Welcome to this week’s issue of Science Matters in Wisconsin.  Please share this with a colleague!

-- Professional Development

Upcoming NSTA webinars: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/webseminars.aspx

- Connections between changing land cover and climate change (Dec 14 @ 7:15)

- Electrolysis on the International Space Station (HS Chemistry, Dec 15 @ 5:30)

- Electromagnetic Spectrum: Remote Sensing of Ice on Mars (Dec 19 @ 5:30)

-- Science Spotlight

The news wires are abuzz with the Higgs boson this week.  The Higgs boson is (theoretically) the subatomic particle that gives matter mass.  Scientists haven’t found it yet, but they are closing in.  Here are three stories that show the significance of the Higgs boson and describe how scientists are closing in on finding it. 

- http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/13/world/europe/higgs-boson-q-and-a/index.html

- http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/search-for-god-particle-higgs-boson-narrowing-scientists-say/2011/12/13/gIQAHXQTsO_story.html

- http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/13/us-science-higgs-brick-idUSTRE7BB27K20111213

-- Website of the Week

WATCH UW-MADISON ENGINEERING UNDERGRADS PRESENT THEIR REAL-WORLD DESIGNS
Deriving their inspiration from fields ranging from music and ice hockey to cross-country skiing and wind energy, eight UW-Madison undergraduate engineering student design teams will compete Dec. 14 for a top cash prize of $2,500. The students, who are majoring in engineering mechanics and astronautics and mechanical engineering will display working prototypes of their designs as part of the EMA/ME Design Competition.

http://homepages.cae.wisc.edu/~elder/2011/index.html

Watch it live today from 2:30 – 6:00
http://homepages.cae.wisc.edu/~elder/2011/watch.html

-- Video of the Week

Hunting with a Peregrine Falcon

If your school blocks YouTube, you can download educationally appropriate videos at home by using www.zamzar.com.

-- 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