Meet Mrs. Fischer

    Hi and welcome to my website!  I am hoping that it will help you (my students) get the most that you can out of our class.

I love science, and I love being a teacher, so that makes it a pleasure to get to do both every day!!  My favorite science topics are genetics and conservation, but the thing I love most about science is the fact there is always something new to learn. 

I even like to learn about science on my vacations...this summer, we took Maddy on her second zoo visit, to the Cincinnati Zoo.  Her favorite animal was definitely the elephant!  I loved watching her see so many new animals in person, and I enjoyed exposing her to a new experience.  Zoos are great places to learn about how humans are working to preserve the species that are living on the planet.   

Here I am at the LA Zoo with a college friend.  Can you spot the big horn sheep in the background?  What is the connection between big horn sheep and Nevada?

Three summers ago, my husband and I spent a week in New York City, and I really enjoyed our day at the Bronx Zoo.  It is one of the oldest and largest zoos in the country, and my husband and I were impressed by all the wide open spaces they created for the animals.   

Here I am watching the giraffes during their feeding time.  They are definitely one of my favorite animals, and I always try to visit them first!  Can you spot the calf?  

Each giraffe has a unique pattern of spots, kind of like our fingerprints.

We also visited the American Museum of Natural History.  You might remember this museum from the first Night at the Museum movie.  There are some amazing dinosaur fossils there, as well as an excellent exhibit on the Origins of Man.  Even if you can't visit NY any time soon, you can learn a lot just be visiting the museum's website. 

Here is my husband getting in touch with his primitive side!  This was just one of the many amazing fossils the museum had of large mammals that lived a long time ago. 

I am standing next to a model of an animal cell, and the large yellow strands that are coming out of it are DNA.  Do you know what DNA stands for?  We will be spending our whole third quarter learning all about this amazing molecule and how it makes you, you! 

Four summers ago, we spent three weeks in Australia, visiting such diverse environments as the desert, the rainforest, and the Great Barrier Reef.  It was an amazing experience, especially because I got to see some of my favorite animals and environments up close!

Here I am feeding the kangaroos at a nature sanctuary.  They are used to humans and let you get really close.  I even got to pet them!  (Their fur is really soft.)  Kangaroos are part of a special type of mammals called marsupials.  They carry their young in a pocket on the front of their bodies until they are fully developed. 

This is my husband and me standing in front of Kata Tjuta, a beautiful rock formation in the Outback.  They formed from sandstone millions of years ago.  Uplift and erosion gave them their current look.  This area has wild kangaroo and many birds that live in the area.

This was another amazing environment we got to visit...the rainforest!  I was so excited to be visiting something I have only read about that I didn't even mind the rain.  Australian rainforests cover only 0.1% of the country but are home to 36% of its mammals, 60% of its butterflies, and 65% of its ferns.  Rainforests are a true center of biodiversity...that's why so many people are working hard to protect them.

Did you know there are camels in Australia?  They were introduced to help build the railroads and then released into the wild.  Riding on our camel Chester was actually pretty relaxing.  And, nope...camels don't spit (but they do have really long eyelashes to protect their eyes from the sun).

Wondering what I'm thinking about?  I'm actually watching the butterflies that are feeding on the flowers in front of me.  You don't often encounter that many butterflies in one place, and it was fascinating to just be able to see them flying and eating and resting...all their normal activies.

When we took a trip to San Diego, I just had to visit the animals at the San Diego Zoo.  Here are some of my favorites:

 This is an arctic wolf!  He is howling in response to the audience.  We had a great time "talking" back and forth.  So, it's not just humans that communicate with sounds...most animals send messages to each other through vocalizations.  Wolves use howls to mark their territory boundaries and call to other members of their pack.

There were lots of babies at the zoo because it was spring.  My husband had to drag me away from the baby meerkats and baby giant panda.  I could have stayed and watched them for hours!

We also visited Lego Land.  Here I am with one of my favorite scientists.  Do you know his name?

In the summer of 2007, I visited the Columbus Zoo and the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio.  I got to visit all of my favorite animals (except the giraffes...they weren't at the zoo that day).

 Do you know why flamingoes are pink?  The beta carotene in their food gives them this fabulous color!

Do you like my wings?  Butterflies are my favorite insect!  But they do more than just make the world more beautiful...they are also important pollinators for many plants.

This is my husband with his favorite animal...do you see the polar bear behind his shoulder?  We watched the polar bear do his morning laps and then take a rest on this rock.  Did you know that polar bear fur isn't really white...it's clear!!

When I visited Cambridge, England, I made sure to take time to visit Newton's apple tree and Darwin's garden.

My husband and I also like to take day trips around Nevada, California, and Arizona.  We are thinking about visiting Hawaii to go snorkeling this December and can't wait to take Maddy on all kinds of adventures.  Do you have any suggestions for our next big trip? 

I will add more information about my interests and travels, so visit again!

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