Delegates nominated to youth forums
Four area students have been nominated to represent Tennessee as national youth correspondents at the Washington Journalism and Media Conference at George Mason University in July.
Christopher Kamer of Rhea County High School; Jarran Morrison of Sequatchie County High School; Amber Choice of Tyner Academy; and Sarahy Maneiro of Warren County High School will participate in the week-long leadership study in journalism and the media.
• Additionally, Kayla Brooks, a student at Hixson High School, is among 250 students in the country chosen as national youth delegates to the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment at George Mason University in June. The week-long study of leadership in environmental science and conservation will include distinguished speakers and hands-on projects.
Lee professor earns wildlife award
The collaboration of Michael Freake, associate professor of biology at Lee University, and other partners recently won the nationwide State Wildlife Action Plan Partnership Award.
The partnership includes Lee University, Middle Tennessee State University and the Nashville Zoo. The awards will be presented on March 6 at a congressional reception in Washington, D.C.
The collaborative effort, called the Tennessee Hellbender Recovery Partnership, focused on the Eastern hellbender, a rare giant salamander found in regional streams. In 2011, the partnership received a grant from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, which administers the federally funded State Wildlife Grant.
Freake coordinated field surveys in East Tennessee, handled all genetic analyses and worked with Stephen Spear of the Orianne Society, which focuses on the protection of imperiled snakes, to develop a new survey technique of testing river water samples for the presence of the hellbender DNA.
He was assisted with fieldwork, funding and publicity by Rick Jackson and David Hedrick of the Chattanooga Zoo, and Jim Herrig of the USDA Forest Service.
Area teams competing in Science Bowl
Four high school teams from this area will participate in the regional competition of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science's National Science Bowl on Saturday, Feb. 23. The competition will be held on the campus of Pellissippi State Community College in Blount County, Tenn.
The four teams represent Bradley Central High School, Cleveland High School, McCallie School and Signal Mountain Middle/High School.
The winner of the regional competition will receive a paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the National Science Bowl in late April.
Two inducted into honor society
Two Chattanooga students, Sarah Becker and Katie Reid, are among new members inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta freshman honor society at the University of the Cumberlands.
Eligible students must earn a scholastic average of 3.5 or better at a four-year college or university.