My Interview with Dr. Jane Goodall

Dr. Jane Goodall's name was still fresh in my mind when I first got an email from my editor asking if I would be available for an interview. Just one week before, Dr. Goodall had been the subject of a class conversation.

My classmates and I were to complete an essay discussing the scientific achievements men and women have made in society. Dr. Goodall was one of the scientists we were required to research and discuss.

When I got the message of an opportunity to interview Dr. Goodall, I knew it would be a chance of a lifetime. 

The weekend before my interview, my teacher let me borrow a copy of Dr. Goodall's book, Reason for Hope. I hoped to learn more about her life to better prepare myself to speak to her.

The day before the interview, I prepared the camera, microphone, press pad, questions, tape recorder, and laptop. My interview was in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, about three hours from my home near Detroit. 

The next morning, I met with Dr. Goodall in her hotel lobby. Accompanied with her scheduler and her toy monkey, Mr. H, she greeted me as other hotel guests and employees looked on, surprised to see such a famous face.   After taking a good look at the lobby, Dr. Goodall politely requested that we go up to her hotel room. 

During the elevator ride, I asked Dr. Goodall how she felt to be in Michigan. She expressed concern of the farms she saw on her car ride to the hotel, claiming that most of the farms likely used pesticides. It proved her dedication to the environment.

I set up the camera and microphone and ran a quick audio check. Dr. Goodall waited patiently, placing Mr. H on her bed. 

Mr. H is treated like royalty around Dr. Goodall. He was a gift from Gary Haun, a blind magician who lost his sight in the U.S. Marines. When Haun thought he was giving Goodall a chimp, she handed him the tail.

Since then, Mr. H has been to 53 countries and has been touched by more than 2.5 million people.

I could tell Goodall was passionate by the way she spoke. Her tranquil yet powerful voice proved that she was speaking from her heart. 

At the end of the interview, Dr. Goodall offered some advice.

"You guys who do the news, who talk to people, you have a huge responsibility and a vast influence, so you use it wisely."

Watch the rest of my interview with Dr. Jane Goodall on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website.

 

—Kid Reporter Charlie Kadado

Photo: Kid Reporter Charlie Kadado with Dr. Jane Goodall and Mr. H after their interview in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. (Courtesy Charlie Kadado)

An Interview with Dr. Mayim Bialik

On Saturday March 3, I got the opportunity to meet Dr. Mayim Bialik. She has appeared on the 1990-1995 show Blossom, and now she appears on The Big Bang Theory as Amy Farrah Fowler.

When I got home from school on March 1, my parents told me to check my email. When I did, I found an email from my editor asking me if I could interview Dr. Mayim Bialik. I instantly replied yes. When I researched Dr. Bialik, I learned that both of her parents were teachers, she has a Ph.D. in neuroscience, she started acting at a young age, and that she was coming out with a book!

The interview took place at the Hyatt in Chicago. Dr. Bialik lives in Los Angeles, but she was in town for Texas Instrument’s T3 International Conference. When I walked into the Hyatt, I saw many educators rushing in different directions and speaking different languages. But everyone came here for one reason: to help their students learn better. I then boarded the elevator for the 28th floor and for Dr. Bialik’s suite where I would conduct my interview.

I was so excited for the interview! I asked Dr. Bialik a series of questions, and then I realized we had some things in common. She told me that "it takes all different types of people to make the world go around," that education is incredibly important, using humor while teaching helps students learn, and that math and science are the basis of almost every career.  

Overall, it was one of the most exciting experiences of my life when I got to meet Dr. Mayim Bialik!

Watch my video interview with Dr. Mayim Bialik here!

—Kid Reporter Natalie Wexler

Photo: Kid Reporter Natalie Wexler with Dr. Mayim Bialik after their interview in Chicago on March 3. (Photo courtesy Natalie Wexler)

The Making of Dolphin Tale

The trip to the Florida Marine Aquarium was not my first. Previously, I visited to write stories about Winter the dolphin when the book about her, Winter's Tale, came out. Later I returned for a story about the Scholastic Essay Contest winner, Jessica Rendleman, who was inspired by Winter to overcome her battle with cancer. So this trip, I expected to enter the lobby, as usual. However, this was not the normal aquarium.

Winter could not go to Hollywood, so director Charles Martin Smith brought Hollywood to Winter!

Staff members carried film equipment and large coolers full of fish — payment for the star. Of course, Winter was not the only cast member. The roster included award-winning actors Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick, Jr., Kris Kristofferson, and Ashley Judd. The younger stars included Nathan Gamble (Sawyer Nelson), Cozi Zeuhlsdorff (Hazel Haskett), and Austin Stowell (Kyle Connellan).
 
Filming a movie is not easy, especially when you are a kid. Not only do they have to put in nine hours of work, the same as the adults, but they must also fit in three-and-a-half hours of school. One thing that stands out in my mind is the constant repetition when filming the scenes. Actor Nathan Gamble spent over an hour in the water filming the underwater ballet scene. He was exhausted because he had to hold his breath and swim repeatedly in order to perfect the scene.

Actually the majority of the filming day was spent on this one scene. Fortunately, my job was easy and the view was spectacular. As the scene was filmed with special underwater 3-D cameras, I sat with editors and engineers in a room with multiple monitors. Several monitors showed the 2-D version image of the filming, while the other monitors displayed the mind-boggling 3-D images. In fear of missing a moment of this awesome experience I was constantly slipping my 3-D glasses on and off to see all that was happening. 

As I interacted with the stars and sat with the cast at lunch, I realized they were just normal people. They were down-to-earth and humble. Interviewing them was like talking to friends from school. As a matter of fact, Austin Stowell’s mom is a teacher just like mine. And by the way, movie set food is AWESOME!

The cast of Dolphin Tale works to make the best movie possible, both on and off camera. Their hope is to inspire others as much as Winter has inspired them.

Check out my behind-the-scenes video report from the set of Dolphin Tale!

—Kid Reporter Shelby Fallin 

Oil Spill? Pass the Mayo!

My science fair project on the Gulf Oil Spill

After covering the Gulf Oil Spill last summer for Scholastic News, I decided to base my 4th grade science project on what I learned.

In Louisiana, the Coast Guard took me and my editor out on a boat to see where the oil had stained the grasses in the wetlands. I also visited the aquarium in New Orleans where I saw turtles that had been cleaned and would be soon be returned to the ocean. I learned that mayonnaise was used to clean the oil off both the grass and turtles.

To clean a turtle that has been covered in oil, the people at the aquarium scrubbed the turtles down with mayo. They cleaned their mouths with mayo on cotton swabs. They also feed mayonnaise to them. Eating mayonnaise cleaned the oil out of the animals’ digestive systems.

In the wetlands, the mayo would stick on the grass and absorb the oil. Pounding waves against the grasses then washed both the mayo and the oil off the grasses and out to sea.

My science fair question was: What well known hamburger condiment could be used to clean up an oil spill? My hypothesis was that mayonnaise would clean oil off the grass the best.

I started out with three identical pots of pet grass similar to the marshes in LA. I covered each with 30-weight automobile oil. Using ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise, I attempted to clean the oil from the three different pots of plants.

I found that the ketchup and mustard dripped off the grass, leaving the oil behind. The mayonnaise stuck to the grass and absorbed the oil.

When I rinsed the grasses in a clean bucket of water, the ketchup came off but not the oil. Same thing with the mustard. However, both the mayonnaise and the oil came off the grass with plain water. My hypothesis was correct! Best part of the whole thing? I got an A!

Now, I wonder what it is about mayonnaise that makes it so oil absorbent? Mayo is made of vegetable oil and egg. Is it the vegetable oil, or the egg? Or do both have to be mixed together a certain way? Hmmmm. Maybe, for next year's science fair project......

—Trinity Vogel

PHOTOS: (TOP) Kid Reporter Trinity Vogel works on her Gulf Oil Spill science fair project. (BOTTOM) Three containers of grasses next to (from left) mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard. (Photos Courtesy Trinity Vogel)

Mummies of the World Unite!

Largest exhibit of mummies now traveling the U.S.

I held my breath as we made it to the front of the line. My heart was pounding with apprehension. I was about to enter the World of Mummies!

Mummies of the World made its World Premiere on July 1, 2010. Since then, it has become one of the most successful paid exhibits at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. I was given an exclusive tour of the exhibit by Jarrod Miller-Dean, California Science Center Communications coordinator.

Inside the exhibit, it was grave and eerie at times. Though there were many people inside the museum with me, I felt very alone.

Soon, I realized that the mummies weren’t so scary after all. They were displayed with dignity and respect and that came across in the exhibition.

The exhibition includes 45 human and animal mummies. They come from museums in South America, Europe, Oceania, Asia, and Egypt.

“We want people to understand that mummies don’t come just from Ancient Egypt,” said Diane Perlov, California Science Center senior vice president for exhibits. “We also want people to learn more about science tools that let scientists study mummies without destroying them.”

Jarrod pointed out to me that many mummies in the exhibit are natural mummies. The Detmold Child, a Peruvian child mummy that dates to 6,420 years ago, really grabbed my attention. I could see what it looked like when it died.

I asked Ms. Perlov which mummy she thought was the most fascinating.

“To me, one of the most fascinating ones are the mummies from Hungary,” she replied. “For example, the Orlovits Family, who suffered from tuberculosis.”

Michael, Veronica, and son Johannes Orlovits were 18th century mummies found in a church in Hungary. I thought they were interesting because they were wearing their “Sunday best,” or their church clothes.

Mummies of the World fascinated me. I devoured every bit of information I could. I came out of the exhibition feeling awed and amazed. I realized that what we know about mummies isn't all in the past. What we have learned through mummies may help us eliminate deadly diseases in the future.

“Scientists can go inside the mummies and extract the DNA,” said Diane Perlov. “Then they can try to find some medicine that is resistant to diseases like tuberculosis.”

Mummies of the World began a three-year tour in the U.S. this month. Check out www.mummiesoftheworld.com for more information.

You can also check out my video interview with Ms. Perlov, which includes a closer look at some of the actual mummies!

—Cassandra Hsiao

PHOTO: The Detmold Child is a naturally preserved Peruvian child mummy. (Photo Courtesy American Exhibitions, Inc.)

The Nerd Herd Strikes Again!

First Lego League Competition ends for NY team.

Four students from a small parochial school in Brooklyn, New York, recently brought their home-made robot to the Jacob Javits Center to compete in the First Lego League Robotics Competition. The Scholastic Kids Press Corps has been following these kids since they began the competition in the fall.

The four students—Gregory Chin, Benjamin Kelk, Noelle Mondaya, and Nancy Fieve from St. Edmunds in Sheepshead Bay—also had to develop a new form of transportation. They used a device called a Shweeb, which is a bicycle enclosed in a clear plastic bubble that hangs from tracks just like a monorail train. Each rider in the Shweeb gets his or her own pod to travel in.

The original Shweeb, which is currently in an amusement park ride at Agroventures in New Zealand, was originally designed by inventor Geoffrey Barnett. The students took Barnett’s design beyond the world of theme parks into a real world solution to transportation-based pollution.

The 6th through 8th grade students took home a third place trophy in Project Presentation. The Nerd Herd also had superb scores in Research and Teamwork categories.

The four students are affectionately called The Nerd Herd. Their assistant coach, Erica Barbieri, described how they got their name.

“Partly, a lot of students just think nerd when you talk about robotics, so we kind of ran with that,” she said.

Chin piped in saying that Nerd Herd came from the first year they competed when they were looking for a name that rhymed.

Last year the Nerd Herd won the New York Championship and went on to Atlanta to compete with schools from all over the country. Their coach, and computer teacher, Christine Zaremba, said that even though the Javits Center is huge, “you realize this is triple A and Atlanta is the big leagues.”

Chin was quick to point out that no matter how they perform, “we still have a meeting to talk about what went wrong and what we could do to make it better next year.”

That is one of the things that stood out about this group: their drive to do their best, and not let anything stand in their way.

They were all confident when I asked about their personal plans for the future. Chin wants to be a lawyer, Kelk is hoping to design roller coasters, Mondaya has her heart set on being a medical scientist, and Fieve is sure she’ll thrive in an artistic field like writing.

I have no doubt they will all succeed, not matter what fields they end up in. And as for the next First Lego League Championships in 2011, the Nerd Herd is already planning next year’s strategy, so look out!

—Joseph O’Connor

PHOTO: The Nerd Herd with Kid Reporter Joseph O'Connor and their First Lego League Robotics Competition project. (Photo Courtesy Joseph O'Connor)

The Nerd Herd in Action

Let the robots begin!

Recently, I met the Nerd Herd team from St. Edmund's school in Brooklyn New York. They are competing the First Lego League robotics competition.

The Nerd Herd were finalists in last year’s competition at Atlanta. They also recently won the Brooklyn borough finals and have advanced to the regionals, which will be held soon at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. The team includes sixth, seventh, and eighth graders Gregory Chin, Noelle Mondaya, Nancy Fievre, and Benjamin Kelk. Christine Zaremba is their coach.

This year’s topic was Smart Moves. The team studied and researched the transit authority in their community to come up with a form of transportation that would be easier, faster, and environmentally friendly. They were inspired by the pedaling motion of a bicycle.

            “For this year's research project, we wanted to find an innovative solution that would allow people of all ages to travel at an accelerated pace,” said 13-year-old Gregory Chin. "That would allow people to travel faster, as well as not produce any emissions.”

The team’s robot was named ‘Yellow Submarine,' based on a similar transportation idea already in use called the Shweeb. (A Shweeb is similar to biking in a plastic tube that travels along a monorail.)

“It has been programmed to perform a series of tasks on a set obstacle course with the time limit being two minutes and 30 seconds," Chin explained.

They built two models of the robot. One model shows how the Shweeb actually moves using motors, while the other one demonstrates the concept of movement through pedaling. The robot is programmed using the Lego Mindstorms NXT-G software.

The Nerd Herd continues to work on their robots 10 hours every week in preparation for the next step in competition.

“At practices, the team continues refining their robot, strategizing new missions to create manipulators for and programming the robot to accomplish those missions," said Coach Zaremba. “They also work on their research project and practice their presentation, but above all, they have fun!”

I can’t wait to find out what happens at the NYC Regional competition!  I wish the Nerd Herd good luck!

—Gowtham Balaji

PHOTO: The Nerd Herd at the Brooklyn, New York, competition recently. The group won and is on its way to regional competition. (Photo Courtesy Gowtham Balaji)

 

Swine Flu Blues

The headlines read: Swine Flu has hit America. Now it has hit me, too!

Honestly, when I first heard about this new flu strain I thought it was no big deal. It would never affect me. Boy, was I wrong!

Apparently, swine flu (H1N1) attacks the lungs first. That is why people with asthma and other respiratory diseases need to take extra precautions. And yes, I am one of those people. Problem was, when I started coughing all the time, I thought it was just my asthma acting up.

After four days of breathing treatments and no improvement, my peak flow levels, which measure my lung capacity, began to drop drastically. To make a long story short, I was taken to the emergency room and admitted to the hospital with complications from H1N1. All of a sudden, swine flu news became a BIG deal to me.

At the hospital, I learned that hand sanitizer is my best friend. The people who came into my room had to wear masks, gloves, and gowns. Then, when they left and took those off, they had to use hand sanitizer and soap. Swine flu can be spread by touching something that has been touched by someone sick with the virus. That’s why when you are sick, it is very important to wash your hands often, even if you cough or sneeze into a tissue or your sleeve.

Every time you blow your nose, you need to use sanitizer or wash your hands.

I know hand sanitizer and washing really works. No one in my family was sick, nor were any of my friends. Could I have gotten it just from touching a door handle or not washing my hands enough? I will never know. But, I have learned a lot about preventing the spread of the virus.

Here are some handy tips that I learned while in the hospital:

1. Always wash your hands before you eat, after using the restroom, or after sneezing, coughing, or blowing your nose.

2. Most people use hand towels in the bathroom. Replace those with paper towels so the germs can’t accumulate on the towels.

3. Use disinfectant wipes to wipe down anything that many people touch or use in your house, for example, door knobs, telephones, sink handles, and light switches.

4. If you are coughing or sneezing, avoid being around other people and stay home from school when you are sick. That way, you can keep the virus from spreading.

5. If you have asthma, monitor your peak flow every day. This will help make you more aware of your breathing levels.

6. Don’t wait until you can’t breathe before you contact a doctor.

7. Did I mention WASH YOUR HANDS?

These tips will help prevent H1N1 and other viruses and help you stay healthy.You can find out a lot more at the CDC's Web site.

Trust me. Swine flu is a big deal. Being in the hospital is no fun. Since I have asthma, I had to be on breathing treatments every two hours around the clock. That means I had to wake up every two hours just to breathe right. The nurses and doctors were great, but I felt like a pin cushion or lab rat.

Even after I came home, I was so tired that I couldn’t even walk outside for five minutes. The good thing was that I had word searches and books (thanks, Scholastic friends!) to keep me occupied during the day.

But laying around and watching television through a breathing machine mask gets old. You would never believe how much you can miss going to school. Believe me, it is possible.

Maybe, by telling my story, I could help someone avoid the swine flu blues.

By the way, you can share your swine flu experience by clicking on the blue comment below and sending us a brief note.

—Shelby Fallin

The Swine Flu Right Past Me (And How It Can Avoid You, Too)

I had been at camp for a week when it hit me: the flu! I was at sailing camp and had been participating in all of the camp activities, feeling just fine. Then my forehead started to feel hot and I developed a headache. I went to the infirmary as a precaution.

When I got there, it was packed! Other campers were there to take their regular medications, and one girl had fainted. Even one of my favorite counselors was there sick. The nurse had to take care of all these people before she could help me.

When it was almost my turn, a girl who had just thrown up came in. Because she was very sick, she got priority and the nurse began to examine her. The sick camper took a seat next to me.

The nurse took her temperature, which was extremely high so she made her go lie down. Finally, the nurse was ready to examine at me. She took my temperature. It was 99.5. She didn’t want it to get higher so she made me lie down just like she had done with the previous girl. After about an hour, she checked my temperature again. It was back to normal, so she released me.

The next morning, I felt worse. My head was hot and I felt dizzy. I was at the dock getting ready to go sailing, when I realized I needed another visit with the nurse.

This time my temperature was 101.2! Since it was above 100 I had to leave camp. While I waited for my parents to come get me, I was told the sick girl who sat next to me in the infirmary the day before had a confirmed case of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus.

H1N1 symptoms are the same as symptoms for the regular flu, so I began to wonder if I had the sickness, too. Several of my friends at other camps in Texas had already been sent home with the swine flu this summer.

As soon as my parents arrived, we headed straight to my doctor’s office to get me swabbed. (Swabbed is when the doctor takes a culture sample from your mouth and grows it. The growth is put under a microscope. That is how doctors can tell what kind of germ you have.)

Luckily, I did not have the H1N1 virus. I went home and just rested. My fever rose in the night and then it fell back to normal. This meant I was allowed to go back to camp.

Getting sick helped me to learn how to take better care of myself at camp. Now, when I cough or sneeze, I am sure I cover it with a tissue, my sleeve, or my hands. Then I immediately wash my hands. With school about to begin, it’s important that everyone learn how to help prevent infection.

All kids can follow several simple steps offered by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to stay healthy:

1. Wash your hands often. Use soap and water and sing the entire song “Happy Birthday” twice. If you don’t have access to soap and water, try alcohol based gel hand sanitizers.
2. Don’t touch your eyes, nose, mouth or face. This is how germs are spread.
3. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough into your upper sleeve. Then go wash your hands.
4. If you are sick—and especially if you are running a fever—stay home. You should be fever free with a temperature less than 100 degrees F for at least 24 hours before returning to school.
5. Don’t share water bottles, make-up, chap stick, or food with your friends or family.
6. Get a good night’s rest. This helps to recharge your immune system to fight off viruses.

The CDC and AAP also recommend that all children receive a seasonal influenza vaccine each year, which can help to prevent the flu. Vaccines for the H1N1 virus are in production and not available yet. When the vaccines become available, you will need to get that one, too. It means two shots this year, but it will be worth it!

—Brittney Sheena

PHOTO: Hand washing often (but especially after sneezing, coughing) is essential in helping prevent the fllu. Wash through two rounds of "Happy Birthday" or "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." (Photo: istockphoto.com)

Adventures in Costa Rica

Monkeys and Sloths and Snakes, OH MY!

I'm standing on the beach watching a troop of white faced capuchin monkeys scamper across the sand, snatching fruit and bags of chips from people's beach towels before scrambling up trees with their treasures. One even went so far as to jump on my dad's back on its way to a new tree.

I can also see a boa constrictor coiled up in a tree behind us. And in the jungle, which is right on the beach, I can see as many sloths crawling around in the trees as there are monkeys dancing on the beach (which is maybe a little over a dozen). Yes, I am in Costa Rica, a small country in Central America with beaches on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

While on my trip I learned a lot about the country and its animals. I learned that sloths climb down from their trees only once a week. They come down to go to the bathroom and then slowly climb back up the tree. There they begin the same cycle of chomping down leaves with painfully slow-moving jaws and sleeping for hours at a time with no particular schedule. After a week of this, they go back down to do their business.

I saw the most wildlife in the Manuel Antonio National Park, but animal sightings were not the only adventure I had!

A Thrilling Ride and a Close Encounter

Zip lining is another way to see the rain forests of Costa Rica. Zip lining is when you stand on a platform high above the ground, and a guide attaches you to a cable by a carabiner. Then he gives you a little push, and whoosh, you go sailing through the forest canopy at top speed, until you reach the next platform.

I was in a group of about 40 people and we zipped between 12 platforms. Every fourth platform was a rest platform. That meant that all 40 of us were on the platform at the same time!

On one rest platform, we got a poisonous surprise: a tiny, but deadly fer-de-lance was sleeping on the platform. Also known as a pit viper, if a fer-de-lance bit you, you would normally have no more than 20 minutes to live. I'm happy we made it out of that situation alive! I still have much more to say but that will have to wait for another time. Hope you enjoyed my blog AND your summer!

—Maya Kandell

PHOTOS: (TOP) White faced capuchin monkeys play in the trees near a beach in Costa Rica. (BOTTOM): Maya zips from one platform to another in a rain forest in Costa Rica. (Photos courtesy Maya Kandell)