Registration Open for Girls Discover….Archaeology! at COSI April 9

“We have to give students the opportunity to engage in authentic, real-world learning experiences…The student has to see the connections between her various classes…and the world beyond the school walls.”
Lance Rougeux, quoted in “Engaging Girls in STEM,” by Bridget McCrea, THE Journal.

On Saturday, April 9, middle-school girls will have the opportunity to do just that at COSI. COSI’s Girls Discover…Archaeology! is a day-long STEM career exploration program that’s just for girls in grades 6-8. Girls will meet professional and student archaeologists, explore careers in archaeology, and have a great time learning and meeting new friends. Scholarships are available, too. Learn more at http://www.cosi.org/educators/mentoring/girlsdiscover/

Registration Open for Grades 1-3 “A Bug’s World” Workshop in Wooster April 13-14

They are not just creepy-crawlies! Insects play vital roles in our world. And they are exceptional, stimulating models for your students to get excited about life science! Each year, interest in touring OARDC’s Wooster campus increases by leaps and bounds, because SCIENCE and the agricultural industry play vital roles today’s curriculum. Over 8,000 students have participated in A Bug’s World so far!!

This FREE, HANDS-ON, INTERACTIVE designed to meet their educational needs by enhancing their knowledge of agriculture and its impact in fun and exciting ways. Last year EACH OF OHIO’S SIX SCIENCE STANDARDS was covered through at least one of the 13 sessions available. To see how this year’s sessions address the benchmarks for your grade level, visit our A Bug’s World site online at www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/visitor

Although we do offer some individualized class tours of campus on alternative dates, selection of activities is much more limited; the vast majority of sessions offered during A Bug’s World are only available during these two days.

LEGO Education WeDo Robotics Road Show at COSI October 14

Create LEGO models featuring working motors and sensors, using the new LEGO Education WeDo Robotics system. Program motors to experience cross-curricular, theme-based activities. Develop skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as well as language and literacy. This course will prepare you to use the WeDo Robotics system to introduce your elementary students to robotics while addressing national and state standards. The audience for this course is educators and teachers of Grades 3, 4, and 5. Win a free WeDo set, software, and curriculum! 4-7 pm. To register, please call 614.228.2674. * Due to the popularity of this workshop, payment is required before attending. See http://www.cosi.org/calendar/?m=10&y=2009#ixzz0TNkQXdQ5

Newark Earthworks Day and Octagon Earthworks Open House October 17-18

The Newark Earthworks are the largest set of geometric earthworks in the world. Built two thousand years ago by ancestors of today’s Native Americans, these massive walls encode sophisticated knowledge of geometry and align with the movements of the moon. On the weekend of October 17-18, Newark Earthworks Center of The Ohio State University at Newark will provide two opportunities for the public to learn more about the Newark Earthworks.

1) Newark Earthworks Day (Saturday, October 17)

The John Gilbert Reese Center
The Ohio State University at Newark
Newark, Ohio 43055

• Guests are invited to register in the lobby starting at 8:30 A.M.
• The opening processional will begin in the brick circle outside the Warner Center and conclude in the Reese Center.
• The presentations listed below will be in the Alford Performing Arts Hall in the Reese Center.
• The art exhibit “Pilgrimage through the Centuries” will be in the LeFevre Art Gallery.
• An electronic exhibit on the “Ancient Ohio Trail” will be in Reese Room 149.
• Projects by elementary school children and other exhibits and vendors will be in the Reese Center Ballroom 125 A-G.
• Refreshments are available in the Reese Center Cafe.

Schedule of Events

9:00-9:30: Opening Processional featuring Walkers and elementary school students. Welcome

9:30-10:30: “Why Go There? Pilgrimage around the World and through the Centuries” Lindsay Jones, Professor of Comparative Studies, The Ohio State University

10:45-11:45: “Newark Earthworks as a Place of Pilgrimage” Bradley Lepper, Curator of Archaeology, Ohio Historical Society

12:00-1:00: LUNCH Free time to browse the Art Exhibit and other exhibits.

1:00-1:45: “Crossing to the Land of Spirit: Ohio Earthworks and the Path of Souls” William Romain, Research Associate, Newark Earthworks Center

1:50-2:50: “Reflections on the Walk with the Ancients” Vincent Stanzione, Independent Anthropologist, and Walkers

3:00-4:00: KEYNOTE SPEAKER: “Shawnee Removal from Ohio — and Return” Glenna Wallace, Chief of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma

4:00-4:30: Closing Ceremony

2) Octagon Earthworks Open House (Sunday, October 18)

“Each year there are only four days that the Octagon Earthworks are open to the general public.  This autumn,  one of those dates, October 18th, falls on the weekend of Newark Earthworks Day.  Come join us at the Octagon for tours, music, and leisurely walks around the site at 125 N. 33rd Street, Newark, OH.”

For more information about Newark Earthworks Day and the Octagon Earthworks Open House, see http://www.newark.osu.edu/earthworks/Pages/NED.aspx or email earthworks@osu.edu

Mole Day 10/23 Celebrates Avogadro’s Number

6.02 x 10²³ may seem like a strange number, but it plays an important role in chemistry calculations, where it is known as Avogadro’s number (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avogadro_constant). To foster interest in chemistry, 6:02am to 6:02pm on 10/23 is celebrated each year as “Mole Day.” (A mole is a measure of the amount of substance and contains 6.02 x 10²³ atoms or molecules (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_(unit)) The National Mole Day Foundation (http://www.moleday.org/) promotes the observance of Mole Day and chose this year’s theme, “Molar Express.”

National Science Experiment October 7

As part of the 4-H National Youth Science Day on October 7, classrooms and afterschool groups will participate in the National Science Experiment Biofuel Blast. Students learn how to convert organic material to fuel, using everyday materials like corn syrup and yeast. Students can submit their results online to share with others and compare results.

More information about 4-H National Youth Science Day and the National Science Experiment is available at http://www.4-h.org/NYSD/index.php

Physics Fun at Ohio U Open House November 7

Ohio University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy will be opening Clippinger Laboratories for a day of physics shows, activities, and tours on Saturday, November 7 from 10am-4:30pm. Scheduled events include

• Fun with Liquid Nitrogen
• What NOT to do with Your Microwave
• Levitation: Beating back Gravity
• The Power of Air (featuring the Ping-Pong ball cannon demo):
• Waves, Resonance and Shattered Glass: Breaking a Beaker with Sound
• Hovercraft
• Bowling Ball Slalom
• Angular Momentum Demo
• Solar Viewing (Weather Permitting)
• Laboratory tours

Additional details can be found at the department’s website at http://www.phy.ohiou.edu/openhouse/

October is Ohio Archaeology Month

Ohio Archaeology Month “promotes awareness of Ohio’s cultural heritage as revealed through nearly 200 years of archaeological research.” Events throughout the state highlight archaeological research and include tours of excavations, artifact identification days, archaeology presentations, historical re-enactments, exhibits, and more. The celebration kicks off with events in Tiffin showing archaeology in action and culminates on October 31 and November 1 with the Ohio Archaeological Council’s Fall Conference in Newark. Event locations around the state include

• Cleveland Museum of Natural History
• COSI (Columbus)
• Fort Recovery State Museum
• Gorge Metro Park Shelter (Cuyahoga Falls)
• Grammes-Brown House (Tiffin)
• Hopewell Culture National Historical Park (Chillicothe)
• Ohio Historical Center (Columbus)
• Reese Center at the Ohio State University (Newark)
• SunWatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park (Dayton)
• Wayne National Forest Supervisor’s Office/Athens Ranger Station (Nelsonville).

A complete schedule can be found at the Ohio Archaeological Council website at http://www.ohioarchaeology.org

Girls Discover….Engineering! at COSI November 7, 2009

Do you know middle school girls who like science, math, and solving problems? Girls Discover…Engineering! is a fun-filled day of hands-on activities and informative sessions led by women in a variety of engineering disciplines. Participants will learn how engineers are involved with buildings, the environment, consumer products, medical research, and more;  work with other girls to solve an engineering challenge; talk with young women studying to be engineers and find out how and why they made their career choice; and have a great time learning about engineering and meeting new friends! See http://www.cosi.org/educators/mentoring/girlsdiscover/