AstronomyTeacher

A new issue of the Universe in the Classroom is now available:
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/71/howfast.html

How Fast Are You Moving When You Are Sitting Still?
by Andrew Fraknoi, Foothill College & the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Have you ever considered how fast you are really moving when it seems you are not moving at all? How fast does the Earth move in its daily rotation and in its yearly revolution around the Sun? How fast do we travel together with the Sun through the Milky Way Galaxy and how quickly does the galaxy move through the universe? Find out more in this issue.

Topics include:

* Daily and yearly motion
* The Sun's motion within the Milky Way Galaxy
* The galaxy's motion through the universe
* The Big Bang
* Cosmic Background Radiation
* Two classroom activities about our place in space and time

http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/71/howfast.html

"Living in the Microbial World"
an intensive hands-on workshop for middle and high school teachers
Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA,
August 6 - 13, 2007

Microbes are the most numerous organisms on the planet, are found in almost
every environment and play central roles in biogeochemical cycles. The
diversity of bacteria, fungi, and protists and the roles of these
micro-organisms in shaping our environment are given only cursory mention in
elementary and secondary classrooms. Often bacteria are presented only as
"germs" or disease agents. The evolutionary, ecological, and economic
importance of microbes is not well known among the general public.

The Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA is offering a hands-on
workshop for middle and high school teachers (grades 6-12) The workshop
emphasizes activities and experimental systems that can be used easily and
inexpensively in the classroom to teach basic biological principles.
Resident and visiting scientists from the Woods Hole community will present
teachers background information and current research developments on a
variety of topics related to the importance of microbes and microbial
processes in the biosphere. Participating teachers will spend time in the
laboratory engaging in hands-on activities and will also tour MBL
facilities. In the laboratory, there is also a focus on forming testable
questions and designing simple experimental systems for inquiry-based
investigation. Participants are allowed time to examine new curriculum
materials and share teaching experiences.

Support for the workshop is provided by the Pfizer Foundation and the NASA
Astrobiology Institute. Travel funds are not available, but room, board,
tuition and teaching materials are provided at no charge to the teacher. A
$50 registration fee is required.

Space is still available and the application deadline has been extended
until June 15th. For application materials visit
http://www.mbl.edu/education/courses/other_programs/teachers.html

NASA - Venus Flyby\
June 5, 2007: Picture this: A spaceship swoops in from the void, plunging toward a cloudy planet about the size of Earth. A laser beam lances out from the ship; it probes the planet's clouds, striving to reach the hidden surface below. Meanwhile, back on the craft's home world, scientists perch on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens.

Sounds like science fiction? This is real, and it's happening today.