| Iowa
Science Teachers Section Iowa Academy of Science |
The mission of the Iowa
Science The mission of the Iowa Academy of Science is to further scientific research and its dissemination, education in the sciences, public understanding of science, and recognition of excellence in these endeavors. |
Iowa Science Teachers Section
|
 |
|
of the Iowa Academy of Science February 2005Nadine Weirather, Editor
A Message from your President: President's Message: SYS @ ISTS I leaned over my 13 year-old son's shoulder just as an "Instant Message" dinged in. It was from someone called Socrgrl who's screen name made him blush upon inquisition. Socrgrl: SYS OK? This is a brave new world. The telephone was our wrestled-over medium of teen communication in my day, and with no "call waiting" my mother could only suggest that perhaps someone was trying to call. We escaped eavesdropping busy-bodies by stretching the cord to huddle in the closet. Now they clamor for the computer, deftly banging out crytpic messages that include PAW every time I come around (Parents Are Watching). KWIM? (Know What I Mean?) Today's senior high students can expect to live to about 2060. What on earth is in store for them?! For today's kids a long-distance call is nothing special, everyone has a PIN number, peeps are pals, and you won't find thongs on their feet. Who among us can predict how they'll communicate, recreate, or earn a living two decades down the road? That's where ISTS comes in. Clearly the best thing we can do is help them learn to learn; to inquire. That's the one sure constant amidst inevitable change. Today's fact can be tomorrow's fallacy, but adaptable minds change with the times. I want to personally invite you to share what you do in the science classroom to help ease your students toward the on-ramp of life. Please consider a proposal to the ISTS Fall Conference next October. This annual gathering of hundreds of Iowa science teachers represents our own Instant Messaging community where we can exert a bit of control over the future rather than vice versa. ISTS will soon have a second key mechanism for unifying us all toward this common cause. I'm pleased to announce that your Iowa Academy of Science is funding the re-birth of the Iowa Science Teachers Journal, spearheaded by President-elect Michael Clough and myself. We aim to have Issue #1 rolling off the (virtual) presses by summer's end. Do let me or Mike know if you'd like to be involved as a contributor or as a reviewer. A Fall Conference and a Journal are tangible assets of a thriving organization, but there is so much more to your ISTS membership. Several hundred individuals bound by a common science education cause make ISTS what it is--a unifying force in our future-shaping profession. So please, re-new your membership and encourage your own *peeps* to join us as we collectively prepare for the inevitable, un-knowable future. Until then, TTYL, SYS, and GTG. Jeff Weld PS. Visit http://ists.pls.uni.edu/ to submit a proposal for next October's ISTS conference. ISTS Spring Directors' Meeting... Your ISTS Directors will hold a quarterly meeting in Mt. Vernon on April 30. Please convey any concerns, wishes, or other items to your Regional Director who represents you on the Board. Not sure who is your regional director? See http://ists.pls.uni.edu/ and click on "Officers." An ISTS congratulations to: Announcements for your spring... The Iowa Academy of Science holds its annual meeting on April 29-30 at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon Dear IAS Members, On Friday of the 2005 Annual Meeting our Generial Sessions theme will be great explorations near and far. Dr. Donald A. Gurnett will present the inside scoop on the Cassini Mission and the early results from the University of Iowa Instrument that is carried aboard the spacecraft in the morning. In the evening, a screening of the documentary film America's Lost Landscape: The Tallgrass Prairie will transport us to a time when Iowa was the frontier. On Saturday, you will meet Dr. Ingo Titze, a man who has combined his knowledge of engineering and physics with his love of vocal music to become a leading authority in Speech Science. For an updated look at conference activities and events, check out the conference webpage, updates are being made at least twice a week! Take care, Marcy AN OPEN LETTER TO IOWA SCIENCE TEACHERS AND GUIDANCE COUNSELORS Greetings from Kalamazoo! We are inviting you to introduce your students who are interested in engineering careers to our leading Paper Engineering Program at Western Michigan University. We are the only program in the world that has an excellent reputation for its paper engineering and imaging programs, and has papermaking, paper coating, paper recycling, and printing pilot plants. Paper Engineering is a flagship program for the state of Michigan. Our students receive generous academic scholarships from our Paper Technology Foundation. Upon graduation, our graduates nearly always receive the highest paying jobs among all engineering graduates. Our Industrial partners report that the needs of Paper Engineering graduates exceed the current supply, and employment opportunities are available nationally and internationally. Therefore, we are recruiting prospective students who enjoy math and science, particularly chemistry, to our program to meet the needs of the industry. We also have a strong alumni connection (900 worldwide), which actively recruits for the Paper Engineering Program and actively assist in connecting our students with national internship and permanent job opportunities. Please visit our website at http://www.wmich.edu/pci for more information and to apply for scholarship opportunities. We would appreciate your identifying a few students for us, so
we can invite them, along with their parents, to visit the College
of Engineering and Applied Sciences and tour our facilities to
see first-hand what we have to offer. A member of our staff would
also be happy to visit your school. You can contact me directly
at 269-276-3502 or
We look forward to meeting your students and their parents to introduce them to our program and its benefits. Of course, high school counselors and science teachers are always welcome to visit our university and the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Sincerely, Said AbuBakr The U.S. paper industry is by far the largest in the world as is U.S. per capita paper consumption. For more information on careers in the paper industry visit:
ISTS Online Journal to Debut The IAS Board of Directors approved funding to pilot an ISTS Online Journal for the 2005-2006 year. IAS will contribute $5100 in first year expences to get the journal going. Jeff Weld and Michael Clough will act as the first editors. The journal will be a combination of peer reviewed articles, news about science education in Iowa, and other stories. It will be available online to the public for the first year. IAS and the Iowa Science Teaching Section will be seeking funding and sponsors for the longterm support of the Journal. The Iowa Academy of Science and the University of Northern Iowa co-published the Iowa Science Teachers Journal from the 1960's until 1993. For your summer... Studies in Weather Analysis and Forecasting for Science Educators The Science center for Teaching, Outreach, and Research on Meteorology (the STORM Project) at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) will be sponsoring a summer 2005 short course entitled "Studies in Weather Analysis and Forecasting for Science Educators." This intensive, one-week course is designed specifically for middle school and high school science teachers. The course will be offered July 10 - 15 (Sunday through Friday). The session is limited to 24 participants. On campus housing, meals, course materials, a modest $150 stipend, and 2 graduate credits from UNI will be provided by STORM. The full announcement and application materials are available
at Project AWARE
IOWATER Level 1 and Advanced* Workshops
Want to learn how to test water quality in your own backyard? Then join IOWATER! All Level One workshops are based on ten hours training, set-up comfortably over two days. Hours may vary depending on location. Workshop registration fee is $25.00 per person or $35.00 per team (up to three people). This fee covers all program fees, meals, and testing equipment. Visit www.iowater.net or call Jacklyn Neely at 515 281 4476 for more information. The advanced workshops offered during the 2004/2005 winter season
are the Benthic Macroinvertebrate Indexing and Bacteria Monitoring
workshops (see dates and locations below). Contact Jacklyn Neely
at 515 281 4476 or
Benthic Macroinvertebrate Indexing:
Bacteria Monitoring:
Save The Rainforest,
Inc., a non profit teacher led conservation group is
calling for teacher and student volunteers to conduct research,
plant trees and work on reserve infrastructure in Central America,
the Amazon and the Galapagos. The minimum length of service is
one month, and the time period is arranged on an individual basis.
Teachers may also bring down students as a group for volunteer
work or for a two week general ecology course. Contact Bruce
Calhoun at
Thank you for your consideration, Bruce Calhoun Summer Institute in Physics and Physical Science for Inservice Teachers June 27-August 4, 2005 (dates tentative) The Center for Physics Education in the University of Washington Physics Department offers a six-week, 10-credit summer institute in physics and physical science for full-time inservice teachers. The 2005 institute is tentatively scheduled for June 27-August 4 at the UW in Seattle. Classes meet from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Directed by Professor Lillian C. McDermott and supported by the National Science Foundation, the institute is tuition-free and a $1200 stipend is offered on successful completion of the course work. Additional money is available if needed to help defray the cost of lodging for persons from outside the Seattle area. The Physics by Inquiry curriculum used in the course has been especially designed to strengthen the subject matter background of teachers in topics typically covered in precollege physics and physical science using a hands-on, inquiry-oriented method of instruction. The materials emphasize the development of fundamental concepts and reasoning skills through laboratory experience. The class is divided into two sections: one for elementary-middle school teachers with little or no background in physics; the other for high school teachers of physics, physical science, and mathematics. For an application or information, contact Joan Valles, University
of Washington, Department of Physics, Box 351560, Seattle, WA 98195-1560;
(206) 685-2046; fax: (206) 543-9702; e-mail:
Or see Web site: http://www.phys.washington.edu/groups/peg. Application deadline is March 15, 2005. ANNOUNCING THE 2005 MIDWEST ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE The Iowa Conservation Education Council and North Iowa Area Community College are pleased to host the 2005 Midwest Environmental Education Conference, “The Winds of Change” in Mason City, Iowa, July 20-23rd. It has been three years since our last Midwest, held in St. Charles, Illinois, and the first in Iowa in quite some time. We hope this will be a grand reunion for some and a great new “first” for others as we join in dedication to our common goal of environmental improvement. Our conference kicks off Wednesday evening with food, displays, entertainment and fun! If you wish, arrive earlier to take advantage of pre-conference workshops. Enjoy keynotes and concurrent sessions Thursday, get outside on field trips Friday, and be enlightened and inspired by more sessions and a motivational speaker Saturday morning. Our website is developing at http://www.niacc.edu/meec. We invite you to send a presentation proposal, or pass this information along to a colleague. As you plan your topics, please consider our conference theme, “The Winds of Change.” We would like to focus on progress and trends in EE. Each proposal will be evaluated by a team of professionals in the education and naturalist fields. For details about suggested topics and judging criteria, see the website listed above. Conference chair:
Life at the Limits: Earth, Mars, and Beyond The Lunar and Planetary Institute invites you to join an Earth-bound exploration of astrobiology on July 10-17, 2005! Life at the Limits: Earth, Mars, and Beyond is a NASA-sponsored training workshop for middle-and high-school science teachers (others welcome, including pre-service teachers, informal educators, education specialists, early college instructors, and junior college instructors). At field sites in Nevada and California participants will investigate some extreme geological and chemical conditions in which life on Earth can thrive. This hands-on, real-world experience will enhance classroom teaching about earth and space science, especially about what organisms need to survive and the search for past and present extraterrestrial life. Astrobiologists and planetary scientists will lead the field and laboratory experiences, helping to connect the field observations with the search for life in our solar system and beyond through discussions and proven, hands-on, standards-based classroom and laboratory activities that are ready to share with students! For more information and to access the on-line application, please
visit http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/fieldtrips/2005/ Check out past issues of the ISTS newsletter at http://ists.pls.uni.edu/newsletters/index.html Your ISTS Leadership Team can be found at: We are always looking for good people. Send an e-mail to
Invitation to improve/contribute to this newsletter How best can this newsletter serve you? Do
you have something to contribute for the good of the ISTS membership?
Zing a line at
Middle School Science Teacher provided by Malcolm Price Laboratory School University of Northern Iowa Web Design by 
|