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Lesson Plan: Oil Spill Solutions

San Francisco Oil Spill - Closed BeachesIn this lesson, students in grades 3-12 work in teams to analyze an “oil spill” in the classroom, then design, build, and test a system to first contain, and then remove the oil from the water. Students select from everyday items to build their oil containment and clean-up systems, evaluate the effectiveness of their solution and those of other teams, and present their findings to the class.

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Girls Take Up Crime Scene Detection

Crime SceneIt was Girls’ Night Out with a twist for 60 Pittsburgh-area girls investigating a mock crime scene. The hands-on forensics experience was part of a yearlong program at the California University of Pennsylvania that encourages young woman girls to pursue STEM careers.

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Bid to Avert Teacher Layoffs

UnemployedUp to 300,000 K-12 and public university teachers and staff face layoffs in the next academic year. Members of the U.S. Senate Education Committee are hoping to pass a $23 billion measure to keep many of them on the job.

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Website: Engineerguy.com Videos

biosheetphotoThe entertaining audio and video works featured on Engineerguy.com examine the creative role of engineers in designing and creating our world. On the site, Bill Hammack, professor of chemical & biomolecular engineering the University of Illinois and regular commentator for the Illinois Public Radio in Urbana, explores the secrets of his high-tech underwear, the mysteries of mood rings, the perils of nanotechnology, and the threats to privacy from technology. Hammack emphasizes the human dimension to technology – from the trial, tribulations, and triumphs of inventors and scientists to the effect of technology on our daily lives.

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Resource: Traveling Plasma Lab, MIT, Mass.

The MIT Traveling Plasma Lab provides a one-hour demonstration of the principles of plasma science. Using a glow discharge plasma, an emission spectrometer, and such ubiquitous substances as nail polish remover, local dirt and a pickle, students discover the unique properties of the plasma state. They role-play as environmental detectives while identifying pollutants in the environment. The lab brings a truck-load of hands-on demonstrations and experiments into schools to show students that science is not an inaccessible topic, but a source of fascination and fun.

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Resource: Plasma Lab Outreach, MIT, Mass.

The MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), dedicated to teaching science through direct experience, has helped create hands-on educational tools, including a plasma demonstration device and an interactive tokamak video game. Through demonstrations and tours of working experiments, MIT students and staff share the excitement of plasma research with area school students.

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Museum Roadshows Aid School Budgets

American Museum of Natural HistoryFacing tight budgets and other pressures, schools are taking fewer museum field trips. So museums are taking their shows on the road, via travel programs, videoconferencing, and computer-based lessons. Yet, some worry that kids will lose out, missing “the wow factor of actually seeing that huge Triceratops skeleton.”

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Student Programs: INSPIRE at NASA. Deadline: June 30, 2010

High school students throughout the United States are invited to participate in NASA’s 2010-2011 Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research Experience, or INSPIRE, a multitier year-round program designed for students in grades 9 to 12th who are interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and careers. Applications are being accepted through June 30, 2010.

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Class Activity: Crystal Study

This activity from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory involves students, grades 6-12, in the formation of crystals on glass slides. In conducting their experiment, students learn about basic principles that guide the work of materials engineers and scientists.

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