Science Matters in Wisconsin 1(11)
Welcome to this week’s issue of Science Matters in Wisconsin. Please share this with a colleague!
-- Grants, Awards and Competitions
LOFT Best In Class applications are now available on the Kids In Need Foundation website:
The grants fund innovative classroom projects between $100 and $500. To be eligible, you must be a certified K-12 teacher of any subject in a public, private, charter, or parochial school in the USA. Application deadline is December 9, 2011. LOFT has donated $50,000 in support of the Kids In Need Foundation and the LOFT Best In Class Grants.
Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award
Do you know K-12 teachers or district-level administrators who are making a difference in education through the use of technology? Recognize their achievements by nominating them for the Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award. Technology personnel and K-12 classroom teachers who have demonstrated exemplary use of technology to enhance learning are eligible for this award. School principals, superintendents or associate superintendents may nominate eligible candidates. The award will be presented in April 2012 at the 28th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo. The deadline for applications is Jan. 16, 2012.
Applications and more information are available online at http://www.amfcse.org/Alan%20Shepard%20Award/alan_shepard_award.htm
DNA Day Essay Competition
Celebrate DNA Day with the American Society of Human Genetics. DNA Day commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003 and the discovery of the double helix of DNA in 1953. 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-place students receive $1,000, $600, and $400, respectively, and their teachers receive equal amounts in lab equipment grants. 10 honorable mention awards of $100. The essay question is now online. The essay deadline is March 12, 2012. For information, please visit:
http://www.ashg.org/education/dnaday.shtml
EPA Announces the 2011 Presidential Innovation Award Program for Environmental Educators
Two teachers from each EPA region will be selected to receive the award. Recipients will receive a commemorative plaque and an award of $2000, to be used to further their professional development in environmental education. Additionally, the local education agency employing each teacher will receive an award of $2000 to further the recipient’s environmental educational activities and programs. EPA and CEQ will announce the
inaugural award winners in the spring of 2012.
For more information on eligibility requirements and selection criteria or to submit an online application, please visit www.epa.gov/education/teacheraward <http://www.epa.gov/education/teacheraward> . The application deadline is December 30, 2011.
-- Science Spotlight
What Happens When You Flush a Toilet in the World’s Tallest Building?
The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. It's located in Dubai, a city with a lot of other skyscrapers. What Dubai doesn't have: A central sewage infrastructure that can accommodate the needs of a bunch of skyscrapers. You see the problem.
Russia Books Itself a Spot at Science Top Table
Russian plans a return to the scientific top table, after the ministry of economic development recently approved plans to significantly increase research funding. The Innovative Russia 2020 scheme should see science funding rise to at least 2.5 per cent of GDP. However, some critics think the scheme is overambitious and predict that implementation will run into bureacratic problems.
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/November/07111102.asp
-- Websites of the Week
NBC Learn:
http://www.nbclearn.com/portal/site/learn
These original resources (short videos, documents, images, and activities) are super examples of the application of science in our world today and they’re FREE. Check them out.
· "Chemistry Now!" consists of 32 weekly learning packages that break down the chemistry behind things such as cheeseburgers, chocolate, soap, and plastics. Each learning package contains short video stories that illustrate real-world applications of chemistry, current events, and archival news stories and lesson plans.
· From the tropics to the Arctic Ocean, "Changing Planet" explores the impact that climate change is having on our planet. Each of the 15 videos, 3–5 minutes long, follows scientists in the field who are studying the dramatic effects of rising temperatures in the air, in the water, and on land. Designed specifically for classroom use, each report has a lesson plan and activities.
· A fast-paced and informative 10-part video series, the "Science of NFL Football" explores the physics, engineering, materials science, math, and more behind America's popular sport. The series uses the universal appeal of football to drive an understanding of complicated scientific concepts in 3–5 minute videos with lesson plans.
· "Science of the Olympic Winter Games" is a 16-part series that features sports of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. The 3–5 minute videos illustrate how scientific principles apply to competitive sports. Lesson plans and activities for each video are included.
-- Contact
To subscribe to Science Matters in Wisconsin, please visit - http://bap.nsta.org/Content/Home/BecomeAContact/Default.aspx
For questions about Science Matters in Wisconsin, please contact me:
Eric Brunsell, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh brunsele@uwosh.edu
