Summer Teacher Workshop on Sustainable Energy in Columbus June 18-20

Sustainable Energy Workshop for middle school and high school teachers
June 18-20, 2012
Ohio State University
Cost: $10 (most of the cost is covered by a grant from the US Dept of energy)
Application deadline April 30
Sustainability Workshop 2012 flier

Each teacher who completes the workshop will receive a set of Thames & Kosmos Power House experiment kits for his or her classroom, and a certification of attendance. Lunch will be provided.

Topics
Module 1: Basics of electric power
Introduces safety, the electric power system structure, and how the electricity is generated, transmitted, and distributed. The lab will demonstrate electric field phenomena under high voltage, and use a 1 MV impulse generator that simulates lightning and a 5MV Tesla transformer.
Module 2: Basics of Smart Grid
Presents the smart grid concept and related key technologies. The lab demonstration includes the Virtual Smart Grid test platform at OSU and real Smart Grid facilities at American Electric Power (AEP).
Module 3: The power from the sun
Focuses on photovoltaic-related technologies. The lab has circuit level demos, such as power output with and without advanced conditioning circuitry, and a tour of Nanotech, OSU’s Ohio Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization.
Module 4: Smart lighting
Introduces smart light concepts for energy conservation. Lab includes tour and demonstration of the OSU smart lighting lab.
Module 5: Future power grid
Introduction to future power grid concepts, such as the zero emission home and the DC network. We’ll start from the AC/DC war between Edison and Tesla, go through one hundred years of power engineering, and finally present the need for a new breed of power engineers in the near future. The lab demonstration will be at research labs in OSU and AEP.

Enrollment is limited to 30 teachers. To apply, please download the application at http://ece.osu.edu/sustainableworkshop2012
Questions? Contact Wendolyn Flores at floresw@ece.osu.edu

School Districts Plan for March Levy, Bond, and Tax Issues

News coverage of school district issues on the March 6, 2012 Primary Election ballot:

• Akron Public Schools
• Alliance City Schools
• Avon Local Schools
• Bath Local Schools
• Beaver Local Schools
• Beavercreek City Schools
• Bellaire Local Schools
• Bowling Green City Schools
• Buckeye Local Schools
• Brunswick City Schools
• Canton Local Schools
• Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools
• Chippewa Local Schools
• Cuyahoga Falls City Schools
• East Holmes Local Schools
• Edison Local Schools
• Evergreen Local Schools
• Fairborn City Schools
• Field Local Schools
• Forest Hills Local Schools
• Four County Joint Vocational School District
• Indian Creek Local Schools
• Lancaster City Schools
• Lawrence County Joint Vocational School District
• Lima City Schools
• London Local Schools
• Lorain County Joint Vocational School District
• Mad River Local Schools
• Manchester Local Schools
• Marietta City Schools
• Mayfield City Schools
• Napoleon Area City Schools
• New Bremen Local Schools
• North Baltimore Local Schools
• Norwalk City Schools
• Norwayne Local Schools
• Patrick Henry Local Schools
• Poland Local Schools
• Princeton City Schools
• Rocky River City Schools
• Rossford Exempted Village Schools
• Strongsville City Schools
• Swanton Local Schools
• Tiffin City Schools
• Triway Local Schools
• Trotwood-Madison City Schools
• Tuscarawas Valley Local Schools
• Vandalia-Butler City Schools
• Waterloo Local Schools
• Weathersfield Local Schools
• West Geauga Local Schools
• Westerville City Schools
• Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools
• Wolf Creek Local Schools
• Woodmore Local Schools
• Woodridge Local Schools
• Wyoming City Schools
• Youngstown City Schools

Registration Open for “Boys Discover… Engineering!” at COSI February 25

Boys Discover…Engineering!
COSI Columbus
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Cost: $40 (includes two workshops, lunch, a souvenir t-shirt, and COSI admission).

Boys in grades 6-8 meet professional and student engineers, explore careers in engineering, participate in hands-on workshops, and meet new friends.  Financial aid is available!

• Participate in hands-on activities and informative sessions led by professional engineers.
• Explore engineering careers through hands-on workshops.
• Talk with students studying to be engineers and find out how and why they made their career choices.

Registration and more information at http://www.cosi.org/educators/mentoring/boys-discover/

Applications for Archaeology Summer Institute in Wisconsin Due March 1

Exploring the Past: Archaeology in the Upper Mississippi River Valley
July 9-27, 2012
La Crosse, WI

Walking beside thousand-year-old burial mounds, flaking raw stone into tools, learning how potsherds tell us about human behavior, and understanding how humans adapt to complex, ever-changing environments, ­our 2012 NEH Summer Institute features all this and more.

The Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will offer a three-week NEH Summer Institute on July 9-27, 2012.  This dynamic learning experience for K-12 teachers will explore how Native Americans and Euro-Americans have adapted to the Upper Mississippi River Valley over the past 13,500 years, and how archaeology leads to an understanding of how human cultures change and adapt through time.

The Institute will feature a one-day excavation experience, field trips to archaeological sites, hands-on laboratory and workshop activities, demonstrations, and classroom activities. Individual projects will help participants tailor the content to their own teaching areas. NEH Summer Scholars receive a $2,700 stipend to help offset their expenses.

Application and other information on the Institute will be available online at http://www.uwlax.edu/mvac/neh.htm.  The deadline for applications is March 1, 2012.

Registration Open for Project WILD Facilitator Training at Mohican State Park March 28-29

Ohio Project WILD Facilitator Training
Mohican State Park Lodge and Conference Center
March 28-29, 2012
Registration begins at 9:30 am on Wednesday. Workshop ends at 3:00 pm on Thursday.
Cost: $90—covers food, lodging, materials and take-home items.
You must be able to attend the entire two-day workshop.

Project WILD, Aquatic Project WILD and Growing Up WILD are international programs that provide interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education materials focusing on wildlife. They are designed for Pre-K thru 12 classrooms, youth groups, nature centers and more.

As a volunteer facilitator, you will become one of a network of over 350 formal and non-formal education professionals across the state that provide training to other educators in Project WILD materials and programs. You will also be part of one of the best environmental education networks in the country!

If you are interested in participating, please fill out the registration form.

Contact Jen Dennison, Wildlife Education Coordinator, at outdoor.education@dnr.state.oh.us or 1-800-WILDLIFE for questions or additional information.

Project WILD Facilitator Training Registration Packet

Applications for Earth Expeditions Graduate Courses in Global Conservation Due January 28

Earth Expeditions is accepting applications for 2012 field courses offering international studies in 11 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

Miami University offers these graduate-credit courses at a fraction of actual costs to engage a diverse group of educators and other professionals in global leadership, inquiry and environmental stewardship. The $1,290 course cost includes all basic in-country expenses and tuition for seven graduate credit hours. Accepted students are responsible for airfare.

More than 1,100 people have participated in these extraordinary graduate learning opportunities from Miami’s Project Dragonfly and conservation partners worldwide. Course sites for 2012 include the Amazon, Australia, Baja, Belize, Borneo, Costa Rica, Kenya, Mongolia, Namibia and Thailand.

Earth Expeditions courses are designed for educators and other professionals from all disciplines and settings interested in making a difference in human and ecological communities. Applicants can be from anywhere in the United States or abroad. To learn more and apply, visit http://EarthExpeditions.org.

Project Dragonfly reaches millions of people each year through inquiry-driven learning media, public exhibits and graduate programs worldwide. Dragonfly is based at Miami University, a state university in Oxford, Ohio, established in 1809 and listed as one of the eight original Public Ivies.

Applications for Archaeology Summer Institute in Colorado Due March 1

Bridging Cultures: Diversity and Unity in the Pueblo World
Professional development for K-12 educators and graduate students
June 24–July 14, 2012
Cortez, CO

Join us at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in southwestern Colorado for an extraordinary professional-development opportunity for educators. The program is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) which provides stipends to cover all expenses. The faculty will include educators, archaeologists, and American Indian scholars.  For more information visit NEHsummer2012, e-mail us at NEHsummer2012@crowcanyon.org, or call 970.564.4346.  Application deadline is March 1, 2012 (postmark). Prospective applicants can access more information and the online Participant Application Cover Sheet on the NEH Web site.

Applications for 2012 Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program for Education for Sustainable Development Due January 31

The 2012 Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) will provide up to 24 U.S. K-12 teachers and administrators with the opportunity to travel to a three-day conference in San Francisco and to Japan for two weeks to learn about ESD efforts and strengthen ESD curricula in both countries. ESD is “a vision of education that seeks to balance human and economic well-being with cultural traditions and respect for the earth’s natural resources,” according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Up to 24 educators from Japan will travel to the United States in late April, and up to 24 educators from the U.S. will travel to Japan in late June. At the end of the program in each country, all 48 educators will gather for a few days of joint collaboration.

Please visit our website at http://www.iie.org/esdteacher for more information or to start an application. The application deadline is January 31, 2012.

COSI Teacher Open House for RACE Exhibit February 18

Teachers (classroom and homeschool) are invited to a free open house to explore COSI’s limited-engagement exhibition, “RACE: Are We So Different?,” showing at COSI from January 28, 2012 through May 6, 2012.

This special five-hour open house event includes free general admission for teachers to COSI, a free giant screen film, and a chance to win a free field trip to COSI for 30 children (transportation not included).

A COSI Team Member will host a teacher information table at the entrance to the RACE exhibition to answer your questions about COSI’s programs for teachers and students. COSI information for teachers, including a free RACE classroom poster, will be available.

Please note that a valid school ID, pay stub, or letter from your school principal or center’s director is required for free teacher admission. Homeschool educators are welcome with proof of homeschool status, such as a letter from your district, or homeschool organization membership card. One free adult per homeschool family, please. Additional family members may purchase general admission. Please check in at COSI’s Box Office on your arrival .

Please click here to RSVP for this free event through COSI’s Facebook page. Advance registration is encouraged but not required. See you on Saturday, February 18!

Doug Buchanan
Education Programs Marketing Manager

Celebrate Another Holiday Tradition: OCESS Annual “12 Grants of Christmas”

Looking for ways to fund classroom projects and school reforms? Check OCESS’s annual “12 Grants of Christmas” here on the OCESS blog and on Facebook for a daily K-12 funding opportunity:

• On the First Day of Christmas...I enrolled my school in the Campbell’s Labels for Education program so we can redeem labels for tons of school supplies and equipment for science, math, art, athletics, educational technology, and more. http://www.labelsforeducation.com/

• On the Second Day of Christmas…I contacted my local Wells Fargo manager to apply for funding for an educational project. https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/charitable/index.jhtml

• On the Third Day of Christmas…I mailed the DuPont Office of Education an idea for an inquiry-based STEM education project. http://www2.dupont.com/Social_Commitment/en_US/educational/index.html

• On the Fourth Day of Christmas…I sent an application to the Toshiba America Foundation to purchase instructional equipment for my grade 6-12 classroom. http://www.toshiba.com/taf/612.jsp

• On the Fifth Day of Christmas…I sent a proposal to the Charitable Leadership Foundation, which funds programs in problem-based learning, classroom management, and STEM education. http://www.charitableleadership.org/index.html

• On the Sixth Day of Christmas….I wrote a proposal for an NEA Foundation grant of up to $5,000 for a project that promotes critical thinking, problem solving, and self-directed learning. http://www.neafoundation.org/pages/educators/grant-programs/student-achievement-grants/

• On the Seventh Day of Christmas….I dreamed big dreams for a Toyota USA Foundation grant for my K-12 science and math education project. http://www.toyota.com/about/philanthropy/guidelines/

• On the Eighth Day of Christmas….I applied to the Kopelman Foundation, which funds small yet high-impact projects that previously might not have attracted a lot of attention and therefore received little financial support. http://www.kopelman.org/home.html

• On the Ninth Day of Christmas….I thought up a classroom STEM project to submit for a $1500 Ohio Space Grant Consortium Mini-Grant. http://www.osgc.org/Minigrant.html

• On the Tenth Day of Christmas….I noticed that the Verizon Foundation funds a wide range of educational projects that could help my school. http://foundation.verizon.com/grant/guidelines.shtml

• On the Eleventh Day of Christmas….I contacted the RGK Foundation with an idea for a project to improve STEM instruction in my school. http://www.rgkfoundation.org/public/guidelines

• On the Twelfth Day of Christmas….I applied to the America the Beautiful Fund’s Operation Green Plant to get free vegetable, flower, and herb seeds for school and community gardens. http://www.america-the-beautiful.org/free_seeds/index.php

And during the rest of the year, you can find more grant opportunities on the OCESS Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/OCESS