Submitted to
Stanford University
FARM Grant Program
on
Friday, February 19, 1999
by
Marsha Ayzen
Jennifer Chan
Jason Cheng
Edith Ho
Kenneth Kang
Nicholas Lopez
Meghan O'Connor
Vivek Srinivasan
under the supervision of
Marc Hansen, GM
Ralph Levine, FA
Louise Navarrette, AA
By framing a whitewater rafting and hiking trip as a research project, our farm group hopes to learn more about academic research in various fields while having fun. By assuming roles as researchers in the trip, members will share their insights with the rest of the group and collaborate to create a final documentary that outlines our experiences in FARM.
Members of our FARM group are interested mainly in the Natural Sciences but have expressed interest in exploring other fields of study as well as research opportunities. Our project involves emulating an interdisciplinary field study so that we can learn about research topics in various fields.
Today's field research projects are becoming increasingly interdisciplinary. Experts from a variety of fields can contribute to a field study, increase cost effectiveness of the project, and improve overall understanding. Our FARM project attempts to replicate the interdisciplinary field study on a whitewater expedition.
In collaboration with Prof. Philip Zimbardo, Dr. Edith Ho will investigate the human perception of time during times of stress, boredom, and leisure.
Along similar lines, Dr. Marsha Ayzen, one of the brilliant biologists at Stanford, will be studying animal and human behavior. Her mentor, Prof. Anne Fernald, will be advising the Ayzen research group.
Dr. Meghan O'Conner will be our nutritionist who will study the energy balance of the research group. In particular, she is interested in the effects of the exercise on metabolism. She will be collaborating with either Prof. Braun or Prof. Buttercup.
As our expert botanist, we have been lucky enough to recruit Dr. Jennifer Chan who will be studying the development of plants. The group sends its thanks to Prof. Fultz who helped us reach Dr. Chan.
In addition, Dr. Jason Cheng has expressed interest in the research project because it offers an excellent opportunity to study the impact of aquatic sports on river life. Prof. Paul Ehrlich will be following Dr. Cheng's research.
Dr. Nick Lopez will be our lead ecologist. He has a strong interest in the area of environmental ethics, particularly of endangered species and also with wilderness preservation. Prof. Robert McGinn will be assisting him prepare the necessary background information for the trip.
Our geologist, Dr. Kenneth Kang will be consulting Prof. Howard Zebker regarding glaciation and its role in terraforming. Prof. Zebker's group is researching glacier movement and crust deformation using radar interferometry.
To help us understand the rapids and whitewater, Dr. Vivek Srinivasan, and his advisors, Prof. Robert Finn and Prof. David Gilbarg, will be briefing the group on his research on the mathematics of fluid dynamics.
Each member of our group will approach the expedition from a specific discipline. By combining the various specialties, the group can better understand the context of whitewater rafting and hiking in California. Whitewater rafting and its environment lends itself to study in ecology, biology, and geology. In preparation for the trip, each of us will consult faculty members for resources in their fields. The group can exchange findings and propose avenues of research.
The expedition is tentatively set to begin Friday, April 16 with travel by car to Kernville, CA. Saturday will be spent rafting and setting up camp. The following day will be devoted to hiking and traveling back to Stanford.
The Sierra South rafting company offers a half-day trip down the Kern River. During the breaks, the group can exchange thoughts and observations. Camping overnight also offers further opportunity to observe and apply our research.
We hope that our project will help us explore various disciplines, illustrate the significant amount of research that can be done on one expedition, and learn about framing research questions within a large and diverse research group. We also hope that our project will introduce us to various resources and networking available here at Stanford. Also it will provide us with the opportunity to work together as a team to reach a common goal within our FARM group.
After the expedition, we expect a joint report from all of the members of the research group about their research experience. The report will be in the form of a video documentary. In addition to the footage taken during the trip, the video will relate our FARM experience to our own academic exploration. We hope to frame the documentary as an infomercial for the FARM program. The Stanford University's Media Lab has graciously offered their facilities for use.
Whitewater Rafting:
Company: Sierra South
Lower Kern River - "Lickey Blaster" half-day run
$35 per person x 11 people = $385
Transportation:
From Stanford, approx. 350 mi. to Kernville, CA
Using $1.20 per gallon and 20 miles per gallon, the price of gas per vehicle is roughly $42.
We will use two vehicles.
Mini-van Rental:
Budget Rent-a-Car
Weekend Rental $59.99
Camping:
Rivernook Campground
14001 Sierra Way
Kernville, CA 93238
TOTAL: $487
Prof. Zebker's research group - http://www-star.stanford.edu/sar_group
Prof. Zimbardo - Jordan Hall 246