Summer Workshops for Teachers in Astrobiology

December 22, 2009 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice

Every summer, NAI teams and others host hands-on, in-the-field, in-the-lab workshops for educators. The workshops feature cutting edge astrobiology research delivered by astrobiology scientists and education professionals, as well as inquiry- and standards-based activities ready for your classroom. Below is the list of offerings for Summer 2010. STAY TUNED FOR THE LIST FOR 2011!

ASTROBIOLOGY SUMMER SCIENCE EXPERIENCE for TEACHERS (ASSET)
Dates: July 18 -24, 2010
Location: San Francisco, CA
Applications due: February 12, 2010
Url: http://www.seti.org/epo/ASSET
The ASSET experience will be intense and exciting, interactive and content rich, with presentations by leading astrobiology researchers from the SETI Institute, NASA, and California Academy of Sciences. Participants receive the Voyages Through Time curriculum. All expenses covered by grant funds.

TELESCOPES: TOOLS FOR ASTRONOMICAL DISCOVERY AND THE SEARCH FOR LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS
Dates: July 26-30, 2010
Location: Pennsylvania State University
Url: http://teachscience.psu.edu/telescopes.html
Educators will build a simple telescope, utilize telescopes in distant object observations, and learn how modern telescope technology allows us to probe the most distant objects in the universe and may help us discover other habitable planets.

ASTROBIOLOGY LABORATORY INSTITUTE FOR INSTRUCTORS (ALI’I)
Dates: June 27-July 2, 2010
Location: University of Hawai’i, Manoa, Oahu, HI
Applications due: March 26, 2010
Contact: Mary Kado’oka, kadooka@ifa.hawaii.edu
Investigations about nanobacteria, abiotic versus biotic signatures, comets and meteorites delivering water and hydrocarbons to Earth, and the quest for terrestrial extra solar planets and life will highlight this program. This workshop designed for secondary science teachers will emphasize professional development by including brain research on learning, lectures and activities led by scientists, and state-of-the-art lab tours. Teachers will review NASA mission curriculum materials and do other activities aligned with 2061 Benchmarks. The workshop will target returnee teachers to advance their knowledge base and may include some curriculum development. Registration fee is $50. Because of a tuition waiver, 2 University of Hawaii graduate education credits will be offered for the administrative fee of $158. A limited number of teachers from continental US will receive a subsidy of $750 to defray expenses. Accepted Hawaii teachers will be fully subsidized.

Jan 18, 2010

Ronda Stonecipher said:

I would like to go, but I just found this Web site about 6 days too late! Awww!

Aug 29, 2010

katherine osorio said:

first, I´d like to let you know that I´d really love to go to one of these wonderful workshops. however, I think I´m just a little bit too distant to consider this chance, at least for now. I´m a teacher at a bilingual school in Cali-Colombia. I actually studied microbiology, but ended up teaching due to various circumstances. I mean, I do really love teaching, as much as I love science, nature, and mostly, the amazing microbes which we never fully understand though they can lead us to great discoveries. I want to renew the school´s science curriculum, which basically considers teaching astronomy to fifth graders. I´m looking forward to include experiences and topics related to astrobiology, which I find exceedingly interesting. Still, I don´t know that much about the topic, and I´d appreciate advice, documents, articles, videos, whatever material you´d consider useful to aid this process I´m into.