Dr. Nadkarni is now a renowned pioneer of canopy studies. Her work has resulted in major discoveries, including the importance of canopy soil. Rainforests had long posed an interesting puzzle. An incredible biodiversity exists there, but rainforest soils frequently lack nutrients. Canopy soil is created as mosses and other plants that live on tree branches decompose. The soil is nutrient-rich, and entire ecosystems depend on it. Even the trees themselves grow roots out of their branches to take advantage of the nutrients there!
Not satisfied to be just a pioneer, Dr. Nadkarni is also an innovator. For example, she developed a method to use a slingshot and a fishing pole to fit climbing roped onto unreachable branches. But to create greater interest in canopy studies, she really got creative. In the early 2000s, she began using a popular toy to inspire a new generation of forest scientists. She bought secondhand Barbie dolls and outfitted them with climbing gear and an educational booklet on forest ecology. Finally, Mattel, the company behind Barbie, used Dr. Nadkarni's input to crate a line of dolls in 2019 to make science interesting to children everywhere. Now, Dr. Nadkarni can truly consider her childhood promise well kept.
Info Cloud
Barbie dolls
Hi, friends. Welcome back to Info Cloud. Anne Marie, did you play with Barbie dolls when you were young?
Sure. They were popular when I was young and are still popular now.
Did you know that Barbie is more than 60 years old? She looks great for her age then.
Very funny. The first Barbie doll was created by a company called Mattel in 1959.
Her full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts, but she is known to the world as just Barbie.
The first Barbie dolls sold for only $3 at the time.
But now would be worth over $25,000.
There are people who collect Barbie dolls today.
And for a good reason. There are a lot of special edition Barbie dolls. Some are designed to encourage girls to enter different careers.
Yes. There's a doctor Barbie, engineer Barbie and even an astronaut.
So Barbie is more than just a fashion symbol. But to be honest, my favorite thing to do with my Barbie dolls when I was a girl was put them in different outfits.
許多女生小時候都玩過 Barbie 芭比娃娃，因為它看起來美麗大方、身材苗條，是女生們追求的理想外型。很多人不知道Barbie 已經超過六十歲了。第一個Barbie是美國Mattel 公司在1959年生產的，當時每個售價三塊美元，現在第一批Barbie已經價值兩萬五千美元了。除了經典款之外，現在還有醫生Barbie、工程師Barbie、甚至太空人Barbie，當然這跟時代背景和流行文化有點關係。
Language Lab
renowned adj. 有名的、著名的
known and admired by many people for some special quality or achievement
- The students are excited about seeing the renowned scientists give a presentation at their school.
學生們很期待看到那位著名的科學家到他們的學校演講。
- The valley is renowned for its flower fields, and many tourists visit there every year.
那山谷裡的花田很有名，每年都有很多觀光客會去觀賞。
renown n. 名聲、聲望
great fame and respect
- Everyone is surprised to see the special guest at the dinner party because she is an actress of great renown.
大家一看到餐會的特別來賓都感到很驚訝，因為是一位很有聲望的女演員。
- Michael never thought his magic shows would bring him international renown.
Michael 從未想過他的魔術表演會帶給他國際名聲。
nutrient n. 營養物、養分
/ˈnuːtrijənt/
a substance that plants, animals, and people need to live and grow
- The plant isn’t growing well because there aren’t enough nutrients in the soil.
植物無法好好生長，因為土壤裡的養分不夠。
- Instead of worrying about calories, maybe you should think more about getting the right nutrients.
也許你應該要多想想如何攝取營養，而不要擔心卡路里。
nutritious adj.
having substances that a person or animal needs to be healthy and grow properly : promoting good health and growth
- Jeannette is always preparing nutritious meals for her family.
Jeannette 常常為家人準備營養的餐點。
- The food on the table wan’t fancy but it was at least very nutritious.
桌上的食物也許不是什麼豪華大餐，但至少是很有營養的。
innovator n. 創新者、改革者
to do something in a new way : to have new ideas about how something can be done
- Marcus was an innovator and was always asking questions and wondering how things could be improved.
Marcus 是一位改革者，他常常會問問題，並且會去思考事情要如何做得更好。
innovate v. 改革、創新
/ˈɪnəˌveɪt/
to do something in a new way : to have new ideas about how something can be done
- The company is enjoying great financial success because it is always innovating.
這間公司的生意做的很成功，因為它時時創新。
innovation n. 新方法、新方法的創造
a new idea, device, or method
- The science expo is a great place to see the latest technological innovations.
在科學展覽會可以看到很多創新的科技。
outfit n. 服裝 (v) 為某人或是東西提供服裝或是配備
a set of clothes that are worn together
- I really like her outfit.
我很喜歡她的服裝。
outfit v.為某人或是東西提供服裝或是配備
to provide (someone or something) with equipment or clothes especially for a special purpose
- Brian had a horrible time walking through the jungle because he did not outfit himself with the right kind of clothes.
Brian 因為穿著不當而造成他在叢林裡走路時的不方便。
- Long ago, travelers would stop at this town to get outfitted before they started their journey across the desert.
在很久以前，旅者會在他們跨越沙漠前來到這座小鎮做好裝備。
pioneer n.
/ˌpajəˈniɚ/
a person who helps create or develop new ideas, methods, etc. — often + in
slingshot n.
/ˈslɪŋˌʃɑːt/
a Y-shaped stick with an elastic band attached to it that is used for shooting small stones
