SAMEC
E-News
(Week of 01-06-06)
- Opportunities for University of Arizona and
School Collaboration
- Science
Fair
Judges are needed at Pusch Ridge Christian
Academy. The science fair will be held on January
30,
2006. They are looking for 15 judges. Please
contact: Elaine MacKenzie at elaine.mackenzie@prca-tucson.org
or 520-797-0107
- Upcoming
Workshops For K-12 Teachers
- Earth
Camp Mini-Workshop for Middle School Science Teachers, Saturday, January 14, 2006, 9:00
am to Noon, Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, Tucson. The Arizona
Sonoran Desert Museum and the University of Arizona College of Science
invite you to join us for a thrilling day of earth science/astronomy
exploration as we reenact "Earth Camp: Leadership for a Shared Planet."
"Earth Camp" is an interactive, inquiry-based 2-week summer camp
for students entering grades 7th, 8th or 9th. This 3-hour workshop
adventure will give you a feel for the wonderful opportunity that
awaits your students. We will take a short desert field trip, explore
water on Mars, share time with live animals and meet some arthropods
(of specific interest to Science Olympiad teachers).
Conceived to honor the legacy of Columbia space
shuttle astronaut Laurel Clark, the goal of Earth Camp is to educate
and inspire youth to build leadership skills through experiential
learning and conceptual understanding of earth processes, expand
awareness of the interdependency of all living things, and create a
sense of wonder related to the Sonoran Desert, ecosystems worldwide and
the "awe-inspiring" universal perspective.
Teachers will receive: $25 stipend, package of field
guides and natural history curriculum, free individual admission to the
Desert Museum for the afternoon following the workshop, and
professional development/recertification credit.
The workshop is free but pre-registration is
required. Registration deadline is January
11, 2006. Please RSVP
to Beth Rice, 520-883-3025. Earth
Camp
information is available at www.desertmuseum.org
– Go to “Kids” then “Summer Camps.” For additional information about
"Earth Camp" please contact Amy
Orchard (aorchard@desertmuseum.org)
or Sanlyn Buxner (buxner@email.arizona.edu).
- Upcoming Professional
Development for
K-12 Teachers
- The Science and
Mathematics Teacher's Colloquium Series is a
forum for
K-12 science and math teachers to learn about cutting edge research
taking place at The University of Arizona (UA). From nanotechnology to
Earth-sized virtual radio telescopes, the Ice Age to gene science, The
University of Arizona is advancing in all areas of science. The new
year will begin Professor Robert Strom from
the UA Planetary Sciences Department who will talk about "Global Warming and Its
Impact on the Environment," Thursday, January 26, 2006, 4:15-6:15 pm in the UA Modern Languages Bldg. Room 405.
Free global warming posters, parking and refreshments will be
available. This series is sponsored by the The UA/NASA Space Grant
Program and The
Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center for Toxicology which
provide funding for this program. For additional information
visit our website at: http://samec.lpl.arizona.edu/profdevelopment/index.html
or email us at samec@lpl.arizona.edu.
- Arizona
Project
WET curricula covers all aspects of water education for
educators, including the properties of water, the water cycle, water
management, water quality and more! Workshops are an opportunity
to learn about Arizona's water resources by participating in engaging,
interactive, classroom-ready activities. After a workshop
participants receive a Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide which
was written by over 350 teachers, resource managers and scientists. The
hands-on activities are great learning tools and are well received in
the classroom! Water Festivals for your class are a exciting way
to teach students about water! WORKSHOPS
ARE FREE AND CAN BE APPLIED TOWARDS TEACHER RECERTIFICATION CREDIT
HOURS!
January
Arizona Project WET Workshop Workshops:
January 14 and January
28,
2006, 8:00 a.m. -
4:30 p.m.
(Phoenix)
Location: Washington Elementary School
District
Office Portable.
Grades:
3-5
January 21, 2006
(Scottsdale)
Location: Scottsdale Water Operations Bldg. Arizona Project WET
Workshop for Grades: elementary school educators.
Lunch provided!
January 28, 2006,
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 pm
(Gilbert)
Location: Page Park
Grades: 4th - 8th grade but all are welcome!
Register for these great
workshops at: http://www.ag.arizona.edu/AZWATER/WET/workshops.html
- Upcoming
Courses for Teachers Spring 2006
- New! Teaching
Evolution and
Astrobiology K12 Educators Programs at the UA. This spring
2006, earn two units of UA graduate credit at no cost to K12 educators
by taking either of these two new courses. Each covers tuition and fees
to be reimbursed upon completion for in-service K12 educators. ECOL
596s has a high school focus and is focused on a lecture series on
“Evolution: Exploring Our World and Ourselves”. ASTR 597b has a middle
school focus and is focused on a lecture series on “Astrobiology and
the Sacred”. Both are open to K12 teachers at any level. Enrollment is
limited to 24 participants for each course. These graduate credits help
to fulfill the new "highly qualified teacher" requirements for NCLB and
can be used as part of the UofA MS Biology Degree program. Contact UA
Continuing Education at 520-621-7724 or staugaar@email.arizona.edu to
register for either course. More information follows below on each
course:
1) ECOL 596b, Selected Topics: "Teaching Evolution: Exploring our World"
http://eebweb.arizona.edu/courses/ecol596s/indexEIA.htm
How does the science of evolution affect our daily lives? How can we
translate cutting-edge research on evolution at the UA to the teaching
of evolution in a high school classroom? Meet with the scientists who
study evolution at the UA, and hear about opportunities to involve your
students in research at the UA. Learn of the search for HIV origins in
chimpanzees amidst civil war in the Congo, the discovery of what our
genes tell us about human ancestry, and how a study of evolution can
help us to better combat human disease. This graduate seminar course
for K12 educators is focused around an evening speaker series offered
through the UA College of Science. We attend the public seminars, meet
with the speakers, and discuss implications for teaching in high
school. This course is structured for science teachers at the 6th-12th
grade level, with a focus on high school. Class meets from 6-9 pm
Tuesday evenings over 10 weeks starting Feb 14. All tuition and fees
are reimbursed to K12 Educators upon completion of the course from a
grant from Research Corporation. Enrollment: 24. Contact Katrina
Mangin, 520-626-5076, mangin@u.arizona.edu
for more information. To register, call Continuing Education
520-621-7724.
2) ASTR 597b, Special Topics “Teaching Evolution in the 21st Century”
http://scienceandreligion.arizona.edu/educatorforum.html
The 2-credit hour graduate course for K-12 educators on teaching
concepts of evolution, astrobiology, and its cultural implications is
structured as a seminar with discussion, lectures and activities for
the K-12 classroom. The course is built around a series of talks by
poets, scientists and philosophers on “Astrobiology and the Sacred”
(Templeton Series). Educators participate in a classroom-ready activity
for teaching science in a middle school classroom, attend the public
lectures and discuss the lecture and classroom applications. Activities
and discussion focus on teaching science, social studies, and English
in middle school. This course is specially designed for in-service
teachers at the middle school level, but educators at all levels are
invited to participate. Class meets from 6-9 on Mondays or Wednesdays
over 10 weeks starting Jan 23rd. All tuition and fees are reimbursed to
K12 Educators upon completion of the course from a grant from LaPlace.
Enrollment: 24. Contact Tim Slater at tslater@as.arizona.edu
for more information. To register, call Continuing Education
520-621-7724.
- Resources
for K-12 Teachers
- TUCSON-Based HiRISE Camera
Currently Being Tested. The High Resolution Imaging Science
Experiment (HiRISE) camera currently bound for Mars on the Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft has been powered on and is being
tested. Information on the tests are posted at: http://hirise.LPL.arizona.edu/HiROC/cruise
The HiRISE web pages will be updated as new
information comes in. On December 14th, the camera took test
images of the Crux
constellation (the "Southern Cross", which can be seen from Earth's
southern hemisphere) and the Jewel Box star cluster. The public
is
invited to visit our web site this week and follow along as we
get ready for Mars! The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) will reach
Mars on March 10, 2006
at 1:28 p.m., Arizona time. HiRISE, an instrument on MRO, is the
most powerful camera and largest telescope to ever leave Earth orbit,
and it is based in Tucson, Arizona, at the HiRISE Operations Center on
the University of Arizona campus.
The HiRISE Operations Center is planning outreach events during March,
called "Mars Mania II", and details will be sent to you by email if you
request them (as soon as the event dates are confirmed)! Special
activities will be planned for teachers and students. Any questions, or
if you would like to be added to the HiRISE
information mailing list, please send me an email loretta@LPL.arizona.edu or call
(520) 626-7432 If you are a teacher,
please specify what grade level you are teaching.
- K-12
Student Opportunities
- MathMatters,
a math contest for 5th graders in Tucson and the surrounding areas will
be held on February 11, 2006 at Sonoran Science Academy in Tucson. The
contest is designed as an individual competition, not a team event.
Competitors will have 15 problems to solve in 30 minutes, and
calculators will not be allowed.
The last day to register to compete in the event is February 4, 2006.
There is no cost to register. The first place winner will receive a
laptop computer.Teachers may register their students
in the MathMatters competition by visiting: http://www.sonoranacademy.org/web/mathmatters/contestformat.asp
- Physics Day
at
Castles N' Coasters. Physics Day is sponsored by the
Physics Club at Desert Mountain High School and Castles N' Coasters to
help students get excited about physics. Many of you are most
likely
aware that amusement parks around the country sponsor an annual Physics
Day. Often instructors and students find it impossible to go
because
of the cost and/or the time required for out of town travel.
Desert
Mountain’s Physics Club is pleased to inform you that we have continued
to develop an Arizona Physic’s Day in order to eliminate some of these
barriers. The purpose for physics day is not only to learn the
basic
principle taught in physics, but also to have fun.
On Friday, February 24, 2006, Desert Mountain and Castles N' Coasters
are proud to sponsor the Ninth Annual Physics Day at Castles N'
Coasters. With events such as the Paper Tower, Egg Drop and
Bernoulli
Ball, you can test your students’ physics knowledge with the labs that
will require measurements involving the rides at the park. When
you
order your tickets you will receive a complete packet describing the
labs and the events. The tentative schedule for the events are as
follows:
10:45 a.m. Paper
Tower
11:15 p.m.
Vroom-Broom Bowling
12:00
p.m.
Egg Drop
12:45
p.m.
Bernoulli Ball
Tickets for the Ninth Annual Physics Day at Castles N' Coasters will
cost $12 per person (a savings of $14 off the regular admission) if
your order is received before January 26th. After January 26th and
before February 24th tickets will cost $15 per person. The ticket
entitles
each student admission to the park and unlimited rides. There is
also
a chaperone pass. Schools will receive one free chaperone pass
with
every 20 tickets ordered. The event competitions end at 2:30 but
everyone is free to stay as long as they want. The park closes at
11:00 PM (you and your students do not need to be there for the entire
day in order to participate in the events or to complete the labs), so
the labs may be done after the events stop running. The park is
located at 9445 Metro Parkway between Dunlap Avenue and Peoria Avenue
just off of I-17.
Ticket orders for your school can be placed through our physics club
sponsor, Mr. Tom Vining, at Desert Mountain High School, 12575 E Via
Linda, Scottsdale, AZ 85259. He can also be reached at (480) 484-7000
extension 6303. All ticket orders need to be for the entire school.
Please do not allow students to place individual orders. Payments
may
be made by check or purchase order and should be made payable to the
Desert Mountain Physics Club. After your order is received, we will
send you a full list of labs, events, rules, and regulations.
Your
tickets will be available at the registration table the day of the
event. Please use the order form on
the next page when ordering. The earlier we receive your order, the
sooner you will receive your packet. Additional tickets may be
purchased on Physics Day for $20 at the park.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Tom Vining
at the above number or e-mail him at tvining@susd.org.
We look forward
to seeing you and your students at this exciting event.
- Upcoming
Events for the General Public
- January
21, 2006,
Second
Annual Winter Rocket Launch hosted by the
Southern Arizona Rocketry Association
(SARA). Come
see some large and unusual model rockets as they soar (or not) into the
air. Spectators are welcome. There will be a mass launch of 50 flying
saucers on Saturday at 1 pm. Children who find a saucer and turn it in
will receive a prize. If you'd like to launch your own model rockets,
you may register on-site.
There is a $15 per family launch fee for 1 day or $20 for both days.
Food will be available for sale at the launch site.
Location: TIMPA Complex on
Reservation between Manville Rd & Mile Wide Rd. (RV
parking is available; no hookups)
Saturday: 8 am to 12
noon;
1-5 pm; night launch 6-8 pm
Sunday: 8 am to 12 noon
For more information, visit: http://www.sararocketry.org
- January 15, 2006, The Physics
Factory will honor Newton’s birthday by appearing at the Family
Arts Festival in downtownTucson,
from11 a.m. – 5 p.m. This is a huge event showcasing local
artists and arts organizations, music and dance groups, and - thanks to
visionary organizers at Tucson Pima Arts Council – groups like us that
link art to science and technology. For details and answers to
questions, please visit: http://www.familyartsfestival.org/
- Upcoming
Grant Opportunities
- TRIF
grant funding
is now available for new projects designed to expand access to the
benefits of higher education more broadly through the state of
Arizona. Under the title "Anyplace Access for Arizonans," these
grants may be used to create online/electronic degree and certificate
programs or to create electronic resources of particular value to
identifiable audiences within Arizona. The typical grant will
include a cash award to a program (expected to average $100,000 per
year for one or two years) combined with time-and-effort contributions
from technical support staff. Proposals that use TRIF investments
to attract external support are particularly encouraged.
Questions about this opportunity may be directed to me at 520-626-7418
or sjackson@u.arizona.edu. Assistance is available from the
Learning Technologies Center (http://www.ltc.arizona.edu), both for
proposal preparation and for project execution. The deadline for
submissions is February 17, 2006, and funding begins July 1, 2006.
Complete background and details on how to apply are available at: http://www.trif.arizona.edu/access
- Upcoming
Positions for K-12 Teachers
- 41
Paid Summer Geoscience
Positions Available for Science Teachers! The
Geological Society of America
is offering 41 paid summer positions on
National Parks, National Forests and BLM lands for summer 2006. Yellowstone National Park, Denali National
Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Grand
Canyon National Park, Gallatin National Forest, and more!
To view all 41 positions and apply please visit: http://www.geosociety.org/geocorps/
|