RI Science Professional Development and Student Opportunity Bulletin

May 31, 2013

This bulletin will be sent on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. If you would like to share an event, quality resource, or other opportunity, please follow the directions for doing so at the bottom of the newsletter. To SUBSCRIBE send an email to Peter.Mclaren@ride.ri.gov with SUBSCRIBE RISCI-MSHS in the Subject Line

Go To RIScienceTeachers - https://riscienceteachers.wikispaces.com/ for PDF copy of past issues

New In This Bulletin Prof. Development Student Opportunities Job Opportunities Web Sites News

New In This Bulletin:

Become a NASA Global Precipitation Measurement Master Teacher Applications due June 15th (MS and HS Teachers) Professional Development Sessions Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language arts (ELA)/Literacy June 20 June 27 (ALL) Lab Safety Institute Webinar on How to Create a More Effective Lab Safety Program. June 25th at 1:00 PM ET

News:

Presenters: Alan King, curriculum director, Kansas City school district, Kan.; former science teacher; and Kansas state review team member for the Next Generation Science Standards Peter McLaren, science and technology specialist, Rhode Island Department of Education; past president, Council of State Science Supervisors; and member of writing team for the NGSS

Moderator: Erik Robelen, assistant editor, Education Week

Web Sites Worth Exploring:

College Entrance Exam Math Prep - http://www.collegeentrancetestprep.com/

Know a high school junior taking the SAT or ACT in the coming month? Need a free, interactive library of the most complex math problem types found on those college entrance exams? Then check out the College Entrance Exam Math Prep site. Click the blue "Application" tab and "Start SATACT EduCAD" button for a math problem typical of those standardized tests. A timer will start counting down from ten minutes. The "show next step" button provides a hint about the strategy to take; keying in a correct answer triggers a similar but more difficult new question. We first learned about the freshly-launched collegeentrancetestprep.com through e-mail last week from one of its creators, who also developed the popular Flash Cards for Kids site first featured in these pages sixteen years ago!

Math with Bad Drawings - http://mathwithbaddrawings.com/

A high school teacher began blogging last month "about the things I like [and] also about the things I can't do." By juxtaposing the two and "owning up to weakness and drawing strength from successes," Ben Orlin hopes to "capture the contradictory state of the teacher, of the mathematician." Orlin's posts from Oakland, California illustrated with dry-erase marker art that he says his fiancee "charitably" rates as average for a sixth grader already include What I Show My Students When They Get the Right Answer for the Wrong Reason Fistfuls of Sand (or, Why It Pays to Be a Stubborn Teacher) What It Feels Like to Be Bad at Math

Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers

Teachers Invited to Tour the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry Saturday, June 8th. FREE Registration
Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (Rhode Islands Official Educational Sailing Vessel) & the Rhode Island Department Of Education invite you to tour SSV Oliver Hazard Perry A visit to the ship (under construction) to visualize incorporating the Oliver Hazard Perry experience into Rhode Island schools Saturday June 8, 2013 10:00am - 12:00 pm Senesco Marine Shipyard, Quonset Point, North Kingstown, RI (next to the Marthas Vineyard Fast Ferry Terminal, see below) EDUCATION FOCUS GROUP There is also an Education Focus Group forming and meeting monthly to create curriculum tied to the Common Core, initially focusing at the middle school level. The next meeting in June 11 th, 6pm at the Salve Regina Campus in Warwick (144 Metro Center Blvd, Warwick, RI 02886) REGISTRATION For more information and to register email jess@ohpri.org or call 401.848.0080 Please include your name, title, school/business address, phone & email address Event is primarily outdoors at a construction site, please dress appropriately, including sturdy footwear Hard hats will be provided

NEW!!! Lab Safety Institute Webinar on How to Create a More Effective Lab Safety Program. June 25th at 1:00 PM ET
Lab Safety Institute is partnering with BioRAFT to offer a free, webinar on June 25 th at 1PM on How to Create a More Effective Lab Safety Program. If you would like to register, please click on the following link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/470504752 For more information contact: James A. Kaufman, Ph.D. President/CEO The Laboratory Safety Institute (LSI) A Nonprofit International Organization for Safety in Science and Science Education 192 Worcester Street, Natick, MA 01760-2252 508-647-1900 Fax: 508-647-0062 Cell: 508-574-6264 Res: 781-237-1335 Skype: labsafe; 508-319-1225 jim@labsafetyinstitute.org www.labsafetyinstitute.org

NEW!!! Become a NASA Global Precipitation Measurement Master Teacher Applications due June 15th (MS and HS Teachers)
NASAs Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission is looking for a small cadre of GPM Master Teachers to help develop and pilot STEM lessons to be used with middle school audiences. Selected teachers will earn a stipend for their participation, which will run from July 1, 2013 through June 1st, 2014. All of the training and participation will be conducted online. It is anticipated that teachers will spend approximately 15-20 hours per month working on this collaborative project. This competitive opportunity is open to middle and high school science teachers. We are seeking teachers who have taught at the middle/high school level for at least five years, and who have demonstrated the ability to collaborate in Professional Learning Communities within their school district. For more information and to apply, please go to http://pmm.nasa.gov/education/current-activities/GPM-Master-Teachers Applications are due to Dorian Janney (email - dorian.w.janney@nasa.gov) by June 15, 2013! For more information contact Dorian Janney dorian.w.janney@nasa.gov Education Specialist Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) http://pmm.nasa.gov/ (office) 301.286-8912 GSFC, Bldg. 33, H 102 Greenbelt, MD 20771

NEW!!! Professional Development Sessions Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language arts (ELA)/Literacy June 20 June 27 (ALL)
The Rhode Island Department of Education is offering professional development (PD) sessions regarding the critical areas of focus within the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language arts (ELA)/Literacy. PD sessions will be held in June and are dedicated in developing a cadre of school leaders to facilitate professional development at the school level. The PD will provide participants with experiences similar to those in the found in the modules which are currently on our website at: www.ride.ri.gov/CCSSforELA-Literacy-Educators

Many of these modules (text complexity, writing and argument) will resonate for science educators. These modules are designed to assist educators as they deepen their understanding in each of the topics. The direct link to the Workshop Registration System is http://www.eride.ri.gov/workshopreg/main.aspx Using the drop down calendar box, select the Common Core State Standards- Professional Development button. It will take you to the list of workshops. Once logged in you may register for any session. For questions regarding the June sessions, please contact CCSSPD@ride.ri.gov

Summer Research for Teacher Opportunities: NSF Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere
Program Dates: 5 weeks, July 1st through August 2nd , although exact dates and length may vary by project Times: 9 am - 4 pm, Monday through Friday Location: College of Engineering, UMass Amherst Stipend: typically $1k/week For application materials, please email Dr. Paula Rees (rees@ecs.umass.edu) Two projects are available: 1. Development of Labs for ECE 361: Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering ECE 361 is an introduction to modern electrical engineering for non-Electrical and Computer Engineering majors. The course covers basic electric-circuit elements and laws, including firstand second-order circuits, AC circuit analysis, systems concepts, diodes, bipolar junction transistors, field-effect transistors, digital logic, transistor amplifiers, electromagnetics, transformers, transducers, generators, and motors. Dr. McLaughlin is working on developing new labs and the associated lab packets for the course, and seeks the assistance of teacher to do so, which will help ensure the material is accessible and beneficial to non-ECE majors. Ideally, some of the labs developed for the course could be modified for use in K12 curriculum. 2. Assessment of Qualitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) In this project, CASA QPE will be compared to local ground precipitation data and existing products currently available from NOAA over a range of temporal and spatial scales for a variety of precipitation events. We anticipate working in two disparate environments. CASA has recently built a state of the art radar network in the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex, the 4th largest urban area in the U.S. In addition, CASA is looking to expand utilization of the UMass MA1 radar into new markets, including but not limited to environmental, transportation, and emergency management applications. In addition, we aim to develop of educational modules to translate this work to the K12 classroom is of interest. Middle or High School teachers with similar interests in communications, meteorology, or hazards response are also encouraged to apply.

FREE 5 day ASM Teachers Materials Camp, July 8 12 (MS and HS Teachers)
Attend a 5-day professional development workshop in Materials Science in the Summer of 2013 at no cost to you! Who should attend? High school general science, chemistry,physics, math and technology teachers Middle school physical science teachers Why attend? Learn how to engage your students using simple, low-cost experiments that you can integrate into your existing lesson plans Help your students discover career opportunities in science & engineering Learn the basics of Materials Science, an exciting branch of physics and chemistry Everything is FREE: 4 CEUs, course materials, lunches & snacks. The course will include one visit to an industrial site, and a session on an electron microscope: each participant can bring a sample! Graduate credits available! Two (2) graduate credits are available at $250. (This is optional.)

To apply online & view the complete 2013 ASM Materials Camp schedule, visit: www.asmfoundation.org Venue: Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA Date: July 8-12, 2013 Questions? Jeane Deatherage, Administrator of Foundation Programs jeane.deatherage@asminternational.org ; 1-800-336-5152, X5533; or PeterJepson, jepjepjeppo@gmail.com , 978-462-1175.

Science Enrichment/Challenge Opportunities for Students

No Items Please note: attachments will not be sent. Most information will be posted online or included here to reduce the size of this message. Thank you.
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If you know of something that you feel is a quality resource, event, or opportunity (e.g., grant), please send a newsletter-ready blurb to peter.mclaren@ride.ri.gov containing the following information by 3:00pm on Thursday to be included in the Friday newsletter (subject to RIDE review and approval): 1. Type (e.g., grant, event, resource) 2. Name / Title of Event / Opportunity 3. Source or Event Sponsor 4. Web site, and/or contact name(s) and email address(es) 5. Description 6. Grade level(s) and/or intended audience 7. Deadline (if applicable) for time-sensitive submissions or event RSVPs THIS NOTICE IS DISTRIBUTED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. R.I Department of Education does not have any affiliation or responsibility to promote this information. Peter J. McLaren
Science-Technology Specialist Office of Instruction Rhode Island Department of Education 255 Westminster Street Providence, Rhode Island 02903 401-222-8454

peter.mclaren@ride.ri.gov