Discover Life in America
1316 Cherokee Orchard Road
Gatlinburg, TN
Contact Information:
Jaimie Matzko
865-258-9055
Mission:
Connecting communities and scientists in discovering, understanding, and conserving the natural world.
We are partners with Great Smoky Mountains National Park in a massive effort to catalog every species living there: the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory. We work with park staff, researchers, and volunteers to study biodiversity in the Smokies, to educate others about its importance in our lives, and ultimately to conserve the richness of life on Earth.
Education Programs:
In school - class time or virtual programs
In our iScience program, we provide free materials and resources for 5-8 grade educators to conduct biodiversity studies in their schoolyard, including a smart tablet, nets, insect collecting equipment, field guides and specimen jars at no cost (one kit per school). We also create a project for the schoolyard on iNaturalist.org so that students can record life they find in the schoolyard using the iNaturalist app. We provide a virtual training for educators on using the iNaturalist app and and website, as well as provide a limited amount of in-class or virtual instruction, and curriculum-based activities/lessons to participating educators. https://dlia.org/iscience
iScience could be implemented into after school activities as well.
Educator Programs:
Virtual professional development - 5-8 grade educators who fill out our application on our iScience page will receive free materials (one kit per school) and gain access to our curriculum-based lessons and activities, and be invited to a one on one virtual training session.
Website and Social Media:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/dliaorg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discoverlifeinamerica/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/dliaorg
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/discover-life-in-america/