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Workshop Offerings for Winter, Spring & Summer 2012
From the Field: Connecting Scientists and K-12 through Web-based Technologies
(Few spaces available)
Come join BSI, Liesl Erb and collaborators (CU scientists and the CU Museum of Natural History) as we pave new ways to connect citizens, K-12 teachers and students with scientists. Our goal is to provide an interactive, web-based connection linking the public of all ages to scientific research teams and field research. Ultimately these interactive services may include video profiles of scientists, Twitter feeds, blogs by researchers reporting from the field, K-12 curriculum toolkits, and webinars. This pilot project, led by Liesl Erb, will features her research investigating the pika, a small mammal found in alpine ecosystems of western North America.
This workshop will include lessons featuring the pika study, covering topics from food webs to water resources and climate change. Participants will have the opportunity to give feedback through "teacher forums," where they can provide ratings and notes associated with each curriculum tool they choose to use in their classrooms. Participants of this workshop will not only be poised to use the materials in their classrooms, but also contribute their ideas as this project develops.
Date: Saturday, March 3, 2012
Time: 9 am - 5 pm
Location: University of Colorado at Boulder
Workshop Cost: Free
CDE Credit: .5 (free)
CU Graduate Credit: .5 ($60)
Designed for: K-12 Teachers
Instructors: Liesl Erb, PhD Candidate, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EBIO) and former BSI Science Squad
Peter Erb, Master's Candidate, EBIO
Dr. Tammy Maldonado, BSI Outreach Scientist
Photosynthesis and Respiration
(Please note: this workshop is currently over subscribed; however we are waitlisting folks to assess demand)
Looking for new ideas to enliven and strengthen your teaching of photosynthesis and respiration? This workshop will provide hands-on activities to address standards-based learning goals including: 1) Energy for almost all ecosystems on earth comes from the sun; 2) Energy enters these ecosystems through photosynthesis, converting light energy into chemical energy; 3) All cells (plant, animal, single-celled organisms, etc.) break down glucose to make ATP through fermentation or respiration; 4) ATP is used to power most reactions and activities of the cell.
Several activities will use Pasco Probes to measure changes in CO2 levels as evidence of respiration or photosynthesis. Mark Little, who teaches at Broomfield High School, will share his expertise and extensive experience using Pasco Probes to teach respiration and photosynthesis. Participants will be eligible to check-out Pasco Probes from BSI in order to incorporate these activities into your own classroom. There will be many opportunities to explore and carry out independent investigation during the workshop.
Date: Saturday, March 17, 2012
Time: 9 am - 5 pm
Location: University of Colorado at Boulder
Workshop Cost: Free
CDE Credit: .5 (free)
CU Graduate Credit: .5 ($60)
Designed for: Middle and High School Teachers
Instructors: Drs. Kristin Swihart and Tammy Maldonado, BSI Outreach Scientists
Mark Little, Broomfield High School
Pine Beetles:
Evergreens Gone Brown!
"Every large, mature Lodgepole Pine forest in Colorado and southern Wyoming will be dead within 3 to 5 years." - Rocky Mountain News, Jan 15, 2008. How can a beetle the size of a grain of rice cause this level of destruction to our forests? The workshop will begin with an overview of the pine beetle epidemic by Dr. Jeffry Mitton, Professor in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Dr. Mitton's research includes work on pine beetles and the burgeoning pine beetle epidemic.
Following this introductory talk we will delve into more detailed examinations of the pine beetle life cycle, tree anatomy, the blue wood fungus, and the process by which the pine beetles kill the trees. Participants will have the opportunity to view samples of the beetles and infected wood (teachers may get sample materials for use in their classrooms). The afternoon will include several hands-on activities applying the concepts of predator/prey relationships, food webs, and pheromones to the pine beetle epidemic. Activities in this workshop utilize an interdisciplinary approach, combining the scientific method with math and graphing.
Date: Saturday, April 14, 2012
Time: 9 am - 5 pm
Location: University of Colorado at Boulder
Workshop Cost: Free
CDE Credit: .5 (free)
CU Graduate Credit: .5 ($60)
Designed for: Middle and high school teachers
Instructors: Marcus Cohen BSI Science Squad, PhD Candidate, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Dr. Jeff Mitton, Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Bringing the Fossil Record
to Life
The fossil record contains vast information about the history of life on our planet. It shows us patterns of evolution, allowing us to see how life has responded to dramatic changes in the environment and how those changes have influenced the evolutionary pathways of organisms. This workshop provides examples and hands on activities that use the fossil record to tell us about life's history globally and more locally, across Colorado.
We will begin with fossils from Colorado, examining the sedimentary rock and fossil record to see evidence for the Cretaceous Interior Seaway during a time when Colorado was completely under water. Next, we will examine plant fossils to observe the big changes in our landscape and climate that have taken place over time. Mass extinctions are major drivers of evolutionary change, clearing out existing lineages and making space and resources available to develop new ones. We will explore how specific groups of plants and animals have been affected by these major disruptions. As we learn how the fossil record illustrates major concepts in ecology and evolution, we will see how different time periods are defined by the organisms that were alive during that time.
Date: Thursday, June 14, 2012
Time: 9 am - 5 pm
Location: University of Colorado at Boulder
Workshop Cost: Free
CDE Credit: .5 (free)
CU Graduate Credit: .5 ($60)
Designed for: Middle and high school teachers
Instructor: Erin Leckey, BSI Science Squad, PhD Candidate, Geological Sciences and CU Museum of Natural History
Grasshoppers and Climate Change: A Colorado Story
Over the last century global surface and ocean temperatures have increased, and this warming has had a variety of impacts on species. Changes affecting development, distributions, timing of migration and relative abundances have been observed. In this workshop we will explore the effects of climate change on organisms, and then explore how local communities of Colorado grasshoppers may help us understand how recent warming is affecting our native biota.
Together we will work through a field activity to determine how local climate has changed over the last 50 years, how communities of grasshoppers have responded to this non-uniform change, and how species and communities may continue to change in the future. This lab activity makes the issue of climate change more relevant to students because they work with actual data collected from local ecosystems. Other topics that will be discussed include hypothesis testing, insect identification and methods for including insects in class projects. Dr. Cesar Nufio, a CU entomologist, will lead this workshop that features his research.
Date: Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Time: 8:30 am - 5 pm
Location: University of Colorado at Boulder and nearby field sites
Workshop Cost: Free
CDE Credit: .5 (free)
CU Graduate Credit: .5 ($60)
Designed for: Middle and high school teachers
Instructors: Dr. Cesar Nufio, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, CU Museum of Natural History
Dr. Tammy Maldonado, BSI Outreach Scientist
Heidi Freiburger, BSI Lab Coordinator
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