if the coffee you buy says that it was
shade grown, that means it grew in a primary
forest, with coverage from older, more mature
trees.
Image Adapted from Moguel, P., and Toledo, V.M. (1999).

51. Who Should I Support?
Local Markets
Ecotourism
National Parks

52. Support Local Markets and Produce!
Go to Farmer’s Markets! Buy Local! Don’t buy exotic fruits and vegetables.
Support your local produce. Buy meat that was raised locally.
If you need to go to a grocery store, and can’t go to a Farmer’s market, try to steer
clear of the Walmarts of the world. They are cheap, but they also destroy local
businesses and may not know where their products are coming from.
HEB is great though! Buys locally in Texas. Forbes recently wrote an article
saying HEB was the smartest supermarket out there- thanks to its local, home
grown sources and smart marketing techniques.

53. Image by Farmers Market Coalition

54. Support Ecotourism
Support ecotourism. See
the world, not just to see it,
but to learn from it, to save it
and to grow. Go on a
vacation where you are
learning about where you
are visiting, and be involved
in humanitarian tourism
(working with a service
group to help others and our
environment). Image by WeAreMBS.org

55. Support Our National Parks
Support your national
parks. You don't have to
go far to see beautiful
natural scenes. One of the
best things America has
given the world is her
National Parks. Buy a
National Park's map and
see how many you can
check off the list.
Image by Tear Drop Adventures

56. RECAP
1. Use JASON Learning and apply to travel
grants! Use your own experiences for lesson
plans & sometimes teach what you want to
teach! Have fun with your teaching!
2. Make Connections with real scientists
3. Teach you students that the Amazon
rainforest is important!
4. Appreciate the life around you! Conduct
biodiversity surveys with your students!
5. Integrate more PBL and long term scientific
study
6. Teach students to be conscious consumers!
7. Support Local Markets, Ecotourism and
National Parks