CoralQuest

An Interactive Learning Adventure Live from French Polynesia

This is the CoralQuest Proposal.
If you are interested in participating please contact Dr. Tony Huntley.

Abstract

This unique interactive Internet learning experience began on 30 May 1996. Six coral atolls in remote regions of eastern French Polynesia will be visited. Data concerning water temperature and chemistry, and coral abundance and diversity using transect methods will be collected, in addition, underwater pictures taken of each study site, with close-ups for species identification. These will be transmitted via INMARSAT modem to our web site at Saddleback College for access by students in several elementary and secondary schools. These students will be in contact with the field researcher via e-mail. In addition, students will have access to several scientific facilitators nationwide, via e-mail. It is our goal to have the students develop and direct their own projects. This project was designed to allow flexibility for its use by the classroom teacher. There will be two visits to each of the islands, thus students may be able to increase their number of measurements, refine hypotheses, or propose new experiments, or teachers choose the trip which best fits their curriculum.

Background

Recently, President Clinton and Vice President Gore announced a $2 billion five-year Technology Literacy program and challenged state and local governments and private sector corporations to ensure our students the technological education they so desperately need.

His program suggested four main agenda:
1. Teacher training and support
2. Development of engaging on-line learning programs
3. Student and teacher access to modern computers
4. Interconnection of every classroom to the Internet

As educators in California, we are doubly challenged. We must fast make up the gap in our basic science education, and bring California elementary, middle and secondary students from the bottom ten to the top ten percent nationwide in science and math skills, as well as respond to the President’s national mission to bring about these technological agenda by the year 2000.

This project directly fills the second presidential agenda, as a captivating learning porogram conducting in an exciting distant place. Further, the project will allow development of science and math skills at several levels.

Technological Expertise

Professors Joe Valencic and Tony Huntley have developed and presented on the world wide web three projects over the last six months. Each of these projects featured a different region of the world, as well as marked advances in the technological aspect of each. The first , “Lost Atolls of the South Pacific,” demonstrated that a web based adventure could excite and stimulate the interest of our students. The next, “Antarctica, Voyage to the Bottom of the World,” utilized INMARSAT technology to transmit pictures and text for incorporation in a website. The final project, “Undersea Classroom: SCUBA Dana Point,” witnessed the incorporation of pictures and narrative from a live, interactive, underwater lecture into an almost live website. This project merited selection as one of 100 to be incorporated into the 24 hours in Cyberspace program.

The Research Sites and Vessel Arrangements

In October of 1995, Dr. Huntley visited each of the islands to be used in this project. As a result, we can be confident of our ability to find appropriate research sites for the proposed projects. Transportation to the site will be provided by Society Expeditions, aboard their vessel M/V World Discoverer. This ship offers a unique set of opportunities for this project. In addition to the basic travel and logistical arrangements, the World Discoverer has a fleet of Zodiac inflatable crafts for travel to and from the research sites, experienced drivers for these crafts, a staff of experienced divers, and INMARSAT communications system onboard for completion of the data link between the United States sites and the ship. Costs associated with this portion of the project are nominal, as the scientist for the GOAL project will travel onboard the World Discoverer as a scientific lecturer. In addition, it is anticipated that passengers on the World Discoverer will become involved in many phases of the shipboard and remote site portions of this project. This will include reading e-mail from the students, and measuring and photographing corals and related organisms in the field.

Participating Schools

Interest in participation in this project has been high. We anticipate enrollment of ten schools for this project. These schools will include high schools, middle schools and one elementary school. We envision future projects connected to many more schools. For this project, each school must have internet access. For those schools without servers or e-mail capabilities, we will provide an electronic mailbox on the project server at Saddleback College.

Scientific Facilitators and Their Roles

Scientific facilitators will be chosen from a broad number of scientific disciplines. These facilitators will advise students on scientific methodology, experimental design, data collection methods and data analysis. These interactions will take place via e-mail. The use of the advisors will be at the discretion of the classroom teacher. Each of the facilitators will have an e-mail account on the Saddleback College server for their use in this project.

Field Methods

Upon arrival at an island, researchers will decide upon sites that best meet the needs of the project. Time at each site is necessarily limited by the ship’s schedule, thus we must anticipate measurements to take no more than 2 hours at each site.

A basic set of measurements will taken at each study site. These are outlined below. Further measurements may be suggested by the students. Students (and their teachers) will be advised of the equipment available for these studies.

The Basic Measurement Set

1. Initial Site Photographs and Video. This photographs and video sequences will document site location with respect to land and also show compass headings from the start and end of the transect lkine to key landmarks.

2. Position and Map Data. The exact altitude and longitude of the site and its position on nautical chart will be recorded.

3. Water Chemistry, Color, Temperature. The following water chemistry measurement will be made from water drawn at approximately 1 meter depth over the study site:

a. Salinity. Total salinity in ppt measure by Knudsen Mohr titration method.
b. pH. Measured using narrow range sea water test kit.
c. Total Dissolved Oxygen. Total dissolved oxygen in ppm will be determined using Winkler titration method.
d. Water color. Standard Forel color scale will used.
e. Temperature. Water temperature will be measured at a depth of 1 m and 5 m over the study sites.

4. Wave direction, period and height. These parameters will be estimated from the beach above each study site.

5. Transects and Quadrat Photographs. Permanent 100 m transects lines will be established at each site, including depth information. The starting point of each transect will be marked by day-glo polyurethane stakes epoxy embdedded into dead coral or rock. 1/4 m˛ quadrat measurements will be made at randomly determined distances along the right or left side of the transect line. For each quadrat a wide angle full-frame underwater video sequence will be taken. Including, close-up video of each of the dominant species, and any rare or exciting species. The field researcher will also estimate total cover by major species on each quadrat.

The Project Web Site

During the experimentation phase, the CoralQuest website on the project server at Saddleback College will display daily data and position updates for use by the participating students. At the conclusion of the field portion of the project, student findings, in the form of scientific papers will be published on the CoralQuest website. These papers will form the basis for future studies in this geographic region as well as elsewhere.

Itinerary

Island Name Island Group Date One Date Two
Mataiva Tuamotus 31 MAR 28 APR
Fakarava Tuamotus 01 APR 27 APR
Raroia Tuamotus 02 APR 26 APR
Pukarua Tuamotus 06 APR 22 APR
Pukapuka Tuamotus 07 APR 21 APR
Ducie Pitcairns 11 APR 17 APR

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Questions or comments about this page may be sent to: Dr. Tony Huntley
huntley@host1.saddleback.edu