Virginia Association of Science Teachers

Awards

• NSTA Teacher Awards

• VAST Recognition Award

Competition

ConEdison's Covanta Teacher Challenge State of Virginia

Free Resources  

• Thanks to Dominion Power and VAST, VAST members can check out a high-speed still/video camera for up to 2 weeks for use in classrooms and with student projects. The first eight requests are shipped free of charge, with only the cost of return shipping plus insurance (~$25). Click here for an information flyer (pdf) and here for a request form (pdf).
• The CAPCO Classroom Aerosol Adventure Kit contains all of the materials necessary to teach your students about the Earth's protective upper ozone layer, CFCs and aerosol products in a fun and active way! The Kit includes a teacher's guide, classroom activities, experiments, homework assignments and the DVD, "Another Awesome Aerosol Adventure," created by the makers of "Beakman's World." It is a perfect compliment to standard teaching materials and an excellent way to meet state SOLs. The Kit is free and can be ordered or downloaded from CAPCO's website: www.nocfcs.org/.
• NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) announces the release of a special, evolutionary-themed issue of Findings, a student-oriented magazine that puts a face on science. This issue celebrates the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book On the Origin of Species by featuring the exciting work of two evolutionary biologists and short articles that highlight the role of evolution in medical research. This magazine is an excellent classroom resource for showcasing innovative, creative, and interesting scientists and is offered at no cost to you and your students.
   
  Find even more on Findings Online www.nigms.nih.gov/findings/

Funding

• Links to Grant and Funding Opportunities

Professional Development

•  Dear Friend of Project 2061,

  We're pleased to announce the new lineup for our Atlas for Science Literacy workshops and are especially excited about offering an innovative workshop designed specifically for informal science educators:

  "Using Atlas of Science Literacy in Informal Science Learning Settings"

  For some new perspectives on making your programs and exhibits more relevant to K-12 teachers and students, please join us for a new workshop designed especially for science center and museum staff who work with school-based audiences. You'll learn how to use the Atlas of Science Literacy strand maps and other Project 2061 resources to view your programs and exhibits through a new lens. Join us for "Using Atlas of Science Literacy in Informal Science Learning Settings" at the Museum of Science and Technology (MOSI), Chicago, IL, March 11-13. 

  "Using Atlas of Science Literacy"

  Designed for K-12 science teachers, curriculum specialists, and other educators and researchers, these workshops demonstrate how participants can use the conceptual strand maps in Atlas 1 and Atlas 2, along with other Project 2061 resources, to enhance their own understanding of science literacy and take a benchmarks-based approach to helping all students achieve literacy in science, mathematics, and technology. Atlas of Science Literacy is co-published by AAAS and NSTA. Join us at any of the following locations:

  • Washington, DC  March 2-4, 2009
  • Madison, WI   June 22-24, 2009
  • Durham, NC  September 14-16, 2009
  • Washington, DC  October 19-21, 2009

  Scholarships and Early Bird rates are available, but registration is limited. For more details and a registration form, please visit our workshop information page, and check the Project 2061 web site often for our most up-to-date information at www.project2061.org/events/workshops/default.htm. If your institution would like to co-host a workshop, go to www.project2061.org/events/workshops/cohost.pdf for more details. And finally, to receive our free e-newsletter and receive automatic updates on workshops and other Project 2061 news, sign up at www.project2061.org/about/feedback.asp.

Scholarships

• NASA Science and Technology Scholarship Program (STSP) to interested students and teachers. This is a link www.tsgc.utexas.edu/stsp/ to the sign-up form that is very quick and easy to submit. Completing the signup form will allow you to receive email notification as soon as more information is available.