AXAF Science Center Outreach Opportunities
We call your attention to two opportunities to participate in the ASC Public Information & Education effort.
First, we have a Question & Answer section on the ASCpub website (xrtpub.harvard.edu/Edu/q-a.html). Bonnie Schulkin is coordinating this section. If you have any questions that people have asked you which you would like to see on the page, or would be willing to serve as a resource for answers to questions that come in, please get in touch with Bonnie.
Second, we are planning a new section on the ASCpub website (xrtpub.harvard.edu) called "Scientists Speak Out." This is envisaged as sort of an Op-Ed page for scientists to contribute short personal essays about their work, or any other topic that is remotely relevant. Send your contributions to wtucker@cfa.harvard.edu.
Education and Outreach Alliance
The next meeting of the Education and Outreach Alliance will be held on Thursday, January 22nd at 1 PM in the A-Building Classroom. More information about this group can be found on the Alliance home page on the CfA intranet site
(hea-www.harvard.edu/scied/HEADED/) or from Kim Dow or Rick Harnden.
UVCS/SOHO Home Page
Steven Cranmer of the UVCS/SOHO group in the SSP Division has assembled a list of links to some of the best and most innovative WWW pages with tutorials, lesson plans, and other educational information about the Sun, the solar corona, and the solar wind. This list represents an initial stage in the construction of an educational and public outreach WWW page for the UVCS/SOHO group here at SAO, which will hopefully be undertaken over the next few months. For more information, see:
cfa-www.harvard.edu/~scranmer/corona.html.
The home page of the UVCS instrument aboard the SOHO spacecraft, also contains a lot of information that may be of interest to scientists and educators, and can be found at: cfa-www.harvard.edu/uvcs/.
Special SED Series on Science Education Begins January 15
The Science Education Department will sponsor a new once-a-month series of Thursday luncheon seminars for the CfA community focusing on science teaching and learning research. All the sessions will be designed to complement the outreach activities of the CfA. The first seminar is scheduled for January 15. Phil Sadler will present research findings about students' prior ideas and how these ideas affect learning. Each session will be held in Phillips Auditorium from 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM. Participants are also welcome to stay for the SED's weekly pizza luncheon. Please call the department (495-9798) if you plan to stay for lunch so we can order the correct amount of pizza.
First Special Science Education Lunch Seminar
Dr. Philip M. Sadler will present the first special Science Education Department seminar: Size and Scale: Physical Models as an Aid to Learning Astronomical Concepts. The ways in which children and adults think of the universe and its components are often vastly different from those of scientists. Such models, pieced together from the media, personal experience, and common sense are invoked when trying to accommodate new information. Building and manipulating physical models, true in scale to nature, can be a critical step in effectively conveying astronomical ideas. As a group, we will examine how astronomical systems are presented to the public, construct several useful scale models, and explore how learning can arise from their manipulation.
Minds of Our Own
This three-part series, a culmination of the renowned Private Universe Project, has been airing on PBS stations across the country. The series takes a hard look at how human beings learn new ideas, and shows why educators are leading a charge to change the way we run our nation's schools. It explores our own myths about how we teach and learn everyday in life, leaving us with new insights into the human mind. Minds of Our Own has won several awards, including a Gold Plaque in the 1997 International Communications Film and Video Festival (INTERCOM) in the category Science, Research, Technology, and the Silver Screen Award and Certificate for Creative Excellence in the US International Film and Video Festival in the category General Education.
The Annenberg/CPB Channel Expands
Beginning in January 1998, the Annenberg/CPB Channel, a satellite television and web service for math and science educators, will be broadcasting over a new satellite. When this happens, programming will expand to include not only programming from the Annenberg/CPB Math and Science Collection, but from their Higher Education Collection as well. More details will be provided as they become available at www.learner.org.
1998 SAO Summer Intern Program Applications Due
Applications are invited for the 1998 session of the SAO Summer Intern Program. We anticipate offering positions for 12 undergraduates interested in careers in the physical sciences or a related field. Information on how to apply to the program can be found at hea-www.harvard.edu/REU/REU.html. If you are interested in being a mentor or an advisor to a student in the program, please contact Kim Dow (kdow@cfa.harvard.edu or 617-496-7586.) Application materials are due by 16 February 1998
Boston ATMs Meeting
The Amateur Telescope Makers (ATMs) of Boston meet in Phillips Auditorium at 8:00 PM on the second Thursday of every month. Join the ATMs on January 8, 1998 when Dr. Ken Levinson, of the University of New Hampshire will speak.
Students Hands on Physics (SHOP) Program
If you are interested in going into a classroom as part of a small group to work directly with students, or are willing to coach a Cambridge student through the MIT/Cambridge Science Fair Expo, please email Chris Halas at chalas@cfa.harvard.edu.
ITAMP Plans Open House
The Institute for Theoretical Atomic and Molecular Physics (ITAMP) at the Center for Astrophysics is planning its annual Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Open House for March 1998. The previous open houses each attracted from Cambridge area institutions over one hundred AMO scientists and students who enjoyed scientific presentations, poster sessions and open discussions. ITAMP regularly sponsors workshops of topical interest and hosts long and short-term visitors (see http://itamp.harvard.edu for details).
National Research Council "Rises" Up for Education
The National Research Council announces a new Internet resource for scientists and engineers interested in K-12 science education. The site, called Resources for Involving Scientists in Education (RISE) allows motivated individuals to explore different roles scientists can play in contributing to science education, and it provides many examples and background material. To explore RISE, go to www.nas.edu/rise.
Upcoming Observatory Night
The next Observatory Night is Thursday, January 15. The speaker will be Adair Lane of R&G who will give a talk entitled "Astronomy on Ice: Observing from the South Pole." Doors open at 7:30 PM and the lecture begins at 8:00 PM. Observatory Nights are free, but seating is on a first-come, first served basis.