Goals

• Learn to use various search engines
• Learn to various informational sites
• Learn to rapidly assemble and present an informational report on a specific topic area
• Be able to present information to a group

Introduction

As a follow-up to the agriculture station field trip, you and a partner are going to work the web to rapidly  assemble a briefing on a  tropical agricultural plant.   At 10:00 we will reassemble in the lab and you will give your briefing on your plant.  The briefing cannot exceed five minutes.  The briefing, to be complete, must include the information specified further below.  The briefing must be typed up and printed out (paper will be provided).  Cite the URLs of the sources of your information.  Print only the briefing paper.

The Plants

1. Cycad starch (sago palm)
2. Black Pepper
3. Nutmeg
4. Date Palm
5. Cinnamon
6. Coffee
7. Cocoa (plant is also known as cacao)
8. Star fruit
9. Rubber tree
10. Sakau (also known as kava or kava kava)

Briefing should include:

1. The latin binomial for the plant that produces the product.
2. The habit of the plant (herb, shrub, tree) and brief description of the general appearance of the plant (flower color, size of plant, leaf shape if you can determine or remember this).
3. Where on the plant the product occurs.
4. The country or countries that is/are the leading exporter(s) of the plant.
5. The price per kilogram of the product.
6. Either a recipe from the web that uses the product, or its medicinal use, or an unusual use of the plant product, or a product in which the plant product is currently used.

For the cycad starch team: Develop a report on cycad starch toxicity and its effects on the Chamorros.  A Google search would be a good place to start.  The product is not commercially utilized so there will be no exporting country or price per kilogram.   In lieu of this information present information on what potentially toxic compounds are present and what effect they are alleged to have on humans and animals.  You can still cover the usage of the product (#6).

Informational sites:

http://www.about.com
http://www.encyclopedia.com
http://www.garden.com

Search Engines:

http://www.google.com
http://www.alltheweb.com
http://www.infind.com
http://www.yahoo.com
http://www.hotbot.com
http://www.ask.com

Country Studies (for further information on specific countries):
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html

World Wide Web Virtual Library
http://vlib.org/Overview.html

Webring
http://www.webring.org

Metric conversions
http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/~science/Conversion.html

Photos from the field trip
http://www.comfsm.fm/~dleeling/agtrip/agtrip99.html
http://www.comfsm.fm/~dleeling/agtrip/agtrip.html
http://www.comfsm.fm/~dleeling/agtrip/agtrip2000.html

Botany home page
Lee Ling home
COM-FSM home page