Other News /RPSEC Dec97 Newsletter

Other Exciting News

Great Web Pages to Visit


With the incredible number of Web sites at our disposal, there are too many choices and not enough time.

The following sites will put you well on your way to exploring the vast resources of the Internet

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Home Page
http://www.nsta.org

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
http://www.nctm.org

The South Carolina Statewide Systemic Initiative (SCSSI)
http://scssi.scetv.org

South Carolina Educational Television (SC ETV)
http://www.scetv.org

Cornell Theory Center Math and Science Gateway
http://www.tc.cornell.edu/Edu/MathSciGateway/

Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
http://www.enc.org/

Mathematics Archives WWW Server
http://archives.math.utk.edu/
SAMI
http://www.c3.lanl.gov/~jspeck/SAMI-home.html

Uncle Bob's Kids' Page
http://gagme.wwa.com/~boba/kidsi.html

Hands On Science Centers Worldwide
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mwm/sci/html

NASA K-12 Internet Initiatives
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

Scholastic Lesson Plans
http://www.scholastic.com/

Science Projects-A Modular Approach
http://www.intraweb.com/aet.htm

The Why Files
http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/

Links for High School Chemistry Students
http://www.mindspring.com/~hwood
email: hwood@mindspring.com

Weatherschool Educational Project


WAGT TV26 is sponsoring a Weatherschool Project for area schools.

Classrooms receive:
Ą A curriculum of twenty reusable lessons
Ą Lesson objectives and background information
Ą Each lesson organized by grade level (1-8)
Ą Market custom interactive software (annually)
Ą Unique color Cloud Poster
Ą Large Bulletin Board Poster (Year 3)
Ą Weatherschool student stickers (Year 4)
Ą Weatherschool bumper stickers (Year 5)
Ą Optional mail exchange of software versions
Ą Optional Question Decoder software

For information on how you can participate in this five year project, call the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center at 641-3313.

A letter is forth coming to all schools in the TV 26 viewing area.

Congratulations!!!

Brenda Nettles

National Conservation Teacher of the Year


Congratulations! Brenda received Conservation Teacher of the Year honors for the district, the state, and the Southeastern region. We are proud to say that she is a 1995 Curriculum Leadership Institute graduate. She has been a leader in briniging both state and national attention to the MARSH, a wetlands rich in biological diversity that lies behind Macedonia Elementary located in Barnwell, SC where she is currently teaching. Mrs. Nettles is a finalist for the National Conservation Teacher of the Year Award.

Cloudy Star Night Still Provides Viewing


The Augusta Astronomy Club and the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center hosted a Star Party on November 8, 1997. There were five main activities planned: telescope viewing, astronomy lectures, astronomy image viewing on computer, how to buy a telescope discussions, and planetarium shows. The party was scheduled to be held rain or shine and as the time approached, rain looked most likely.
Despite the bleak outlook on the weather, 150 people showed up to experience astronomy first hand. The astronomy club members set up telescopes inside the RPSEC and trained the scopes on bolts and nuts in the building. Observers were impressed with the magnification capabilities and many inquired about how to purchase just the right telescope as a Christmas present for a loved one. Many people were treated to informative lectures on astronomy presented by Dr. Stelios Kapranidis of USCA and John White of the Augusta Astronomy Club. The Dupont Planetarium presented, "Through the Eyes of Hubble" and prompted words of praise and amazement from the guest who viewed the show.
Those visitors who waited out the clouds, were treated to some wonderful views of the cosmos beginning at about 9:00 PM. The first quarter moon was clearly visible and provided a stunning view through the telescopes. Also visible was Jupiter with its four moons. Saturn with its rings and orbiting moon, Titan, completed the collection of our solar system neighbors that were visible on that night. The next star party will be close to National Astronomy day in April. Keep a look out for more information on the activities.

S.E.E.D. '97


Telescopes, butterflies, paper making, and many other exciting hands on demonstrations were all part of the 12th annual Science Education Enrichment Day (SEED) held on Saturday, October 25, 1997. This year's SEED, which was a cooperative effort between the Aiken County Public Schools, the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center, and USCA, was a huge success with more than 1450 visitors and over 100 exhibitors.

SEED had something for all ages. Visitors had the opportunity to meet a robot; go deep into outer space with the Hubble Telescope; come face to face with snakes, cockroaches, and alligators; sample oat-mealworm cookies; and much, much more.

The McStraw Towers and Air Fair contests were once again a great success with students showing off their skills and talents in building towers made from Mc Donald's straws and testing paper airplane designs. If any teacher is interested in having their students participate in either of these contests next year please contact the RPSEC in September 1998 to get the contest guidelines.

Next year's SEED, tentatively scheduled for Saturday, October 24, 1998, promises to be bigger and better than ever. We hope to feature a NASA astronaut and an exciting new planetarium program at SEED '98.

Newsletter Table of Contents

Ruth Patrick Science Education Center
University of South Carolina Aiken
RPSEC@sc.edu
URL: http://rpsec.usca.sc.edu/newsletter/Dec97/Other.html(December, 1997)