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***SPECIAL EDITION***
August 14, 2002
An NSF Summer: Bringing the excitement of science
to school
For more information on these science news and feature
story tips, contact the public information officer
listed at (703) 292-8070.
Editor: Josh Chamot
Throughout the summer, teachers around the country
participate in their own form of summer school. They
explore science and engineering at the source, from
venturing into copper mines to working alongside ship
builders - rekindling their enthusiasm and gathering
new information to inspire and challenge their students
in the coming year. These news tips highlight a few
examples of the summer learning projects supported
by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Contents of this News Tip:
School Rooftops
Catch the Rays in Statewide Experiment
The rooftops of schools
throughout Nebraska are becoming high-energy
physics research stations as part of the
Cosmic Ray Observatory Project supported
by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
During the summer, students and teachers
gathered at the University of Nebraska,
Lincoln, to learn how to collect data
to study cosmic rays, particles that arrive
from space in extensive showers.
The four-year project began in 2000 and
will eventually place equipment in all
of the state's 314 high schools. Students
use computers to gather information on
cosmic ray showers and then compare their
findings with those of students in schools
elsewhere in the state. The project helps
students understand the process of science
by going beyond predictable, textbook
experiments.
Students studying the showers will be able
to follow the pathways of particularly
energetic bursts, because so many schools
will be studying them simultaneously,
said Gregory Snow, professor of physics
at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln,
and co-director of the program. The student
findings will contribute to a growing
set of worldwide data on cosmic rays,
Snow said. [Bill Harms] |
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A teacher explains the effect of the earth's
magnetic field on the trajectories of
charged particles, a topic relevant to
the study of cosmic rays at Nebraska high
schools
Photo Credit: Daniel Claes, University
of Nebraska
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A student polishes the edges of a scintillator
panel that will gather data on cosmic
rays for an experiment taking place at
schools across Nebraska in the coming
year.
Credit: Daniel Claes, University
of Nebraska
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Teachers Brought
up to Speed on High-Energy Physics
The Department of Energy
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
in Batavia, Illinois, is bringing the
excitement of high-energy physics research
to high school teachers and students across
the country through QuarkNet, a program
supported by NSF.
During the summer, 24 teachers spend a
week at the lab, learning about particle
physics. The teachers then continue their
experience with summer research alongside
physicists at a university or laboratory
near their homes.
At Fermilab, the teachers attend a simulated
experiment meeting based on the work going
on at Fermilab and the CERN facility in
Switzerland. Their work also includes
analyzing data and reporting findings,
attending talks by physicists, checking
out recent upgrades in experimental halls
and discussing how to translate their
experiences to the classroom. During the
coming year, teachers will work with mentors
and share their knowledge with teams of
up to 10 local associate teachers.
The program began in 1999 and will eventually
reach 60 universities and laboratories
in 28 states. It is expected to involve
720 teachers, reaching 100,000 students.
[Bill Harms]
A teacher cleans up a plastic scintillator
used in a rooftop cosmic ray detector.
Photo Credit: Jeff Wilkes, University
of Washington Physics Department
Select image for larger version
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High school physics teachers work with
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
physicist Jae Yu to assemble a cosmic
ray detector as part of a project at the
laboratory to promote learning among students.
Photo Credit: Thomas Jordan, Fermi
National Accelerator Laboratory Education
Office
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(Size: 167KB)
Students assemble an electronic logic
board for a classroom cosmic ray detector
as part of a program based at Fermi National
Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois,
to help students learn about high energy
physics.
Photo Credit: Pote Pothongusan, Cape
Henry Collegiate School
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Summer School
Gives Teachers Inside Look at the Earth
This fall, high school and
middle school teachers from around the
country will be sharing knowledge about
minerals, mining and other geologic topics
with their students after returning from
the Teachers' Earth Science Institute,
a program supported by NSF at Michigan
Technological University.
Teachers teamed up with university researchers
and engineers to conduct original research,
both in the lab and in the field. Topics
ranged from geological exploration and
mineral identification to mineral processing
and environmental protection. The teachers
conducted some of their research in the
copper mines of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
The teachers learn how mining has become
a high-tech, global industry that produces
metals and minerals for such industries
as manufacturing, medicine and jewelry.
Organizers hope the program will enhance
the teaching of earth science in middle
and high schools, as well as provide historical
and social context for minerals. [Bill
Harms] |
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This image shows a teacher practicing
with a jackleg drill in a copper mine
in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She was
among a group of teachers from around
the country who spent the summer in Michigan
learning about earth science by exploring
the mining industry.
Photo Credit: Francis Otuonye¸ Tennessee
Technological University
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This photo shows a teacher using a drill
to blast through rocks in a copper mine
in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. He was
learning about earth science in a program
that brought teachers to mining sites.
Photo Credit: Francis Otuonye, Tennessee
Technological University
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Teachers Learn
Skills Students Will Need in the Workforce
Teachers in Mississippi will be sharing on-the-job
experiences of a different sort this fall as they
plan activities for their students. In the NSF-supported
Research Experiences in Industry program, teachers
this summer learned how science, mathematics and technology
are used in the workplace.
Forty-two high school and middle school teachers spent
several weeks in the program, visiting the Northrop
Grumman Ship Systems Ingalls Operation in Pascagoula,
Mississippi, the Tennessee Valley Authority in Chattanooga,
and Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The teachers also spent
one day each at the Mississippi Lignite Mining Company's
Red Hills Mine in Ackerman, Mississippi, and Mercedes-Benz
Institute and Production Plant in Vance, Alabama.
The participants are also doing the equivalent of
three-day internships at industry sites in their local
area over the next year.
At the Mississippi shipyard, the teachers wore steel-toed
boots and hard hats, and they tried a number of jobs,
including welding, pipe fitting, wiring circuits and
cutting sheet metal. At TVA, the teachers learned
about power trading, hydroelectric power generation,
pump storage facilities, research into alternative
forms of energy, information technology and economic
development.
Participants said the program expanded their appreciation
of science and gave them new insights into the workforce
needs of local industry. During the coming school
year, the teachers will mentor their peers in order
to help increase faculty and student understanding
of the role of science, mathematics and technology
in the workplace, said Sandra Harpole, physics professor
at Mississippi State University and coordinator of
the program. [Bill Harms]
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