Mrs. Renz's 4th Grade Class JASON XV Expedition Panama Field Notes

Real Science. Real Time. Real Learning.

Mrs. Renz was selected to join the JASON XV Project expedition team, traveling with the scientists and production team to the remote locations of Panama including Barro Colorado Island and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in the middle of the Panama Canal Zone. This opportunity allowed the student and teacher Argonauts joining Dr. Robert Ballard, world class scientists, and guest researchers at the expedition site. Mrs. Renz was in Panama two weeks. Her fourth graders followed her journey each day as she updated her website with her daily journals and photos.

Mrs. Renz's Field Journal

Today my team took the fast boat from Gamboa to BCI, which only took 40 minutes. Our job today was to follow Roland Kays and get film footage of his automated radio-tracking system. We followed the signal of a radio-collared agouti through the forest, hiking up and down steep hills, often off the official concrete stepped path. We checked Roland's traps and found a coati in a cage meant for an ocelot. We released it right away to reduce the animal's stress. We found the remains of a sloth which was eaten (probably by an ocelot) and also the carcass of a red brocket deer. On the way down the trail through the we heard the howler monkeys scream right above us. We looked up and saw them swinging through the trees. I had to run away as one monkey decided to relieve himself but poor student argo Lisa took a direct hit of monkey poop on her head! It was horrible smelling and green and we worked like crazy to get if off of poor Lisa. Needless to say, she took a shower as soon as we made it back down the trail! We finished filming our Expedition Field Notes segment at almost 5:00 pm, and took the fast boat back to Gamboa. What a day! My team will be visiting to the Gatun Locks in the Panama Canal for tomorrow's filming episode. Tune in again tomorrow for more JASON adventures.

Mrs. Renz's Photos from Panama