Team Salamander

very step of the scientific method by actively inserting them into an ongoing long-term ecology research project emphasizing amphibians at one of our study sites. The Team Salamander experience encourages natural history investigation but also integrates STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. This process makes students more conscientious of their role in nature, and ultimately drives them to solve community based problems. This approach is becoming more common as higher education shifts from rote-memorization to problem-based learning. Most curriculums in higher education are based on predetermined benchmarks that have to be met and the Team Salamander experience is no different. However, it is more than just a traditional syllabus based lecture/laboratory course. Rather, it is a hands-on-cooperative experience that forces students to become independent and forward-thinkers. Ultimately, we strive for them to become natural science practitioners and informed citizens, and several have followed the path to graduate or professional school. Team Salamander gets recharged and reinforced every time a former member becomes a medical doctor, lawyer, pharmacist, engineer, geologist, school teacher, environmental consultant or academic. No matter their individual path, the team has collectively contributed to UTC and Chattanooga. Specifically, they have contributed to the research and education efforts at UTC, the Tennessee River Gorge Trust, the City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County Public Schools, Hamilton County Parks and Recreation, Thrive 2055, the Tennessee Aquarium, the Challenger Center, the Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center, and others. The team has organized wetland clean-ups and restorations and has been instrumental in starting a new UTC sanctioned club, entitled, “The Wildlife-Zoology Club”. They have also contributed materials to a new UTC course, entitled “Amphibian Conservation”, and have shared educational materials with interested parties using multimedia and the internet. The list goes on, but their greatest contribution has been educating others about the science and conservation issues involving amphibians and reptiles in the Southern Appalachians and in their own backyard.