WVII covers Follow a Researcher visit to Hudson school – C. Hamley
WVII (Channel 7) reported on a recent visit to Hudson Elementary School by Kit Hamley, a graduate student at the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute. Hamley spoke with the students about the Follow a Researcher program that is offered by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H to connect K–12 students in Maine and around the country to researchers in the field. From Jan. 14 through Feb. 13, participants will watch as Hamley, who is pursuing a master’s degree in quaternary and climate studies, travels to the Falkland Islands to research an extinct species of fox called the warrah. Using field and laboratory techniques, she hopes to learn how and when the animal arrived in the Falklands. “It’s important for young students especially to see that science can be a fun adventure,” Hamley said. Educators and students will be able to communicate with Hamley through live Twitter chats during her expedition, as well as classroom visits before and after her trip. “I can only do so much within my four walls,” said Sherry Blanchard, a fourth-grade teacher at Hudson Elementary School. “So to have this opportunity to get my kids other places, for me as an educator, I find that very exciting.”