Ready, Set, ... School!
Well, hopefully everyone's had a chance for a great summer break, including a chance to get outside and see our beautiful planet! Once again, though, the new academic year is creeping up on us, and it's time to get ready for students! This newsletter is full of great resources, opportunities, and information for you to get started. A key item below includes the deadline of August 6th to apply to present at the AGU GIFT workshop in San Francisco! We also list below our workshops at the fall NSTA conferences in Portland, Charlotte, and Denver, and we look forward to seeing you there! This year we will be putting particular emphasis on ways to address the Next Generation Science Standards in the Earth and space science classroom. Best wishes for your last few weeks of summer, and for a great new academic year!
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a new moon orbiting the distant blue-green planet, the 14th known moon to be circling the giant planet.
The moon, designated S/2004 N 1, is estimated to be no more than 12 miles across. It is so small and dim that it is roughly 100 million times fainter than the faintest star that can be seen with the naked eye. It even escaped detection by NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft, which flew past Neptune in 1989 and surveyed the planet's system of moons and rings.
For images, video, and more information about Neptune's new moon, visit: http://hubblesite.org/news/2013/30
For more information about the Hubble Space Telescope, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/hubble
Hurricane season for the Atlantic and Pacific basins runs through November 30th. Eyes were following Flossie in the Pacific all week, but luckily that storm has been downgraded to a tropical depression. Areas of heavy rain remain over parts of the island chain and all of Hawaii remains on alert for flash flooding which can cause rockslides and mudslides.
Scientists have predicted an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season for 2013, but thus far the year has had only four named storms, and none has grown to hurricane-strength. Tropical Storms Andrea, Barry, and Chantal each caused some local flooding, but no major damage when they finally made landfall in Central America and Hispaniola. The fourth storm, Dorian, has become disorganized and is not likely (less than 20% chance) to become a tropical cyclone. The low pressure area is causing rain and thunderstorms in the Caribbean and will move across parts of the Bahamas soon.
Check in at the NOAA National Hurricane Center web site for safety and preparedness information, the list of storm names for the Pacific and Atlantic basins that will be used this year, and hurricane tracking maps. Let's hope Erin and Fernand in the Atlantic and Gil and Henriette in the Pacific are long in coming!
Like a comet, the solar system has a tail. For the first time, NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) has mapped out the structure of this tail, which is shaped like a four-leaf clover.
While telescopes have spotted such tails around other stars, it has been difficult to see whether our star produced one. The particles found in the tail do not shine, so they cannot be seen with conventional instruments. The IBEX team, however, was able to use a technique called energetic neutral atom imaging to measure these particles and map the solar system’s tail.
Scientists do not know how long the tail is, and are testing their current computer simulations of the solar system against the new observations to improve our understanding of the comet-like tail streaming out behind us.
For more information about the IBEX mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ibex
Have you ever noticed that the grass in your yard always gets greener after a thunderstorm? That’s partly because lightning actually helps to feed the plants in the area. The electrical energy in lightning splits Nitrogen molecules in the air, allowing their newly freed atoms to react with oxygen and form nitrates, which then dissolve in rain drops and fall to the ground, where they nourish plants. This process is called nitrogen fixation, because it’s a process in which nitrogen is converted from an inert form to one that is usable by living organisms. Scientists think that roughly 5-8% of the nitrogen fixation on Earth is actually caused by lightning, which means that thunderstorms are actually an important part of the global Nitrogen cycle. You can learn more about lightning and the Nitrogen cycle on the Windows to the Universe website.
Haboob. Really? Ok, I'm not pulling your leg here. A haboob is a real thing - an Earth science thing! A haboob is a strong wind and accompanying sand or duststorm. In Khartoum, Sudan, they occur on average 24 times a year! Imagine a wall of sand or dust engulfing everything around you - 24 times each year!
Haboobs can happen in almost any desert region. In fact, haboobs have hit the Phoenix, Arizona area the last two Julys. The leading edge of the 2011 storm was almost 100 miles across and traveled 150 miles. There is an impressive video shot from a helicopter that shows this powerful storm moving into the Phoenix area. This was no doubt a bad day to be out for an evening stroll or casual drive, as Accuweather estimated the swell of dust to be over a mile (5,000 feet!) high and said winds reached 70mph!
Haboobs are named for the Arabic word for wind, habb. Haboob. Fun word to say, but not a fun thing to experience. Check out National Weather Service's safety tips for weathering a haboob.
Summer is here (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere at least!), and with it comes trips to the beach or pool. When you go outside this summer, make sure to wear your sunglasses and to slather on sunscreen. Ultraviolet "light" can cause sunburn or even skin cancer (melanoma can affect even teens and young adults). UV radiation can also damage your eyes. Fortunately, our atmosphere's ozone layer absorbs most ultraviolet radiation before it reaches us on the ground. Thanks to our protective atmosphere, a few simple precautions can help keep us safe from the remainder of this potentially dangerous type of radiation!
Before you go out, be sure to check the UV Index in your area so you know how strong the sun's rays will be. The UV Index predicts the strength of harmful solar rays.
Finally, review (and practice!) the EPA's recommendations for sun safety at http://www2.epa.gov/sunwise/action-steps-sun-safety.
People have been wondering about what they see in the sky for a long time. Because of our curiosity about the sky, we tell stories and myths about what we see there. The desire to explain what we see around us in the simplest way using science has driven astronomers for centuries.
By carefully watching the sky, astronomers learn about how the universe works. By studying eclipses and the motions of the planets, astronomers eventually realized that gravity controls the way things move, and that gravity was responsible for the motion of the Sun, the Moon, and the stars in our sky as well. We now know that the Earth's motion is responsible for seasons.
Ever more powerful telescopes allow us to "see" further away and thus farther into the history of our Universe. With them, we can study stars and galaxies, as well as many of the more mysterious objects in our Universe. Someday, we may even be able to predict the ultimate fate of the Universe.
Every day, about 100 tons of meteoroids -- fragments of dust and gravel and sometimes even big rocks – enter the Earth's atmosphere. Stand out under the stars for more than a half an hour on a clear night and you'll likely see a few of the meteors produced by the onslaught. But where does all this stuff come from? Surprisingly, the answer is not well known.
The Delta Aquarids meteor shower, which will continue through early August, is thought to be caused by Earth crossing through the orbit of an unknown comet. The meteors radiate from the constellation Aquarius, for which the shower is named. The shower produces approximately 15 meteors per hour and the optimal viewing time is an hour or two before dawn. Meteor watchers in tropical latitudes (both in the Southern Hemisphere and in the Northern Hemisphere) enjoy the best views.
If you turn your gaze skyward during the summer and see something you don't recognize, check out the NASA All-sky Fireball Network web site to figure out what you saw. This site hosts data from a network of cameras that observe and track meteors brighter than the planet Venus (also called fireballs).
There are several notable science history dates in August. Here are some of them:
Applications to present at the GIFT workshop at the 2013 Fall Meeting of AGU in San Francisco will be taken though August 6, 2013. Participating in the AGU/NESTA GIFT workshop is an excellent way to share your science and associated educational resources with teachers, and to help them bring these resources directly into their classrooms. Final decisions on selected presentation teams will be made by August 23.
The workshop will be held December 9-10, 2013, from 7:30 am-3 pm (allowing teachers to explore the exhibit hall and attend poster and presentation sessions in the afternoon). A Share-a-Thon will be hosted each day during the workshop.
Workshop presentations by scientists and education specialists presented at the 2012 GIFT workshop are available at http://www.windows2universe.org/teacher_resources/2012_AGU-NESTA_GIFT_Workshop.html. Enjoy!
Possibly the best known meteor shower, the Perseids, will be peaking August 12-13 (around midnight until just before dawn). Luckily, the crescent moon will set early to enhance viewing that peak night. The Perseids provide chances to see many bright meteors (upwards of 60/hour!), with persistent trains, the week before the peak as well. So look skyward toward the constellation Perseus and enjoy nature's show!
Need tips for viewing this year's meteor shower? Check out Sky and Telescope's guide to the year's best meteor displays.
Will you be at the NSTA Regional Conferences in Portland, Charlotte or Denver? If so, we invite you to participate in one or more of the sessions listed below.
Portland NSTA Regional Conference
Denver NSTA Regional Conference
Have you had a chance to visit our Teacher Resources Section? If not, August may be a great time to do so as you begin planning for a new school year.
In our Teacher Resources section, there is a page about various workshops we've presented. So if you are looking for information that was presented during one of those sessions - look here!
But the highlight of our Teacher Resources section is definitely our Activities Page. Here you'll find many K-12 science activities on subjects from space weather to geology to writing in the science classroom. Most are hands-on and use inexpensive materials. You are welcome to make copies of anything on our site (worksheets, example rubrics, etc.) for use in your classroom.
We have tried our best to make our activities teacher-friendly. You will see on the top of the activities a brief summary of each activity, the grade level addressed, time the activity takes and the National Standards addressed. See our Magnetometer Activity as an example.
We hope our activities will be a refreshing addition to your classroom. To those of you in the Northern Hemisphere - all the best for a new school year!
Do you or another teacher you know use humor in the science classroom to teach concepts?
Little research has been done on the use of humor as an instructional tool. A graduate student in the school of Education at the University at Albany is studying the way that science teachers use humor in their teaching to positively affect student learning.
A forum has been set up for science teachers to comment about their experiences using humor in the classroom or to nominate other teachers who regularly use humor to teach science. You are encouraged to visit and participate in this forum.
It’s almost back-to-school time again, and that’s a big part of why the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have designated August “National Immunization Awareness Month.” Immunizations (or vaccinations) are a huge part of modern medicine, and in many ways they are the most important means of controlling infectious diseases like measles, polio, and diphtheria.
Vaccinations work by showing your body’s immune system what a potentially harmful virus or bacterium looks like, without actually exposing your body to a real infection. Once your body learns to recognize the virus or bacterium, it can deal with a real infection much more efficiently. This means that your immune system can often clear an infecting virus or bacterium without you even knowing you were exposed.
There’s a lot of discussion about vaccines’ safety these days, but it’s important to remember this — the one thing that that’s been proven again and again for more than 200 years is that vaccines save lives.
Listening to science podcasts is a great way to brush up on your own content knowledge! They are easy to "carry with you" on trips and they are free! You'll glean tidbits of information that will make your subject fun and fascinating, plus relevant, for your students.
The Windows to the Universe podcast zone is a great place to find brief podcasts produced by the National Science Foundation. Other favorite podcasts of ours include Lab Out Loud podcasts produced by NSTA and Astronomy behind the Headlines podcasts produced by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Listen, learn and enjoy!
ScienceCasts are NASA videos created by an astrophysicist and a team of agency narrators and videographers. New videos are posted weekly. The format is designed to increase understanding of the world of science through simple, clear presentations. Current episodes include the improbable anniversary of Opportunity, noctilucent clouds and glow-in-the-dark plants on the ISS.
Earlier this spring, the final Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a new set of voluntary, rigorous, and internationally benchmarked standards for K-12 science education, were released.
Achieve has launched an online, interactive version of the NGSS that allows users to search the standards and organize content to meet their needs by simply clicking Within the Disciplinary Core Idea (DCI) or Arranged by Topics (then further organize by grade band/level). The NGSS can also be viewed as the individual performance expectations that make up the standards. In this arrangement, content can be organized by the three dimensions: from the NRC Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and DCIs.
To our newsletter subscribers:
Table of Contents
New Neptune Moon
Trop Storms Update
Lightning - N Cycle
What's a Haboob?
Delta Aquarid MS
Sci History Dates
AGU GIFT in SanFran
Sci Standards Online
Shark Week 2013!
Green Thumb Chall
K-5 Math/Sci Grants
ES Wk Mapping World
ES Week Contests
Geologic Map Day
Science Behind News
GeoWord of the Day
2 Minute Geology
NOAA Activity Book
Iowa Impact Crater
Announcements from Partners
Information about Opportunities with Stipends, Honorariums, or Awards for Teachers/students
How are you celebrating Shark Week this year? Join Discovery Channel for a "Happy Shark Week" starting Sunday, August 4.
Find out why Great White sharks are swimming just off beaches from South Africa to Australia, and up and down the coast of California. Find out how sharks hunt and if certain sharks might "go rogue" like in the hit movie Jaws. Get your shark fix with the many available TV shows, online videos, games, photos, news and even shark apps!
The American Geosciences Institute (AGI), in collaboration with many other geoscience societies, invites geoscientists to come to Washington DC for the annual Geosciences Congressional Visits Day (GEO-CVD) on September 17-18, 2013. Decision makers need to hear from you. Become a citizen geoscientist and join many of your colleagues for this two-day event uniting geoscience researchers, professionals, students, educators, engineers, and executives in Washington DC to raise visibility and support for the geosciences.
A constructive visit from citizen geoscientists about the importance and value of geoscience (and geoscience-related engineering) research and education is the most effective way to inform and impact federal science policy. Find out more information and sign up for this important event at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/events/geocvd/index.html.
The Green Education Foundation (GEF) and Gardener’s Supply Company have teamed up on a funding opportunity for established youth garden projects nationwide. The organizations are calling on schools and youth groups to submit chronicles of their garden projects in a race to win a $1,000 prize. The award is designed to support the continued sustainability of an exceptional youth garden program that has demonstrated success, and has impacted the lives of kids and their community.
Click here to learn more about the grant or application process. The deadline for applying is September 30th.
Project Learning Tree has GreenWorks! grants of up to $3,000 available to schools and youth organizations for environmental service-learning projects. The application form is now online and the deadline to apply is September 30, 2013.
PLT's GreenWorks! program is open to any PLT-trained educator in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The grants help students actively improve their local environments, which include both their schools and their communities. Possible project ideas might include implementing recycling programs, conserving water and energy, improving air quality, or establishing school gardens and outdoor classrooms and integrating these projects into the curriculum. PLT also provides grants for youth to plant trees, conserve forests, restore habitats, improve streams, construct nature trails, and more.
PLT GreenWorks! projects combine academics with service projects using the service-learning model. In this way, students “learn by doing” through an action project they both design and implement. The projects encourage students to partner with school decision-makers, local businesses, and community organizations to provide opportunities for student leadership.
Teachers and students can visit www.greenworks.org to download an application and apply today. Successful applicants can expect grant funds to be awarded in December 2013. All projects must be completed by December 2014.
Toshiba America Foundation offers grants of up to $1,000 to support innovative projects designed by elementary (K-5) teachers to make their classrooms more exciting for students. Proposed projects must advance the teacher's science and math teaching units. The deadline for submission is October 1, 2013.
The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce that the theme of Earth Science Week 2013 will be "Mapping Our World."
This year's event will promote awareness of the many exciting uses of maps and mapping technologies in the geosciences. Earth Science Week 2013 materials and activities will engage young people and others in learning how geoscientists, geographers, and other mapping professionals use maps to represent land formations, natural resource deposits, bodies of water, fault lines, volcanic activity, weather patterns, travel routes, parks, businesses, population distribution, our shared geologic heritage, and more. Maps help show how the Earth systems (geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere) interact.
Earth Science Week 2013 will be celebrated October 13-19. For more about this week and ways to get involved, including newsletters, local events, and classroom activities, please see the Earth Science Week web site. To pre-order Earth Science Week 2013 Toolkits, please visit http://www.earthsciweek.org/materials/index.html. You may also call AGI Publications to place your order for toolkits at 703-379-2480.
AGI is sponsoring three national contests for Earth Science Week 2013. The photography, visual arts, and essay contests - all focused on the event theme of “Mapping Our World” - allow both students and the general public to participate in the celebration, learn about Earth science, and compete for prizes.
The National Park Service’s Junior Paleontologist program seeks to engage young people in activities that allow them to discover the significance of fossils and the science of paleontology, and introduces them to the national park system and to the mission of the National Park Service.
On Friday, October 18, 2013, you are invited to join in the celebration of the second annual Geologic Map Day! Geologic Map Day will promote awareness of the study, uses, and importance of geologic mapping for education, science, business, and a variety of public policy concerns.
Finally, don't forget that university-level students can enter the 2013 Best Student Geologic Map Competition. To be considered, students should contact the official U.S. Geological Survey representative by September 6. To learn more, visit http://community.geosociety.org/2013AnnualMeeting/Conference/StudentInfo/MapCompetition.
Registration is open for teams seeking to compete in the $1.5 million energy storage competition known as the Night Rover Challenge, sponsored by NASA and the Cleantech Open of Palo Alto, CA. To win, a team must demonstrate a stored energy system that can power a simulated solar-powered exploration vehicle that can operate through multiple cycles of daylight and extended periods of darkness.
The 2013-2014 EarthScope Speaker Series is presenting scientific results of EarthScope research to faculty and students at colleges and universities. EarthScope explores the structure and evolution of the North American continent and the processes that cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Need a little inspiration for the upcoming school year? Look no further! IDVSolution's photo stream on flickr has remarkable images that will get you (and your students) inspired! Use them as visual teaching aids, for classroom discussion or have your students examine them in small groups. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words! Here are some stunning examples:
Tornado Travel - Historic tornado travel direction in the U.S.
Hurricanes Since 1851 - An updated version of the historical hurricanes swirl map.
Global Bathymetry - A desktop image.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and NBC Learn, the educational arm of NBC News, have developed Science Behind the News, a fast paced video series exploring the STEM content of current events. Each video runs between 4 and 10 minutes and features at least one interview with an NSF-funded scientist or researcher. Earth Science Titles include Impacts on Jupiter, Extrasolar Planets, Predictive Policing and Tornadoes.
NBC Learn also has other free educational resources available through their portal including Sustainability: Water, Changing Planet, and many more that students, teachers and parents will find useful and interesting.
Geology.com provides a variety of geoscience materials including Earth science news, maps, an online dictionary of Earth science terms, and information on geoscience careers.
"Stanley and Stella Explore the Environment" is a new blog that will help kids learn about protecting the environment while they also build reading and science skills. Kids will have loads of fun when they join Stanley and Stella on their adventures this summer at:
The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) has a free GeoWord of the Day service. GeoWord of the Day is a fun and convenient way to learn a new geoscience term every day. Each morning (US ET), the service will highlight a new word or term featured in the Glossary of Geology, ensuring daily authoritative terms and definitions for years to come. Users may choose to receive the GeoWord of Day directly through email by subscribing online.
SEED (Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development) is a volunteer-based, nonprofit education program that empowers Schlumberger employee volunteers and educators to share their passion for learning and science with students aged 10 to 18. The SEED “learning while doing” methodology draws on the technology and science expertise of volunteers to engage students in global issues such as water, energy, and climate change.
The Association of American Geographers (AAG) offers an array of web resources for K-12 and college-level Earth science education:
* The Geographic Advantage (http://geographicadvantage.aag.org/), an educational companion for the National Research Council’s “Understanding the Changing Planet,” outlines teaching strategies and geographic investigations that show students how geographers explore environmental change and sustainability.
A new series of short geology videos from scenic Washington are now available online! "2 Minute Geology" is hosted by Central Washington University geology professor Nick Zentner and created by Tom Foster for HUGEfloods.com. 12 episodes so far...with many more coming!
NOAA has a new activity book about the principles of climate science - Discover Your Changing World With NOAA has ten activities to keep your kids and students engaged this summer.
Are your students ready to discover their changing world? This free activity book will introduce students to The Essential Principles of Climate Science, and they will learn what they can do to explore, understand, and protect our Earth. Download the full activity book or complete individual activities and have fun!
The American Meteorological Society Glossary of Meteorology, an authoritative source for definitions of meteorological terms, is now fully electronic and freely available for anyone to use online. The direct link is at the Glossary of Meteorology.
The AMS first published the Glossary over 40 years ago. Containing 7,900 terms, more than 10,000 copies were sold in print. The new electronic version of the Glossary contains more than 12,000 terms and will be an excellent resource for many years to come!
Scientists have recently confirmed the existence of an impact crater buried below the town of Decorah, Iowa. Scientists first discovered what they thought resembled a crater in 2008, but now it has been corroborated by an airborne geophysical survey. Scientists estimate the diameter of the crater at 5.5 kilometers wide, nearly five times the size of the Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona.
The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://windows2universe.org/ from the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA). The Website was developed in part with the support of UCAR and NCAR, where it resided from 2000 - 2010. © 2010 National Earth Science Teachers Association. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark of NESTA. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer.