Oct15

Phoenix Earlybird Deadline is October 23

NSTA Phoenix Conference Logo If you’re a science educator or administrator, NSTA’s Conference on Science Education in Phoenix, scheduled for Dec. 3–5, is an event you won’t want to miss. With a new interest in science education to better prepare our children to compete in the global market, educators will need to pursue the best professional development to bolster content knowledge, learn assessment and inquiry strategies, and test the newest classroom tools and techniques. Featuring more than 400 sessions, workshops, presentations, and symposia, the conference is for teachers in every grade band and from every discipline.

 

  • Daylong programs—Biology Day, Chemistry Day, Physical Science Day, and Physics Day.
  • Activities from Across the Earth System—Hands-on, inquiry-based activities spanning the five "spheres" of Earth system science. Handouts! (Elem–High School)
  • The School Water Audit Project: Authentic and Integrative Project-based Learning-engages learners in science, literacy, and mathematics to determine the amount of water used in their school and to implement conservation. (Elem–High School)
  • Facing the Future—Explore sustainability issues and the incorporation of literacy in the science classroom through hands-on, inquiry-based activities. CD-ROM provided.
  • Ice Core Records: From Volcanoes to Stars—Use absolute and relative dating techniques with high-resolution ice core data and historic volcanic eruptions to correlate and date supernova events from nitrate anomalies. (High–College, Informal Educators)
  • Ira Flatow (Host, NPR's Science Friday®): Talking Science in a Science-Challenged World—Mixing Flatow’s passion for science with a tendency toward being "a bit of a ham," Flatow describes his work as the challenge “to make science and technology a topic for discussion around the dinner table.”
  • Lost Dutchman State Park Moonlight Hike—Lost Dutchman State ParkLocated in the Sonoran Desert 40 miles east of Phoenix, the park derives its name from the fabled Lost Dutchman Mine. (Ticketed)
  • Networking with your peers and the experts
  • The Exhibition Hall—Bring a tote to carry home the many giveaways from top companies.

And there is much more to explore. Visit www.nsta.org/phoenix to get details or to register.

Published: Oct-15-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Oct13

Restaurants, Theaters, and Sights to See in Minneapolis

Jean Tushie offers a few tips on things to see, do, and eat in Minneapolis:
 
Each day of the NSTA conference, it’s over by 5:00 PM.  On Thursday night, as part of the conference, there is a social event featuring the Physics. But at 6-7:00 PM, the night is yet young!  This is so true, especially when you aren’t teaching the next day.  So be sure to check out the night life in Minneapolis.   There is a street in downtown Minneapolis called Farmer's market on Nicollet MallNicollet Avenue.  Locals call it the Nicollet Mall.

 There is no traffic except for buses on Nicollet Mall.  So it is a great place to stroll downtown.  There are several great places to eat on the Mall.  The Dakota Bar has some of the best jazz music and the food is great!  You will have to call ahead for tickets. There is also a restaurant called “Britt’s Pub”.  It has authentic British food (the Shepard Pie is great!)  It is very “quaint” as the British would say.
 
Other entertainment is just a taxi ride away.
We have some of the best theater in the country.  Two of our premier theaters are the  Guthrie and State theaters. The “Importance of Being Earnest” will be playing at the Guthrie while the conference is in town.  On October 29th, the Celtic Thunder will be performing at the State Theater.   They are five Celtic male vocalists from Ireland and Scotland.  
Guthrie Theater
State Theater, Minneapolis
The Guthrie Theater
The State Theater
   
                   
Timberwolves in ActionOur professional basketball team, the Minnesota Timberwolves” will be playing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night at 7:00PM. 
 
Since its Halloween weekend, I’m sure the downtown will be alive with LOTS of activity if you just want to stroll and take in the sites.  But whatever you choose, I’m sure you will ENJOY DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS!
Published: Oct-13-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Oct07

NASA Schedules Shuttle Launch to Coincide with NSTA Conference

Shuttle Launch as seen from Ft Lauderdale... not really.
 
But if you attend the NSTA Conference in Ft Lauderdale on November 12th, and you happen look north shortly after 4 pm, you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the shuttle Atlantis speeding from the launch pad.
 
The Kennedy Space Center may be 160 miles away, but the shuttle casts a pretty bright light. STS-129 is scheduled to deliver some equipment to the International Space Station. Be sure to add the hash tag "Ft Lauderdale-NSTA" to any pictures you take of the space plane (and upload to Flickr), so your images will appear in the NSTA Fall 2009 Conferences Flickr Group.
Published: Oct-07-09 | 1 Comment | 0 Links to this post

Mar20

The Locals Weigh In

Amanda Jeffers
While waiting to catch a shuttle bus, I chatted with Amanda Jeffers and Melissa Kidder from Sunset, Louisiana. “I think the conference is going so well," said Amanda. "I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for people to meet and discuss different science topics that they’re having in different states. We’re just all having a really great time.”
Melissa Kidder

Melissa agreed. "There’s a wealth of information here. The collaboration among teachers is great, and we’re getting a lot of information that we can bring back to our students.”

--Debra Shapiro

Published: Mar-20-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Mar19

Morning Musings

Even in March the humidity here is high. Along with the morning fog, it makes for a place where "resistance is futile" in terms of coiffures!

Walking through the deserted streets this morning to catch the streetcar for an early session, I saw people walking their dogs, having coffee in a local shop, watering plants, and sweeping their sidewalks. And then I passed a magnificent red building - an elementary school in the French Quarter. The children were laughing, talking, and running in their uniforms of green, gold, or purple shirts. It occurred to me that even though the city is full of architectural delights, historic locations, and wonderful cuisine, the reason we're all here is -- the students.
-- Mary Bigelow
Published: Mar-19-09 | 1 Comment | 0 Links to this post

Mar18

Arriving in the Big Easy

St. Patrick's Church, New Orleans
The sky was brilliant, and air musty, and the traveler squinty eyed. It is time for the 2009 NSTA Conference, and thousands of science teachers, at least those from dryer climes, are finding the same thing. New Orleans is bright, hot, and humid. I imagine things pick up at night.
 
On my way to the Convention Center, I noticed this lovely double porch next to St. Patrick's Church.
 
The sense of lazy order I carried with me soon departed. As I said, teachers are arriving, and they're getting here early.
 
 
DSCF0872 This line queued up well before registration opens at 5 pm.
 
boxes and pallets
Meanwhile, inside, exhibitors were tossing boxes and skid pallets aside as they set up.
 
The conference is in motion. What do you want to see?
 
— Tyson Brown
 
 
Published: Mar-18-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Mar07

Don’t Forget the Little Things!

grasshopperScience educators of all ages and backgrounds are generally interested in the Aquariums and Zoos of the cities they visit. New Orleanians are proud of the wonderful top 10 facilities they have with the Audubon Nature Institute’s Audubon Zoo and Aquarium of the Americas. The recovery efforts following Katrina were absolutely heroic. A stroll through either or both of these locations is time well spent.
 
But something no other city can boast about is an INSECTARIUM! Housed in the historic U.S. Customs House on Canal Street the newest pearl in the Audubon family of attractions. NSTA Conference goers will pass by the Insectarium as they move up and down Canal Street. 
 
For those who like their bugs even more up close and person there is an evening “BUG Hunt Field Trip” to the Audubon Species Survival site on the west bank of the Mississippi River during the conference.
 
--Claudia Fowler
Published: Mar-07-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Mar05

Getting Around New Orleans

D.C. has its Metro. New York, the Subway. In Philly, riders take SEPTA, which sounds like an unfortunate condition, but works quite well. And in San Fran, you hop the trolley. Paul Johnson writes in to introduce conference goers to the unique pleasures of the New Orleans street car....
 
"Many conference goers will be coming to New Orleans from cities with metro systems. We invite our colleagues to step on to a New Orleans street car to explore the city.The three lines each provide a visitor with a unique look at the city.

The St. Charles Line will take a traveler through the Garden District and past Loyola and Tulane Universities.
St. Charles Avenue Streetcar
The Canal Street car moves people from the downtown business area to the cemeteries and City Park including the Art Museum.

And for those who need to move from the Convention Center to the French Market our newest street car line The Riverfront Line is the chariot to take!"

—Paul Johnson
Published: Mar-05-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Mar05

Parking in New Orleans

I have received emails from teachers asking about parking in New Orleans (see this map from Google Maps). Some teachers are driving into the area from neighboring states and extending their conference experience by staying with family/friends in the metro area. Here are some options near the convention center:
 
  • Ground parking lot block at the Riverwalk Shopping Center. 
  • A large parking lot that runs between the Hilton and the convention center.
  • Parking garage across from the convention center and a couple across the street from the far end of the center. However the NSTA exhibits will be in halls at the Riverwalk end.
  • There are also parking spaces behind the children’s museum.
 
Crossing into the quarter there are surface lots behind the Canal shopping center. These are used by Aquarium employees and visitors. There is also a parking garage attached to the Canal shops.
 
—Jean May-Brett
Published: Mar-05-09 | 1 Comment | 96 Links to this post

Mar02

An intro to the levees

Mississippi River from the St Charles Riverbend Levee (A Trip to the Levee)
(Photo: Alex Castro)
Conference goers will certainly find themselves drawn to the Mississippi River. As NSTA participants stand along side the river and watch the amazing flow they will also have a chance to ponder the levee system.
 
The Mississippi River system drains and transports sediment from over thirty states and parts of Canada.  The flooding of the Mississippi has been and continues to be vital to the creation of the
wetlands of southern Louisiana through the sediments it carries.  In the past, these sediments were deposited in the estuaries and marshes of southern Louisiana as the river flooded these areas.  Alluvial rich soil revitalized the marshes by supplying nutrients for growth and soil for the natural development of new marsh.  Presently, this type of beneficial flooding occurs far less frequently because of current flood control measures and the levee systems.
 
Levees are necessary structures for flood protection. The levees provide protection for inhabited areas in two respects: 1) levees along the Mississippi River prevent Mississippi River flood waters from escaping the channel; and 2) hurricane protection levees which surround communities to prevent hurricane storm surges from inundating an area, and allow water to be effectively pumped out of the area. The levee system was dramatically breached during hurricane Katrina and caused great suffering and widespread destruction of homes, community properties, businesses, etc.         
 
Early settlements of the region were located on natural levees adjacent to the Mississippi River that were less likely to flood.  As settlement continued, the limited amount of high ground that was available for settlement or agriculture production was depleted forcing later inhabitants to settle further back from the natural levees in the lower lying areas more susceptible to flooding.  Settlers built levees along the Mississippi River to protect their homes and crops from flood danger because they recognized that flooding from the Mississippi would always be a problem.
 
The periodic input of sediment and water that is critical in the formation and maintenance of Louisiana's estuaries was lost when the channel of the Mississippi River was confined in place by massive constructed levees.  The millions of tons of topsoil and nutrients that were historically deposited on these marshes during the annual spring floods of the Mississippi no longer are deposited due to the levee system.  Instead, the channel of the Mississippi extends to the edge of the continental shelf and the sediments that once built the marshes are now deposited into deep water that precludes the formation of new marsh, or maintenance of existing marsh along the coast.
 
The levee system, while doing a good job of keeping water out, also does a good job of keeping water in, which is a problem because there is insufficient drainage for a heavy rainfall.  Facilitation of drainage through pumping is an important aspect of the levee system especially during hurricane season since large storms bring large amounts of rain to the area.  Runoff is now trapped inside the levees and has to be channeled into drainage canals and pumped out of the leveed areas.  Pumps and pumping stations in low-lying areas control much of the excess always present.
Resource: WETMAAP website
 
--Jean May-Brett
 
 
Published: Mar-02-09 | 1 Comment | 1 Link to this post

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