Contributor :
Amy Urling
Action Plan
Throughout this professional development course I will be focusing on the biodiversity and geology of Uganda and Rwanda.
During the first Semester of Biology at my high school, students learn about human impacts on ecosystems by studying the biodiversity of our local river ecosystem. By traveling to Uganda and Rwanda, I will be able to help students compare human impacts on our local ecosystems to human impacts on Uganda and Rwanda ecosystems and how those impacts are affecting the biodiversity in ecosystems and species.
Additionally, I will be teaching 9th Grade Earth Science next year. During the geology unit I will be able to discuss with students how Uganda and Rwanda are influenced by the East African Rift Valley. During the professional development course, we will be spending a lot of time in the Virunga Mountains which are a chain of volcanoes formed from the divergent plate boundary.
Pre-Departure Preparation
I will spend time researching the geologic history of the area to learn how the volcanic mountain chains were formed in Uganda and Rwanda. I will also look into the biodiversity of the area and how it has been affected by humans.
Preparation During Travel
I will go on a trek for Gorillas and Chimpanzees while exploring the local ecosystem. I will also spend a day before our GEEO tour that is led by women to the source of the Nile.