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The Laurel Inner Space Column of The Laurel Independent Newspaper June 2025 Issue

Nurturing a sense of curiosity and wonder

By AGNES PASCO CONATY

Now that school’s over and we’re welcoming the emergence of summer, there are creative ways to continue learning — although informally and less structured.

In my family, I try to instill a love of learning by providing a spark of curiosity and cultivating a sense of wonder. 

The creek in our backyard teems with opportunities to explore — no lab required. Nature provides a variety of experiences. After rain, we observe fungi among barks of oak, silver minnows swimming by the stream, frogs darting along rocks and animal prints on muddy grounds. 

Have you tried looking underneath rocks? There, a quiet frenzy of living creatures in a tiny square-inch area coexist to create a rich study of ecosystems. 

Plants by the creek lean toward the light, sometimes as if dancing in rhythm with the wind, reaching for the sun. With its many moods and nuances, the West Laurel creek offers some quiet science: Sometimes the water is at standstill, and you can see the sheen of sunlight reflecting a hue, almost dazzling like silver. After a heavy downpour, the water level rises, eroding the banks and giving the creek a different personality. 

We get visits from deer, foxes, groundhogs, squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks and rabbits. Sometimes, we just see their footprints or their scat. Last year, all our tiger lilies and hostas became salad bars for wild animals. This year, we have not seen too many animals explore our yard yet. Perhaps there is enough food in the woods this year compared to last year? 

I observed the late blooming patterns of our lilacs, azaleas and wisterias. Engaging in our garden’s seasonal trends is an informal way of studying phenology, which is the study of patterns in nature.

After the Main Street Festival last month, my husband and I visited Riverfront Park for a peaceful getaway from the crowd. We watched the flow of water that would eventually end at the Patuxent River. When the water is still, you might see mosquito larvae wiggle to the surface. If you have a container, collect a sample to observe. Take pictures of the larvae and identify them with the GLOBE Observer app. By participating in citizen science, you contribute valuable data that may be useful in identifying types of mosquitoes that may bring diseases. 

Closer to home, hike through the Rocky Gorge Reservoir area to skip stones, observe the flight of geese, or to  identify birds with the Merlin app. 

Looking up the Laurel skies, study cloud patterns and formations, from low stratus, to middle altocumulus and high cirrus ones. My family is interested in towering cumulonimbus clouds which may bring some thunderstorms. My husband, who is a meteorologist, looks forward to observing nature’s grandeur and majestic display of lightning and thunder. My son took after his dad and does not mind walking in the rain. I observe clouds with the GLOBE Observer app, take pictures, identify the type and share my data. 

There’s endless possibilities in exploring the whys and hows of everyday nature during summer — and all the other seasons for that matter. All we need is to have an open mind, be curious and have a sense of wonder. 

Photo: Joseph reacts to the overpowering smell of lilacs in our front garden.

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High Bridge Foundation, Inc. 13th Annual Awards Program, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC. Happy to be part of the Scholarship Selection Committee of the High Bridge Foundation, Inc. for 13 years!

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SSAI Semi-annual Employee Meeting & Luncheon 2025, Building 8 Auditorium, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. One take-away among many: See challenges as great opportunities! Thanks, SSAI, for your support in these challenging times.

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Supporting the Chesapeake Baysox Baseball in Education STEM Day, Bowie, MD. It's a doubleheader game, with the Chesapeake Baysox vs. Akron RubberDucks starting at 11:05 AM ET. The stadium was packed!

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44th Annual Laurel Main Street Festival 2025, Laurel, MD.

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Supporting the Washington Mystics STEM Game: Part 1, CareFirst Arena, Washington, DC. We had around 3000 middle school students.

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Celebrating Cinco de Mayo 2025, SSAI Headquarters, Lanham, MD. Thank you, SSAI, for hosting Cinco de Mayo with sumptuous lunch of Qdoba!

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The 44th Annual Main Street Festival 2025, Laurel, MD will be on Saturday, May 10, 2025, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. I'll march in the parade with The Laurel Independent newspaper staff. Hope to see you there!

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NASA Goddard Spring 2025 Fun Run, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. Mike, Karki, Austin from GMAO and Agnes from GLOBE. Also chanced upon Larry, Ms. Elycia, and other teachers and parents from GCDC.

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Maryland Day 2025, University of Maryland, College Park, MD. Austin and I support Maryland Day 2025 at the NASA Exhibit highlighting clouds protocol of the GLOBE Observer Program.

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My Laurel Inner Space Column in The Laurel Independent Newspaper for April 2025 Issue.

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SSAI Spotlight on Citizen Science

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The Laurel Inner Space Column of the The Laurel Independent Newspaper, April 2025 Issue

Citizen Science right here at home

By AGNES PASCO CONATY

April is Citizen Science Month, and what better time than spring to explore the natural world around us? There are many ways you can take part in something fun and engaging — and support the broader scientific community as well.

Last year I wrote about the GLOBE Observer Program, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this April, too. In last year’s column, I introduced readers to the GLOBE Observer app, which allows you to document your observations — clouds, mosquito habitats, land covers, tree heights — and upload data directly to the program’s site (observer.globe.gov/). This year, I’d like to expand on that theme, bringing you more resources that may feed your interest in nature and natural resources around us.

On a recent hike, my family and I experimented with the Merlin Bird ID app (merlin.allaboutbirds.org), an identification and data collecting app based at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Using the app, my husband, Austin, identified two types of woodpeckers, a crow and Canada geese — all by the sounds they were making. But you don’t have to hike far to hear birds; if you have a backyard, you almost certainly will see and hear a variety of them — I have robins, cardinals, chickadees and hummingbirds in my own backyard. If you don’t have a yard, you can surround yourself in birdsong in one of Laurel’s parks or in a wooded landscape, like Patuxent Research Refuge. Pairing the Merlin Bird ID app with a reference such as the Audubon Society’s Guide to North American Birds (audubon.org/bird-guide ) can help you confirm the type of bird through their song.  

As we hiked, Austin taught our son Joseph how to estimate the age of a fallen tree by counting the rings visible in the cross section. This is a hands-on way to learn about dendrochronology, the science of examining tree rings to date events in the tree’s life and environmental changes by examining the growth pattern of these rings. Dendrochronology — a mouthful to say! 

And just as we have apps to identify birds, there are apps to ID trees. I particularly like iNaturalist (inaturalist.org/) and PlantSnap (plantsnap.com/). Both of these free apps allow you to identify a tree (indeed, ID virtually any plant) by simply taking a photo of it. You can also share your observations with other people who are using the app. Seek (tinyurl.com/ere3w6xh ) is a scaled-down version of the iNaturalist app that many (and in particular, children) may find easier to use, though it doesn’t allow you to share your findings with a community of citizen scientists.

Spot some interesting geology on the trail? The Rockd app (rockd.org) will help you identify rocks and minerals and record your geologic observations. You can hound for rocks along the Patuxent Branch Trail, the Anacostia Riverfront Trail or Savage Mill Trail, which runs along the Little Patuxent. All of these trails offer scenic views — and lots of birds and trees, too!

Maybe you’re curious about animal tracks you see along the trail — yes, there’s an app for that. Nature Tracking (naturetracking.com) helps identify animals by the tracks (or scat) they leave behind. We have foxes, deer, squirrels and groundhogs in our backyard, and if I didn’t actually spot them, I could use the app to figure out who was walking through.

And not everything depends on an app. A simple walk can offer many moments for us to observe animal behavior. Or just look out the window: Deer often graze in our backyard, typically in small groups, and we often see  a family of deer eating together — with one deer attentively watching for danger. 

Speaking of windows, my family eagerly awaits the pair of mourning doves that nest on one of our window sills every spring. They pick up most anything suitable for nesting — twigs, pine needles, leaves, feathers — then build their nest together. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs for about two weeks, seldom leaving them unattended. And then we hear little tweets from two baby doves! Right there on our window sill, we get to see the cycle of life come full circle.

Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth for the things around us. And spring’s riches offer us a classroom without walls with unlimited chances for us to learn about the wonders of the natural world. So grab your phone, step outside and start your citizen science journey exploring Laurel's natural beauty!

My husband, Austin, showing our son, Joseph, how to estimate a tree’s age by counting the rings on a cross section.

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Family Walk at the Cherry Blossom Festival, Tidal Basin, Washington, DC.

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Hello AGU,

The AGU TEX Community Science Project “Restoring Our Own Truth through Education and Demonstration (ROOTED)” in Willington, South Carolina, has undertaken the restoration of a historically segregated school building. This project seeks to repurpose the site for community use, stimulate local employment, and address food scarcity in the region, which is designated as a food desert. The site will also have a 3.5-acre farm to support access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Environmental assessments, including soil sampling and water quality monitoring, are being conducted to ensure the site's suitability for these initiatives.

Since joining the Thriving Earth Exchange partnership, the Organized Uplifting Resources and Strategies (OURS), founded by Community Lead and CEO of OURS, Rev. Dr. ErNiko Brown, has received many amazing resources and connections. Our Community Science Fellow, Dr. Agnes Conaty, has been intentional with creating meaningful connections in the science world because of the historical significance this site holds. One major connection is Dr. Bhupinder Singh Farmaha, Associate Professor and Nutrient Management Specialist of the Agricultural Service Laboratory of Clemson University. Through his staff, Soil Technician Mr. Hunter Lander, they have been instrumental in soil sampling and analysis for the team in conjunction with our expert Community Scientist, Mr. Samuel Bamidele, who has been graciously serving in an advisory capacity on our project.

We recently received our results from Clemson University and have been working on the breakdown needs for proper soil nutrition to grow food on the farm in the community. While working on the ground with soil health, Rev. Dr. Brown has actually broken ground on cleaning up around the school so that community members who went to the school could see what remains. Please see below pictures of our journey so far! Hope you continue to join us!

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Mentoring Matters: Thank you, Larry Hillard, for mentoring Joseph in his NASA internship a few years ago.