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While describing his long-time project on the natural history of hummingbirds, Bill Hilton Jr. of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History enchants his student audience and brings alive the world of ecological research. Too often, inner-city and minority students--and students in general--are unaware of careers outside the "common" professions of medicine, law, education, and the ministry, and they frequently express amazement that scientists could actually spend a lifetime getting paid to study natural phenomena in the out-of-doors. In Hummingbirds, Hamburgers, and the Need for Minority Biologists, Hilton discusses the importance of a collaborative approach to protecting the environments of the Western Hemisphere, not only among all subcultures of the U.S., but also among peoples across the Americas. Young minority scientists, in particular, have a role to play in reaching out to endemic populations in Latin America, and Hilton's exciting slide lecture and ensuing discussion help emphasize this very important concept.

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Meet the Boa Constrictor:
Are You a Good Observer?

One of the best ways to test student abilities to make scientific observations is to confront them with a situation in which they are at first emotional. A 2.5-meter Boa Constrictor certainly can startle students, but through careful guidance the students overcome their emotions, become objective, and produce the kinds of accurate observations that are essential as we train young people to be good scientists. Students will have a memorable--and academically productive--experience when educator-naturalist Bill Hilton Jr. of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History takes "Paco" out of the snake bag and asks Are You a Good Observer? (NOTE: Due to The Passing of Paco, this presentation is temporarily discontinued until we can find a replacement snake.)

(Photo © Hilton Pond Center)
Paco, the 2.5-meter Boa Constrictor

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Although a 2.5-meter Boa Constrictor might seem appropriate for study only in a biology class, master teacher Bill Hilton Jr. of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History has used "Paco" to teach thousands of K-8 students about science AND other disciplines. Literally hundreds of questions that involve the snake can be asked of students, whose problem-solving abilities reinforce cognitive learning skills as they Meet the Boa Constrictor and work through various snake-based classroom exercises. A few examples:

• "How can we find the mass and length of this snake?" leads to a better understanding of weights and measures.
• "Where did this snake originate?" can result in a discussion of world geography, the need to protect rain forests, comparisons between local habitats and those in the tropics, etc.
• "How many words can you use to describe this snake?" provides reinforcement in spelling, language arts, and creative writing--especially when students are asked to write an essay, poem, or myth about the boa constrictor.
• And so on and so on and so on . . . . It really works! :-)

(NOTE: Due to The Passing of Paco, these presentations are temporarily discontinued until we can find a replacement snake.)

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