Science Matters in Wisconsin 1(9)

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

-- Professional Development

Beaver Dam Science Share (10/16): Learn about science notebooks and quality free Internet resources.  Bring a favorite activity to share with your colleagues and network with area science teachers.  Wednesday November 16th from 4:30 to 5:30 at Beaver Dam High School (Room 612).  Please RSVP by Nov. 1 to Melissa Hemling            hemlingm@bdusd.org or 920-885-7313 x2192 (include your name, school and subject taught).  There is NO COST for this event!

-- Science Spotlight

A Dutch woman who lived to 115 years old credited her longevity to pickled herring, refraining from smoking and limiting alcohol. But scientists are looking to the woman’s genetic blueprints, hoping to uncover the secrets of successful aging.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/335295/title/No_shortage_of_dangerous_DNA

-- Website of the Week

Elementary teachers find resources about the Arctic and Antarctica along with practical ideas for enhancing children's literacy skills in this online project.

http://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/

-- Teacher Award (and funding!) Opportunity

NSTA and PASCO® is providing STEM Educator Awards to recognize excellence and innovation among K-12 STEM Educators. The PASCO STEM Educator Awards will recognize a total of five educators annually with an award totaling approximately $4,500, including a $1,000 cash award and a $2.000 certificate for PASCO products to further support their STEM program. Each winner will also receive up to $1,500 for travel expenses to attend the NSTA national conference, participate in a STEM “share-a-thon” workshop, and be recognized at the NSTA Awards Banquet.  The deadline to apply is November 30, 2011.  For more information, please visit:

http://www.pasco.com/STEMawards

 

-- Student Competition

YouTube and NASA are challenging students to design a science experiment that can be performed in space. Students from 14 to 18 years old can upload videos of their experiments onto YouTube’s Space Lab website.  A panel of scientists, astronauts, and educators, including Stephen Hawking, will judge the entries, and the two winning experiments will be conducted on the International Space Station 250 miles above Earth and live streamed on YouTube.

“The idea of seeing something you conceive and build in your ordinary classroom being actually flown on a rocket, being actually sent to the International Space Station, being actually carried out by a national, is the stuff of fiction. We think that is going to be the thing that gets kids excited,” said YouTube’s Zahaan Bharmal, who conceived of the challenge.  For full details, please visit:

http://www.youtube.com/SpaceLab

The deadline for entry is December 7, 2011.

-- Tech Tip

Is  YouTube blocked at your school?  YouTube is piloting a program to help make education related videos available for schools.  Only education videos will be accessible, comments will be disabled, and related videos will only be educational.

Schools can set their filters to allow YouTube videos only from this domain: http://YouTube.com/education

Schools interested in participating in this pilot program can sign up at: http://YouTube.com/t/education

 

-- 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