DPS Secondary Science News
February-March, 2018
Skipping Straws
Recently, I had the opportunity to preview the documentary, Straws. It's compelled me to consider my own personal use of single use plastics, including straws. I had absolutely never considered the plastic waste associated with straws alone. According to some sources, about 500,000,000 straws are used and tossed every day in the United States. This contributes to some 8.5 million metric tons of plastic trash that enters our oceans annually. Those are incredible numbers to me.
I'm finding it challenging, but I am trying to cut back on my consumption of single use plastics. Our mayor, Steve Schewel, has declared March "no straws month" in Durham as part of our local creek week celebrations. If you feel similarly inclined, you can sign the "skip the straw" pledge and join the Durham effort to reduce use of plastic straws. I see it as an invaluable, real world science teaching opportunity.
And, hang in there-- spring break is ALMOST here.
7th Grade Atmosphere Kit Training
Githens Middle School
Earth's Crust Lab
Teacher: Jonathan Nero
Carrington Middle School
Teacher: Audi Garris
Linda Tugurian, PhD, NBCT
Email: linda.tugurian@dpsnc.net
Website: http://central.dpsnc.net/science-secondary
Phone: 919-560-2647
Twitter: @dps612science
Upcoming Events- Details coming soon to your inbox
- March 12 Quarterly PLCs Middle School Science, 3-5 p.m., Brogden Middle School
- March 15-18 NSTA National Conference in Atlanta
- March 15 Biology Teacher Academy, 4:30-6:30 p.m. @ CMA. Focus: Using technology in the biology classroom. All biology teachers welcome.
- March 15 Middle School Teacher Academy, 3-5 p.m. @Githens. All 8th grade science teachers welcome.
- March 22 Biology Teacher Academy, 4:30-6:30 p.m. @ CMA. Topic to be determined by participants. All biology teachers welcome.
- March 22 Middle School Teacher Academy, 3-5 p.m. @Githens. All 8th grade science teachers welcome.
- March 27 Middle School Teacher Academy, 3-5 p.m. @Githens. All 8th grade science teachers welcome.
- April 12 Middle School Teacher Academy, 3-5 p.m. @Githens. All 8th grade science teachers welcome.
- April 19 Middle School Teacher Academy, 3-5 p.m. @Githens. All 8th grade science teachers welcome.
Quick News
Volunteers are needed for our Elementary Durham Regional Science Olympiad Tournament on April 14 at Southern High School ! This is a super fun day of science activity! Volunteers are needed for all aspects of the program including setup, leading events, awards ceremony, and cleanup. Sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/409054aadad2aa2fb6-durham
- Making purchases? Check out the discounts: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzMODhERQCTzX3pPTzZQTFNma3c
Brogden Middle School
Teacher: Jeff Pitts
Region 3A Science and Engineering Fair 2018
Lowe's Grove Middle School
Teacher: Rhonda Small
CONGRATULATIONS
Charlotte Crone at Early College High receives NSTA award
Lowes Grove receives Monarch Watch grant
Congrats to John Ware! Monarch Watch is pleased to announce that Lowe's Grove Magnet Middle School has been accepted as a recipient of one flat of milkweed plants to be planted in your monarch/pollinator garden as you described in your Free Milkweed application.
This grant was made possible by the Natural Resources Defense Council Green Gifts program<https://www.nrdcgreengifts.org/butterfly-beauty>.
Neal receives Aquarium Scholars Grant
Been recognized for something? Let me know, so we can celebrate your professional achievements!
Riverside High School
Teacher: Holly Byers
NC Science Olympiad
Rogers Herr Middle School
Teachers: Meridith Herndon and Andrew Schack
Durham Regional B/C Science Olympiad Tournament
DSA's high school team will be representing us at the State tournament, as the 4th place finisher in our high school division. In addition, individual and partners who were first place winners in events will also travel to the State tournament. This includes students from Jordan High School, Middle College High School, Rogers-Herr, School for Creative Studies, and Carrington Middle Schools.
Thanks especially to Eric Weiss and Tim Velegol for all their help facilitating the tournament at Riverside. I literally could not have done it without them!
And thanks too to all the teachers who volunteered to help and to all the coaches who made this a reality for so many of our students. I hope I'm not missing anyone, but thanks to Julianne Hall, Kelley Breeze, John Bray, Mary Ellen Corr, Trisha Shelly, Molly Gilliam, Sharon Hall, Signe Waldbauer, Jackie Gibbs, Elizabeth Lewis, Eboni Alexander, Michael Whitley, Lynn Chesnut, Susan Civi, and Harlyn Strongoli. You all rock!
Region 3A Science and Engineering Fair Winner
Science Externship in RTP
Biology goes Red for Ed
Special School Year Opportunities for Teachers
Join the Museum of Natural Sciences onsite or in the field for a professional development workshop this year! The full listings are on our website at: http://naturalsciences.org/calendar/events/category/series/educator-treks
Secrets of the Swamp
Roanoke River near Jamesville, NC • Sat, Apr 7 – Sun, Apr 8 • $80 • 20 contact hours
Canoe and camp in a North Carolina swamp forest along the majestic Roanoke River and learn about the unique bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem.
Pitcher This: Plants that Eat Bugs
Green Swamp and Holly Shelter, near Wilmington, NC • Sat, Apr 21 – Sun, Apr 22 • $90 • 12 contact hours
North Carolina is home to an amazing diversity of plants, including some of the ‘most wonderful plants in the world,’ according to Charles Darwin. Join the Museum and the NC Botanical Garden to discover and learn about our wonderful insect-eating plants and the habitats in which they thrive.
Spring in the Mountains
Great Smoky Mountains National Park • Fri, Apr 27 – Sun, Apr 29 • $90 • 20 contact hours
Participate in ongoing research projects studying the impacts of air quality and climate change and bring home ideas to teach about our interdependence with the natural world.
Science Opportunities for Students
Protecting Human Health in a Changing Environment, Free Workshop for Rising 11th & 12th Graders,
June 11-14/15, 2018. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Research Triangle Park, NC is offering a FREE 1-week Summer Enrichment Program to educate high school students about how the Agency protects human health and the environment. Hands-on experiences, tours of campus facilities, case studies in air quality and sustainability are emphasized. Participants will be exposed to the many EPA careers available in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields as well as other careers and cutting edge research that serve to support EPA’s mission of protecting human health and the environment. Rising 11th and 12th graders are eligible to apply, and participation is limited to 25 students. There is no cost to attend, but participants must provide their own transportation and meals. The Program is Monday-Thursday, June 11-14, 2018, from 9 am to 4 pm with an optional leadership session on Friday, June 15. It will be held at the U.S. EPA Campus at 109 TW Alexander Drive in Research Triangle Park, NC. Students must commit to attending the entire 4-day Program, and visitors must show a valid photo ID daily when entering the EPA campus. Applications accepted on a space-available basis. Email witter.kelly@epa.gov or bamford.lauren@epa.gov to receive a copy of the application and teacher recommendation form.
Durham Public Works Engineering Summer Internship
We have posted our summer internship opportunity on the City’s employment website: http://durhamnc.gov/1473/City-Jobs It is called: Public Works Engineering Summer Intern. Students will need to apply through the NeoGov system by creating an account and then filling out an application, uploading a resume (optional), and submitting their application for this specific position. The internship is specifically for DPS high school juniors or seniors that have an interest in Civil Engineering or Public Works. Application period closes 4/20/2018
GALS - Girls on outdoor Adventure for Leadership and Science
GALS is a free summer science program for high school students from North Carolina who identify as female or gender nonconforming, students of color, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and other groups underrepresented in fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). The successful applicants spend two weeks in the Pisgah National Forest learning science hands-on with Duke University scientists. We are looking for applicants who have had little to no experience in learning science outside the classroom or in exploring the outdoors. We do not take academic performance into account when selecting girls and are looking for those who would succeed in this hands-on, experiential learning environment. It’s our hope that by getting these girls involved in the beauty of the outdoors and natural sciences, they may be inspired to become the environmental scientists of tomorrow. Applications due March 15
Email: gals.science@gmail.com / info@sciencegals.org
Website: Sciencegals.org
Recognition and Fellowship Opportunities for Science Teachers!
Nominate an Outstanding Earth Science Teacher and Educator (OEST and OESE)! Deadline is March 29, 2018!!
1. Two separate awards: OEST (middle-high school) and OESE (elementary school, nonformal educator in e.g. parks, museums, government, industry etc.)
2. Download the Nomination Form and Award Descriptions at this link, scroll down to the bottom of the page.
o OR you can type in this huge url: https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/energy-mineral-land-resources/north-carolina-geological-survey/geoscience-education/outstanding-educators-awards
3. Why should you nominate someone (or yourself) for one of these awards?
o To recognize the hard work they are doing; they can hang an award plaque to gloat over; receive a monetary award and a gift certificate - See Award Descriptions.
o And they get their picture on the NCGS website and join a list of other distinguished Earth Science Teachers and Educators
4. The Nomination Form and any supporting material need to be received by Randy Bechtel by March 29, 2018 – the Nomination Form, scroll down to bottom of the link.
NCCAT's Honored Educator Scholarship (HES) program pays tribute to outstanding educators and individuals by providing scholarship funds in their names. Scholarship funds can be named in honor of classroom teachers, coaches, administrators, school board members, or community volunteers--anyone whose teaching or influence in public education has made a positive difference in the lives of others. Each fully endowed scholarship is awarded annually to a North Carolina teacher based on criteria determined by the scholarship benefactor.
You can apply for one of several Honored Educator Scholarships!
Scholarship funds provide:
- instruction and program materials;
- substitute teacher reimbursement;
- teacher travel (excluding expenses for hotel stays while traveling);
- lodging and meals provided on the NCCAT campus; and,
- $250 for use in the classroom.
You do not need to be enrolled in an NCCAT program in order to apply for a scholarship. However, you will need to enroll and attend a program between July 2018 and June 2019.
The application process opened for the 2018-2019 year on January 1st and will close April 30th. Scholarship recipients will be notified by May 31st.
Click here for the Honored Educator Scholarship Application page.
If you are interested in creating a new scholarship honoring an outstanding educator, contact Dorcas Masson in the Development Foundation of NCCAT, Inc. at 828-293-5202 or dorcas.masson@nccat.org.
Knowles Teacher Initiative
The Knowles Teacher Initiative is launching an academy that is going to offer PD for teachers. Katie Unruhe (Northern High) is a Knowles Fellow and she recommends it! There is a course that is equity focused and specifically designed for science teachers that she thinks will be pretty amazing. It is based on Complex Instruction which is a practice that was originally designed for math classrooms, but that also works really well adapted for Science. Here is a link with the basic info-- a course is being offered July 23–25, 2018.
Grants & Goodies
Caterpillars Count!
Caterpillars Count! is a citizen science project that measures the seasonal variation and abundance of arthropods like caterpillars, beetles, and spiders found on the foliage of trees and shrubs in an effort to answer important questions about patterns of food availability for birds. Researchers are using the data collected in Caterpillars Count! to help determine if plants, insects and birds are all responding to ongoing changes in climate to the same degree. If either insects or birds are not keeping up with phenological shifts of the other organisms that they depend on, then further climate change may have negative consequences for their populations.
If you are interested in participating in Caterpillars Count!, check out our Getting Started resource for next steps, including how to create a new Caterpillars Count! site on the project website. You can also find more details on what hosting a survey site for Caterpillars Count! entails. You can reach the Caterpillars Count! team by emailing caterpillarscount@gmail.com, or you can Sarah Yelton by phone at 919-966-0895.
Sign up for a free account to get started with Gizmos
We invite you to take a second look at ExploreLearning Gizmos with a free Gizmos account!
With your free account, you can teach with the latest set of 20-40 free Gizmos. You’ll get access to Lesson Materials, Teacher Guides, lesson plans and more with each Gizmo. And you can still preview the rest of our 400+ math and science simulations for five minutes a day.
Now is the time to give Gizmos another look and start incorporating our powerful learning simulations into your science and math curriculum.
PBS NewsHour Examines Teaching of Climate Change In Schools
PBS NewsHour recently featured a segment about the teaching of climate change in schools nationwide that included comments by NSTA Executive Director David Evans. Despite pushback from Idaho lawmakers to water down climate change in the science education standards, the Senate Education Committee approved the proposed school science standards as is, with no parts relating to climate change deleted. Read the article featured in the Idaho Statesman.
2018-2019 Using the Outdoors to Teach Experiential Science (UTOTES) Program!
Applications close April 16, 2018.
Using the Outdoors to Teach Experiential Science (UTOTES)
- UTOTES is a six-session, professional development program at your school.
- Occurs over the course of one school year (2018-2019) totaling about 20 hours of professional development. (See UTOTES Workshop Schedule for details.)
- Cost: $1600 (includes classroom materials and equipment for each topic/session and native plants or other habitat enhancement materials).
- Capacity: 16-24 participating educators in most sessions (teachers, aides, administrators, involved parents).
TO APPLY:
To be considered for the 2018–2019 school year, please review the UTOTES Workshop Schedule and submit the following three online application forms no later than April 16, 2018. Schools will be notified of the selections in May.
- UTOTES Application — General Information
- UTOTES Application — Principal's Form *To be completed by principal
- UTOTES Application — Lead Teacher's Form *To be completed by lead and co-lead teachers
For more information, contact Melissa Dowland, Coordinator of Teacher Education, at 919.707.9898.
Are you interested in taking your students on a Field trip to the Hub Farm? The registration system is finally online! You can find it here: http://central.dpsnc.net/hub-farm
Questions? Email the Hub Farm at dpshubfarm@gmail.com
California Academy of Science Free Videos
Science Films for the Classroom
Inspire your students with these stunning HD films, available for free for educational use. These award-winning shows, originally designed to display in an immersive planetarium dome, have been reformatted for educational use as stand-alone films or as a series of short, modular clips featuring science and environmental content. Choose from:
· Travel Deep Inside a Leaf from Life: A Cosmic Story
STEM Partnerships with NC Science Festival
Middle school classrooms can bring in a STEM expert to introduce students to new STEM careers and engage them through a hands-on activity as part of our Novozymes SciMatch program. Apply now so we can make a perfect match!
High school teachers of any subject are invited to bring our Science Spotlight into their classes anytime this fall or spring. Your students will engage in critical thinking and discussions of a key issue with science and policy implications. You’ll also have the opportunity to bring a STEM expert into your classroom (in person or virtually) to take the discussion to the next level with you students. Apply now to share this great program with your students!
Summer PD Opportunities for Teachers
NIEHS Summer PD for High School Teachers
High school science teachers are encouraged to apply for the 2018 NIEHS Science, Teachers and Research Summer (STaRS) Experience. STaRS is a two-week professional development (PD) program, designed and conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
The goals of the PD are:
1. To enhance participants’ understanding of basic research in environmental/biomedical sciences; and
2. To enable participants to transfer knowledge received from this program into classroom applications and better serve their students, including those from underserved populations.
The program will be held at NIEHS in Research Triangle Park and will run from Monday, July 9, to Friday, July 20 (excluding Saturday and Sunday), from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. STaRS participants are expected to attend the full two-week program. Participants will conduct biomedical research investigations in laboratories and will learn from NIEHS scientists and guest speakers from local universities about various issues in biomedical and environmental sciences, such as environmental triggers of diseases, translation of basic research to clinical application, gene editing, genetically modified organisms and bioethics. In addition, teachers will use what they have learned from this PD to develop classroom projects. To offset costs associated with lodging, meals, transportation and time spent during the two-week program, participants will receive a $2,000 stipend, coordinated and disbursed by NCABR. The stipend will be provided in two equal payments, which will be disbursed each week of the program.
Requirements:
- Applicants must currently teach science in a North Carolina high school;
- Applicants must be available for the full two-week program (July 9-20, excluding Saturday and Sunday); and
- Applicants must have reliable transportation and be willing to travel to Research Triangle Park (which may include overnight stays at a hotel in Research Triangle Park on Sunday through Thursday each week).
Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14, 2018.
EPA’s Air Quality Workshop
Teachers, pre-service teachers, environmental educators and education specialists are invited to attend EPA’s Air QualityWorkshop. The workshop is FREE!
DATE: July 10 - 11, 2018
TIME: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
LOCATION: EPA/RTP Campus located in Durham; 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, RTP, NC
WEBSITE: www.airnow.gov/teachers
TO REGISTER: Contact Donna Rogers at rogers.donna@epa.gov
TOPICS AND ACTIVITIES:
• Learn how EPA manages air quality in the U.S.
• Identify environmental health effects and risks
• Explore Carbon Footprints and Sustainability
• Learn about EPA’s Air Quality Flag Program for Schools
• Tour EPA’s Green Building
National Air and Space Museum Summer Program for Teachers
NASM is hosting a new summer teacher institute this year -- two weeks, all expenses paid. We are hoping connect with a strong national audience for this and I thought you might know some teachers who might be interested. Here’s the link to apply -- https://airandspace.si.edu/teacher-innovator-institute
Application period closes 4/20/2018
2018 Sustainable Forestry Teachers Experience
Registration for the 2018 Sustainable Forestry Teachers Experience is now open. Each year the North Carolina Forestry Association and its partners, deliver multi-day residential programs designed to educate participants about the field of forestry and the wood products industry- through presentations, tours and hands on lesson plans. For nearly two decades the Sustainable Forestry Teachers Experience has given educators the tools to transfer knowledge of the importance of our state’s resources to their students.
Participants pay a registration fee of $50.00. NCFA and partners will pay for your food, lodging, transportation between tours, and materials. Educators will receive credit hours (CEUs and/or EE Certification Hours) for attending.
Space is limited to 40 participants per workshop. Preference will be given to science educators and individuals who have not participated in an experience in previous years. For more information and to apply: https://www.ncforestry.org/teachers/sfi-sustainable-forestry-cee-experience-for-teachers/
Dates for the workshops are :
Piedmont: Southern Pines, North Carolina June 18-21, 2018
Coastal Plains: New Bern, North Carolina June 25-28, 2018
Mountains: Asheville, North Carolina July 23-26, 2018
Modeling Institutes in Secondary Science-- PRIORITY FOR DPS SCIENCE TEACHERS
Grade Level(s): High School Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physical Science, & Middle School Science
Date(s): 2018 Summer Modeling Institutes
Location: North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Cost: Supported by a Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP) grant from the US Department of Education and the NC Department of Public Instruction
Description: Modeling Institutes provide professional development in secondary science through a research-based, reform-oriented pedagogy called Modeling Instruction for science teachers in North Carolina. To learn more about Modeling Instruction please visit the American Modeling Teachers Association.
2018 Summer Modeling Courses:
- Modeling Chemistry - June 18 - 29, 2018 (excludes weekend dates)
- Modeling Physics: Electricity & Magnetism - July 9 - 27, 2018 (excludes weekend dates)
- Modeling Middle School Science - July 16 - 27, 2018 (excludes weekend dates)
For more information: https://sciencehouse.ncsu.edu/programs/modeling/
Science in the News
How One Child’s Sickle Cell Mutation Helped Protect the World From Malaria
By CARL ZIMMER
The genetic mutation arose 7,300 years ago in just one person in West Africa, scientists reported on Thursday. Its advantage: a shield against rampant malaria.
Watch the High-Flying Physics of a Plant’s Exploding Fruits
By KENNETH CHANG
Three undergradute physics majors and their professor worked out how the hairyflower wild petunia shoots tiny seeds more than 20 feet through the air.
Yellow Fever Circles Brazil’s Huge Cities
By SHASTA DARLINGTON AND DONALD G. MCNEIL JR.
With an outbreak in its second year, officials are trying to vaccinate 23 million people against the virus. The government was slow to act, critics say.
Barbra Streisand Cloned Her Dog. For $50,000, You Can Clone Yours.
By MATT STEVENS
Ms. Streisand made the revelation in an interview with Variety. Before you get any ideas, let us tell you a little bit more about the process.
They’re Hosting Parasitic Worms in Their Bodies to Study a Neglected Disease
By HEATHER MURPHY
17 healthy volunteers were paid to help prove a method of testing vaccines for schistosomiasis, which can be lethal, but some researchers are conflicted about the trial.
When Stars Were Born: Earliest Starlight’s Effects Are Detected
By DENNIS OVERBYE
Using a telescope in Australia, astronomers say they have glimpsed farther back in time than the Hubble Telescope to see what was happening when the first stars were forming.
By JANE E. BRODY
History is filled with examples of scientifically sound guidance that was ignored by those in power.
When Did Americans Stop Marrying Their Cousins? Ask the World’s Largest Family Tree
By STEPH YIN
Researchers assembled 5 million family trees using data from the website Geni.com to test several genetic and historical hypotheses.
No Sign of Newborn North Atlantic Whales This Breeding Season
By KAREN WEINTRAUB
The North Atlantic right whale is already one of the most endangeredcreatures on earth, and all indications are its situation is rapidly getting worse. Researchers tracking the right whale’s normal calving grounds, from Georgia to Florida, said they have seen no signs of newborns yet this year, at a time when mothers would normally be birthing and nursing.