Books in Scientists in the Field series

Those who study space, the planets and stars, and the infinite realms beyond our own solar system are astronomers. They play an important role in understanding our Earth, and its place in a universe so vast, it can sometimes defy our understanding. Modern astronomy allows people to see places no human can ever expect to touch, at distances no human could ever expect to travel. It also begs the question: could there be life on another planet? Learn all about the early astronomers and the techniques and tools they used to further the science of astronomy. This title will allow students to understand that natural objects exist from the very small to the immensely large.• Diagrams• Bold keywords with phonetic glossary• Text based questions• Content sidebars

- Smithsonian Notable Book for Children- ALA Booklist starred review- Audubon Magazine, recommended nature book- Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Kids BooksWhen Paul Flaherty goes to work, he climbs into a four-engine WP-3D Orion turboprop plane and heads directly into the eye of a hurricane. Miles below, Hazel Barton's job in microbiology takes her to the depths of the world's most treacherous caves. And on the other side of the topsoil, way, way above the forest floor, Stephen Sillett passes his days (and sometimes his nights) in the canopies of the tallest trees on earth. Welcome to the work--and worlds--of extreme scientists. From hurricanes to caves to the crowns of towering redwoods, these scientists battle some of the earth's most intense conditions in order to save lives, preserve species, and help us to better understand the way our planet works.

National Science Teachers Association/Children's Book Council Outstanding Science Trade Book for ChildrenSlaughtering elephants for their ivory; shooting bears for their gall bladders; capturing sea turtles for soup. In the name of vanity, fashion, and greed, man stalks and kills wild animals -- and gets away with it, even when it is clearly against the law. But now scientists have a way to catch and convict poachers. In a laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, they analyze clues to link suspects to crimes. In words and pictures, this book tells a poignant story and reveals how science can indeed save the day.

Can whales communicate across miles of vast ocean? Can elephants talk to one another with sounds we can not hear? Can birds’ calls help us count them in the sky? These are the kinds of questions that drive the work of acoustic biologists.In Secrets of Sound, author April Pulley Sayre introduces us to three creative scientists—Christopher W. Clark, Katy Payne, and Bill Evans—who have dedicated themselves to researching how and why animals communicate. Sayre explores how new technologies and secret military information recently released are helping these scientists make exciting discoveries. Such work raises as many questions as it answers, and for the scientists (and readers) that’s half the fun.This book celebrates the challenges of lab and fieldwork and the thrill of discovery. It not only explores the world of animal communication but also highlights the critical role scientific research can play in preserving endangered animals.

Not all scientists live where they work, harvest their own subjects, or use information passed down from generation after generation of Inupiaq Eskimos to help learn about the bowhead whale. Arctic whale scientist Craig George is the son of children’s author Jean Craighead George, and out on the ice with the whales and the whalers in Barrow, Alaska is where this Arctic whale scientist works. He has studied them for nearly thirty years and the mysteries these creatures hold never fail to amaze him. Join Craig at the top of the world, where the days and nights are long, the people full of stories, and the bowhead whale is at the center of it all

An entomologist studies all insects, including bugs. They study insect anatomy, habitats, their activity, life cycle, and behaviors. Some travel the world seeking to learn more about the evolution and interaction they have with humans, the environment, and how to protect their future. Through research and study, they also strive to discover new and exciting insects that have yet to be found! If you like bugs, this may be the career for you. This title will allow students to develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.• Parent & Teacher connection• Bold keywords with phonetic glossary• Content Sidebars• Text based questions

Sneed B. Collard III profiles Pauline Drobney and her crew as they struggle to rebuild a tallgrass prairie in central Iowa. From setting fires to rejuvenate the landscape, to searching for native seeds, to tracking down the elusive Regal Fritillary with Dr. Diane Debinsky, the story of rebuilding and regenerating the prairie landscape is a compelling and inspiring one.

The critically acclaimed Scientist in the Field book about how one boy s interest in backyard science inspired a career in scientific discovery. When Tyrone Hayes was growing up in South Carolina, he didn t worry about pesticides. He just liked to collect frogs. Tyrone s interest in science led him to Harvard University, and though he struggled at first, he found his calling in the research lab of an amphibian scientist. Meanwhile, scientists discovered that all around the globe, frogs were dying. The decline has many causes, including habitat loss and disease. Tyrone discovered that the most commonly used pesticide in the United States, atrazine, may also play a role. Tyrone tested atrazine on frogs in his lab at Berkeley. He found that the chemical caused some of the male frogs to develop into bizarre half-male, half-female frogs. What was going on? That s what Tyrone wants to find out."

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. On June 10, 2003, a little rover named Spirit blasted off on a rocker headed for Mars. On July 7, 2003, a twin rover named Opportunity soared through the solar system with the same mission: to find out if Mars ever had water that could have supported life. A thrilling addition to the acclaimed Scientists In The Field series, The Mighty Mars Rovers tells the greatest space robot adventure of all time through the eyes and heart of Steven Squyres, professor of astronomy at Cornell Univeristy and lead scientist on the mission.

Terri Roth trudges through the thick, dark Sumatran jungle. She’s looking for a rhinoceros that’s been seen in the area. It’s a rare Sumatran rhino, the world’s smallest rhino and one of the most endangered mammals on the planet.Suddenly she spots a young female rhino through the tangle of ferns and trees. The stocky animal is covered in reddish hair, and her snout sports two stubby horns. The rhino walks right up to Terri. The scientist slowly reaches out her hand and touches the rhino’s big nose. The wild rhino’s curiosity and friendliness remind Terri of Emi, the female Sumatran rhino that lives at the Cincinnati Zoo where Terri works. Terri is working with Emi to help save Sumatran rhinos from extinction—one calf at a time.

Mountain gorillas are playful, curious, beautiful, and fiercely protective of their families. They are also one of the most endangered species in the world. For many years, mountain gorillas have faced the threat of t death at the hands of poachers. Funds raised by “gorilla tourism”––bringing people into the forest to see these majestic animals––have helped protect gorillas. This tourism is vital, but close contact between gorillas and people has brought a new threat to the mountain gorillas: human disease.The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project is a group of courageous and talented scientists working to save the mountain gorilla population in Rwanda and Uganda. The "Gorilla Doctors" study the effects of human exposure, document the daily lives of the gorillas, provide emergency care to injured animals, and even act as foster parents to an orphaned gorilla baby named Fearless. Through engaging text and stunning photographs, Pamela Turner takes readers on an exploration like no other in this gripping tale of science, nature, and conservation.

Plants, trees, grass, or anything that grows from soil is just as alive as we are! Botanists study the life, and biology of plants. Their work plays an important role in understanding the complex relationships among Earth’s plants, as well the relationship between plants, animals, and people. Their research helps us to understand the beauty that surrounds us and their work helps to preserve and protect all the plants that keep us breathing, and help feed the world. This title will allow students to support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.• Diagrams• Bold keywords with phonetic glossary• Text based questions• Content sidebars