If you know me at all, you know I'm a fairly upbeat person. I'm generally in a good mood, and I try to stay positive. So about a year ago, I didn't know how to handle myself because I started getting really depressed.
I'm not going to get too much into politics, but let's just say that every week or so, something else would get me all upset. I got riled up about things that I never really paid attention to. For the first time in my life, I would spontaneously cry. Every day it was something new - a stupid wall, a ban on Muslims, an anti-education education secretary. It got to be too much. I stopped listening to NPR. I donated a ton of money to organizations like Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the NRDC, the Trevor Project... causes all across the spectrum. Even though pretty much everyone I knew felt the same way, it didn't help to talk to anyone - we were just all depressed together. And the worst thing of all - I was starting to loose hope.
Then, in the spring of 2017, I went on my annual trip with my Cambridge friends. One night, I stayed up late talking to Anil, who was lamenting the state of the UK and their recent Brexit vote. And he gave me some really great advice. He told me that it was fine to care about all these different causes, but to keep from becoming overwhelmed, to think about that ONE THING that I was really passionate about, and what I should focus my attention on. From this, I could figure out what it was that I could actually DO to help out.
Something that really bothered me was the direction our country was going in regards to the environment. Having recently been to the Arctic, as well as to Glacier National Park, I saw first-hand the impact of climate change. And being a reasonably rational and intelligent human being, I know that humans can affect the environment - in both positive and negative ways. Yet the US pulled out of the Paris Accord, appointed a science-denying fossil fuel lover to head the EPA, and wants to shrink and take away protections from National Parks. I can't understand how people in power can ignore hard science. (That wa$ a lie - I know exa¢tly how.) But how can so many citizens think that's OK?
Then I started thinking. If citizens felt more connected to the environment - if they felt a sense of responsibility for and pride in their natural surroundings - then they would respect it and honor it they way that they should. And you know who already believes that? The US National Park Service. If we could just expose more people at a younger age, maybe they would grow up respecting nature, then ours will become a society with a culture of environmental responsibility.
While I wish it was a part of every family's tradition, I know it's not possible to expect every kid to get the opportunity to visit a National Park. Many of my kids, for example, are in isolation at the hospital and may never get a chance to experience nature. But maybe I could do something to help expose these underrepresented kids.
So an idea began to form, and I asked National Geographic for help. And last June, I got the notice - I was awarded an Early Career Grant for my project, "Virtual Field Trips." This coming summer, I'll be going on a 5-week long road trip with my classroom aide Dave and our LABScI grad student volunteer Julie. Depending on the response from the parks, we'll be going to 20+ sites - National Parks, Monuments, and Historic Sites - and writing lesson plans to help kids understand their importance. We'll be taking 360° photos, and hopefully the Anil's help from his Cambridge lab, we'll look further into not only VR, but AR experiences to mimic the experience of being in a park. I want to let kids who can't go to nature still have the opportunity to experience nature.
It's sad to think that National Parks are out of reach for so many Americans. Many are remote, but talking to National Geographic's Geo Bee director, I hear many kids from Fresno - Yosemite NP's backyard - never get the chance to go. And talk these days about raising the individual fees for some of the most visible parks will make the National Park experience only in reach for the wealthy elite.
We're still in the planning stages, and I don't really know yet what the end product will look like. Message me if you have any thoughts or ideas! I'm excited for this project and excited for the summer. I can't wait to expand my National Park Junior Ranger Badge collection. And most of all, I can't wait to share this experience with my students!
I'm not going to get too much into politics, but let's just say that every week or so, something else would get me all upset. I got riled up about things that I never really paid attention to. For the first time in my life, I would spontaneously cry. Every day it was something new - a stupid wall, a ban on Muslims, an anti-education education secretary. It got to be too much. I stopped listening to NPR. I donated a ton of money to organizations like Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the NRDC, the Trevor Project... causes all across the spectrum. Even though pretty much everyone I knew felt the same way, it didn't help to talk to anyone - we were just all depressed together. And the worst thing of all - I was starting to loose hope.
Then, in the spring of 2017, I went on my annual trip with my Cambridge friends. One night, I stayed up late talking to Anil, who was lamenting the state of the UK and their recent Brexit vote. And he gave me some really great advice. He told me that it was fine to care about all these different causes, but to keep from becoming overwhelmed, to think about that ONE THING that I was really passionate about, and what I should focus my attention on. From this, I could figure out what it was that I could actually DO to help out.
Something that really bothered me was the direction our country was going in regards to the environment. Having recently been to the Arctic, as well as to Glacier National Park, I saw first-hand the impact of climate change. And being a reasonably rational and intelligent human being, I know that humans can affect the environment - in both positive and negative ways. Yet the US pulled out of the Paris Accord, appointed a science-denying fossil fuel lover to head the EPA, and wants to shrink and take away protections from National Parks. I can't understand how people in power can ignore hard science. (That wa$ a lie - I know exa¢tly how.) But how can so many citizens think that's OK?
Then I started thinking. If citizens felt more connected to the environment - if they felt a sense of responsibility for and pride in their natural surroundings - then they would respect it and honor it they way that they should. And you know who already believes that? The US National Park Service. If we could just expose more people at a younger age, maybe they would grow up respecting nature, then ours will become a society with a culture of environmental responsibility.
While I wish it was a part of every family's tradition, I know it's not possible to expect every kid to get the opportunity to visit a National Park. Many of my kids, for example, are in isolation at the hospital and may never get a chance to experience nature. But maybe I could do something to help expose these underrepresented kids.
So an idea began to form, and I asked National Geographic for help. And last June, I got the notice - I was awarded an Early Career Grant for my project, "Virtual Field Trips." This coming summer, I'll be going on a 5-week long road trip with my classroom aide Dave and our LABScI grad student volunteer Julie. Depending on the response from the parks, we'll be going to 20+ sites - National Parks, Monuments, and Historic Sites - and writing lesson plans to help kids understand their importance. We'll be taking 360° photos, and hopefully the Anil's help from his Cambridge lab, we'll look further into not only VR, but AR experiences to mimic the experience of being in a park. I want to let kids who can't go to nature still have the opportunity to experience nature.
It's sad to think that National Parks are out of reach for so many Americans. Many are remote, but talking to National Geographic's Geo Bee director, I hear many kids from Fresno - Yosemite NP's backyard - never get the chance to go. And talk these days about raising the individual fees for some of the most visible parks will make the National Park experience only in reach for the wealthy elite.
We're still in the planning stages, and I don't really know yet what the end product will look like. Message me if you have any thoughts or ideas! I'm excited for this project and excited for the summer. I can't wait to expand my National Park Junior Ranger Badge collection. And most of all, I can't wait to share this experience with my students!