Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium Newsletter for Teachers

[Irene Svete]

The Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium's electronic newsletter for
teachers provides curriculum ideas, links and other resources to help you
better meet the Washington EALRs and the National Science Education
Standards.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

-- PARTICIPATE IN THE EARTHDIAL PROJECT
-- AAAS COMING TO SEATTLE
-- CAPTAIN PLANET GRANTS AVAILABLE (K-12)
-- NEW ASTROBIOLOGY SITE
-- NASA EXPLORER SCHOOL DEADLINE APPROACES (4-9)
-- UW SEEKING GIFTED SCHOLARS (5-8)

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PARTICIPATE IN THE EARTHDIAL PROJECT

For centuries humanity used sundials to mark time by tracking the motion of
the sun across the sky. The EarthDial project will use a network of sundials
around the world to show the passage of time in this ancient manner.

EarthDial is a sundial of a standard design (although allowing for
individual variations, especially reflecting local cultures) with a web
camera always on it.  The Planetary Society will then display near-real-time
images of all these dials online.  Visitors will be able to look over a
single Web page and see how solar time varies all over the Earth!  For
information on how to build an EarthDial at your school or in your backyard,
go to

http://www.planetary.org/mars/earthdial.html

AAAS COMING TO SEATTLE (K-12+)

The American Association for the Advancement of Science will hold its annual
meeting and science exposition in Seattle Feb. 12 - 16, 2004.  The AAAS
Annual Meeting offers a unique and exciting interdisciplinary blend of more
than 130 symposia, plenary and topical lectures; seminars on nanotechnology,
vaccines and proteomics; the Forum for School Science; poster presentations;
career fair; career workshops; and an exhibit hall.

Teachers may register at a reduced rate. There is also a lesson plan
competition for a conference deluxe package that includes registration and
accommodations. College students (sophomore to graduate school) can receive
free admission by volunteering. For more information, go to

http://www.aaas.org/meetings/

CAPTAIN PLANET GRANTS AVAILABLE (K-12)

Captain Planet Foundation funds environmental projects for children and
youth. Projects that received funding over the past two years include a high
school greenhouse on Vashon Island, an outdoor living lab at Dimmett Middle
School and a water quality project at Des Moines Elementary School.

Grants are awarded to community groups as well as schools. Awards are
limited to $500 or less. Applications are accepted four times a year. The
next deadline is December 31. For more information, go to

http://www.captainplanetfdn.org/

NEW ASTROBIOLOGY SITE

The San Francisco-based Exploratorium has added a new section on
astrobiology, looking behind the scenes as NASA scientists begin their
search for liquid water on Mars. The site investigates what extreme forms of
life on Earth may tell us about life elsewhere and includes field trips to
laboratories as far away as Licancabur Volcano in Chile.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/astrobiology

NASA EXPLORER SCHOOL DEADLINE APPROACHES (4-9)

Applications are now being taken to become a NASA Explorer School. Selected
schools or school districts enter into a unique three-year partnership with
NASA to bring exciting opportunities to educators, students, and their
families. The NASA Explorer Schools (NES) program is sponsored and
implemented by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration through a
cooperative agreement with NSTA.

Educators and students in a NASA Explorer School will become involved in the
excitement of NASA research, discoveries, and missions through participation
in engaging learning adventures and scientific challenges. The 2004 program
will focus on content for grades 4-9. Materials will be grade-specific in
appropriate concepts from national education standards. NASA Explorer
Schools receive grants of up to $10,000.

The NASA Explorer Schools program will be accepting applications through an
online application. The deadline for applications is January 30, 2004. For
more details, click on

http://explorerschools.nasa.gov/portal/site/nes/

UW SEEKING GIFTED SCHOLARS (5-8)

The University of Washington Halbert & Nancy Robinson Center for Young
Scholars is looking for the state's best and brightest fifth through eighth
grade students. These are students who scored in the upper 3 percent in
reading or mathematics in the past two years on such tests as the California
Achievement Test, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or the Stanford Achievement
Test.

The Washington Search for Young Scholars will identify the region¹s most
capable students and work with them, their families, and their schools to
develop more opportunities for academically gifted young people. To join the
talent search, students must register with WSYS and pay a $10 fee. They also
need to provide their address and record of scoring at the  97th percentile
on one of the tests. Deadline for registering is Dec.10. Students and
parents can obtain more information by calling (206) 543-4160 or by
e-mailing

cscy at u.washington.edu

For additional information, go to

http://depts.washington.edu/cscy/talent/index.shtml

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FEEDBACK

Ideas, comments and Web sites of interest to other teachers should be sent
to Irene Svete, newsletter editor, at

isvete at ess.washington.edu

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