K-12 Education
The ASGC supports local initiatives which have introduced into Alabama schools the methods and materials developed and promoted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Science, the Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Teachers Association. Beginning in Huntsville and later extending throughout North Alabama, the ASGC has taken the initiative to play a major supportive role in bringing about systemic change in science education at the crucial K-12 level. The consortium also contributes to the work of the Hands-On Activity Science Programs (HASP). With ASGC support this network is a major new participant in this growing program. The consortium also supports teacher training throughout the state, awards teacher mini-grants for Alabama Space Week activities, helps to sponsor the state Science Olympiad, supports Aerospace Education week; also supported by the ASGC, Alabama teachers have been trained at the Goldstone-Apple Valley Radio Telescope for a unique science education research program. Via a computer in each of their classrooms, middle and high school students will operate and control a 34-meter radio telescope using a curriculum developed by these teachers. The data they collect is processed by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Other funded projects include:
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment [website]
The Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment ( GLOBE ) Program is a hands-on environmental science and education program that joins students, educators, and scientists from around the world in studying the global environment and is sponsored by the Executive Office of the Vice President. Its goals are to: increase environmental awareness of individuals throughout the world, contribute to our scientific understanding of the earth, and improve student achievement in science and mathematics. Students make a core set of environmental observations at or near their school, report their data through the Internet to a GLOBE data archive, and then study images created from worldwide GLOBE school data. A unique feature of this program is that scientists are using the student-gathered data in their research, thereby teaching the process of science through real scientific endeavor. GLOBE educational materials and learning activities have been developed by environmental educators to help the students understand the significance and interrelationships of the measurements they take.
Biotechnology for Kids on the Space Station [website]
Hundreds of school children are involved with a new program ASGC has helped to organize. It involves the very first microgravity science to be done on the Space Station. The program uses the approved and manifested flight hardware of the University of California - Irvine, designed to grow protein crystals of great perfection. Data obtained from x-ray diffraction analysis of these crystals enables the structure of the proteins to be obtained with much improved accuracy or fineness of detail. This information can be used to understand the function of these proteins in living systems, and may be used to design drugs to alleviate many of mankind's afflictions. Students learn about crystal growth, and about proteins, biochemistry, and biotechnology. They grow protein crystals in their classrooms and compare their results with those obtained from the flight programs. The first flight of this program took place in August 1999; 37 other Space Grant states have signed up to support and train teachers for students to load samples for the Space Station.
Protein Crystallization, Structural Biology, & Space Travel: Teacher/Student Workshops
Exploring Space: The Classroom Connection, Crystallography in the Classroom Workshop
Workshops for teachers and students in crystallography offers an opportunity for teachers to learn to load crystal solution samples for experiments to be conducted on board the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a program sponsored by UC-I. After training ASGC helps to purchase the kits for the teachers to take back to their classrooms. The program is part of a training offered collaboratively by UAH, NASA MSFC and the US Space & Rocket Center run by UC-Irvine. Teachers from across Alabama and from other states participate, including entry level and those from high poverty schools are targeted to participate. This project has lead to interest in classrooms throughout the US for participating in microgravity experiments on the ISS. Workshops meet the objective of Title II and the Alabama Course of Study in math and science. Funding has also been provided to evaluate the success in a follow-up workshop. A large portion of the budget for a follow-up course was provided by ACHE (Alabama Commission on Higher Education). ASGC has funded two graduate biology students to assist with training, making kits and assisting students and teachers in the classroom.
Bringing the Universe to the Alabama Classroom
The program brings teachers to Auburn University, in proximity to the model GAVRT school, Opelika Middle School, to train teachers to be trainers for the Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope (GAVRT) program in conjunction with JPL and Lewis Center for Educational Research. Trained teachers teach students the basic principles of radio astronomy, antenna operation and calibration, to plan investigations, have real-time on the telescope and collect data needed to analyze in the context of their investigations. This project continues with a contract directly with Auburn and GAVRT. Funding is provided for Alabama teachers to attend the workshops held at Auburn University.
STARSHINE
The Schools Foundation and Huntsville Education Association
Alabama Space Week [website]
The Consortium provides mini-grants of up to $125 to teachers for special space/aerospace related supplies for special projects related to Space Week, held each March in the Huntsville and Madison City School system and the Madison County school system. Most teachers are very creative in the way they use these funds and the entire community supports this program. Teachers apply to the Schools Foundation (formerly the Huntsville Education Association) and projects are evaluated before being awarded. Often the schools selected are in underrepresented areas of north Alabama. Some of the schools are in underrepresented areas of the county. ASGC also provided a Speaker's Bureau for participating schools. MSFC and local industries provide activities for schools during this week.
North Alabama Science Center Orientation to Sci-Quest [website]
Funding to assist with interactive science Saturday workshops for teachers within north Alabama to test and implement new science programs for all K-12 schools and to organize a lecture series for students utilizing their unique hands-on facility.
Alabama Science & Engineering Fair
The Alabama Science & Engineering Fair (ASEF) is held each spring at UAH. The ASEF is open to the winners of 13 categories of winners of the 6 regional fairs that are held throughout Alabama prior to the State Fair. In turn, ASEF sends winning entrants to the International Science & Engineering Fair later in the year. Space Grant assists with scholarships for the student participants to attend the national fair.
North Alabama Science Olympiad
Funding is supplied to assist with awards for the regional Science Olympiad held in March; the top 3 winners in each category go to the State-wide Olympiad in May. The Science Olympiad consists of a series of 32 individual and team events relating to physics, chemistry, biology, aerospace, mechanical and electrical engineering, technology, computer science, earth science, mathematics and language arts, which students prepare for prior to the tournament. The emphasis is on advanced learning in science through active hands-on group participation where students, teachers, coaches, principals, business leaders and parents are all bonded together as a team working toward a common goal. MSFC, UAH, Alabama A&M and local industries provide judges for the Olympiad.
Development of K-12 Web Page Based Curriculum for Teachers
Teachers from around the state are selected based upon submission of an application in which they express their interest and need for the web page training to be provided. They come to the UAH College of Engineering Computer Facilities for four weekend sessions for training in using web page software and learn how to develop math and science curricula using the web page. Each teacher is guided through the development of web page based curriculum materials and learn how to access the OSS web page and the numerous Space Science Education/Public Outreach Sites that are listed.
Teacher Enhancement via NASA Web Sites
This project enhances the capability and comfort-level of math and science teachers in utilizing the NASA and other web sites in science education. Training is for teacher partners from middle schools of the Mobile County Public School System to use web browser to access the educational resources of NASA's web sites to liven up classroom learning of mathematics and science and to develop after school activities utilizing undergraduate engineering students to assist with these activities.
Improving Literacy in Science & Technology: 4-H Aerospace
A 4-H Aerospace Challenge to encourage students in southern counties of Alabama to learn rocket technology through model rocket building and launches. The 4-H Extension Service agents held an in-service training and to conduct a member competition. The project has the potential of reaching at least 40,000 students in south Alabama over the next few years.
Maysville Mathematics Initiative
Maysville is a community in Mobile that is in need of special teacher training assistance. The community was targeted based on academic and economic need and the desire of the schools (4 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school) and their leadership to participate in new programs. The program is to train resource teachers to work with these six schools and teachers, hoping to touch all 140 teachers and 4,000 students in this high need community.
Research Paper Contest for Macon County Students
High school students from Macon county are invited to participate in a paper presentation contest at Tuskegee University. They are judged by qualified experts from different scientific areas. The first and second places winners in each section then participate in a regional paper presentation contest in the Alabama Junior Academy of Science Paper Presentation Contest in physics and mathematics, engineering and computer sciences, biological sciences, chemistry and earth sciences. Each winner is then assigned a faculty mentor from the University to assist with further research. The high school students work on a research project at Tuskegee with an assigned mentor for their research project and are paid through the summer to assist in a laboratory.
Student Introduction to Engineering (SITE)
The overall objective of the SITE Summer Program is to expose rising high school juniors and seniors to the various fields and career opportunities available in engineering. In addition it gives the students insight into precollege preparation necessary to successfully matriculate into an institution of higher education. Students spend a week staying on the campus, learning about university life, engineering, and participate in field trips to industry in the area. They participate in a design competition as well. ASGC assists with housing and need based stipends for the participants.
Mobile Math Circle [website]
A problem-solving program called The Mobile Mathematics Circle offers to secondary students from Mobile County a program to instruct the students in a variety of problem solving topics, including Number Theory, Game Theory, Graph Theory and Optimization Theory that are not encountered in the usual high school math curriculum. Students are introduced to the use of math as a creative thinking tool through problem solving. Traditional Math Circles were started in Europe a century ago and are run by a teacher or university faculty and graduate students. Students have developed their own website and designed questions. Outside speakers make presentations to the group. As a result of the weekly Monday meetings, students participate in the state Math Olympiad and winners are sent to the National Math Olympiad. Students from this group have also been recruited by USA; several minority students have been accepted for admission.
FIRST Robotics Competition [website]
FIRST, an acronym for For Inspiration in Science & Technology, a national program, invites teams of students to pair with real life engineers, teachers and other professional mentors to create a robot for competition based on specific rules and kits that change year by year. The goal is to nurture student interest in math and science. ASGC assisted with the sponsorship of two high school teams. Teams attend competitions in selected cities.
Piloting of Middle Grades Hands-on Activity Science Program (MGHASP)
Along with a 5-year grant from the National Science Foundation, a project, "Middle Grades Hands-on Activity Science Program" (MGHASP), the ASGC is proving funds to assist with helping to pilot the seven partner school districts in north Alabama obtain supplies for the necessary teacher training to provide hands-on science to middle grades. The original HASP modules were revised extensively for middle school teachers. Following the teacher training on-site support continued with additional teachers being trained. Both sets of curriculum materials piloted have been adopted by all seven piloting districts and the materials deemed worthy of district wide implementation. The modules obtained may be reused for training in the summer and each term in the classroom. The middle grades hands-on science program has now retained its own teacher in residence.
Expanding Your Horizons: Careers in Science, Math & Engineering for Middle School Girls
A conference on Careers in Science, Math and Engineering for Middle School Girls (Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) was organized by the Women in Science (WIS) at the University of South Alabama. EYH is a one-day career exploration conference for young women in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, a time when they are making important academic decisions about which courses to take in school. The goals of the EYH Conferences are to: (i) increase the interest of young women in mathematics, science, and engineering through positive, hands-on experiences; (ii) foster awareness of career opportunities in scientific and technical fields; (iii) involve young women who have limited access to positive math/science experiences; (iv) provide young women with positive role models who are active in scientific and technical careers. The ASGC provides seed funds for scientific supplies for the workshops. 39 different hands-on workshops are offered illustrating different careers in science and each student participated in four workshops of their choice. The workshops includ protein crystallization and structure using computer graphics, designer genes, hydrodynamic engineering, forensic science, weather prediction, affect of disease on human anatomy and organ structure, the chemistry of perfume, unusual species in veterinary medicine and science, the role of gender in communication, antibiotics and treatment of infectious disease. ASGC also assists with need based registration fees.
UA-ME Day: A Program to Introduce High School Women to Engineering
Members of the University of Alabama's chapters of ASME and SWE hold an event for 9-12th grade girls to encourage them to pursue a career in mechanical engineering and related fields. Participants are challenged with a team-based design project in the area of robotics using Lego Mindstorms. ASGC funded the purchase of the Lego Mindstorms for a day long event. Parents also attend an information session on college admissions, receive a tour of the facilities and have a Q&A session.
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