Learning Through Exploration with Julie Angus
National Geographic Adventurer of the Year 2007 Observes Nature
Oct 17, 2008
Julie's biography on the website of Angus Adventures modestly describes how this molecular biologist has moved out of the lab and into exploring the natural world directly - including through some very adventurous trips. Julie is the first woman to have rowed across the Atlantic from one continent to another, and the first Canadian woman to row aross an ocean.
Julie Angus told Suite 101 about her approach to learning, and the role of information and communication technology in sharing the experience and observations.
Making the Choice to Study Nature by Direct Observation
Suite 101: Julie, your life now is about learning by doing, by directly observing nature. Why have you made the choice to do this?
Julie Angus: I spent a lot of time in University studying biology, and the skills I acquired there have been useful both in the laboratory and in the field. Science is about asking questions, wondering how things work, and how they got to be that way. These are great qualities to have as an adventurer because our travels often take us to unusual places that have not been well recorded. And for me, combining adventure with scientific observations was a natural choice because these are two activities I am passionate about.
Being Able to Understand Nature
Suite 101: In your long-distance rowing expeditions, you've seen nature at its best and perhaps man at his worst. There must be thousands of stories! Focussing on the learning by observation, what pre-existing formal scientific knowledge does it take to read and understand the natural world in front of you. Any thoughts?
Julie Angus: It doesn’t take any formal knowledge. The most important trait is an inquisitive mind.
Look around and ask yourself questions: where are those birds flying to, how do these fish eat, what dangers do animals here face. Once you’ve formed your own hypotheses, try to find answers to those questions in other people’s work and see how your observations compared. Most likely you’ll have even more questions, and your observational skills will improve as you discover other features to look for.
Using Information Technology in Learning Through Exploration
Suite 101: This is the age of information technology. You've got an exciting website with an interactive learning opportunity for school children. What technologies do you like to use to share your information?
Julie Angus: Technology has transformed the world of adventure. Now, no matter where you are, you can update a website, talk to a classroom, or post video and pictures.
While we were crossing the Atlantic our Iridium satellite phone brought the rest of the world into our rowboat. In our last expedition, rowing from Scotland to Syria, we added another interactive component allowing classrooms to make real-time decisions directly affecting the expedition.
Julie Angus told Suite 101 about her writing process and her new book, Rowboat in a Hurricane (Greystone Books, 2008) in the article Adventurer Scientist Julie Angus on Writing: Rowboat in a Hurricane Tells of Self-Powered Trans-Atlantic Trip.
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