February 2010

What's Needed to Make Conferences Successful?
by Michael Passow

In less than a month, hundreds of NESTA members will join thousands of science education colleagues at the NSTA National Conference. We’ll see the Philly geology differently after Wednesday’s field trip. We’ll benefit from the exchanges during our four Share-a-thons. We’ll learn new ideas at the Earth and Space Science Day and AGU lectures. We’ll cry in delight or dismay as we win or lose cherished specimens at the Rock Raffle. We’ll gain calories during the NESTA Breakfast and Friends of Earth Science Reception. We’ll lose calories as we wander through the huge Exhibit Hall on the way to the NESTA booth.

But before any of that happens, your NESTA Officers and others need to put in many hours of preparation behind the scenes. Through teleconferences, phone calls, e-mails, and other communication, we’re deciding what to offer our members, and working hard to make these plans become reality now and treasured memories in your future. It’s similar to what we as teachers do every day for our classrooms, but on a larger scale and for our peers in Earth Science education. It’s tougher than normal lesson planning because we must, as a team, design for facilities that we haven’t yet seen, working with outside people we don't know, and for which we must budget great expenses for catering, equipment, floor space, etc.

Yet it’s worth the time and cost to see teachers from across the country leave NESTA events filled with enthusiasm, materials, seeds for exciting lessons, and a renewed sense that despite all the day to day problems we face as classroom educators, we’re making a difference for our students now and in the future. We are Teachers—this is why and how we do what we do better!

By the way, as you read this, I am far south of all of you, In Sao Paulo, involved in planning for another conference. Next August, the 2010 Joint Assembly of the Americas meets at Brazil’s beautiful Iguassu Falls. I’m helping to develop the GIFT (Geophysical Information For Teachers) workshop. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience great geoscience education, so at least consider participating in JA2010. For more information: http://www.agu.org/meetings/ja10/.

Make Your Plans for NESTA in Philly
by Michael Passow

Visit the NESTA Conference pages to make your plans for joining your NESTA colleagues at NSTA in Philadelphia http://www.nestanet.org/cms/content/conferences/nsta. Use the links here to register for our Philly Geology field trip on Wednesday and the special breakfast before Earth and Space Science Day on Saturday. We can still use Share-a-thon presenters. As you plan your schedule, don’t miss out on any of the great lectures, social events, and, of course, the nationally-famous/world-famous/galaxy-famous NESTA Rock Raffle!

Behind the Scenes of NESTA
by Missy Holzer

The following items were discussed during the January 20th and February 3rd Board of Directors Teleconferences:

• Roberta Johnson, NESTA Executive Director, provided an update on a number of initiatives including funding proposals, collaborations, and promotion of Earth Science education and NESTA at the recent AGI Earth Science Education Summit.
• The finance report included our current balance, and the membership report gave the latest membership numbers as well as the number of new members and E-members.
• The theme for the winter issue of The Earth Scientist is "Transforming Earth System Science Education (TESSE)" and it should be in the hands of the NESTA membership. The new issue will be out in time for the NSTA Conference on Science Education.
• Join NESTA in celebrating science education at the 2010 National NSTA Conference on Science Education in Philadelphia. Consider rooming at the Sheraton Philadelphia City Center where all the NESTA events will be taking place and where you will find most all of the Earth Science related presentations. Visit the NESTA website for our latest NSTA conference plans, including details about the field trip, our breakfast, our Friends Reception, the share-a-thons, the speakers, and our famous rock raffle.

Volunteering in Philadelphia
by Joe Monaco

Volunteers are needed in Philadelphia! NESTA has many events going on at the NSTA conference and it takes many people to run them successfully; we could use any help that you could give. Remember, NESTA is your organization and is entirely run by volunteers like you. Opportunities to help at the Share-a-thon, exhibit booth, Friends of Earth Science Reception, Rock Raffle, and the Earth & Space Day events are available. Volunteers are often needed to help set up things and clean up after the events. Many members have already volunteered, but as you know from everyday life, you can never have too much help. So, if you will be attending the Philadelphia conference, please contact me, Joe Monaco and I will connect you with the right people. THANKS!

More Volunteering Possibilities
by Joe Monaco

NESTA has several on going open positions outside of roles at the NSTA Conference.

• There are openings on almost all committees.
• We seriously need a Membership Coordinator. This is one of the roles opening up with Bruce Hall’s retirement.
• We need a Conference Facilities Manager/Coordinator. This is a second role opening up with Bruce Hall’s retirement. This person interfaces with NSTA to sort out our facility needs in advance.
• We need a Web Site Content Coordinator. It is the duty of all members to report issues with our website, but we need a person who proactively checks for problems with links and searches for dated content, or other issues.
• Wilene Rigsby has resigned as Raffle Coordinator after holding the position virtually since the inception of the Rock Raffles. A person is needed to file the paper work, coordinate the events, and send thank you letters to donators. There are others who assist by actually acquiring specimens for shipping to the 3 area conferences, and the national NSTA conference.

So, if you might be interested in one of the above tasks, please contact me, Joe Monaco and I will try to answer your questions and connect you with the right people. THANKS!

Galileoscope Workshops
by Ardis Herrold

The first round of Galileoscope workshops have been scheduled! A Galileoscope is a high quality simple refracting telescope that can be used with students to give them a "first look" at easy to find objects in the night sky. NESTA members attending these workshops will assemble and go home with Galileoscopes absolutely free! If you are interested in attending, see the list below for tentative locations and dates and check the NESTA Calendar of Events on our webpage for more details on workshops in your area:

In last month's E-News was a call for members who would like to host or lead a Galileoscope workshop. If you missed the notice and are interested in doing this, contact Ardis Herrold at Ardis Herrold as soon as possible for more details.

New NESTA Officers and Directors
by Ardis Herrold

Congratulations to our newly elected Officers and Regional Directors!

Last month we elected a new slate of NESTA leaders for the next two years. Congratulations to our incoming officers, whose terms will begin May 1! Missy Holzer (currently the NESTA Secretary) will become President-Elect. Howard Dimmick, now Southwest Regional Director and Merchandise Coordinator, will become the new NESTA Treasurer. We welcome Jenelle Hopkins from Nevada as our incoming Secretary.

Constitution & Bylaws Ratification Vote
by Parker Pennington IV

Thank you for voting in the NESTA Officer and Director election recently completed. The Executive Committee and Board of Directors have been presented some proposed changes in the NESTA governance documents. After careful consideration the Board is recommending ratification of the proposed changes in the NESTA Constitution and Bylaws. We are holding a ratification vote now to avoid confusion and overlap with the previous officer election. All NESTA members in good standing may participate in this ratification vote.

The details of the ratification vote and the invite to vote should already have arrived by e-mail. You will have until February 20, 2010 to vote.

Earth Science Education Summit
by Roberta Johnson

Ardis Herrold (NESTA's President-Elect) and I are on the last day of an exciting Earth Science Education Summit in Houston, Texas, today, February 11. Recognizing the need to improve the status of Earth Science education and literacy nationally, geoscience education and scientific societies, as well as geoscience education leaders and representatives of federal agencies and industry are meeting to look at the wide array of problems Earth and Space Science education is facing and develop solutions to them.

The meeting is exciting because there is a visceral understanding among participants that we can't just leave the meeting, after all this discussion, without real commitments to action and an implementation strategy for an action plan. We are hopeful that the outcome of this meeting will be a united geoscience education community working together to implement solutions to the problems we all face. We will keep you informed, as the process advances, and alert you to opportunities to participate.

"Supersized" issue of The Earth Scientist coming soon!
by Richard Jones

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Cooperative Institute for Climate and Ocean Research (CICOR) has sponsored a "Supersized" 50+ page special Ocean Observatories issue of The Earth Scientist, which includes a full-size 2' x 6' educational poster created by the Center for Environmental Visualization at the University of Washington. CICOR has generously funded 5000 copies and NOAA has stepped up to add additional copies in order to get this special edition representing a multi-disciplinary collaborative effort into as many classrooms as possible.

To request an additional copy of this fantastic issue please visit: http://cis.whoi.edu/science/cicor/tes/request.cfm and complete the online request form. The issue is scheduled to be mailed March 1, 2010 and requests must be in by February 22, 2010. Offer valid while supplies last and will be distributed on a first-come first-serve basis.

Announcing the 2010 Classroom Earth National High School Challenge

Apply now for the 2010 National High School Challenge, a program encouraging teachers to incorporate environmental education into all subject areas through innovative teaching strategies. Teachers from around the nation can receive up to $4,000 to make their ideas become reality. Teachers from all subject areas should apply. Deadline is Monday February 22, 2010. Classroom Earth’s mission is to increase the ability of high school teachers to integrate environmental education into curricula so that students are prepared to be a part of environmental solutions. For details and to apply go to:http://classroomearth.org/challenge/2010/.

AGI Announces 2009 Earth Science Week and IYPE-ESW Contest Winners
by Parker Pennington IV

Submitted by Geoff Camphire

The American Geological Institute is pleased to announce the winners of the 2009 Earth Science Week (ESW) competitions and the International Year of Planet Earth-ESW photo competition.

The Earth Science Week visual arts contest invited students in grade K-5 students to created two-dimensional artworks illustrating the theme "The Climate Where I Live." Taylor Joe Scott of Portsmouth, New Hampshire won first place in the visual arts contest with a collage comparing landscapes, average sea levels, and wildlife in his area today and 100,000 years ago.

Grade 6-9 students participating in the essay contest wrote up to 300 words addressing the theme "Climate Connections." Shreyas Havaldar of Dix Hills, New York, won first place in the essay contest by writing about climate and changing seasons on Long Island.

Participants in the Earth Science Week photo contest submitted photos illustrating the theme "How Climate Shapes My World." Michael Badding of East Amherst, New York, won first place with his photo of a photo of melting ice. For all Earth Science Week contests, each first-place winner receives $300 and a "Faces of Earth" DVD set.

This year, the separate International Year of Planet Earth - Earth Science Week photo contest asked participants to submit photographs illustrating the theme "Exploring Earth Science around the World." Amy Spaziani, a graduate student in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, won first place in the contest for a photo featuring geology students examining soft sediment deformation during a field trip near the Guadalupe Mountains in west Texas. Spaziani wins a prize of $500 and a “Faces of Earth DVD” set. The second place winner, Cassidy Williams of Westland, Michigan received $300, while the third place winner Daniel McGrath of Boulder, Colorado won $100. To view the winning and finalist entries in all Earth Science Week 2009 contests, visit http://www.earthsciweek.org/contests/2009index.html

NOAA Adopt a Drifter Program

Submitted by: Diane Stanitiski, PhD

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Adopt a Drifter Program (ADP) was established to enable U.S. teachers and students to co-adopt a drifting buoy (drifter) with schools in countries around the globe. A drifter is a floating ocean buoy that measures and transmits the sea surface temperature, latitude/longitude coordinates, time, and date in near real-time. NOAA stickers that are signed by students from each school are attached to the drifter before deployment and photos are taken to highlight the launch.

Participating schools receive their drifter’s World Meteorological Organization number to enable quick online access to the buoy’s data at the drifter tracking page: http://www.adoptadrifter.noaa.gov Educators and students from all countries are invited to participate and there is no cost involved for the participating schools. If interested, please contact the ADP coordinator, Diane Stanitski, at diane.stanitski@noaa.gov.

2010 Thatcher Environmental Research Contest
by Michael Passow

Scientists and decision-makers are using a greater variety of tools and data than ever before to investigate and respond to our changing planet. With an increasing amount of these becoming publicly available, students have an unprecedented opportunity to participate in scientific research that explores Earth's evolving environment.

The 2010 Thacher Environmental Research Contest, an activity of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, awards cash prizes to secondary school students (grades 9-12) whose projects demonstrate the best use of satellites and other geospatial technologies or data to study Earth.

Three cash awards will be given: 1st place -- $2,000; 2nd place -- $1,000; and 3rd place -- $500. Entries can be submitted by individuals or teams. In the case of team entries, the cash award will be split equally among the winning team members. In addition to prizes for the winning students, the teachers of the first-, second- and third-place students or teams will receive a $200 amazon.com gift card. If participation is part of an after-school club or other activity independent of school, the student or team can identify an adult "coach" who would be eligible for this award (e.g., a parent, club leader, etc.)

Entries must be postmarked April 5, 2010. IGES plans to announce the winning entries by May 12, 2010. Entries will be judged by IGES staff. For more information on the 2010 Thacher Environmental Research Contest, please visit http://www.strategies.org/ThacherContest.

Grant Proposals to Win a Videomicroscope
by Michael Passow

SILICON VALLEY, CA—The Realize Science Technology Grant will award $20,000 worth of cutting edge science education equipment and curriculum tools to teachers across the U.S. and Canada this spring.

Those awarded the grant will receive new hand-held video microscopes with software to take still pictures, video, time lapse movies, and so on. There will be accompanying curriculum books with lessons designed to meet both state and national science standards.

The grant is sponsored by the private educational groups, STR – School Technology Resources http://www.schooltr.com and Real Curriculum http://www.scopecurriculum.com. They are looking for creative, innovative and educationally valuable uses of hand-held video microscopes. This is a competitive grant based on the quality and value of the submissions.

Applications and details are now available online at: http://www.schooltr.com/Teacher_Resources/realize_science_grant.html The deadline for applications is March 31, 2010. Notification of grant awards will be sent out by April 15, 2010.

How Can I Renew My Membership?
by Bruce Hall

Electronic renewal notices are now automatically e-mailed to each member. They will be sent at 4, 2, and 1-week intervals before your membership expires. If you have not received a renewal notice, and think you should have, please contact me.

NESTA members can renew their membership and edit their Personal Information by going online:

1. Go to the NESTA Home Page
2. Click on Member Login
3. Welcome to  your User Account Complete Username -  Password - If you do not know your password click on the “Request new password” tab.
4. MY NESTA Here you will find your:Account settings and personal information (under edit you can change your password)
5. Membership Expiration Date 
6. Renew Now
7. If you do not wish to use a credit card you can renew by check or money order. Click on Download Renew Membership application  Mail the completed form to the address indicated. Your expiration date is listed on the address label of The Earth Scientist.

If you wish further information regarding membership please contact Bruce Hall, the NESTA Membership Coordinator, at bhall@twcny.rr.com

NESTA Dues Structure and Benefits
by Bruce Hall

• Domestic Full Membership – includes the printed and online versions of The Earth Scientist, E-News, special e-mailings, access to member-only sections of the NESTA website, and full voting privileges.
  • One year - $20
  • Two years - $38
  • Three years - $55
• E-Membership – includes all of the above EXCEPT the printed version of The Earth Scientist. E-Membership is only available thru online registration.
  • One year - $10
• International Full Membership (Mexico and Canada only) – same benefits as Full Domestic Individual Membership.
  • One year - $30
  • Two years - $48
  • Three years - $65
• International – OTHER Individuals from countries other than Mexico and Canada may join as E-Members only.
  • One year - $10
• Domestic Library Rate – includes print copies of The Earth Scientist, only, and does not include NESTA membership.
  • One year - $40

Mississippi Valley Archeology Center summer application deadline
03/02/2010
Exploring the Past: Archaeology in the Upper Mississippi River Valley 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 2010 Summer Institute features all this and more.

NESTA Field Trip 2010
03/17/2010 - 8:00am - 4:30pm , Philadelphia, PA

NESTA Field Trip - Introduction to Philadelphia Geology

NESTA Geology Share-a-thon
03/19/2010 - 9:30am - 10:30am , Sheraton Philadelphia City Center, Liberty A/B, Philadelphia, PA

NESTA Oceans and Atmosphere Share-a-thon
03/19/2010 - 11:00am - 12:00pm , Sheraton Philadelphia City Center, Liberty A/B, Philadelphia, PA

NESTA Space Science Share-a-thon
03/19/2010 - 12:30pm - 1:30pm , Sheraton Philadelphia City Center, Liberty A/B, Philadelphia, PA

American Geophysical Union Lecture
03/19/2010 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm , Philadelphia Convention Center, Room 201C, Philadelphia, PA

Predicting Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions: What Can and Can Not Now Be Done?

Dr. Stephen Malone, 2010 IRIS/SSA Distinguished Lecturer, University of Washington

NESTA Friends of Earth Science Reception
03/19/2010 - 6:30pm - 8:00pm , Sheraton Philadelphia City Center, Horizons Rooftop Ballroom, Philadelphia, PA

NESTA Resource Day Breakfast
03/20/2010 - 7:00am - 8:30am , Sheraton Philadelphia City Center, Logans I room, Philadelphia, PA

Lecture: Building meaningful Earth system science education partnerships across the K-20 community

Professor Tanya Furman (The Pennsylvania State University) and Professor Laura Guertin (Pennsylvania State Brandywine)

NESTA Earth Science Share-a-thon
03/20/2010 - 9:30am - 10:30am , Sheraton Philadelphia City Center, Liberty A/B, Philadelphia, PA

NESTA Advances in Earth and Space Science Lecture 1
03/20/2010 - 11:00am - 12:00pm , Sheraton Philadelphia City Center, Liberty A/B, Philadelphia, PA

NESTA Advances in Earth and Space Science Lecture 1: Meteorology drives everything: the sensitivity of pollution episodes to atmospheric conditions in the mid-Atlantic region

Professor Richard Clark, Millersville University of Pennsylvania

NESTA Advances in Earth and Space Science Lecture 2
03/20/2010 - 12:30pm - 1:30pm , Sheraton Philadelphia City Center, Liberty A/B, Philadelphia, PA

NESTA Advances in Earth and Space Science Lecture 2: Changing Seas, Changing Life: Paleontological Research with Student Participation

Dr. Robert Ross, Paleontological Research institution

NESTA Advances in Earth and Space Science Lecture 3
03/20/2010 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm , Sheraton Philadelphia City Center, Liberty A/B, Philadelphia, PA

NESTA Advances in Earth and Space Science Lecture 3: Environmental Earth System Science for Education in Urban Areas

Professor Alexander Gates, Rutgers University

NESTA Rock and Mineral Raffle
03/20/2010 - 3:30pm - 5:00pm , Sheraton Philadelphia City Center, Liberty A/B, Philadelphia, PA

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