TEACHER RESEARCH

UPDATE EXPERIENCE

WEB PAGE 1998

NAME

Cynthia L. Lloyd

HOMETOWN

Ocala, Florida

SCHOOL DISTRICT

Marion County Schools

AREA OF EXPERTISE & CERTIFICATION

Mathematics * Agribusiness * Business Ed.

SUBJECT & GRADES TAUGHT

Mathematics * ESE-Math * OJT

Food & Nutrition * Grades 7 - 12

PERSONAL STATEMENT

 To make a positive and profound difference in the lives of those that cannot speak nor represent themselves accordingly to those who see them as insignificant beings. 

PERSONAL INTERESTS

Spending time with my kids* traveling *camping in the mountains * sewing * arts & crafts * traveling * gardening * traveling * spending lots of time in the great outdoors * hiking * and of course more traveling *

SCENES FROM THE GREAT OUTDOORS THAT I ENJOY

(I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I do)

RESEARCH ANALYSIS

There is a large variety of Hibiscus plants that exist throughout the United States, the Tropics, Africa, and Asia. In Africa, there are 46 species of wild hibiscus plants located in Zimbabwe alone, many of which contain edible leaves. A large majority of these plants are perennials while others are annuals. Some of these hibiscus plants are grown for their beautiful flowers, while others are grown and used for their herbal and edible matter.

The Hibiscus Sabdariffa (Jamaican Sorrel), is the species of interest for my research. We have been testing all parts of this plant for extraction, flavor, and stability of color. My lab professor, Dr. Sims is hoping to come to some sort of determination on the extraction of natural color in this plant. For now there are signs of unstableness in the color. Dr. Sims is hoping to detect exactly what is causing this unstableness. If detected this natural color extract would allow him to make great strides toward the production and use of a natural color for dying and food coloration.

PERSONAL COMMENTS

I found this program to be most outstanding. There are always going to be niches here or there but that is to be expected. The first week of the TRUE program was a dynamic learning experience for me. Although I did fairly well in science when I attended school, I always made it my business to stay away from the science area. I teach math, not science, but I've learned so much in this program that I'm just excited with anticipation to enter back into my classroom. The hands on labs were the best, the brain lab to be exact. Normally I would be the person that everyone has to pick up off the floor from passing out, but not this time. It took a little while for me to get adjusted but when I did, it was just great. My family still can't believe that I was actually holding a human brain in my hand. What an accomplishment!

Most of the morning lectures were very informative. However, some were so boring I didn't have a clue what they were talking about. Just a suggestion for future planning. You may want to either plan less morning lectures, or give the TRUE participants a choice of attending only a certain amount out of all that is scheduled. This may work better for most people. Personally, I felt bad when I had to miss a morning lecture because of personal reasons or because I had to be at my lab a little earlier than usual.

I especially want to thank Dr. Dan Brown for his patience in dealing not only with me but all the TRUE teachers as well. As teachers we tend to be a little impatient at times when we are in the learning environment. Dr. Brown did an outstanding job instructing us as well as answering our numerous questions. In this short space of time he allowed me to realize that science is just as enjoyable as any other subject. Again, thank you Dr. Brown and all the other scientist, doctors, and specialist who took the time out of their very busy schedules to spend the time teaching and updating us about the latest technologies in their specialized fields. This is an absolutely wonderful program. I will definitely share my experience with my colleagues.

MORE BEAUTIFUL SCENES TO SHARE