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Showing posts from April, 2014

FSM Coconut Development Authority class visit

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The SC/SS 115 Ethnobotany class visited the FSM Coconut Development Authority processing plant on 29 April 2014. 4:02 class arrival at FSMCDA Peterson Sam addresses the class, Sother Jr., Arlen, Leona Carrie-Ann, Senioreen, Lilly-Jane, Monaliza, Sapina and Spencer Coconuts End of the coconut dryer Mikey examines dryer Coconut oil expeller Expelled oil The coconut "crackers" - copra that has been dried, the oil already expelled. Sold as pig feed. Can be eaten by people too. Carie-Ann and Carlinda listen to Peterson Raw expelled coconut oil Retail operation Products include soap, oil. $1.75 a bottle for the golden oil on the right. Produced by sun drying the copra and not grinding it prior to expelling the oil. A new fav bath oil for the author. "Ais keikei" chocolate coconut ice bars. Charlotte, Jenny, Spencer Production of products requires a knowledge of chemistry Raw copra is bro...

Banana patch clean-up

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Elaeocarpus carolinensis fruits. Kosrae: Nahnek. Although lighter than elahk, elahk was preferred due to greater wood strength. Pohnpei: Sadak. Used for canoe hulls. [No photo] Campnosperma brevipetiolata: Kosrae: Elahk. Used for canoe hulls. Pohnpei: Dohng. Used for canoe hulls. Yap: Ramluw. Merlina, styling, author was not the photographer Carlina Arlen, Leona Rico Joab double-machete bush-whacking machine Charlotte, Mikey (McGurruth) Hanae Sapino, Spencer bird nest in a lime tree Bermuda grass, Cynodon dactylon, for the new soccer field

Mathematical models exploration in lab 14

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Laboratory 14 is effectively a practical laboratory where the students are given a somewhat ill-defined system and asked to explore that system, determine whether a mathematical model underlays the system, and if so, what is the equation for that system. Tagging onto a science video on flight and Bernoulli's law from last week, the class explored the launch velocity versus distance for Frisbees and flying rings. I was not clear at the start that the throwing angle should be zero, parallel to the ground, to remove the effects of a parabolic trajectory. The goal is to isolate the effect of the Bernoulli principle and not introduce the quadratic relationship of velocity to distance for an object thrown at an angle theta to the ground. Throwers were lined up to throw at the radar gun holder. Johnson, Bertha, Terrance, Ryan, Serlyn. Reed with the radar gun Paul Cantero launches a flying ring directly at the radar gun. The radar gun was able to record the ring and Frisbee ...

Review for final in ethnobotany

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The bulldozing of the ethnogarden led to shifting the final examination from the plants of the garden to the plants of the campus. This generated a new plant list. The class walked the campus from east to west, skipping the introduced ornamental plants. Fortunately my years of scattering plants around campus, and the planting of plants by others, have made possible the shift from a specific garden to using the whole campus as a garden. Key Latin binomial Key Latin binomial ALO Alocasia macrorrhizos GLO Glochidion ramiflorum ALP Alpinia carolinensis HBR Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ANA Ananas comosus HIB Hibiscus tiliaceus ANN Annona muricata IXO Ixora casei ARE Areca catechu JAS Jasminum sambac ART Artocarpus altilis LYC Lycopodiella cernua ASP Asplenium nidus MAC Macaranga carolenensis BAM Bambusa vulgaris MAG Magnifera indica CAM Campnosperma brevipetiolata MEL Melastoma malabathicum var. marianum CAN Cananga odorata MER Merremia peltata CAN Cinnamomum carolinense MIC Mic...

Cultural ceremony in ethnobotany

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Ethnobotany, being a Tuesday-Thursday 3:30 class, is always the last class in the last period on the last day before spring break. Attendance is usually low for the class. This term the extremely late date for Easter allowed the kava cultural ceremony to land on this day. With no class the next day, I did not have to be concerned that some students might linger after the ceremony. The field trip also solved the attendance issue. Twenty-five of twenty-six students were in attendance. The class visited Nahnmadeu en Lehnpwel, Simion Nicholas, of Pehleng, Kitti, Pohnpei.  Nahnmadeu en Lehnpwel  Sabodan Class arrive led by Sother "Nahlik"Anton Jr. Lihno Menindei in mwaramwar Rotick and Rico Sandra You on the right Merlina, Hanae, Lilly Jane, Carie-Ann, Arlen Benhart, (Sapino), Westcot, Leona Leion Menindei in traditional garb Westcot, Leona Sakau enters the nahs with four stems Under watchful eyes, some stu...