When it comes to celebrating the wonders of science, 2009 is truly an eventful year. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the births (on February 12, 1809) of Charles Darwin and the founder of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Abraham Lincoln. In addition, 2009 is the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, the 400th anniversary of the publication of Johannes Kepler’s first two Laws of Planetary Motion, and the International Year of Astronomy (see www.astronomy2009.org).
To commemorate these historic events and increase the public’s understanding of science, NAS staff members have collaborated with the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) to establish Year of Science 2009 (YoS09). COPUS is a national, grassroots effort with a network of more than 430 universities, schools, educators, scientific societies, science centers and museums, government agencies, advocacy groups, media, businesses, and industry. NSTA is a YoS09 project co-sponsor.
How Schools Can Celebrate
“How We Know What We Know” is YoS09’s central premise; each month will focus on a specific scientific theme (see sidebar). Theme-related resources, such as video clips, podcasts, student challenges, and citizen science opportunities, are available on www.yearofscience2009.org. COPUS Network Project Manager Sheri Potter also advises educators to register their school or department at no charge at http://copusproject.org to be notified of upcoming local and national activities, including professional development workshops and opportunities to partner with scientists. Registered schools can receive a monthly newsletter describing what other schools and organizations are doing to celebrate.
Potter invites teachers to participate in the YoS09 Flat Stanley Science Careers project, for example. Students create a paper Flat Stanley that can visit scientists by traveling in an envelope or being scanned and e-mailed. Students can send Flat Stanley on a search for unusual careers in science and post his findings to share with other students. And each month, the Data Depot Challenge urges students of all ages to collect a single piece of data useful in learning something new about the natural world and about science. January’s challenge is to find the mass of two liters of water.
Potter also encourages teachers to connect with science organizations in their community. These organizations “really want to partner” with schools, she emphasizes. Community partners can include universities as well as informal science education venues such as museums, aquariums, and science centers.
And don’t forget about graduate students, she adds. They typically enjoy visiting classrooms and discussing their work and goals with younger students.
The start of YoS09 is a good time to check in with your state science teachers association, which may have special activities planned or know about others in your area. NSTA’s website has links to its state chapters and associated groups at www.nsta.org/about/collaboration/chapters.
Other Resources
K–16 educators who want to incorporate inquiry-based teaching into their lessons should visit the Understanding Science website (www.understandingscience.org), recommends Potter. The site was produced by the University of California Museum of Paleontology in collaboration with scientists and teachers and funded by the National Science Foundation. One of its treasures is a Process of Science Flow Chart teachers can use to show students “how science really works.” It’s important for teachers to consider how they communicate the process and nature of science, she adds.
High school science teacher and NSTA member Kathleen Gorski of Wilbraham, Massachusetts, was one of the first educators to preview the site and use it in her classroom. She writes, “… the materials have had a huge impact on my classes this year; I’ve been told ‘that makes more sense [than what was learned earlier],’ and the kids seem to understand how one does science at a much deeper level.”
Potter also cites the COPUS blog at http://blogs.aibs.org/copus. On it, YoS09 organizers and guest bloggers discuss the year’s events and contribute additional resources.