News Upcoming Event: October 16 - Students of Consequence will be shown in the Moving Images Film Festival at the Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, Ca. Upcoming Event: August 16-17 - Students of Consequence (full length) to be shown at the Annual Meeting of the Pacific Division of AAAS to be held at the new California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco.
March 18 -"Students of Consequence" to be shown at the Environmental Film Festival (showing at American University). Outstanding student films to be shown include a new film from American University's Center for Environmental Filmmaking, 2008 winners from National Geographic Channel's "Preserve Our Planet" College Film and PSA Contest and 2008 winners from the National Council for Science and the Environment Youth Video Contest. February 10 - African Bushmeat Expedition to receive Environmental Excellence Award from SeaWorld/Busch Gardens! The ROP Biotechnology Program at High Tech High has just earned its second Environmental Excellence Award. Since 1993, the Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks have annually recognized eight projects from across the US that involve the outstanding efforts of K-12 students and teachers who are working at the grassroots level to protect and preserve the environment. Award winners receive $10,000 to support their efforts -- World Wildlife Fund will be the sponsoring partner for the HTH African Bushmeat Expedition. January 5 - Article in AudubonMagazine.org titled "DNA Barcoding: Cracking Down on Bushmeat" on illegal wildlife trade features work of the High Tech High African Bushmeat Expedition. The story features the work of CRES in the Cameroon and work in East Africa by the African Bushmeat Expedition. Several photos are also published in the article. December 15 - The African Bushmeat Expedition featured by George Lucas' educational foundation Edutopia. See the program "The DNA of Learning: Teens Tackle Animal Poaching Through Genetics." December 11 - The latest issue of the academic journal "Unboxed" is released with a cover story on the African Bushmeat Expedition. Order a free copy from the journal web site.
September 23- From the minute Dr. Bethan Morgan began her lecture to our High Tech High Conservation Forensics class, her dedication to wildlife preservation was abundantly clear. For the past six years, Dr. Morgan has worked in the forests of Cameroon, studying the devastating impacts the African bushmeat trade has had upon endangered species. The term bushmeat refers to wild animals killed for personal sustenance or commercial profit. In Cameroon and other economically-weak African nations, hunters track and kill wildlife such as elephants, monkeys and birds of prey to generate personal income. Comparable in cost to fish per kilogram, bushmeat is considered a delicacy in certain African societies, and an entire drill monkey can sell for upwards of two hundred dollars- a fortune for hunters. The practice, however advantageous for hunters? wallets, ravages populations of endangered species. In addition to threatening the continuation of populations, the bushmeat trade limits bio-diversity in ecosystems which once teemed with life.
It is clear in her demeanor that Dr. Morgan will stop at nothing to see a dramatic reduction in bushmeat sales. CRES has worked to launch educational forums in schools and communities of Cameroon in hopes of stopping the problem at its source. Morgan and her fellow researchers have found that by simply discussing the issue with tribal leaders helps build relationships on which CRES researchers can gain insight into hunter?s actions. This technique has also proved beneficial in the classroom. By educating children at an early age, researchers from CRES generate interest and concern in their minds, and hopefully prevent the development of future hunters. Perhaps most ground-breaking is CRES?s outreach program to hunters themselves. When poachers are invited to visit conservation centers, CRES has the unique opportunity to exhibit animals in a different light; as living beings rather than a paycheck. When asked what gives Dr. Morgan hope in such a large scale issue, one seemingly impossible to tackle, she mentions the small victories. When a poacher relinquishes a live monkey to her; when she releases an animal caught in a snare; when she hires a young man to do research who once considered making a living in the bushmeat trade. It is instances like these and people like Dr. Morgan which keep the hope for animals, the hope for Africa, and essentially, the hope for life, alive and well. By Natalie Holt August 18 - In a TED style presentation Dr. Vavra kicked off High Tech High's new 3-OL series with his talk "Conservation, Commitment, and Collaboration." This presentation was given for the faculty and staff July 10 - Article on African Bushmeat Expedition team from the manager of PLos One - "Using DNA barcoding to identify illegal bushmeat jerky trade." June 22- July 8, 2008- The long awaited African Bushmeat Expedition has come and gone and we are all home safe in San Diego. Visit the blog to read a day by day account of our expedition. We hope to bring together the video footage and photographs we took on our expedition soon. So keep checking and supporting the students at High Tech High. We are excited to take our expedition and our findings to the next level and share our experiences with the world. June 16-June19, 2008 - BIO 2008 conference and African Bushmeat Expedition unite in San Diego. Zac Sheffer, Megan Morikawa, and Dr. Vavra presented on Monday their ?Best Practices Workshop? on DNA barcoding applications to African Bushmeat and San Diego Bay Studies. The presentation was given to a standing-room-only group of science teachers from around the country. Additionally, Dr. Vavra had been nominated for the Genzyme-Invitrogen Biotech Educator of the Year Award. Monday night, in an American Idol like awards ceremony he was announced the winner and was able to give a speech after the Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, gave her talk. Then on the first two days of the convention, students presented, as planned, in the Invitrogen booth, talking about the expedition they would be leaving for at the end of the week. Students demonstrated to BIO attendees how to load and separate DNA with Invitrogen Safe e-Gels. They also were able to present with the long-awaited flash demonstration of the DNA process. Dr. Vavra was also gave an acceptance speech at the Plenary luncheon before Craig Venter and Governor Schwarzenegger.
June 4 ? Report on the African Bushmeat Expedition from a science blog at the Rockefeller University on the use of DNA for identification and discovery. "High school students help demonstrate practicality, utility of DNA barcoding."
April 28, 2008 - HTH African Bushmeat Expedition profiled in anarticle by Roots & Shoots. Click here for the article.
April 28 - Upcoming expedition of High Tech High Roots & Shoots Conservation Forensics team featured in Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots newsletter. April 19-25 - African Bushmeat Expedition member Sean Curtice was one of 100 Roots & Shoots youth environmental leaders from around the world to be invited to participate in the 2008 Roots & Shoots Global Youth Summit in Florida. April 16, 2008 - Megan Morikawa introduced Dr. Jane Goodall prior to her talk at the University of San Diego Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. See Megan's transcript here.
April 2, 2008 - Dr. Jane Goodall visited San Diego as a part of her North American speaking tour. An audience of more than 500 heard her lecture, 'A Message of Hope', at the Foothills United Methodist Church in East County. A video created by HTH African Bushmeat members especially for the event was debuted and received warmly by Dr. Goodall and the audience. Others attending the event included Deus Cosmos and Joan Embery. Before the lecture, members of the African Bushmeat Expedition were able to meet and share ther projects with Dr. Goodall.
Interview with Deus Cosmos - Before heading to Tanzania we had the good fortune of having Tanzania come to us in the form of Deus Cosmos, regional coordinator for the Roots & Shoots Program in the Mara Region, Tanzania. After presenting his work on the conservation of baboons in Tanzania to several classes at High Tech High, Deus shared some more of his story with us. Read the interview with him here.
Check out HTH in an article by ZOONOOZ and the Peninsula Beacon .
Dr. Vavra described the High Tech High African bushmeat research to
Megan Morikawa at the 2007 BioGENEius Competition.
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