More than 125 people gathered at the KPBS Copley Telecommunications Center at SDSU on January 18th, for the fifth community-wide event of the San Diego Science Alliance. TRW Avionics Systems Division co-hosted the event. Attendees included a cross-section of the San Diego community including local business and educational representatives, members of research institutions and teachers. In addition, several people from the Orange County Science and Technology Alliance made the trip to San Diego. The event kicked off with a welcome by KPBS General Manager, Doug Myrland. The group was treated to a special screening of the new KPBS program "Breakthrough: The Changing Face of Science in America," which airs this spring. Patricia Winter, of General Atomics and Chair of the San Diego Science Alliance (SDSA), updated the group on the recent activities of the SDSA which include SDSA becoming a non-profit organization. One of the highlights of the afternoon was the presentation by TOPS Staffing Services of a $5,000 check to the Science Alliance, as part of its Technology Opportunities for Public Schools Program. Through the TOPS program, local businesses are given the opportunity to designate public high schools to receive donations of hardware and software based on the company's use of TOPS Staffing Services. SAIC took the lead in designating Science Alliance rather than an individual high school. They were joined by Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp. and the Salk Institute. "I hope that those local businesses who need staffing support in 1996 will consider using TOPS Staffing Services and designate the Science Alliance as well," said Patricia Winter. Betsy Rice, vice-president Human Resources for TOPS Staffing, presented the award check. Guest speakers included Barbara Abelin, from Cubic Corporation, and Becky Watts, from the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego.Dr. Steve Barlow, San Diego State Biology Department/Electron Microscope Facility, demonstrated remote access of the SDSU Electron Microscope live via the Internet. Dr. Barlow encouraged others in the community with electron microscope facilities to make them available to area teachers and classrooms using similar technology. Networking and information exchange tables provided valuable resources for all who attended. Many exciting things continue to happen as the San Diego Science Alliance continues to grow with more than 150 organizations on the membership list. Please tell your friends, associates, colleagues, and fellow teachers about SDSA. Membership is open to any individual or group willing to assist the San Diego area teachers and help promote excellence in science education.
The San Diego Science Alliance has grown in the past year, both in membership and in activities. We've expanded the professional- development opportunities offered to local science teachers. This growth would not have been possible without the generous assistance of our supporting businesses and industries countywide. Over 20 organizations and countless individuals have made "in-kind contributions" to the Alliance, ranging from hosting our community-wide events to donations toward reprinting our Resource Catalog. Organizations have offered their scientists and lab facilities as part of the "Science in San Diego" seminar series for teachers. Thank you all for joining forces with us to support science education in San Diego! Soon, the Resources Committee will begin writing proposals for grants to support science education in San Diego County. If you are acquainted with a particular foundation or other organization that might be interested in underwriting our activities and to which we might submit a grant proposal, please contact Pat Winter at General Atomics (455-3335 or by e-mail), or Todd Talashek at NutraSweet Kelco (467-6670 or by e-mail).
The San Diego Science Alliance hosted an awards breakfast on Friday, March 8 for business persons and educators. The breakfast kicked-off the 12th annual San Diego Science Educators Association Conference (SDSEA) held March 8-9th at the Community Concourse in downtown San Diego. After networking with other SDSA members, participants were invited to attend the conference sessions. Please encourage your school administrators to attend this event next year to discover what is happening in science education.
Todd Talashek, NutraSweet Kelco and a Steering Committee member of SDSA, is the American Chemical Society 1996 Chair Elect of the San Diego Chapter. Todd is one of the founding members of SDSA and Chair of the Resource Committee. . . . . Diane Baxter, Curator of Education at Stephen Birch Aquarium-Museum, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, welcomed three new staff instructors. They recently received a Teacher Enhancement grant from NSF to evaluate the implementation model for their curriculum on global climate change, "Forecasting the Future." . . . . Scripps Research Institute (SRI) awarded a $5000 college scholarship to Laqwanza Hampton, a student at Lincoln Prep High School, to help her attain her goal of becoming a doctor. Robin Goldsmith, SRI, is a member of the SDSA Steering Committee. . . . . Todd Talashek, NutraSweet Kelco, will be taking four San Diego teachers and Doris Anderson, Director of the Elementary Institute of Science, to the NSTA Conference in St. Louis in March. The teachers are: José Jones and Jim Myers from Gompers Secondary School, and John Satallante and Carter Anderson from Perkins Elementary School. . . . . Stratagene Cloning Systems is beginning a mentoring program to help students with science fair projects and career decisions. They also started an equipment loan program for power supplies and electrophoresis. Judi Heitz is the new head of the Materials Education Division and graciously printed this edition of the SDSA newsletter. . . . . Hughes Network Systems (represented on the SDSA Steering Committee by Christine LeMond) recently provided funding for T-shirts for the SDSU McNair Scholars Program through a partnership fostered by SDSA. McNair Scholars Program provides research opportunities for low-income first-generation, and underrepresented students to prepare them to enter doctoral programs in mathematics and science.
SDSA welcomes a new member to the Steering Committee— Sammantha McDonald, SDG&E. Sammantha is the Senior Community Outreach Representative at SDG&E. . . . . For the first time, SDSA will be giving two awards at the San Diego Science and Engineering Fair in April—one to a middle school student and one to a high school student. . . . . SDSA will be supporting the Elementary Science Field Day with a contribution towards their awards and recognitions. . . . . SDSA will be a major underwriter of the upcoming Inventors Showcase on May 30, 1996. Teledyne Ryan designed, produced and printed the flyers and posters advertising this event. . . . . SDSA is sponsoring a Logo Contest, open to all area high schools through their science and art departments. . . . . A revised edition of our print Resource Catalog was available at the SDSEA Conference on March 8 and 9. We also presented a workshop on both Friday and Saturday to introduce SDSA to those who don't yet know about us.
Last summer, KPBS launched "Seek Out Science," a major, two-year educational outreach project funded by Pacific Bell and designed to stimulate excitement about science while encouraging interest in scientific careers among middle and junior high school students. For this project, KPBS is proud to have partnered with the San Diego Science Alliance as well as the Stephen Birch Aquarium-Museum at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, and Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute. Another project for KPBS is the new series "BreakThrough: The Changing Face of Science in America," a six-part documentary profiling 20 contemporary African-American, Latino and Native American scientists and engineers forging new ground in biology, astronomy, physics, mathematics, and other scientific disciplines.
As we put together a local data base in conjunction with this program, KPBS will be working closely with the San Diego Science Alliance. We at KPBS appreciate the commitment of time, energy and expertise from the Science Alliance for these projects. We are pleased to have this opportunity to partner with the Alliance and increase awareness of the vast science resources available to all in San Diego. For more information about the KPBS "Seek Out Science" program, call 594-7152. The Scientific American "Amateur Scientist."
Shawn Carlson, Ph.D., a member of the Science Alliance and Director of the Society for Amateur Scientists, began writing "The Amateur Scientist" column for Scientific American magazine in November, 1995. His goal for the column is "to present vital techniques each month that an ambitious amateur could use to make novel and original discoveries." Said Shawn, "all of the projects are relatively inexpensive (about $100 or less) and would be the basis for great science fair projects or classroom demonstrations." "In the last 20 years," said Shawn, "improvements in technology have brought amazing techniques into the reach of amateurs and students. Differential pressure transducers which can sense pressure changes as small as 3 millionths of an atmosphere now cost less than $100. These devices are so sensitive they can be used to watch a single beetle take a single breath, or even monitor its heart beat! Magnetometers, called Hall Effect Transducers, are so sensitive that they can detect movements as small as 10 microns. This opens up all sorts of fascinating research opportunities."
Shawn is one of some 15 members of the Science Alliance who presented a workshop at the 12th annual San Diego Science Educators Conference at the Community Concourse on March 8 and 9. Scientific American is making this special offer to members of the Science Alliance to introduce them to the magazine and Shawn's columns: Special Offer: Subscribe to SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN for one year at $24.97 (new and renewal orders). Payment must accompany order: VISA, MasterCard or AMEX accepted (card expiration date and signature required) or personal check in the amount of $24.97. Send your special order with payment to: SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, Dept P6NL322BV, 415 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10017. BreakThrough: The Changing Face of Science in America.
Beginning Monday, April 8, KPBS is pleased to bring to San Diego, "BreakThrough: The Changing Face of Science in America," a six-part series from the award-winning producers of "Eyes on the Prize," profiling 20 minority scientists across the United States. In addition, starting Sunday, April 7, KPBS hosts a thirteen part series titled "Life on the InterNet" that will explore various topics related to this new medium. A list of all topics can be found at the KPBS home page. In addition, that site provides an informative recount about the history of the InterNet. You may also contact KPBS at 594-7152.
These days, it's nearly impossible to avoid the onslaught of the information superhighway and the ubiquitous Internet. If you're an educator with limited time and unlimited needs, and you have access to a computer with a modem and an Internet account, you'll want to know about the World Wide Web. The Web, a subset of the Internet, really made the Internet a household word for many people, because its colorful graphics and simple, clickable "links" to related information are far less intimidating than entering a long string of indecipherable text codes. Compared with the early days of searching the Internet, you'll find the Web easy to use and a powerful tool for collecting information. Among the wealth of science education resources on the Web is the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse home page.
The ENC was established to improve access to math and science resources for K–12 educators, and their database of curriculum materials and classroom activities, evaluations, and professional development tools are available on-line for fast, easy access. For example, if you'd like a new hands-on activity to accompany next week's earth science lesson, log onto the Internet, access the Web, type the above address in the appropriate place, and the blue ENC logo will appear on your screen shortly. You can then click on the "Resource Finder," a searchable catalog for all kinds of curriculum materials, or go directly to "Lessons and Activities" and then "Science." You'll find such activities as a rainforest workshop, air quality lesson plans, and weather forecasting. If you need to research your topic first, return to the home page and click on "Educational Resources" and then "Science" to reach the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, or the Sierra Club. You can even send an electronic message to the ENC with your feedback. Look for the updated SDSA homepage. Also, the California Science Project Seeks Scientists to Work with Teachers.
All interested high school teachers are invited to apply for a travel grant (to support their attendance at an American Chemical Society or NSTA regional or national meting or the 14th International Conference on Chemical Education in 1996) to be used in 1997. The application deadline is July 1, 1996. To obtain a travel grant application and a list of 1997 ACS and NSTA meetings, please contact the American Chemical Society, Office of High School Chemistry, at 202-872-6328.
The California Science Project, San Diego and Imperial Counties (CSP/SDIC), was recently funded and the new proposal calls for using the demonstrated talents of 24 science education leaders representing kindergarten through twelfth grades. Scientists from business, industry, and universities are needed to work with teacher participants during the institute this summer. Scientists interested in the process of research in any area of science and in sharing research techniques with teachers are encouraged to contact the project directors. The time commitment would be up to 20 hours over the two-week period, June 24 through July 5. An emphasis of the CSP/SDIC is on the nature of scientific inquiry. CSP engages teachers and the scientists they are teamed with in real-time investigations more flexible than "the scientific method" as depicted in textbooks. With the collaboration of university, industry and research scientists, discussions with teachers can take place regarding the enterprise of inquiry as a whole. Scientists in the San Diego area who are interested in guiding teachers during the summer leadership institute through the process of scientific inquiry (in their area of expertise or as a resource for investigative practice) are urged to take part in this unique opportunity. Please contact Pat Winter, SDSA Chair, at 455- 3335; Nancy Taylor, CSP Co-Director, at 292-3854; or Melanie Dean, CSP Co-Director, at 534-8587.
The San Diego Science Alliance is dedicated to the support of science literacy and education in grades K–12 within the greater San Diego area. SDSA is committed to fostering excellence in science education through its network of businesses, educators and scientists.
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