SAMEC E-News: Week of 01-20-06
1) Upcoming
Professional Development for K-12 Teachers
2) Upcoming Courses
for Teachers Spring 2006
3) Available
Resources for K-12 Science and Mathematics Teachers
4) Available
Positions for K-12 Science and Mathematics Teachers
5) Opportunities for K-12
Students
6) Opportunities for
College Students
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1) Upcoming
Professional Development for K-12 Teachers
LiftOff
Summer Institute 2006: Return to the Moon. Beginning in the
summer of 1990, the Texas Space Grant Consortium initiated week-long
professional development training for teachers. This aerospace workshop
series, called LiftOff, emphasizes science, mathematics, and technology
learning experiences by incorporating a space science theme supported
by NASA missions. Teacher participants are provided with information,
materials, and experiences through hands-on activities and field trips
that will promote space science and enrichment activities for
themselves and others. Before the end of the next decade, NASA
astronauts will again explore the surface of the moon.And this
time, we're going to stay, building outposts and paving the way for
eventual journeys to Mars and beyond.There are echoes of the
images from the past, but it won't be your grandfather's moon shot. How
do the Earth and Moon compare? How did the Moon form? What
causes the phases of the Moon? The moon has loomed large in the human
imagination..for many moons. Join us as we begin a close examination of
Earth's natural satellite during LiftOff 2006: Return to the Moon! Many
Space Grant Consortium's in other states will fund all or a portion of
the selected participant's expenses.LiftOff 2006 applications are
available online. Dates are July 17 - 21, 2006.
http://www.tsgc.utexas.edu/liftoff/
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Astronomy
Camp for Educators, June 29 - July 3, 2006, Mt. Lemmon
Observatory. The University of Arizona announces its eleventh Astronomy
Camp for Educators. Astronomy Camps are immersion adventures in DOING
science. Participants become astronomers operating large telescopes
(12, 20, 40, 60, 61-inch diameters), interacting with leading
scientists, and interpreting their own scientific measurements. The
Camps are held in the "Sky Island" environment of Mt. Lemmon
Observatory (9200 feet). Daytime activities include solar observing,
interactive talks, inquiry-based activities led by astronomers and
educators, tour of the UA Mirror Lab and other facilities, hiking in
the unique "sky island" environment, plus a "swap meet" of teaching
ideas and materials. For more information, contact: Dr. Don McCarthy,
dmccarthy@as.arizona.edu,
http://ww.astronomycamp.org
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Teaching
Workshop Announcement, College Astronomy Teaching Excellence
Workshop, Held from 9am-5pm, Saturday and Sunday, February
11-12, 2006,
Tucson, AZ - Pima Community College - Community Campus, 401 N Bonita,
Tucson, AZ: http://www.pima.edu/maps/index.shtml?map=6
Sponsored
by the NASA JPL Navigator and Spitzer EPO Programs and PCC,
http://astronomy101.jpl.nasa.gov
Astronomy provides a unique environment for teaching the excitement of
scientific inquiry to students. At the same time, high quality
astronomy teaching presents an ardent challenge because students who
most often elect to take astronomy courses are frequently apprehensive
of science and mathematics courses in general. Sponsored by the
NASA JPL Navigator and Spitzer SIRTF EPO Programs, this two-day,
interactive teaching excellence workshops focus on dilemmas space
science astronomy teachers face and develop practical solutions for the
troubling issues in curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Particular emphasis is on teaching non-science majors at the college
level. The workshop leaders have published numerous articles and books
on active learning in astronomy and have coordinated curriculum
development and professional development projects for professional
societies, NASA, and the National Science Foundation. Additional
presenters will also be asked to participate. Participants are
responsible for their own travel and lodging expenses. The majority of
costs are being borne by the NASA Center for Astronomy Education and
Pima Community College. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged online
at http://astronomy101.jpl.nasa.gov. The workshop is held at Pima
Community College - Community Campus, 401 N Bonita, Tucson, AZ, from
9am-5pm each day. Information updates are posted to URL
http://astronomy101.jpl.nasa.gov as they become available. If you
have additional questions, please contact Gina Brissenden,
caper@as.arizona.edu
or telephone 520-626-9480.
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2) Upcoming Courses
for Teachers Spring 2006
UA
Evolution Lecture Series (http://cos.arizona.edu)
All the sciences, from astronomy to biology, have worked together
to discover the processes that create the current state of
our universe, our world, and ourselves. These evolutionary
processes defi ne the origin of the atoms that make up all
matter, the origin of stars and planets, and the
development of life itself. The University of Arizona
College of Science is proud to present these seven
lectures. Each will illustrate this vision of evolution and
demonstrate how we know that evolution represents reality. At the
Center for Creative Photography Auditorium on the campus of the
University of Arizona, 1030 North Olive Road, Tucson,
Arizona. Parking is available in the Park Avenue Garage.
All lectures begin at 7pm and are free to the public.
* Tuesday,
February 21 Biological
evolution: what it is and what it
isn’t. Joanna Masel, Assistant Professor, Ecology
and
Evolutionary Biology
* Tuesday,
March 7 Cosmic evolution: from big bang to biology.
Chris
Impey, Distinguished Professor, Astronomy
* Tuesday,
March 21 Earth
evolution: the formation of our planet.
Joaquin Ruiz, Dean of the College of Science and Professor of
Geosciences
* Tuesday,
March 28 Social
evolution: cooperation and
conflict from molecules to society. Rick Michod,
Professor,
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
* Tuesday,
April 11 Animal evolution:
recycling ancient genes for
new uses. Lisa Nagy, Associate Professor, Molecular and
Cellular
Biology
* Tuesday,
April 18 Human evolution:
tracing our origins with
DNA. Michael Hammer, Research Scientist, Division of
Biotechnology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
* Tuesday,
April 25 Disease evolution:
the example of HIV. Michael
Worobey, Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology
Funding provided by Research Corporation. A corresponding K12 educator
course is available for 2 units of free tuition (contact
mangin@u.arizona.edu
for more
information). For K12 teachers who want
to attend one or more lectures but not participate in the course, SAMEC
will provide certificates of attendance for each lecture (counts
towards one hour of TUSD professional development; teachers from other
districts must check with their administration if this applies towards
PD), it may apply towards those as well). Call 520.621.4090 or go to
http://cos.arizona.edu for more
information.
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3) Available
Resources for K-12 Science and Mathematics Teachers
The
Online Math League! This new and innovative competition offers a
series of fun, challenging math tests to 3rd - 12th grade teams of any
size. The Online Math League is the best math contest available because
we provide:
* Challenging, fun tests that are aligned to state and national
standards. We've extensively researched the NCTM(National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics) national standards and the various state
standards throughout the nation to ensure that our tests will target
the topics your math class is focusing on.
* Instantaneous score reporting. Our online scoring system allows you,
after each test, to upload students' scores directly to our web site.
Other contests require you to wait weeks to get a newsletter update.
With the Online Math League, your students will be thrilled as they
watch scores from around the world show up online in real time.
* Highly-targeted grade level contests. While many other competitions
group grade levels together in the same contest, such as a "middle
school" math competition, we provide separate grade-level contests for
students in 3rd grade through 8th grade, plus separate Algebra 1,
Geometry, Algebra 2, and Advanced Math contests.
* Impressive plaques and trophies to a large number of high-scoring
teams and individuals. More than 10% of the teams that enter our
contests win plaques, and just as many individuals win trophies!
* Tests taken from the comfort of your classroom. No need to drive
anywhere for these contests - your students can participate in the
Online Math League right from your school. If you're worried that you
don't have access to enough technology to participate in this, relax.
No computers are needed during the actual test, and no sophisticated
tech skills will ever be required of you.
If you've never had your students participate in a math contest such as
this, you will be amazed at the enthusiasm such a competition can
generate. If you are a veteran math coach, you'll appreciate our
standards-based tests and the increased excitement our online scoring
system provides. For more information about the Online Math League's
2005-2006 contests, to download free sample tests, or to register your
school, visit http://www.OnlineMathLeague.com/?NAT
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4) Available
Positions for K-12 Science and Mathematics Teachers
Pueblo High School is looking for a science teacher who can sub for
9-10 weeks starting on Feb 3.; The class is Integrated Science and is a
fresh class.; There is one sectuion of forensics involved.; If
interested, please contact Wilma Amaro,
science chair at Pueblo High
School, at 225-4356 or Wilma.Amaro@tusd.k12.az.us
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5) Opportunities for
K-12 Students
College Horizons 2006 is a pre-college workshop For
Native American Students (currently
sophomores and juniors), June 17-21 at Rice University, Houston, TX and
June 24–28 at University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA. Collaborating
partners are: AIGC (American Indian Graduate Center), Winds of Change
magazine, Rice University, University of Puget Sound, Princeton Review
Foundation, College Board and 40 of the nation’s finest colleges and
universities. Students will learn about a broad variety of colleges and
universities, and establish personal relationships with admission
representatives and college counselors that will continue long after
the program is over. Participants will be limited to 90 at each site
and will be Native American (enrolled members only), Alaska Native or
Native Hawaiian.
Students will be selected by application: a minimum GPA of 3.0 in
academic solids is required. First round, priority receipt deadline is
February 1; 2nd round receipt deadline is March 1. Complete program
cost is $150 (includes tuition, room, board and all materials).
Substantial funds are available for travel and tuition assistance (each
year we award travel assistance to over 50% of our students). Students
may indicate preference for a site. For an application and more
information on the program, go to www.collegehorizons.org (the
application has 4 parts). For questions contact: Christine Suina,
Student Coordinator, PO Box 1262, Pena Blanca, NM 87041. Phone: (505)
401-3854. E-mail: CollegeHorizons@aol.com.
Program Director: Dr.
Whitney Laughlin
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6) Opportunities for
College Students
Graduate
Horizons, July 15–18, 2006, Yale University, New Haven, CT is
a four-day "crash course" for Native American college students (or
graduates) in preparing for graduate school. Faculty, admission
officers and deans representing hundreds of graduate disciplines and
over 30 graduate and professional schools attend. Collaborating
partners are: AIGC (American Indian Graduate Center), Winds of Change
magazine, and the Princeton Review Foundation.
The program will help students to: select programs and careers suitable
for them, complete winning applications and write a memorable personal
statement, learn what turns an applicant into an admitted student,
become a test-prep "whiz kid" on the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT, find
their way through the financial aid/scholarship jungle, explore special
issues for Native American students, and learn graduate school survival
tips.
Participants will be limited to 75 and will be Native American/Alaska
Native (enrolled members only) or Native Hawaiian college students
(freshmen year on) or college graduates. Students will be selected by
application. First round, priority receipt deadline is February 1; 2nd
round receipt deadline is March 1. Applications will be accepted on a
space-available basis to June 1 (after May 1, please contact us to see
if we still have spaces). Complete program cost is $150 (includes
tuition, room, board, transportation to and from the Hartford airport,
and all materials). Substantial funds are available for travel and
tuition assistance (in 2005 75% of our students received travel
awards). For an application and more information on the program, go to
www.collegehorizons.org (the application has 4 parts). For questions
contact: Christine Suina,
Student Coordinator, PO Box 1262, Pena
Blanca, NM 87041. Phone: (505)
401-3854. E-mail:
CollegeHorizons@aol.com.
Program
Director: Dr. Whitney Laughlin
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