STEM Ed Announcement: Science/Engineering Saturday Seminars Fall 2010

[Morton Sternheim <mort@k12s.phast.umass.edu>]

This is a UMass Amherst program.
Contact information is below.
============================

Science & Engineering Saturday Seminars         Fall, 2010 
-        Designed for science teachers; new teachers are especially welcome         

-        Five Saturdays each term; 8:30-1 at UMass Amherst, Lederle Grad
          Towers 1033 (except as noted)

-        Educational materials, refreshments, parking, PDPs included

-        Advance registration is required; capacity is limited

-        Cost $30 per session, $120 for all five sessions

-        4 PDPs per half day session; option for 3 grad credits at reduced
             cost with extra work

September 11. Invasive Plant Species: Coming to an ecosystem near you! 
Robin Harrington, Turners Falls HS. Invasive species are a threat to
biodiversity worldwide, including in local habitats. Understanding of the
process of invasion is the first step preventing further spread. Invasive
species can be brought into the science curriculum in a number of places:
plant growth and reproduction, dispersal, and even as a component of global
change. Many students are aware of invasive plants in their neighborhoods or
communities. We will focus on the characteristics of invasive plant species
and their ecological and economic impacts. We will explore online resources
and ideas for student research on invasive species and end with a walk on
campus to identify local invasive plant species. 

September 25. Active and Passive Solar Energy Fundamentals. Peter Talmage,
Greenfield Community College. This seminar will cover the basics of passive
and active solar energy: information on solar potential, evaluation of the
solar potential at a site and discussions of active and passive solar hot
water and solar heating systems. We will construct and use a simple solar
tracker and shade evaluation tool, assemble a small simple working solar hot
water heater and solar hot air collector. We will learn how to run basic
calculations and tests that will give a good idea of the energy output
potential of these devices and how these technologies can be applied to our
homes.

October 2.  Nanotechnology. Mark Tuominen, Physics.  Nanotechnology is the
understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100
nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications. We will survey
what nanotechnology is and its applications, and will look at activities
designed to help student comprehend going down the power of ten scale. We
will also do a hands-on experiment on the effect of nanoparticles in
sunscreen and its role in preventing skin damage and cancer from ultraviolet
light.

October 16. Traffic Engineering and the Everyday World. Mike Knodler, Civil
and Environmental Engineering. This seminar introduces basic traffic
engineering principles for streets and highways with emphasis on the safe
and efficient operation of roadway intersections.  Nearly 40,000 people are
killed each year on US roadways, many at intersections.  In addition,
increasing traffic volumes has led to congestion requiring improved vehicle
movement efficiency at intersections.  Topics to be covered include:
vehicle, operator, and roadway characteristics; traffic control; roadway
capacity; geometric design objectives and plan formulation; demand
forecasting; and economic, social, and environmental evaluation.  The
seminar features several hands-on activities adaptable at  all grade levels.

October 30.  Backyard Biofuels: Understanding the Genomic Potential of the Q
Microbe.  Integrated Sciences Building. Jeff Blanchard and Amy Biddle,
Microbiology. The forests surrounding the Quabbin reservoir are home to the
bacterium, Clostridium phytofermentans. In the last two years C.
phytofermentans has become a Local Hero and is known as the Q Microbe
because it was discovered near the Quabbin reservoir and because of the
publicity surrounding the biofuels startup company Qteros. Qteros is founded
upon the concept of using this locally   discovered microbe to produce
ethanol from plant fibers. The Q Microbe is a very tractable system for
engaging high school students in the microbiology of forest soils, genomics
and biotechnology. The goal is to provide a fundamental understanding of
genome science using free and/or web-based tools, and classroom activities
for diverse levels.

November 13. Weather cancellation makeup date if needed.

December 4. Recall for those registered for graduate credit. Hasbrouck
Lab.

Graduate credit option: There is a charge of $300 for 3 Continuing Education
credits plus a $45 registration fee.  This is in addition to the $120 STEM
Education Institute fee. Teachers may obtain credit for the seminar as many
terms as they wish, but only 3 credits may be applied to UMass Amherst
degrees. A lesson plan and a book report will be required for those enrolled
for graduate credit. Register with Continuing Education or the UMass
Graduate School for CNS 697S, ST-Contemporary Science and Engineering II. We
will have registration forms at the first seminar.

Questions: Mort Sternheim, mort@umassk12.net, 413-545-1908,
www.umassk12.net/sess 

Online seminar registration and payment:
www.umassk12.net/sess/register.html. Required for everyone whether or not
they are registering for graduate credit.