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Expanding Frontiers is a publication of the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium (WaSGC).
Spring 1993
Table of Contents:
Space Grant Mini-grants Help Fund
Real Science Students Can Do
Peer Outreach Takes College Students
Back to High School to Teacher Science
Regional Educator Resource Center Brings
NASA Programs Closer to Home
New Graduate Fellows Selected
From Stellar Jets to Global Climate
Change
New Space Grant Undergraduate Summer
Research Program
New Classes on Quakes, Weather, and
Global Climate Change
1993 Undergraduate Scholarship Awards
New Astronomy Workshop for Teachers at
the Pacific Science Center
WSU in the Highlands of the Moon
Hands-on Space Science at the Museum of
Flight
Space Grant News
Space Grant
Mini-Grants help to Fund Real Science Students Can Do
A mini-grant can ignite a young person's interest in science. In
January, the UW NASA Space Grant Program and the Office of Superintendent
of Public Instruction started the countdown by awarding 62 mini-grants. A
total of $14,296 was given to K-12 teachers in Washington to enrich
science curricula in their classrooms. The mini-grants were awarded in
amounts of up to $250.00, and were matched with funds from school
districts and other sources. Classes with a high percentage of
economically disadvantaged students or under-represented minorities were
given preference.
High school students in Central Valley have carried their love of
science back to their elementary schools as Elementary Associate Teachers
of Science. Developed by the staff in the Central Valley Schools, the
E.A.T.S. program is a chance for highschoolers to teach science and
perform demonstrations in the 13 elementary schools in Central Valley.
Funded by the school district, a Space Grant mini-grant and other sources,
the project has taken off like a rocket since it began in 1989. Some 85
sophomores and juniors are now "certified." Their training
includes after school classes, designing a lesson with a team partner,
extensive practice at home, and a final exam.
Finally, the team has a pre-lesson conference with the elementary
teacher, and then the main event. At the demonstrations, "elementary
kids see the high school kids, and they idolize them," said Nels
Pittoti, the high school biology and chemistry teacher. E.A.T.S. is
popular, he said, because it helps elementary students and their teachers
realize that science can be fun.
Mike Ellison and John Akers of Vancouver's Evergreen High are using
their grant and a matching grant from their school to purchase a TV
encoder device that will allow them to display the screen of a color
Macintosh computer screen on a large TV. This will open up vistas of
learning for entire classrooms rather than for the two or three students
that can see a small screen. With a computer cart also supplied by the
mini-grant, the teachers can wheel the mobile computer system from class
to class so that 10th - 12th graders in Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, and
Biology can all benefit. With image processing software supplied free
from the National Institute of Health, classes will count the volcanoes on
Io, map the rate of old-growth forest destruction from Landsat images, or
measure how fast a hurricane is moving. "One of the most exciting
things about image processing is that it's real science students can
do," Mr. Ellison said.
A Space Grant mini-grant to Barbara Reddekopp of Clarkston resulted in
the design and construction of space stations using LEGO/Logo---legos
that can move with computer commands. Ms. Reddekopp's 4th graders at
Grantham Elementary also decorated and dressed soft-boiled eggs as
astronauts. The 'astronauts' were strapped into landing vehicles designed
out of legos, egg cartons, Styrofoam, kleenex, and whatever worked. Each
child climbed a ladder, dropped their landing vehicle and then checked for
'astronaut' survival. "I am happy to report that all the astronauts
in Room 11 lived to tell about their trip," Mrs. Reddekopp wrote in
her year end report. In fact, she said, the drop was so successful that
two of her 4th graders went to Clarkston High School to demonstrate their
landing vehicles.
Another Space Grant mini-grant to Ann Hursey of the Intermediate School
will help to fund a global sundial experiment between three elementary
schools in Seattle, Alaska, and Malaysia. Students will measure and
record the length of the sun's shadows and then send their results by fax
to their sister schools around the world. Other mini-grants included: the
creation of science kits and carts, the purchase of laserdisks and Mission
to Mars software, funds for science fairs, studies of streams and lakes,
star parties hosted at night for students and parents, and field trips to
the Challenger Learning Center, the Museum of Flight and Puget Sound.
Applications for next year's mini-grants will be sent out in early
November. Please contact the Space Grant Program office at 1-800-659-1943
or 206-543-1943 in Seattle to get on our mailing list.
The Space Grant Peer Outreach Program had its debut performance on
Friday, March 19, at Kentridge High School in Kent. Kate Hutterer and
Christy Engan, two UW sophomores, taught Vince Howard's chemistry class.
The topic was the greenhouse effect and its importance on Mars, Venus, and
Earth. Kate and Christy gave a presentation illustrated by NASA slides of
the planets, original graphics, and a physics demonstration. The
undergrads had also prepared handouts with suggestions for discussion and
activities.
The goal of the outreach activities is to "spark an interest in
science, not just to disseminate information," said Dr. Janice
DeCosmo, Space Grant Science Education Coordinator. By sending college
students back to their high schools to teach timely topics, Dr. DeCosmo
hopes to "draw more kids to science."
Kate and Christy began preparing for the big day in Kent by spending 12
- 15 hours a week last summer conducting research on the atmospheres of
the three planets, compiling data, writing, and editing. Along with
accruing wages, the two became experts on Mars, Venus and the greenhouse
effect. In February, they spent countless hours in rehearsal to hone and
refine their materials, and by March, they were ready. The duo will
continue to present the unit to area high schools throughout the school
year.
"I enjoyed reading about chemistry and physics and being able to
apply knowledge I learned in the classroom to something real," Kate
said.
Kentridge High School is old stomping grounds for Christy; two years
ago she graduated from there. Going back was "kind of weird...(it
was) almost like a different school," she mused. As part of the
lecture, she demonstrated the way infrared radiation interacts with
various materials using a heat lamp on pieces of glass, plastic and
aluminum foil. "Most of the students hadn't been introduced to what I
was talking about, so it was very effective." She laughed. "The
students made all the correct observations."
The class instructor, Mr. Howard, gave his review. "I watched it
myself. I thought they had a good presentation." He added that he
hopes the two students will come back later this spring.
Students who are interested in traveling to area high schools as part
of the Peer Outreach Program, or teachers who would like to schedule a
lecture for their classroom, can contact Dr. Janice DeCosmo at (206)
685-8542.
Regional Educator Resource Center
Brings NASA Programs Closer to Home
The number of teachers served by our NASA Regional Teachers Resource
Center (RTRC) has rapidly increased. Since opening our doors in the Fall
of 1991, the response has been steadily growing, and now, the word is out.
From home schools to K-12 to the college level, more and more teachers are
discovering our wide selection of NASA-developed programs on subjects such
as space flight, astronomy, aeronautics and earth resources.
Located in 352 Johnson Hall on the UW campus, the resource center is
open by appointment 8:00-5:00 Monday through Friday. Materials include
videos, curricula, books, slides, and audiocassettes. Materials are
available by mail, or teachers can make an appointment to visit. Copies
of NASA programs are available for duplication at cost, i.e., by providing
blank film or tapes. Resource books are available on loan. For a
complete catalog, contact the RTRC at 1-800-659-1943, or 543-1943, in
Seattle.
New Graduate Fellows Selected
In March 1993 the UW NASA Space Grant Program awarded five two-year
graduate Fellowships for the academic years 1993-1995. Each Space Grant
Fellow received a research assistantship, and an additional stipend of
$500 per quarter. The Fellows were chosen from colleges across the
nation. They join an elite group of graduate students who have been
recognized for having outstanding research potential and high academic
records. This is the fourth round of fellowships to be awarded since the
Space Grant Program began at the University.
Competition for these Fellowships is open to all US citizens whose
affinity for science or engineering has led them into higher learning and
advanced research. Women and underrepresented minorities are strongly
encouraged to apply. The goal of this program is to attract to the
university some of the most gifted graduate students in the country.
The 1993 Fellows are listed here, including department, and research
topic:
Masada Disenhouse, Chemistry
Intermolecular Forces, energy transfer and theoretical investigations of
the structure
and properties of fluids
Leslie English, Mechanical Engineering
Materials Research, especially biomechanics and prosthetics
Barbara Fisher, Civil Engineering
Hazardous waste management
Brooke Patterson, Astronomy
Experimental and Observational Astronomy
From Stellar Jets to Climate Change
Now in its fifth year, Geophysics 425 was off
to a jump start Spring Quarter with Scientific Results from Hubble Space
Telescope: Don't Believe Everything You Read in the Newspapers. The
lecture by Professor Bruce Margon of the UW Astronomy Department started
off a ten week series on new discoveries in space and global climate
change.
Offered by the UW NASA Space Grant Program, the 1-credit class is a
chance for undergraduate and graduate students to learn about intriguing
research currently being done by scientists and engineers right on the UW
campus. With topics ranging from stellar jets to global modelling, the
popular course attracted 90 students this spring and is also open to the
public. Space Grant Science Education Coordinator Dr. Janice DeCosmo
introduces the speakers and facilitates the class.
New Space Grant Undergraduate
Research Program
The Space Grant Undergraduate Research Program provides a chance for UW
undergrads to gain hands-on experience by working in a professor's lab on
a project related to professional research.
In January, UW freshman, J Harper, began working in the Rocket Science
Lab in Johnson Hall. He worked up to 10 hours a week helping to assemble
balloon payloads for a rocket launch. This spring, he will be working on
the next balloon payload and continuing to learn the basics of rocket
science.
"We are careful to match a student with a professor who will give
the student tasks that are interesting and significant," said Space
Grant Science Education Coordinator Dr. Janice Decosmo. She added that
hands-on work can help undergrads in making career choices and in
competing for jobs after graduation.
New Classes on Quakes, Weather, and
Global Climate Change
A new summer course especially designed for middle and high school
teachers will be offered by Dr. Janice DeCosmo and Professor Mike Brown of
the UW Geophysics Program. The 4-week class is divided into two segments
on meteorology and geology. The first half of the class will use lab
activities, field trips and lectures to explore the physics behind weather
phenomena and forecasting, and current research topics such as greenhouse
warming. The second half entitled Quakes! includes Northwest tectonics, seismic waves, the construction of a shake
table, and field trips to Bainbridge Island and the Northwest Coast.
The course will be of special interest to general science and Earth
science teachers from middle and high schools. Elementary teachers and
others may register with the permission of the instructors.
Scholarships are being offered through the UW NASA Space Grant Program.
Geophysics 480A carries 4 graduate credits and is offered Term A only,
June 21 - July 21, 1993. For more information and an application for a
scholarship, please contact Lisa Peterson at the Space Grant office at
1-800-659-1943 or in the Seattle area at 543-1943.
This fall, Dr. DeCosmo will also teach a new evening course on global
climate change at Seattle Central Community College. The 5 credit
introductory level class will cover the basic physics necessary to
understand the Earth's climate and the greenhouse effect, and will
highlight the work of local researchers on this topic.
1993 Undergraduate Scholarship Awards
210 high school seniors vied for the UW NASA Space Grant scholarships
this year. In January, applications poured in from all over the state, a
richly talented group of seniors with an aptitude for science, math, or
engineering and a passion for success. Their goal? A full four year
scholarship at the University of Washington (UW). With so many top
scholars competing, the selection was extremely difficult. The selections
were based on the students' transcripts, teacher recommendations, personal
essays, and academic aspirations. Women and underrepresented minorities
were strongly encouraged to apply. In February, the selection committee
narrowed the pool of applicants down to 28 finalists. In March, the
finalists and their parents came to the UW for a full day of interviews
and campus tours. The announcement was made at the end of March. The 1993 Space Grant
Scholars are listed here, including award amount and high school:
Tuition + $3,500 a year for four years
Fulcanelli Chavez, Othello High School, Othello
Alysha Reinard, Kelso High School, Kelso
Two years tuition
Jasper Halekas, Omak High, Omak
Quang Luu, Anacortes High, Anacortes
$1,000 a year for 4 years
Sungeeta Jain, Ingraham High, Seattle
One year tuition
Giselle de Sam Lazaro, Pullman High
Sherrie Hildreth, Roosevelt High, Seattle
Patrick Lee, Eisenhower High, Yakima
Daniel Linville, Shorecrest High School, Seattle
Victoria Vaughn, Redmond High School, Redmond
$450 book scholarship
Mark Manca, Garfield High, Seattle
Lucas Mix, Garfield High, Seattle
Kara Nakata, Bainbridge High, Bainbridge Island
Applications for the scholarships are due in our office on January 15,
1994. All that is required to nominate a student is a phone call to our
office. Students are also encouraged to call. For applications or
questions, please contact the Space Grant Program office at 1-800-659-1943
or in the Seattle area at 543-1943.
New Astronomy Workshop for Teachers
at the Pacific Science Center
The final version of the NASA Space Grant funded curriculum from the
Pacific Science Center will be ready this summer. It will be the basis of
a two week long astronomy workshop for teachers presented at the Pacific
Science Center from July 26 through August 6, 1993 (1:30 pm to 4:30 pm,
M-F). Each participant will receive the curriculum, plus a full set of
teaching materials that make it easy to implement the curriculum in the
classroom. Participants will receive graduate level credit from the
University of Washington. More information about the course and how to
register is available by calling Ellen Polsky at the Pacific Science
Center at (206) 433-2922.
WSU in the Highlands of the Moon
Teachers were asked to count craters on the moon in a workshop offered
the fall of 1992 by Dr. Thomas Lutz and Dr. Jack Horne of Washington State
University (WSU). In the seven week class, the elementary school teachers
were divided into two groups, beginning and advanced. The teachers all
learned hands-on methods of teaching astronomy to take back to their
schools. Using large lunar photographs from the Kuiper Atlas, they
counted craters in the highlands of the moon. They were then shown a set
of slides of the cratering of the planets in the rest of the solar
system.
*In other classes, the teachers practiced reading sundials using simple
wooden versions, made so that they could hold sheets of loose-leaf paper.
The shadow caster (gnomon) on each was a map tack on top of a peg (which
fits into the center hole on the loose-leaf paper). If the map tack is
1.75 inches above the plywood board, the shadows cast, at latitude 47
degrees, will stay on the 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper during the school day
throughout the year. The teachers were given the sundials to use in the
classrooms. The benefit of the loose-leaf paper is that each student can
collect their own data, independently of the rest of the class.
Since many students are not familiar with the seasons in the southern
hemisphere, the instructors asked the teachers to keep track of the
temperatures in the northern and southern hemispheres. The teachers used
local newspapers, and many enlisted their own students, assigning them to
bring in the temperatures every Monday morning. This turned into a
geography lesson for the students as well.
The advanced group of teachers came back for an extra evening and all
day session to put together kits, complete with all materials needed for
eleven major astronomy exercises. The kits will be used in their
classrooms. Dr. Horne, one of the instructors, says that approximately
1100 children will benefit from their teachers having attended the
workshop. For more information, contact Dr. Jack Horne at (509)
335-2452.
Hands-on Space Science at the Museum
of Flight
The Challenger Center for Space Science Education was founded by the
families of the crew members lost in the Challenger tragedy. The center's
core faculty are many of the teachers who were NASA Teacher in Space
finalists for their states. On Friday and Saturday, July 23 - 24, 1993,
at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, the Challenger Center will host the
Pacific Northwest Teacher Conference.
Designed to help elementary and middle school teachers become familiar
with space science, the workshops will include the building of a cosmic
village on Mars, and a comprehensive look at a set of hands-on lesson
plans, entitled "Touching the Future: Linking the Classroom with
Space." On Saturday afternoon, teachers will visit the Challenger
Learning Center, a 1,500 square foot simulator where they will be able to
work much as a real astronaut crew does. They will conduct experiments
in a mission scenario that requires each member of the team to rely on
each other.
Among the invited speakers at the conference are: Phil Christianson,
Principal Investigator of the Thermal Emission Spectrometer for the Mars
Observer Facility; Carol Stadum of the Planetary Society, who will talk
about MarsLink; Dr. George "Pinky" Nelson, former astronaut, now
associate professor of Astronomy at the UW; and Mr. Jim Noblitt, Vice
President, Boeing Missiles and Space, head of the Space Station Project
for Boeing at Huntsville.
For further information, contact Pam Peterson at the Challenger Center
for Space Science Education at (703) 683-9740.
Space Grant News
Free Telescope Kit
A free newsletter on teaching astronomy for K-12 is now available
through the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The Universe in the
Classroom showcases a variety of topics such as exploding stars, the Big
Bang, the search for life elsewhere, and the exploration of the planets.
The newsletter also features hands-on activities and is designed to help
teachers include more astronomy in their lesson plans. To order, use your
school stationery and identify the grade level you teach. Contact the
Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Teacher's Newsletter, Dept. N, 390
Ashton Ave., San Francisco, CA 94112.
Global Environmental Courses
A workshop for middle-school teachers, sponsored by NSF and Sea Grant,
will take place August 2-20 at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in
Newport, Oregon. Participants will meet with researchers and learn
firsthand about global environmental change investigations. TheyÕll be
able to take back to their classrooms current information on threats to
the world's environment and ways of adapting the subjects to the classroom
setting.
Research presentations will be followed by hands-on activities
conducted by master middle school teachers and updated information on the
use of computer networks and satellite broadcast systems. Support
includes $60/day stipend, travel from your home to Newport, and housing
during the three-week workshop. Applications are available from
Washington Sea Grant at (206) 543-6600.
Getting comfortable Teaching With Space
The United States Space Foundation is offering a 5-day graduate course for
K-12 teachers at the Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. This
course teaches educators, including those who do not have a technical
background, how to infuse space and aviation concepts into all areas of
the curriculum and stimulate student achievement. Attendees take
microgravity training underwater, build and launch rockets and experience
orbital mechanics exercises. Lesson plans developed by educators feature
hands-on activities and are directly applied to the K-12 curriculum.
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