Combining mathematics, schools students and scientific predator tracking techniques doesn’t usually add up, but researchers are trialling a new project combining the three in a bid to teach students how to track and analyse animal movements.

Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research has started the pilot project “Possums and Pythagoras ”, working with students from Linwood College.

“The overall aim of the project is to demonstrate a real-world application of mathematics, so in our case it is about GPS and animal movements, how we analyse them and what we can learn from them,” says Manaaki Whenua Lead Researcher, Andrew Gormley. 

Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking is used by scientists to get information around animal movement, behaviour and where they live. Researchers track a range of animals in New Zealand using GPS collars and then analyse this information to better understand our predators.

In this project, researchers taught the students how to collect and analyse animal location data/GPS in the classroom, and then took the students to a field site on the Port Hills to have a go themselves.

“It worked by the students acting as ‘possums’,” says Andrew.

“Each were given a GPS device and went out on an orienteering-type course where they were passively collecting data on their own movements around the track network and then came back to analyse this at our site in Lincoln to look at the GPS data and determine which activity type goes with each track, thereby demonstrating that we can make inference about animal behaviour based on movement patterns,” he said. 

Linwood College Science teacher Angela Johnson says it was a great experience for the students.

“Getting students out into the bush and out of the classroom is fantastic and having a real life science and mathematics component makes it all the more meaningful.”

“Having students actually doing real life science out in the field, fits in perfectly with the science capability, ‘Engage with Science’, she said. 

(Article written by Suzette Howe Science Writer Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research)