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E-Blast November 22, 2007
In this E-Blast
- Leadership
- Building a Presence - Holiday e-Blast Schedule
- MDE Science
- K-12 Science
- High School Science
- Middle School Science
- 6th-12th Grade Science
- November Contest Winners
- Tools and Resources
- Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Here are your science education resources and announcements for November 22, 2007 provided by Building a Presence for Science. These science education highlights are emailed to Key Leaders, Points of Contact and State Partners. Please forward them on to other science educators in your school. If you have questions or comments, please forward them to:
David Bydlowski
Michigan Coordinator - Building a Presence
bydlowd@resa.net
http://nsta.org/bap
http://www.msta-mich.org/bap
or
Sue Campbell
MSTA Representative
sue@ucia2.com
http://www.msta-mich.org
1. Leadership
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
John Quincy Adams
Thank you to Herm Boatin, Science Consultant and Adjunct Professor of Biology at University of Michigan-Dearborn, for contributing this leadership quote.
Building a Presence - Holiday e-Blast Schedule
There will only be one more e-blast for 2007. The next e-blast will be on the 2nd Thursday of December, which is the 13th. We will then go back to our regular schedule e-blast schedule of the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. But don~Rt worry we will still have a contest on the 2nd Thursday of both December and January.
Please remember to share the e-blast with all of the science teachers in your building. It is through your leadership that we keep the science education community informed.
MDE Science
K-7 Science Grade Level Content Expectations Presented to the Board
The K-7 Science Grade Level Content Expectations were presented to the Michigan Department of Education on Tuesday, November 12. The presentation went very well. The Board is expected to vote on the expectations at their next meeting on Tuesday, December 11. It is a final document and there are no plans for any changes.
K-7 Science Grade Level Content Expectations Podcasts Available
Two podcasts have been produced, so far, on the K-7 Science Content Expectations. Podcast #1 is an overview of the expectations. Podcast #2 is an overview of the Kindergarten Expectations. If you would like to listen or subscribe to these podcasts, please visit: http://web.mac.com/davidbydlowski/Site/Podcast/Podcast.html
Clarification on Future Constructed Response Questions
Recently there were some questions regarding the number of constructed response questions on the Michigan Merit Exam. There will not be any constructed response questions on the 2008 Science MME and unless there is a policy change, there will not be any constructed response questions on the 2009 Science MME.
K-12 Science
Free College Credit - Datastreme Atmosphere
There are openings for 8 participants to participate in the Spring 2008 session of Datastreme Atmosphere. This is a 3-graduate credit course offered through the American Meteorological Society's Education Division. The course and all materials are free. The requirements include attendance at three in-person meetings, completing all coursework, a Plan of Action and a portfolio. The new session begins the week of January 14, 2008. If you would like more information, you can go directly to the website and click on the button at the bottom of the home page which says "Interested K-13 Teachers". The address is: http://www.ametsoc.org/dstreme
Two Job Opportunities
POSITION TYPE: Full-time; senior administrator
DEPARTMENT: Glenn T. Seaborg Math and Science Center
DESCRIPTION/REQUIREMENTS: Visit www.nmu.edu/humanres or call 906-227-2562.
ANNUAL SALARY: Commensurate with experience
REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS WILL BEGIN: November 28, 2007 and continue until filled
NMU is an AA/EOE.
The Department of Geography and Geology, at Eastern Michigan University, is looking for a qualified individual to teach one section of ESSC 202 Earth Science for Elementary Teachers (2 credit hours) during winter 2008 semester. The class meets Monday evenings, 5:30-7:10 pm, January 7 - April 28. Candidates are expected to have a minimum of a Master's degree with their undergraduate major in Earth Science or Geology. Compensation is $2400. Applicants should email a letter of application including a statement about how you meet the qualifications and a curriculum vitae (or resume) to:
michael.bradley@emich.edu
The review of applications will begin November 26 and continue until the position is filled. Eastern Michigan University is an EO/AA employer. For additional information about the department and the university please visit their website:
http://www.emich.edu/public/geo/welcome.html
Registration Open for the MSTA Annual Conference
It's ready!!! You can now register online for the MSTA Conference to be held in Lansing, MI, March 6-8. Session information, on-line registration, SB-CEU information,....it is all available NOW! For more information, please visit:
http://www.msta-mich.org
Research Experiences for Teachers
Florida State University is now offering two Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) programs in/near Tallahassee, FL. Both of these programs are funded through the National Science Foundation (NSF). These RETs are 6-week summer research experiences that match highly qualified Elementary, Middle and High School teachers with scientists at either the National High Magnetic Field Lab (NHMFL) or the FSU Coastal Marine Lab. The programs offer teachers a $3600 stipend, travel and housing support to non-local teachers. For details visit:
http://www.ret.magnet.fsu.edu
OR
http://bio.fsu.edu/osta/RET
Research and Mentoring Experiences for Teachers
The University of Rhode Island's Office of Marine Programs is now accepting applications for the ARMADA Project- Research and Mentoring Experiences for Teachers. The ARMADA Project, funded by the National Science Foundation, provides K-12 teachers an opportunity to actively participate in ocean, polar, and environmental science research and peer mentoring.
Selected Master Teachers (with five or more years teaching experience) are paired with leading scientists and participate in shipboard, field, or laboratory research with all expenses paid. Research experiences will take place during the summer, although there may be opportunities during the school year. Upon completion of their research experience, Master Teachers develop ways to bring the fruits of their research experiences, including scientific data, methodologies, and technology into their classrooms. They share their experiences by mentoring new teachers in their school district and by presenting their results at the National Science Teachers Association National Conventions.
The ARMADA Project has placed teachers in research experiences all over the world. Past experiences include taking part in the largest North Pacific humpback whale study in the waters off the coast of Alaska, investigating the impacts of global change in the Arctic Ocean and the Antarctic, monitoring and assessing tidal creeks in South Carolina, studying the impact of human activity on dusky dolphins in New Zealand, identifying foraging behaviors of Antarctic Crabeater Seals, water circulation studies in the Norwegian Sea, and a variety of ecosystem monitoring projects in the Bay of Fundy, Narragansett Bay, Gulf of Maine, Stellwagen Bank, Western Shelf of Florida, Sargasso Sea, Bahamas, Alaska, and Block Island Sound.
Application deadline is February 4, 2008. For more information about teacher qualifications, responsibilities, and to download an application see the ARMADA Project website at:
http://www.armadaproject.org
or contact Andrea Kecskes at 401-874-6211 or armada@gso.uri.edu.
2007 American Stars of Teaching
The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce the names of the 2007 American Stars of Teaching award winners. These outstanding classroom teachers across all grade levels and disciplines were honored this fall as 2007 American Stars of Teaching. Awards were announced at special assemblies at the schools where the honored teachers work. Parents, students, colleagues, school administrators and others nominated these exemplary teachers who they believed have the qualities to be an American Star of Teaching. One teacher was recognized from each state, as well as 4 private school teachers.
View a complete list of all American Stars of Teaching at:
https://www.t2tweb.us/AmStar/Prior.asp
Nominations for 2008 American Stars of Teaching will open in January at:
http://www.ed.gov/teacherinitiative
High School Science
Thacher Scholar Award for Secondary Students
In an effort to engage the next generation of Earth scientists, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) is now accepting entries for the 2008 Thacher Scholars Award, to be given to secondary school students demonstrating the best use of geospatial tools or data to study our home planet. Eligible tools and data include satellite remote sensing, aerial photography, geographic information systems (GIS), and the Global Positioning System (GPS). Entries can be submitted by individuals or teams, either by hard copy or by emailed PDF. Entries must be received by April 4, 2008.
U.S. students in grades 9-12, including U.S. citizens attending schools in foreign countries, are eligible to receive cash awards in the amount of $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place. For each winning student or team, a teacher or designated adult "coach" will receive a $200 gift card to Amazon.com. Entries must not exceed 20 pages, and will be judged by IGES staff based on their scientific and technical accuracy; creativity and originality; quality of presentation; thoroughness of research, methods and procedures; and demonstration of knowledge gained. Winners will be announced by May 9, 2008.
For more information on the Thacher Scholars Award, including contest rules, judging rubrics, questions to help guide student projects, and a list of related resources, please visit:
http://www.strategies.org/ThacherScholars
Darwin Day
If you are interested in organizing a Darwin Day celebration please go to:
http://darwinday.org/englishL/assistevent/index.html
for event ideas and guidelines. If you already have plans for a Darwin Day please go to:
http://darwinday.org/NEWlang/regevent/index.php
to register and advertise your event. Darwin Day is February 12, 2009.
Middle School Science
Web Seminar: The Role of Polar Regions in Earth's Changing Climate System
Join NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation and the National Science Teachers Association for two free Web seminars on the topic of the International Polar Year. The seminars are designed for educators of grades 5-8. The sessions will focus on the interaction of polar regions with the Earth's climate system, atmospheric gas changes over Earth's history, what ice cores tell about past climate, and the implications of climate change in the polar regions. The presenters will share their expertise, answer questions from the participants and provide information regarding Web sites that students can use in the classroom.
The Web seminars are 90-minute, live professional development sessions that use online learning technologies to allow participants to interact with nationally acclaimed experts, scientists, engineers and education specialists from NASA, NOAA, and NSF. Each Web seminar is a unique, stand-alone program. Archives of the Web seminars and the presenters~R presentations will be available online.
The Web seminars in this series are scheduled for Nov. 27 and Dec. 13, 2007. Each seminar will begin at 6:30 p.m. EDT. Online registration for each is now open at: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall07/IPY_Denver/webseminar.aspx
6th - 12th Grade Science
Wanted: Citizen Scientists
CitizenScience, the technical branch of SustainUS, is hosting their annual paper competition. The winning work will be published in Citizen Science, an online journal that honors young people in the United States who are interested in enriching public dialogue with innovative, scientific approaches to sustainable development. Authors of winning papers will also present their work at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development's 16th Session in New York City in May 2008, where SustainUS will be joined by the US State Department in recognizing your initiative, leadership and insight. Please submit your work to the Citizen Science Technical Board. Papers should be written for a non-scientific audience on natural or social science topics related to the economic, social, technological or environmental dimensions of sustainable development addressed by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. This year's topics are: agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification and Africa. Papers need not describe original research, though original research is welcome and encouraged.
Papers will be accepted on a rolling basis until January 1, 2008. Please send all paper submissions and questions about the competition to CitizenScience@SustainUS.org. For more information, competition entry rules, and winning papers from prior years, please visit http://www.sustainus.org/citizenscience
21st Century Explorer Podcast Competition
What do you think is NASA's greatest exploration achievement in the past 50 years, and why? That is the question NASA is asking students for the Second Annual 21st Century Explorer Podcast Competition. Students will create an audio recording or video -- running one minute or less -- with their answer to the question. The contest is open to U.S. citizens, ages 11 to 18. Entries will be judged on content, creativity, execution, clarity and overall impression. The 15 finalists in each format (audio and video) and each age category (ages 11-14 and ages 15-18) will be displayed on the contest Web site, where the public will vote for and select a "People's Choice" winner. Prizes will also be awarded for first, second and third place. Winners will be announced on the Web site Feb. 28, 2008.
Entries are being accepted now through Jan. 4, 2008, or when the first 1,000 entries in each category are received. For more information, including tips for creating audio and video podcasts, visit:
http://www.explorationpodcast.com/
Summer Fellowship Opportunity in Physiology
The American Physiology Society (APS) offers a wonderful professional development/research experience for middle and high school life science and biology teachers. The application deadline is January 10, 2008. For more information, please visit:
http://www.the-aps.org/education/frontiers/app.html
November Contest Winners
Congratulations to our BaP November Contest Winners. The following people won a flashdrive. They are:
Eileen Byrnes-Grissom Middle School, Sterling Heights
Colleen Bryan-North Holland Elementary School, Holland
Jason Holstege-Zeeland
Catherine Gammage-Melvindale High School, Melvindale
Deb Stephens-Central Middle School, Plymouth
Thank you to everyone who participated. Hopefully you may be a winner in the next contest.
Tools and Resources
Archived Michigan BaP e-Blasts:
http://msta-mich.org/bap
Early Childhood Science Blog:
http://science.nsta.org/earlyyearsblog
Free NSTA Newsletters (Elem - HS):
http://www.nsta.org/newsletters
Free ACT Prep:
http://www.mivhs.org/content.cfm?id=667
Grants:
http://sciguides.nsta.org/internet/grants.aspx
http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html
http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/grants/index.html
http://www.legoeducation.com/about/item.aspx?art=314
High School Companion Documents:
http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-28753_38684_28760-171474--,00.html
High School Science Expectations:
http://mi.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-42814---,00.html
K-6 Inquiry PD Resources:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI
K-12 Online Science Assessment Tool:
http://www.macombschools.org/scienceassessment
Internet Resources Correlated to the MCF and the MMC:
http://www.svsu.edu/mathsci-center/uploads/science
Michigan Merit High School Graduation Requirements FAQ for Science:
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/faq15_178607_7.pdf
Science Music 24/7 on the Internet:
http://live365.com/stations/trappedinlab
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
- November 26, 2007: 2nd Panorama of Promising Practices at the School Improvement Conference to be held in Lansing, MI. For more information, please visit: http://www.gomiem.org/
- November 28, 2007: Deadline to enter the Earth Klimate Analysis Mission Competition. For more information, please visit: http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/public/about/missions/index.shtml
- December 1, 2007: Deadline to enter the Global Warming Solutions YouTube Contest. For entry information, please visit:
http://www.globalwarmingsolutions.org/ - December 30, 2007: Deadline to apply for the Tool Factory Podcasting Grants. For full details, please visit: http://www.toolfactory.com/olympus_contest/olympus_podcasting.htm
- December 31, 2007: Deadline to apply for the Teacher at Sea Program. For details, please visit: http://teacheratsea.noaa.gov/
- January 1, 2008: Deadline for middle-high school students to submit papers to CitizenScience paper competition. For more information, please visit: http://sustainus.org/content/view/16/128
- January 4, 2008: Deadline for students to enter NASA~Rs 21st Century Explorer Podcast Competition. For more information, please visit: http://www.explorationpodcast.com/
- January 10, 2008: Deadline to apply for the American Physiology Society's research fellowship. For more information, please visit: http://www.the-aps.org/education/frontiers/app.html
- January 13, 2008: Deadline to apply for the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship. For more information, please visit: http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/scied/Einstein/about.htm
- January 29, 2008: Deadline to apply for the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards. For more information, please visit: http://www.exploravision.org/
- January 31, 2008: Deadline to apply to become a NASA Explorer School. For more information, please visit: http://explorerschools.nasa.gov/portal/site/nes/menuitem.d601ef1f9fdc2c2d7010ea1051008a0c/
- February 4, 2008: Deadline for teachers to apply for the ARMADA Project Research opportunity. For more information, please visit: http://www.armadaproject.org
- February 8, 2008: Deadline to apply for the Walter P. Chrysler Closing the Technology Gap in Education Awards. For more information, please visit: http://www.chryslerteacherawards.com/
- February 8, 2008: Deadline to apply for the Walter P. Chrysler Closing the Technology Gap in Education Awards. For more information, please visit: http://www.chryslerteacherawards.com/
- February 8, 2008: Deadline to apply for the American Meteorological Society's Scholarships and Fellowships. For more information, please visit: http://www.ametsoc.org/amsstudentinfo/scholfeldocs/index.html
- February 12-16, 2008: Fundamentals of Inquiry Workshop for Professional Developers at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, CA. For more information, please visit: http://www.exploratorium.edu/ifi/workshops/attend
- March 6-8, 2008: MSTA Annual Conference in Lansing, MI. For more information, please visit: http://msta-mich.org
- March 7, 2008: Deadline to apply for the Michigan Forestry Educator of the Year Award. For more information, please contact Ada Takacs at: takacsa@michigan.gov
- March 14, 2008: National Pi Day. For more information, please visit: http://www.piacrossamerica.org/
- March 14, 2008: Deadline to become an EARTH HERO (ages 12-17). For more information, please visit: http://www.earth-heroes.org
- March 17, 2008: Deadline to enter the National DNA Day Contest for Middle and High School Students. For more information, please visit: http://www.genednet.org/pages/k12_dnaday08.shtml
- March 27-30, 2008: NSTA National Convention in Boston, MA. For more information, please visit: http://nsta.org/conferences
- April 4, 2008: Deadline to apply for the 2008 Thacher Scholars Award for secondary school students. For more information, please visit: http://www.strategies.org/ThacherScholars
- April 13-19, 2008: National Environmental Education Week. For more information, please visit: http://dev.eeweek.org/
- April 22, 2008: Earth Day. For more information, please visit: http://www.earthday.net/earthday2008.aspx
- April 25, 2008: National DNA Day. For more information, please visit: http://www.genome.gov/dnaday
- June 25, 2008: Curriculum Integration Conference to be held at Holt High School. Registration information will be available soon.
- July 1, 2008: Deadline to apply to become an astronaut. For more information, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/recruit.html
- July 14-18, 2008: CSI Lawrence Tech Forensics Workshop. For more information, please visit: http://www.ltu.edu/arts_sciences/master_science_ed/forensic.asp
- February 12, 2009: Charles Darwin Bicentennial Day. For more information, please visit: http://darwinday.org/englishL/assistevent/index.html
To subscribe to the Building a Presence Science e-blast, please visit: http://nsta.org/bap
To unsubscribe from the Building a Presence Science e-blast, please contact your Key Leader or email David Bydlowski, Michigan Coordinator for the Building a Presence Science Network, at bydlowd@resa.net.