Amanda Gaeth’s summer vacation story became a lot better this year after receiving one of 10 LyondellBasell Earthwatch Fellowships presented to educators in schools near LyondellBasell facilities in North America

Gaeth, an eighth-grade math teacher at San Jacinto Intermediate School in the Pasadena Independent School District was selected from more than 100 applications to participate in a research project studying the coastal ecology of the Bahamas.

The eighth-grade teacher became student as she joined scientists, college students and other LyondellBasell Earthwatch Fellowship recipients working on Long Island near Deadman’s Cay cataloging fish, charting land elevations and analyzing water quality. The data collected will be used to establish a conservation and management plan for the region.

Gaeth has been teaching for four years and earned a bachelors degree in computer science from the University of Illinois-Champaign. She lives in Pearland with her husband, a chemical engineer.

“We were at a small remote island nothing like what tourists are accustomed to,” said Gaeth. “It was fascinating to develop new field research skills and put them to work learning about the fish, water and land in order to help develop a conservation plan.

Gaeth added that as the only math teacher on the expedition she was able to translate graph data to her fellow teachers.

“The researchers were using different graphs to show the data we collected,” said Gaeth. “It was interesting to see them using box plots, as this is something we spend a lot of time on in the 8th grade classroom – plots and graphs.”

LyondellBasell’s Earthwatch Environmental Awards for Educators provide an opportunity for school teachers and other educators to participate with international teams of volunteers and scientists in long-term research projects throughout the world.

The expeditions are organized by the Earthwatch Institute, a non-profit environmental organization concerned with promoting conservation of the world's natural resources and cultural heritage. Lyondell funds this program to enrich the teaching experience for educators as part of their emphasis on education and promoting a sustainable environment.