Mongolia Teach Live Journals

Questions

Photos

Questions from the FIRST teleconference with the EB3 Team with Ms. Vander Zwaag's second period Science class.

First TeleConference
VZ Period 2

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Second TeleConference
VZ Period 4

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Third TeleConference
VZ Period 3

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Reflections

Question:	What is the nearest large city to where EB3 are staying?
	Ulaanbaatar - the Capital of Mongolia is the nearest large city.

Question:	What is the weather like in Mongolia?
Audio	Jamie: Right now it is VERY cold, maybe not even 20 degrees. It is very early in the morning and we are sitting in a van trying to stay warm. *It is about 20 degrees and we are sitting in a van shivering trying to stay warm.*

Question:	How many hours per day do you spend researching collected data?
Audio	*Jamie:* We don't really work with the data we collect until a couple of days has passed. The data collection process is so time consuming, we haven't the time to analyze it the same day.When we do finally sit down with it, we have collected enough to keep us busy for a full day or two. It is quite tedious work. We have yet to work on the data from this trip, we are still collecting it

Question:	What other animals have you seen in Mongolia?
Audio	Jamie: We have seen Ibex and gerbils. Ibex are animals sort of like argali but they don't have the horns and they are much smaller. Some of us went out and caught gerbils but I haven't done that.

Question:	How do your families and friends feel about you being on this trip?
Audio	*Jamie: They feel really happy for me, I am very thankful that my family is supportive about this trip and my traveling away from home for such a long period.*

Question:	How often do you keep in contact with your families?
Audio	*Jamie: I call my family on the Sat phone pretty often but I don't really keep in contact with my friends.*

Question:	Has anyone been injured on your trip so far? if so, how?
Audio	*Jamie: No, surprisingly we have had no injuries yet. I guess it isn't an exciting answer but it is the truth.*

Question:	Have any of the Argali been injured during your captures?
Audio	Jamie: No, not at all. The scientists here really know what they are doing and they make sure we know the proper methods of capture and handling before we attempt it. They really want to make sure the Argali are kept safe throughout the whole process.

Question:	Approximately how many sheep have you seen?
Audio	Jamie: Over a hundred. More some days than others.

Question:	How long do the sand storms last?
Audio	Jamie: Usually around one or two hours. When it first started we were all in the van but we decided it would last too long to sit in the van all that time so we found shelter. There is no visibility at all during the sandstorms -- it was so out of this world for us, we had never seen a storm like that.

Question:	What is the furthest you have had to hike in one day?
	*Jamie: We hiked about 20 miles on Thursday. That has been the farthest on this trip.*

Question:	(to Auggie) How do you pronounce that word 'ger?'
Audio	*Auggie: [gair] (with a very short vowel sound)*

Question:	(to Auggie) Is the Mongolian language similar to Chinese?
Audio	Auggie: NOT at all, it is completely different.

Question:	(to Auggie) Do you want to be a scientist [when you get bigger]?
Audio	*Auggie: Well, I am 21 now, but yes, I do want to be a scientist, maybe a biologist.*

Question:	(to Auggie) How did you get involved with Earthwatch?
	Auggie: I participated in Earthwatch research with Dr. Reading in 2000 and he suggested I participate again.

Question:	(to Auggie) What is your schedule like?
Audio	Auggie: We get up at about 8 o'clock and eat breakfast. We start walking at 9 o'clock. We eat our lunch out on the field. We work until about 6:30 then we have dinner at 7 pm. Then we have time for resting or to do whatever then we go to bed and sleep until we start another morning.

Question:	(to Auggie) How do the Argali act when you capture them?
Audio	*Auggie: The big ones run away but the smaller ones don't move. They are wild animals so they don't really want us to touch them.*

Question:	(to Auggie) Would you rather be in very hot weather or very cold weather?
Audio	Auggie: Well, since I live in Mongolia I am used to the cold. I don't know if I really like it though, I never really thought about it.