Marine Academy of Science and Technology school teachers Cheryl A. McDonald and David A. Alfonse were awarded a $5,410 grant from the NJEA Hipp Foundation to fund Interactive Herbarium.
In conjunction with a local barrier beach oceanfront park, Monmouth County Vocational School District students will form teams and begin collecting indigenous plant species from the various habitats of the ecosystem.
Specimens will be preserved and made available to other students and park visitors in collection boxes. Species location will be recorded and mapped using a GPS system. Student teams will include labels with relevant scientific information on the back of each box. Students will use QR Code technology to design a QR Tag for each box that will link to a URL site associated with the school website. Individuals with smart phone technology will be able to gain access to a student-designed Wiki containing detailed information.
Students will design and paint a mural that will depict a vegetative transect of a barrier beach and include paintings of individual plant species.
Specialist will assist and mentor the students throughout the duration of the project.
The collaborating park has agreed to allow the collection of specimens for two years, after which the project will be re-evaluated by park officials and extended if requested. The sheer volume of plant species available to students will allow this project to continue indefinitely.
For Further Information, contact:
School Phone: 732-291-0995