Classroom In The Classroom

Get Involved! Connecting With the Community by Heather Scott

Education Update by John Percy and Heather Scott

The Planetarium Education Connection by Nathalie Martimbeau

Les planétariums : la communauté éducative par Nathalie Martimbeau

file:///C|/kings/public_html/astro/ecass/issues/2003-js/classroom/classroom.html [6/22/2003 10:38:14 AM] Get Involved Get Involved! Connecting with the Community by Heather Scott

At the recent CASCA General Meeting, an open-forum style of discussion was held immediately after the Education Session. One topic which surfaced was the question of how to become involved with outreach organizations – which programs are available and where can I find contact information?

Listed below are some starting points: websites of organizations which coordinate getting scientists out into the schools and the community. Most programs are quite flexible, and depend on how much you want to get involved. Some offer training sessions or pairings with a teacher, while others are less formal. A more extensive list – as well as ideas for talks, demonstrations and activities – will be posted on the Canadian Astronomy Education Website in the near future.

There is something all of us can do to promote astronomy awareness in Canada – check out the links below for further information!

Let’s Talk Science

Area: National

Main website: http://www.letstalkscience.uwo.ca/

Partnership Program: http://www.letstalkscience.uwo.ca/programs/partners/index.ihtml

(from the website:) “The LTS Partnership Program is a national network of volunteers from the scientific research community who perform hands-on Science in the classroom and the community. Consisting primarily of graduate (master's and PhD) students, these volunteers are based at over 15 Canadian universities from coast to coast. The volunteers are trained in basic education theory and communication using a standardized training program, and are enthusiastic about bringing their knowledge and love of Science into the classroom or community group setting. One option available to volunteers is the "partnership" model, in which a volunteer is partnered with a teacher or class for the course of a school year, developing a personal relationship with the students and providing a positive role model. The many activities performed by Partnership Program volunteers include hands-on activities, Science fair mentoring and judging, Demonstrations and Lab tours.”

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The following universities already have the Partnership Program available:

● Carleton University: http://www.carleton.ca/natsci/lts/

● Dalhousie University: http://www.medicine.dal.ca/letstalkscience/index.cfm

● McGill University (bilingual/bilingue): http://www.medcor.mcgill.ca/EXPMED/LTSM/index.html

● McMaster University: http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/lts/

● Memorial University of Newfoundland: http://www.mun.ca/scitalk/

● Queen’s University ● Simon Fraser University: http://www.sfu.ca/~lts/

● University of Alberta ● University of British Columbia: http://www.gss.ubc.ca/LTS

● University of Calgary ● University of : http://www.uoguelph.ca/CBS/lts/newLTSindex.htm

● University of Manitoba ● University of ● University of ● University of Western ● University of Winnipeg: http://theory.uwinnipeg.ca/lts/

● University of Victoria: http://www.engr.uvic.ca/~lts/

Scientists in School

Area: Greater Toronto Area and Guelph

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Main website: http://www.scientistsinschool.ca/

(from the website:) “Scientists in School is an incorporated, not-for-profit organization and registered charity that brings science to life for elementary classrooms through fun and exciting, "hands-on", natural and applied science and technology programs. By involving children throughout their elementary grades as "scientists" under the guidance of an enthusiastic scientist, our aim is to inspire greater understanding and interest in all young minds and to expose students to a variety of scientist role models, many of whom are female. A complementary aim is to provide mentoring for elementary teachers, both right in their classrooms and through teacher workshops, in order to enhance teacher capability and confidence in teaching science and technology using "hands-on" methods.”

Innovators in the Schools Program

Area: Saskatchewan

Main website: http://www.discoverscience.ca/inn_sch.html

(from the website:) “This national program was initiated in Saskatchewan to contribute to the development of positive attitudes in young people toward learning science and mathematics. This program complements the Core Curriculum Initiatives of Saskatchewan Education to make science and mathematics more realistic and exciting. Goals of the program include increasing the awareness of science and technology, expanding the knowledge of the careers available, and encouraging the enrollment of students in secondary mathematic and science courses.”

Scientists and Innovators in the Schools

Area: British Columbia

Main website: http://www.scienceworld.bc.ca/newsite/education/students/sis.php3

(from the website:) “Scientists & Innovators in the Schools is a program that helps address British Columbia's need for more scientists, engineer technologists and technicians as well as to promote students' interest in these areas. Our goal is to inspire students with exciting interactive presentations by real scientists. The program is offered to grades K-12 anywhere in B.C.”

Scientists and Innovators in the Schools

Area: Nova Scotia

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Main website: http://www.dal.ca/~sits/

(from the website:) “Scientists and Innovators in the Schools provides a range of services for Nova Scotia school teachers of all grade levels. Our services include: classroom speakers and demonstrators, Science Club advisors, Science Fair judges and advisors.”

Canadian Association of Women in Science (CAWIS) (bilingual/bilingue)

Area: National, based in Nova Scotia

Main website: http://www.dal.ca/~stanet/database/cawis.html

(from the website:) “We are a chapter of the national organization dedicated to promoting equal opportunities for women in science, engineering, and technology and to encourage girls' and women's interest in science and the pursuit of science careers. Scientists 'adopt' a school or class for a year and work, in close cooperation with teachers, to enhance the students' understanding of science, what scientists do, and the contributions that science makes to society.”

Heather is the CASCA Education Coordinator, combining both a background in Astronomy (HBSc. and MSc.) and Education (BEd.). She currently teaches high school Physics and General Science at Ridley College in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Heather R. Scott Ridley College St. Catharines, ON [email protected]

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Education at the CASCA General Assembly 2003

There were several contributed poster and oral papers on education presented at the recent CASCA general meeting. Authors N. Martimbeau, H.R. Scott, J. Percy, D. Turner and K. Spekkens, presented on topics such as Project Astro in the United States, the Ask an Astronomer website (http://curious.astro.cornell.edu), resources for first-year undergraduate astronomy, the CASCA education website and partnerships with organizations in an effort to combine resources.

The oral presentations included one by invited speaker Mars Bloch, President of the Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario (STAO) and Coordinator for Science and Technology of the Toronto District School Board. Her talk, entitled “Astronomy – A Black Hole for Teachers!” discussed the current Pan-Canadian curriculum, upon which science programs are based, and some of the issues teachers are having with it. She presented three facets of the curriculum – the intended curriculum, the implemented curriculum and the attained curriculum, underlining the importance of professional astronomers in the education community, and how we can contribute back to the classroom.

For full details and abstracts, go to http://astro.uwaterloo.ca/casca03/english/viewposters.php (for posters) and http://astro.uwaterloo.ca/casca03/english/programme.html (for oral presentations).

After the oral session, time was devoted to an open forum-style question- and-answer period, where the audience could discuss any of the topics presented that afternoon, or question the speakers directly. There were a few concerns expressed about the logistics of the Education Website, and other ideas regarding outreach were discussed. Some of the audience file:///C|/kings/public_html/astro/ecass/issues/2003-js/classroom/percy/education.htm (1 of 3) [6/22/2003 10:38:15 AM] Education at the CASCA General Assembly 2003 displayed interest in getting involved in outreach, but mentioned having trouble finding information. Finally, it was brought up that in order to reach even more students, the teachers should be targeted - teacher workshops or “astronomers in the classroom” should be pursued. Information the development of such workshops, as well as where to find information on getting involved in the community, will be one of the target areas on the new website.

CASCA Education Website

The Canadian Astronomy Education Website has made great strides in the past few months, in an effort to finalize the design of the site and get much of the content ready and posted. While the original site is still being used for initial postings and layout experimentation, the new site is already starting to be used by educators, and many of the interactive features are up and running. The designers encourage all teachers of astronomy to visit the site at http://www.cascaeducation.ca, give the site a test run and fill out a survey, indicating which features they would find most useful on the site.

Education Articles There were two education articles in the recent (April 2003) issue of the RASC Journal. The first, by David Orenstein, Mars in Motion: Using Vectors to Investigate the Retrograde Loop, walks the reader through calculating the displacement, velocity and acceleration of Mars using data from the RASC Observer’s Handbook. The article reviews vector operations, making it a good exercise for a senior secondary school physics/mathematics class or a first-year undergraduate course. This is timely, too, as the opposition of Mars this August will be the closest approach of the planet until the year 2287.

file:///C|/kings/public_html/astro/ecass/issues/2003-js/classroom/percy/education.htm (2 of 3) [6/22/2003 10:38:15 AM] Education at the CASCA General Assembly 2003 The second article is the first in a series of Website reviews by William Dodd. Simply titled Web Site Reviews, Dodd summarizes the content, aesthetics, organization and associated links of various sites, and ranks them out of five stars. The two sites reviewed in this issue are the Canadian Space Agency website and the American Association of Variable Star Observers website.

Workshops & Presentations

The Trinity Teachers’ Institute, held at Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario, offers several courses for teachers each summer. This month, Dr. David Hanes presents Exploring the Night Sky, a three-day, two-night course for science teachers and those interested in star-gazing. The sessions include such topics as An Introduction to the Stars, Astronomy as a Science, My Life as an Astronomer and The Cosmos. For more information, see http://institute.tcs.on.ca/

On Monday June 2, the first CASCA Teachers’ Workshop was held at the Waterloo Region District School Board Education Centre in Kitchener. Entitled Lost Amongst the Stars?! A workshop on teaching practices in Astronomy, the seminar featured a general level talk by Ian Shelton (“Cool Ideas and Hot News in Astronomy”), followed by two level-specific workshops for grade 6 and grade 9 teachers given simultaneously. These workshops, presented by Heather Scott and John Percy respectively, focused on strategies for teaching Astronomy at each level, including ideas for activities and resources, as well as physical demonstrations for the classroom. We owe thanks to Jill Snider at the Waterloo Region District School Board for hosting and helping to organize the event.

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Under the summer starry night sky ... by Nathalie Martimbeau

For some planetaria the summer brings an increase in programmes and visitors, and for others, it means a reduced schedule with current programmes. In this season’s article, you will be able to get a preview of what’s coming in the fall. Clear summer skies! MacMillan Space Science Centre (Vancouver)

June 28th is opening day for three new programs at Vancouver's H R MacMillan Space Centre. In the planetarium "Lamp's of Atlantis," based on the research of Professor Archie Roy takes a look at some early Mediterranean star watchers, and presents some interesting theories on who they were and where they were located. In the Virtual Voyages simulator "Deep Sea" premieres. The audience dive beneath the Pacific Ocean exploring thermal vents and the many life forms they support, and have a scary encounter with a giant squid AND a sperm whale.

In the GroundStation Canada theatre "Dizzying Heights: Your Body in Orbit" deals with the challenges of staying healthy in micro-gravity, and takes a look at the causes of space sickness.

H R MacMillan Space Centres wins inaugural Canadian Association of Science Centres award for best program with its "Sharing Space" program. Sharing Space is a student mentoring program whereby high school students deliver space themed programs to elementary school students. The award was announced at the CASC conference held in Sudbury, Ontario June 5- 7. Planétarium de Montréal

The summer schedule starts on June 21 with the arrival of summer. The weekend morning shows will return in the fall, but families and day camps will be able to view " Mysteries of Jupiter ", Tuesday thru Friday at 11h30 and 13h30. Friday thru Sunday evenings, "Night Sky! " continues to present the season’s night sky and current astronommical events to teenagers and adults.

This fall, the Planétarium de Montréal will present an adapted version of a show produced at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium titled : "Journey to Infiniti : the Universe seen by Hubble ". Also in the works, a new christmas show for families.

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The Canadian Heritage's Museums Assistance Program accepted to finance the bilingual show co-produced by the planetaria of Montréal, Winnigpeg, Calgary and Vancouver. The show would start in all four locations starting May 2004. Here are the websites for the other major planetaria in Canada:

● Discovery Dome (Calgary): http://www.calgaryscience.ca/ - click on Exhibits, shows, etc.. and then Discovery Dome. ● Odyssium (Edmonton) : http://www.odyssium.com/

● Manitoba Museum Planetarium (Winnipeg): http://www.manitobamuseum.mb.ca/pl_info.html/

● Ontario Science Center (Toronto): http://www.OntarioScienceCentre.com/

Elsewhere:

Did you know that Halifax has a planetarium?

The Halifax Planetarium has a long history, dating from its establishment in 1954 at the old Nova Scotia Museum of Science on Spring Garden Road and at the time was the first public planetarium in Canada. The Halifax Planetarium is now located in Dalhousie University's Sir James Dunn Physics Building. Unfortunately due to lack of staff and volunteers, the planetarium is essentially closed to the public. A small number of school shows are provided by the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History. See their website at : http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/.

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I would like to thank the following people for their contribution to this issue's column: Pierre Chastenay (Planétarium de Montréal) and John Dickenson (MacMillian Space Science Center.

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Nathalie is a member of the CASCA Education Committee. She is currently at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and formerly from the Planétarium de Montréal.

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Pour certains planétariums, l’été annonce une augmentation d’activités et de visiteurs, pour d’autres, ce sont des horraires différents avec des spectacles déjà en cours. Dans la chronique de cette saison d’été, vous pourrez y trouver les projets en cours pour l’automne. Bon ciel d’été !

MacMillan Space Science Centre (Vancouver)

Le 28 juin , trois nouveaux programmes ouvriront en grande pompe au H R MacMillan Space Centre. Dans le planétarium, "Lamp's of Atlantis," qui est basé sur les recherches du Professeur Archie Roy, jete un coup d’oeil sur les tous premiers observateurs du ciel étoilé dans la Méditéranée et présente des théories sur qui et où ils étaient. Dans le simulateur Virtual Voyages, débute le spectacle multimédia “Deep Sea.“ Les visiteurs plongeront sous l’océan Pacifique pour y explorer les vents thermiques et les diverses populations aquatiques qui y vivent, ainsi qu’une rencontre terrifiante avec un calmar géant ET un cachalot.

Dans le théâtre GroundStation, le spectacle "Dizzying Heights: Your Body in Orbit"montre les défis de demeurer en santé physique en micro-gravité et explore les causes du mal de l’espace.

Le H R MacMillan Space Centre a gagné le prix du meilleur programme inaugural, décerné par l’Association Canadienne des Centres de Science, pour son programme “Sharing Space“. Ce programme est celui de mentoring où des étudiants du secondaire présentent des programmes sur les sciences de l’espace à des élèves du primaire. Le prix fut décerné lors de la conférence de l’ACCS tenue à Sudbury, Ontario du 5 au 7 juin.

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L’horaire d’été entre en vigueur le 21 juin avec l’arrivée de l’été. Les spectacles de matinées de la fin de semaine seront de retour à l’automne, mais pour la durée de l’été les familles et les camps de jours pourront voir « Les Mystères de Jupiter » du mardi au vendredi à 10h30, ainsi qu’en après-midi à 14h30. En soirée du vendredi au dimance, le spectacle « Ciel de nuit ! » continuera à présenter le ciel de la saison et l'actualité astronomique à un public adolescent et adulte.

Cet automne, le Planétarium de Montréal présentera en après-midi une adaptation d'un spectacle produit par le Adler Planetarium de Chicago intitulé « Portrait de l'infini : l'Univers vu par Hubble ». En cours de travail également, un nouveau spectacle grand public pour Noël, intitulé provisoirement « Saison de lumière ». Le Programme d'aide aux Musées du gouvermenent Fédéral a accepté de financer le spectacle « En quête des origines », co-produit par les planétariums de Montréal, Winnipeg, Calgary et Vancouver. Ce spectacle prendra l'affiche dans les quatre institutions à compter de mai 2004.

Voici les liens internet pour les autres grands planétariums canadiens :

● Discovery Dome (Calgary): http://www.calgaryscience.ca/ - click on Exhibits, shows, etc.. and then Discovery Dome. ● Odyssium (Edmonton) : http://www.odyssium.com/

● Manitoba Museum Planetarium (Winnipeg): http://www.manitobamuseum.mb.ca/pl_info.html/

● Ontario Science Center (Toronto): file:///C|/kings/public_html/astro/ecass/issues/2003-js/classroom/martinbeau/ecass_fr.html (2 of 4) [6/22/2003 10:38:16 AM] The Planetarium Education Connection

http://www.OntarioScienceCentre.com/

Ailleurs...

Saviez-vous qu’il y a un planétarium à Halifax?

Le Halifax Planetarium ouvra ses portes en 1954 dans les premiers batiments du Nova Scotia Museum of Science sur Spring Garden Road. Ce planétarium était le premier planétarium publique au Canada. Le Halifax Planetarium est maintenant sur le campus de Dalhousie University dans le Sir James Dunn Physics Building. Malheureusement, à cause du manque de personnel et de bénévoles, le planétarium est fermé au public. Par contre, un petit programme scolaire en astronomie est offert via le Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History. Leur site web peut être consulté à : http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/.

Je voudrais remercier les personnes suivantes pour leur contribution à cet article : Pierre Chastenay (Planétarium de Montréal) et John Dickenson (MacMillan Space Science Centre.

Nathalie est membre du Comité Éducation de la CASCA. Elle travaille au Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics à Cambridge, Massachusetts, et fut membre de l'équipe du Planétarium de Montréal.

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