Chestnut Ridge

DESCRIPTION AND EXPLANATION OF PROCEDURES

Slip Slidin' Away, SSA, is a joint venture between educators and researchers at UNCG, Elon, Orange County Schools, and Chestnut Ridge Camp and Retreat Center, a North Carolina Environmental Education Center. SSA has been funded by a Burroughs-Wellcome (B-W) grant. All of the Summer Science Enrichment Programs (SSEP) funded by B-W have three goals. These goals are to 1) improve students' competence in science, 2) nurture students' enthusiasm for science and, 3) expose students to scientific research and science-related careers. SSA will address each of these goals By offering a week-long summer herpetology camp and six follow-up field days to study the reptiles and amphibians at Camp Chestnut Ridge. Thirty high school students will spend six days and five nights at the Camp (and six follow-up days spread over a ten-month period of time) engaged in fieldwork with herpetologists and science educators, as well as traditional summer camp activities including canoeing, swimming, ropes courses and team building activities. All students who are selected to participate in SSA are required to complete program evaluation surveys, as well as science knowledge and science methodology assessments. Additionally, students will be interviewed, individually, in small groups and as a whole group, and asked about their interests in science and their interests in pursuing science-related careers. Students must agree that educational researchers can examine and use their SSA-related email correspondence, notebooks and research projects to answer questions of educational importance such as how and why does working in the field appeal to students and can students see generalizations from herpetology to other fields of science. Students must also agree to provide researchers with access to transcripts of grades in high school courses, middle school courses, their EOC scores, and PSAT, SAT, and ACT scores.

RISKS AND DISCOMFORTS

Students will be asked to complete surveys, written assessments and participate in oral, audiotaped interviews. These activities offer little risk and cause no more discomfort than typical school activities that students engage in during the school year may cause. This program will be conducted mostly in the out-of-doors. As such, it is likely to be hot and humid and the typical North Carolina insects (mosquitoes, flies) and other arthropods (ticks) may be encountered. Venomous snakes (copperheads) reside on the property, as does poison ivy. We will aim to avoid direct contact with either of these organisms. We will be handling reptiles that can carry Salmonella but students will be instructed to wash their hands after handling animals and before eating or putting their hands on their faces.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS

Participants should become more knowledgeable about local populations of reptiles and amphibians and should develop a deeper interest in herpetology. They should develop more competence in analyzing scientific data. Findings may have a positive impact on students' performance in and interest in science. Scientific findings may have a positive impact on local populations of herptofauna. Each student will receive an honorarium of $200 after successfully completing the entire SSA experience. Additionally, the cost of the summer camp and follow-up field days are totally funded by the grant. Students will also receive memberships in the North Carolina Herpetological Society, required books and a book stipend to purchase books on herpetology. Total compensation for participation in this program is worth approximately $750. Partial honorariums will not be awarded if students are unable to complete the entire program.