SAMEC E-News:  10-27-06

You can also view an online version of the newsletter at:
http://samec.lpl.arizona.edu/resources/e-news10-27-06.html

1) UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR K-12 SCIENCE TEACHERS
2) K-12 STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
3) UA FACULTY, STAFF AND COLLEGE STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
4) AVAILABLE RESOURCES FOR K-12 SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS TEACHERS
5) AVAILABLE POSITIONS FOR K-12 SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS TEACHERS
6) HONORS AND AWARDS
7) E-JOURNAL LINKS
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1) UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR K-12 SCIENCE TEACHERS

Middle & High School Science Educators. Do you want to excite young people about science? If so, please join us for this special event "Students as Scientists Informational Open House," Monday, November 6, 2006 4:30-6:00 pm. Cost: Free to Science Educators (teachers, department heads, district personnel, professional developers, etc.) Location: Pima County REGIONAL SUPPORT CENTER, 6420 East Broadway Suite A-100 (Directly behind the La Quinta Inn in the El Mercado Office Plaza). Goals of the Session: Learn about the Southern Arizona Regional Science and Engineering Fair (SARSEF), the affiliated fair for Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).  The ISEF is the largest science fair in the world with over 40 participating countries, $3 million in awards, and 1,500 student participants! Learn BEST PRACTICES from two of our best high school teachers in Arizona. The students of these teachers have won thousands of dollars in prizes and have consistently placed and won against the best students in the world! Meet a local winning student and hear about her project! See other winning student displays and have an opportunity to ask questions about science fair projects! Space is limited to 25 participants.  Registration closes Friday, November 3 at 3:00 pm. Call Jean or Vanessa to register at 520-745-4588. Door Prize: A microscope for the classroom. Meet people from SARSEF and Intel – those that make the science fair happen Pizza and beverages will be served Supported in partnership by Intel, SARSEF, and the Pima RSC.
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Arizona Project Wet reaches across the state. Arizona Project WET, a dynamic “Water Education for Teachers” program, has been growing by leaps and bounds! “Make a Splash with Project WET “Water Festivals are scattered across the state, reaching 6,000 fourth graders in 8 different areas of Arizona, “Project WET Standards Correlations” are just a click away on our website where educators can adopt, apply and utilize water conservation teaching strategies that correlate to Arizona State Standards, (http://www.ag.arizona.edu/azwater/wet). Workshops are also scheduled for 2006-2007 as follows, content being area specific: Visit our website (above) to register. Phoenix:  November 4 & December 2 – Arizona Project WET Workshop with a Rio Salado Service Project. Arizona Project WET Workshops: January 20 & 27, 2007. Feb. 3 & 10; May 5 & 12 Waters of Arizona: March 3 & 10. Tucson:  Discover a Watershed: The Colorado:  Nov. 18.  We teamed with the Decision Center for a Desert City at ASU to present a workshop based on a survey DCDE’s education team completed to identify the needs of Valley Water Education Providers. Results can be found at: http://dcdc.asu.edu/K-12Education/survey.php.  Tucson Unified School District and Arizona Project WET have developed a Partnership  to upgrade the Water Foss kit, to meet Arizona Academic Standards for science and add local and state relevancy; Flagstaff, in a partnership with the City Water Conservation Office and Arizona Project WET , have  rewritten FUSD’s Water Kit. Arizona WET taught a 5 workshop professional development series in Gilbert, and had workshops in Kingman, Prescott and Yuma!  The Tribal Environmental Education Outreach Program has worked with us for over 10 years to provide programs for educations of Native American students and students themselves! Visit our website at http://www.ag.arizona.edu/agwater/wet for the latest workshop schedules and information!  You’ll be glad you did!  
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Global Climate Change Lecture Series. A Series of Lectures Exploring Our World and Ourselves. Our planet is in the midst of significant global climate change that has great potential for affecting the way we live. Scientists are observing increases in temperature, changes in the chemistry of the atmosphere and oceans, shifts in water availability and vegetation, and changes in patterns of disease. UA's College of Science is proud to present lectures that discuss how climate interacts with our biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere and will offer ways to mitigate global climate changes through technology and policy. October 31: "The Role of Living Things" (Travis Huxman, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology);  November 7: "Ocean Impacts and Feedbacks" (Julia Cole, Associate Professor of Geosciences); November 14: "Disease and Society" (Andrew Comrie, Dean of the Graduate College and Professor of Geography and Regional Development);  November 21: "Global Climate Change: Could Geoengineering Reverse It?" (Roger Angel, Regents’ Professor of Astronomy); November 28: "Designing Policy Responses" (Paul Portney, Dean of the Eller College of Management and Professor of Economics). Held at Centennial Hall on the campus of the University of Arizona, all lectures begin at 7:00 PM and are free to the public. Parking is available in the Tyndall Avenue Garage. Call 520-621-4090 or go to http://cos.arizona.edu
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2) K-12 STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES

Southern Arizona Regional Science and Engineering Fair (SARSEF). SARSEF encourages southern Arizona students’ interest and pursuit of science, math and technology through science fair participation. It is our goal to both inspire curiosity and to recognize excellence in student research, while offering an opportunity to apply skills students need for success in education (including AIMS testing) and their future careers. The SARSEF, an affiliated Fair of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, is held annually for a week in March at the Tucson Convention Center (TCC), Tucson, Arizona. SARSEF participants are students in grades K-12 who were chosen as having completed the best science projects in their school science fairs. SARSEF is coordinated year around providing outreach to all schools through school visits, presentations, Internet resources and monthly articles in the Arizona Daily Star. During the annual event, over 1300 student projects are set up, inspected for safety requirements, judged for quality, awarded recognitions and visited at the TCC by over 10,000 individuals. Many volunteers are needed to complete these tasks. Awards are presented by local, national and International organizations and companies recognizing the students' achievements, including $10,000 in tuition scholarships to the University of Arizona. Top student projects are nominated for further competition in the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge (grades 5-8) and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (High School). Top teachers and schools receive additional recognition. For additional information, visit: http://www.sarsef.org
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3) UA FACULTY, STUDENT AND STAFF OPPORTUNITIES

Mike Wells Fest. Saturday and Sunday, October 28-29, 2006.  This event will celebrate the remarkable life of Regents Professor Michael A. Wells.  Mike passed away on May 23, 2006, as a consequence of complications  arising from aggressive treatment of leukemia.  Mike came to Tucson in 1967 as assistant professor and a founding member of the new Department of Biochemistry at The University of Arizona  College of Medicine. Mike was a staunch supporter of his department and served as department head from 1986 to 1995. He received numerous awards  for his formal teaching, including the Distinguished Teaching Award from  the College of Science in 1996, and the Henry and Phyllis Koffler Prize  in 2003. In recognition of his excellence as both a research scientist  and a teacher, he was appointed Regents Professor in 2002.  During the free Day of Science on October 28 in the Integrated Learning Center, there will be approximately 16 short talks from former and  current members of the Wells lab, faculty colleagues from the University of Arizona, and colleagues and collaborators from across the country and  around the world.  In addition, attendees not presenting a talk will  have an opportunity to share their scientific advances during a poster  session over the lunch break. Following the talks the public is invited  to a reception at the Four Points by Sheraton University Plaza Hotel, where all who knew Mike Wells may gather and remember him informally. On Sunday morning, October 29, we will have brunch at the Tucson Botanical  Gardens and have an opportunity to enjoy the annual butterfly exhibit,  one of Mike s favorites (fee charged for brunch and the butterfly exhibit). It is sure to be an exciting weekend as we celebrate Mike's  remarkable life and discuss "way cool"  science, as Mike called it. For more information and to register for the event, please visit:  http://www.biochem.arizona.edu/wellsfest or contact Ellie Warder via email warder@u.arizona.edu or call 621-5903.   
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UA Student Showcase, November 10-11, 2006. Student Showcase is an exhibition of undergraduate and graduate projects in all areas of academic study within the University of Arizona community.  Student Showcase provides both graduate and undergraduate students with an opportunity to win prizes to help support their education and bring recognition to their work. Last year, Student Showcase featured a record 123 exhibits.  More than $10,000 in prizes were awarded last year to students who presented exceptional projects.  These awards were based on results of the judging process. Concluding the two-day event is an awards ceremony, which recognizes the students for their outstanding performance within their respective fields.  Each year, the winners are invited to present their projects to legislators at the State Capital in early February 2007.  While only students are permitted to enter exhibits in the Showcase event, participation of faculty advisors, staff, administrators and community members is actively encouraged. Please help us demonstrate The University of Arizona’s strength as a student centered research institution by encouraging students to participate in this year’s student Showcase.  Encourage your college students to feature their research and creative projects in Student Showcase 2006.  The deadline for applications is October 6th, 2006. Applications are available online at http://www.gpsc.arizona.edu/  For more information about Student Showcase, please contact Amanda Brobbel at 626-7526 or gpsc@u.arizona.edu or visit http://www.gpsc.arizona.edu/sections/events/eventSubsection/studentShowcase.php  
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Scholarship Announcement.  The William G. McGinnies Graduate Scholarship in Arid Lands Studies was established in 1985 by the faculty of the Office of Arid Lands Studies, University of Arizona, in honor of founder Dr. William G. McGinnies.  The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage and support outstanding graduate students whose research interests follow in the tradition of the Carnegie Desert Botanical Laboratory (see W. G. McGinnies, 1981, Discovering the Desert: Legacy of the Carnegie Desert Botanical Laboratory, University of Arizona Press).  Scientists working at the Carnegie Desert Laboratory made significant contributions to the study of the vegetation, biogeography, palynology and paleobotany, physiological ecology, demography, and taxonomy of the Sonoran Desert and surrounding areas. The intent of the McGinnies Scholarship is to provide additional support to graduate students whose dissertations or thesis projects involve the plants, animals, biotic history, or environment of the world’s arid and semiarid lands.  The annual scholarship award is $1,000. Any University of Arizona graduate student is eligible. All recipients must be approved by the Office of Student Financial Aid. Awards are made on the basis of materials submitted by applicants, which (1) indicate their achievements as scholars, and (2) attest to their commitment to a research project that is consistent with the mission and research program of the Carnegie Desert Laboratory.  Selection criteria are intentionally broad to encourage new and innovative research. Applications should consist of (1) a letter of application describing the student’s research interests and achievements; (2) a curriculum vitae; and (3) two letters of recommendation. Review of applications will begin in December 18, 2006.  Send materials to: Dr. Charles Hutchinson E-mail: chuck@ag.arizona.edu Office of Arid Lands Studies, University of Arizona 1955 E. Sixth Street, P.O. Box 210184 Tucson, AZ  85719, 621-8577 or 621-7901 donors.  For more information about Honoring Nations, visit the Harvard Project's web site at http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/hpaied/
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4) RESOURCES FOR K-16 EDUCATORS

4-8 Core Content Program Reviews in Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. The Arizona Department of Education, School Effectiveness Division, is conducting a review and analysis of 4-8 core content programs in Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies to identify the alignment of the submitted programs to the Articulated State Standards. The purpose of these content reviews is to assist schools/districts in identifying programs aligned with the Arizona Academic Standards, as well as providing them support in making informed decisions regarding the selection of instructional materials. For additional information visit: http://www.ade.az.gov/SBTL/sdi/corecontent/
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AAAS Resource on Evolution. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is proud to announce the publication of The Evolution Dialogues. Developed in consultation with scientists, educators and theologians, this plain-language resource seeks to correct widespread "misunderstandings." It is an excellent resource for science teachers. For more information about the book including an excerpt, the table of contents, and ordering information please visit http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/.  AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society and the publisher of Benchmarks for Science Literacy and Science for All Americans as well as the esteemed peer-reviewed journal Science. This book is the latest in a long line of efforts by AAAS to address the threat to evolution in our nation's public schools. For more information about AAAS, please visit http://www.aaas.org/ 
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6) HONORS AND AWARDS

The Hopi Education Endowment Fund Recipient of High Honors. Harvard's Honoring Contributions in the Governance of American Indian Nations (Honoring Nations) awards program selected the Hopi Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) as a recipient of High Honors. In its sixth year of honoring tribal nations, the Honoring Nations program identifies, celebrates, and shares exemplary tribal governance programs among the 560+ Indian nations in the U.S. They were one of fourteen finalists chosen from among 86 organizations representing more than 60 tribal nations.
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7) EDUCATIONAL E-JOURNAL LINKS

Education News and Research Reports: http://www.queuenews.com/AZnews
Education Week: http://www.edweek.org/
Teacher Magazine: http://www.teachermagazine.org
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Express: http://science.nsta.org/nstaexpress/nstaexpress_2006_10_23.htm
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This information was sent to approximately 3080 science and mathematics educators and is posted at the SAMEC website:
http://samec.lpl.arizona.edu/resources/e-news.html
The SAMEC e-newsletter is provided to you by
The University of Arizona Science and Mathematics Education Center,
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, http://samec.lpl.arizona.edu

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