General Interest Events

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Schedule and Registration for March 4th, 2010 CWS Mini- Conference

Click on the above link to view the variety of different sessions that are being offered this year!

Dinner and your choice of two sessions all for only 20.00! (16.00 for current CWS members!!!!)

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Upstate New York Junior Science and Humanities Symposium

Albany March 22-23, 2010

The Junior Science and Humanities Symposia (JSHS) Program invites high school students to submit a paper on an original research investigation in the sciences, engineering, or mathematics. By connecting talented students, their teachers, and research professionals at affiliated symposia and by rewarding research excellence, JSHS aims to widen the pool of trained talent prepared to conduct research and development vital to our nation. All students in grades 9-12 enrolled in public, private, or home schools in are eligible to participate.

TO GET INVOLVED TODAY CONTACT...
Karen Chico Hurst
University at Albany
University in the High School Program
1400 Washington Avenue, BIO 001
Albany, NY 12222
Phone: 518-442-4148
e-mail: kchicohurst@albany.edu
Web: http://www.albany.edu/jshs

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STANYs Central Western Section Members

Which are you?

In balancing costs and servicing the members of our organization we are attempting to determine the best method of disseminating information.

Many of our members prefer to receive notifications regarding events and information via the web and email communications. 

Many of our members prefer to receive mailed information, sent to their homes.  

 

Please let us know which you prefer!   We would very much like to accommodate all members in a cost effective manner. 

You may send the information electronically to:

Email:
kflint@kendallschools.org

Or

Send your preference to:
Kristin Flint
5414 S. Holley Rd
Holley, NY 14470

Or

Leave a voice mail:
 (585) 260-5123

 Please provide the following information

Your Name:

Your School:

if you wish to receive email notification                
(Please include your preferred email address)

Or   

Receive a paper copy of information
(Please include your current address)

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New Leader –
“Informal Science Education Person” for CWS and Western New York State.

 

Deborah Massey is Central Western Section and Western New York’s “Informal Science Education Person.” She has also been appointed by the Executive Board of STANYS to sit on the STANYS’ Informal Education Committee. Many of you know Deborah as she has been working with CWS teachers for many programs in our schools and making connection between the school district and the RMCS.  Please welcome Deborah when you next see her at the Rochester Museum and Science Center as the official “Informal Science  Educator Leader”  in our section.
Deborah Massey is the Head of School and Teacher Programs at the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMC) and has eleven years of experience in adult education, including the development and facilitation of inquiry-based learning as an Assistant Professor of chemistry at Finger Lakes Community College. She grounds her pedagogical methods in twelve years of research experience in both academia and industry in the fields of academic chemistry, biochemistry, marine toxicology, and molecular biology.

Content Areas:

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Biology:

Chemistry:

College Level:

Earth Science:

Elementary Science:

Environmental:

Professional Development Opportunities at the Finger Lakes Institute
Sheila Myers, CW STANYS Environmental SAR

Climate Change and Its Impact on the Environment
The Finger Lakes Institute is hosting a conference at the Hobart and William Smith Colleges campus on the topic of Climate Change on March 25th, 2010.  There will be concurrent sessions covering biology and geosciences issues offering ideas on how to incorporate the latest knowledge about climate change into science curriculum.  There is also a keynote address by Chris Linder, a Research Associate in the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's Physical Oceanography Department and a professional science and natural history photographer, followed by an assembly presentation by the Alliance for Climate Education, and a panel discussion on what school districts in the region are doing to reduce their carbon footprint.  To learn more about the conference and register visit the Climate Change Conference website or contact Sheila Myers, smyers@hws.edu.  This conference is co-sponsored by the Rochester Area Colleges Centers for Excellence in Math and Science.

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Science on Seneca Training Day Set for spring 2010

Science on Seneca is an educational outreach program of the Finger Lakes Institute and Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  The next training date for teachers that are interested in participating in the SOS program is April 17, 2010 from 8 am – 3 pm.  The day will begin at the Finger Lakes Institute on the Hobart and William Smith campus with a brief introduction to the program logistics.  We will then head to the WILLIAM SCANDLING research vessel on Seneca Lake to learn how to use the research equipment on-board.  After lunch we head back to the FLI for a one hour overview of the educational resources and access to more information on Finger Lakes related environmental and water quality topics.  This training is free to all teachers and once complete teachers are allowed to bring their classes on a field trip on the WILLIAM SCANDLING for $15.00/trip.  To register for the training contact Barb Halfman, at bhalfman@hws.edu . Directions to the FLI are on the website link http://fli.hws.edu/    Visit the SOS website to learn more:  http://fli.hws.edu/sos/ or contact Sheila Myers at smyers@hws.edu .  Sheila Myers from the Finger Lakes Institute will be on-hand at the CW STANYS workshop March 4th to present more information about this program.

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Students Learn Lesson on Cholera and Safe Drinking Water

While participating in the summer 2009 teacher institute held at the Finger Lakes Institute, science teacher Janet Siegel from the Rochester City School District became intrigued by one of the lesson plans that tied in the historical quest for clean drinking water supplies and the cholera epidemic in the City of Rochester.   Sheila Myers, Education Outreach Coordinator, connected the City of Rochester’s development of a safe, clean drinking water supply via Canadice and Hemlock Lakes, with the tragedy that befell Rochester, and many other cities during the cholera epidemics of the 1830s-1850s.  The lesson plan developed by Ms. Myers ties in many aspects of science: epidemiology, chemistry, societal attitudes at the time towards hygiene and medicine, and watershed protection.  Janet took the lesson plan one step further and developed a whole unit out of the history of Cholera epidemic in the City of Rochester.  Janet tied in a school-wide search for a “contaminated” drinking fountain, invited guest speakers from the Rochester Historical Society and brought her students to the Genesee Country Museum for a half-day program focused on public hygiene and medicine at the time of the mid-1800s.  Ms. Siegel and Ms. Myers will be presenting on the Cholera lesson plan at the upcoming March 4th CW STANYS workshop.
The 2009 Summer Teacher Institute was co-sponsored by the Rochester Area Colleges Centers for Excellence in Math and Science and the Finger Lakes Institute (FLI).  To find out more about this lesson plan and future summer institutes held at the FLI, contact Sheila Myers at smyers@hws.edu.

Pictured is Janet Siegel and her students

outside the historic home of Dr. Frederick Backus of Rochester.

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Finger Lakes Regional Stream Monitoring Network

As part of a two-year pilot project of the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, science teachers and their students will take to area streams to conduct assessments and learn valuable field science skills.  The Finger Lakes Regional Stream Monitoring Program, backed by a grant funded by Time Warner Cable, will ultimately involve 40 schools and up to 2,000 students.  The schools will be selected from within central and western New York, in Seneca, Ontario, Yates, Monroe, Wayne, Schuyler, Tompkins, Cayuga and Livingston Counties.
"We are extremely grateful that Time Warner provided the necessary financial support so we could expand on our teacher-led and research-guided monitoring efforts," says Sheila Myers, education outreach coordinator for FLI.
The Finger Lakes Regional Stream Monitoring network (http://fli.hws.edu/stream/index.html) follows in the footsteps of the award-winning Science on Seneca (SOS) program which trains area teachers to take their students out on Seneca Lake using the 65-ft research vessel The William Scandling to perform various water quality, geological, meteorological, biological and chemical studies of the lake.
The network involves middle and high school students in scientific inquiry on select tributaries in the Finger Lakes watershed.  It will develop a network of young volunteer monitors who will conduct stream assessments and make the data accessible on a Web-based format.  Students will wade in streams to monitor water chemistry, collect water samples, and identify aquatic insects that act as indicators of water quality and whose presence and state tell a lot about the health of the watershed. The program will draw on the research and expertise of the FLI staff, faculty at HWS and Finger Lakes Community College.
"The funding of this program in the Finger Lakes region is integral to not only our understanding of the ecological health of our streams but also to our ability to properly train teachers to educate the future stream monitors - environmentally-aware citizens of tomorrow," says Susan F. Cushman, assistant professor of biology at HWS. Cushman and Bruce Gilman, conservation professor at Finger Lakes Community College and a cooperating environmental educator with the Finger Lakes Institute, will conduct teacher training this spring. 
Gilman is also excited to be involved with one of the FLI's newest projects.  "The educational value of stream monitoring in the Finger Lakes will be greatly enhanced in the high school curriculum by the Institute's collaborative efforts to train local science teachers, assist them in sampling local waters, and manage a database of their results.  I am a strong advocate of experiential learning and this will be a wonderful opportunity to engage high school students in active, outdoor inquiry."
The pilot regional stream monitoring program will include development of: a stream monitoring protocol and curriculum guide; training program for the pilot schools; and an online database system for teachers to input and access their monitoring and other data.  Time Warner Cable is providing funding for college student interns to work on the project, as well as equipment, supplies and assistance for schools to take field trips to area stream sites. 
"The Finger Lakes Regional Stream Monitoring Program is the next phase of Time Warner Cable's new philanthropic focus called Connect A Million Minds. This program will give students in our local science classrooms a unique, hands-on learning experience inspiring them to build skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to become the problem solvers of tomorrow," said Terence Rafferty, Regional Vice President of Operations, Time Warner Cable of WNY.
More than 10 area schools have already signed up for the program and the FLI expects to recruit 12 more by the end of the year.  The participating schools and organizations include: Avon High School, Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association; Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES in Auburn, Geneseo Middle School, Geneva City School District, Moravia Middle School, Naples Junior- Senior High School, Pittsford Mendon High School, Sodus Middle School, Trumansburg Middle School, Watkins Glen Middle School, and Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES.
"This environmental project will help foster partnerships between students, schools, colleges and the community to allow students not only to see the environment but to understand it and create a cleaner, safer place to live," says Sharon Bassage, coordinator of science programs, Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES.

Intermediate Science:

Upstate New York STANYS Intermediate Teachers
From:        Arnie Serosky (STANYS President) and Steve Fielman (IL-DAL)

Topic:        An Opportunity!

As you may or may not know, Time Warner Cable has budgeted $100,000,000 nationally over the next 5 years to support STEM Education.  Last year, the "upstate" division of Time Warner began their efforts by sponsoring several events in Western NY involving STANYS (represented by Past President Vivian Pokrzyk).  More significantly, Time Warner played a big financial support role at our Conference, underwriting our Sunday keynote speaker and the Intermediate Luncheon.

Time Warner has agreed to continue their support of STEM Education by supporting the STANYS Annual Conference in 2010.  In addition, They would like to have some direct impact on students'  and families' interest in STEM and STEM careers by supporting museums, after school programs, etc.

The Upstate NY representative of Time Warner's efforts in this realm has asked us to assist them in the following project.  In each of the cities listed below, they would like to have a classroom of students involved in an event/project during the week of March 22 - 27.  As you can see, the cost of these events (field trips, assemblies, visits to classrooms) will be covered by Time Warner. They have planned things to interest students as well as to bring some PR to Time Warner.  Our participation in this would also bring some very positive recognition and PR to STANYS.

If you work in a school in the locations listed below, we would really love to have you and your classes participate.  If you do not, we would very much appreciate your recruiting a colleague (and their classes) from a middle  school in the locations listed below for their involvement.

Albany (I’d like to bring students on site to TWC to tour technology)
Schenectady—tour on site at TWC
Utica (local school assembly possible)
Watertown (local assembly)
Ithaca(local assembly)
Binghamton (local assembly)
Syracuse (bring students on site for technology tour)
Geneva (technology tour at hands-on ‘training house’)
Rochester (bring students on site for technology tour)
Batavia (local assembly)
Buffalo (bring students on site for technology tour)
Niagara Falls (local assembly)
Olean (local assembly)

Physics:

The contest is open to high school students in grades 9-12 (or equivalent international grade level). Entries are welcome anytime between March 1 and May 15. 
Entries are limited to 15 per school each year.
Photos may be entered in one of two categories described below, and will be judged on the quality of the photo and the accuracy of the physics in the explanation that accompanies the photograph.

• Wind Energy (Blade) Challenge

Location Cicero-North Syracuse High school
Date March 6th.

It is not too late to get in, not too complicated, and very affordable. There are free materials available for NYS schools. I have attached the web site for more information. http://www.kidwind.org/workshops_events/challenge.php

If there are more questions, You can e-mail me Pat Madigan at pmadigan@nscsd.org 

• Energy-Related Professional Development Workshops Scheduled Throughout New York State

The New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is pleased to announce free professional development workshops for K-12th grade teachers coming up in January through early April across New York State. Each workshop includes the following:

Substitute Reimbursement (for workshops during school hours)
Refreshments
Multidisciplinary Hands-on Materials
Professional Development Credit Available

Retirees:

STANYS Retirees – How About Doing Some Science Again?

As a follow up to ideas shared among STANYS retirees, we are considering setting up a NYS ‘chapter’ of Teacher Reserves. This is an initiative started in Illinois to match retired science teachers with schools/teachers who would like to have guest teachers work with their students on science. We will be discussing this at the March 13th SAR workshop in Endicott, NY. The retiree SARs and I will discuss a plan to implement Teacher Reserves in NYS. Perhaps each STANYS section will have a list of retirees who are willing to share some of their expertise with students in their region. So, think about what you’d be willing to do (perhaps with a colleague). Do you have a great activity you always did? Haul it out and get ready to feel that ‘rush’ as students enjoy working with you on your activity. Watch for more information on this in the near future.

Robert Dayton

STANYS Retiree DAL