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 I magine yourself plunging into a dark, wet hole, crawling around in the muck getting totally filthy, rappeling down ropes into the pitch–black darkness next to a deafening underground waterfall… and becoming the first person to discover a new part of the Earth. Eureka High science teacher Robert Childs will soon spend his days spelunking deep inside Borneo’s Gunung Buda caves and his evenings posting digital photos and daily updates on his Web site so that his students can participate in the on-line adventure. Other teachers and students in Eureka City Schools and the world will also be able to track expedition research on the Internet. “I really wanted to be a part of this caving expedition and make it educationally relevant for my students at the same time. So I came up with the idea of an on-line expedition,” Childs said from his Eureka High science class. The district was supportive, and now he spends his free time building the Web site. The expedition will take place the first three weeks of February. Childs’ 130 science students will study cave research projects from his classroom’s Internet–capable computers. The students will gain knowledge on Gunung Buda’s mineralogy, biodiversity, ecology, native people, and land use issues. They’ll also learn about paleomagnetism; a way to date undisturbed sediments in the cave in order to determine how old the caves are. Childs will offer information about the living things found in Gunung Buda’s caves, such as insects, multi–legged isopods, and snakes. And then there’s mulu foot. Due to the moist environment, some Borneo cavers develop a temporary and painful bright–red swollen rash on their feet, and a successful antidote hasn’t been discovered. Childs’ fascination with caves started while growing up in Missouri where caves are abundant. When he moved to California, caves were less accessible because of the lack of marble and limestone deposits, the types of rocks that create caves. Childs has extensive experience spelunking throughout the United States and Central America. The expedition is made up of 25 scientists, doctors, and photographers who have been actively involved in exploring the Gunung Buda caves and advising the Malaysian government to include the area into a nearby national park. Like most caves, the Borneo caves are not all accessible by walking and crawling. “We have vertical climbing gear and will be frequently using it to go up and down ropes into the caves,” Childs says. Located in the lush Malaysian jungle, the base camp will be near a Tabuan village and members of the native tribe will be hired as guides on the day–long expeditions to the caves. Childs is looking forward to getting to know the Tabuan guides, “They’re a fascinating people and will be an invaluable asset to our group,” he states. He encourages people to check his Web site and view pictures, daily updates, and communicate with him via e–mail. You can follow Childs’ three–week on-line Borneo cave expedition on the Internet at: www.northcoast.com/~rchilds.
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