ORLANDO, Fla. ― “I just saw a tiger kill its breakfast in a reserve in India,” said Margaret D. Lowman, who has a doctorate in botany, when she spoke at the East Campus Performing Arts Center on Nov. 10.
Lowman failed to recall how she became interested in the field of science but remembers with precision how, as a child, she used to pick up earth worms that had been cut up by lawn mower blades and tried to bandage them back together.
Most of her life thereafter has been dedicated to science and canopy.
“Over half of life on earth lives on tops of trees,” said Lowman, “and my favorite invention to discover this life is the hot-air balloon.”
She described what it is like to be surfing over trees on the canopy raft. “You’re in the hands of the driver,” said Lowman, “you’d better be nice to him so he doesn’t crash you into anything.”
Lowman urges women to join her, as very few are involved in the field. She is, in fact, the first woman to write a book about rainforests.
One woman plans to follow her advice. “As a bio student, this was very helpful and educational,” said Amanda Morgan, an audience member, “I want to ask her how I can get more involved in these types of projects.”
Although her group consists mainly of grown men, her two boys are also very involved.
Taking her children on her excursions can be both gratifying and challenging at the same time. “Should I leave them at them bottom with the poisonous snakes or let them climb trees with mom,” said Lowman, “they both seem equally dangerous.”
Another significant part of her work involves working with the locals. As most of her job includes going to the native villages, studying their forests and going home to reap the benefits, she believes it is their duty to help them and share their knowledge.
“We showed them Google Earth” said Lowman about a new project in Ethiopia, “it was probably like a second coming.” The new project involves saving forests that surround many churches in Ethiopia.
Although not everyone is cut out to climb trees and save our biodiversity, most can appreciate the importance of such work. “I hate bugs, but this presentation definitely inspired me to conserve rainforests,” said Amanda Ramirez, a Valencia Community College student.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
"The Magician's Elephant"
ORLANDO, Fla.― Peter Augustus Duchene went to the market to buy fish and bread, where he encountered the tent of a fortuneteller. He asked her if his sister was alive and if so how would he find her. “The elephant” said the woman, “she will lead you there.”
Young Peter is one of Kate Dicamillo’s various characters in her children’s books and is the main subject in her new book “The Magician’s Elephant” which she discussed on Sunday. A live webcast of the presentation was made available and shown at the Orlando Public Library.
“We’re all standing on the shoulders of giants” said Dicamillo about herself and her colleagues, “and we all inspire each other.”
The Newbery Award winning author opened the floor to a group discussion after the presentation in which she talked about everything from her childhood in Central Florida to how she got many ideas for her stories by eavesdropping.
“I haven’t read any of her books but I definitely want to now” said Marilyn Houston, an audience member “I like how mystical all her books seem.”
A young girl in the audience wondered how Dicamillo got along with the illustrator of the book, Yoko Tanaka, and the author stated that she had not personally met or spoken to her illustrator. “Writers are so neurotic” responded Dicamillo “they don’t think anyone should be talking to a neurotic writer.”
When she realized she wanted to be a writer, Dicamillo decided not to go to graduate school and instead bought various black turtlenecks so she could look like a writer.
She laughed as she remembered how quickly the realization that she would not get published unless she actually wrote something dawned on her.
“I felt a certain amount of pride just now,” she said after announcing how many books she had written “short lived pride, but it did go through me.” Dicamillo is the author of 16 books and three more are on the way.
Young Peter is one of Kate Dicamillo’s various characters in her children’s books and is the main subject in her new book “The Magician’s Elephant” which she discussed on Sunday. A live webcast of the presentation was made available and shown at the Orlando Public Library.
“We’re all standing on the shoulders of giants” said Dicamillo about herself and her colleagues, “and we all inspire each other.”
The Newbery Award winning author opened the floor to a group discussion after the presentation in which she talked about everything from her childhood in Central Florida to how she got many ideas for her stories by eavesdropping.
“I haven’t read any of her books but I definitely want to now” said Marilyn Houston, an audience member “I like how mystical all her books seem.”
A young girl in the audience wondered how Dicamillo got along with the illustrator of the book, Yoko Tanaka, and the author stated that she had not personally met or spoken to her illustrator. “Writers are so neurotic” responded Dicamillo “they don’t think anyone should be talking to a neurotic writer.”
When she realized she wanted to be a writer, Dicamillo decided not to go to graduate school and instead bought various black turtlenecks so she could look like a writer.
She laughed as she remembered how quickly the realization that she would not get published unless she actually wrote something dawned on her.
“I felt a certain amount of pride just now,” she said after announcing how many books she had written “short lived pride, but it did go through me.” Dicamillo is the author of 16 books and three more are on the way.
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