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Happy Reading for Today
<Karen>
1)
Hilton Pond 02-15-08 (Costa Rica #4)
The fourth and final report on our recent expeditions to Costa Rica
deals with the question of how Ruby-throated Hummingbirds actually
get into Guanacaste Province and the Aloe Vera fields where they
congregate in winter. We hope you'll take at look at the photo essay
and respond to our speculation.
To view the 15-29 February 2008 installment of "This Week at Hilton
Pond," please visit
<<
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek080215.html>>
As always we include a tally of birds banded locally during the
current period. There's also mention of an interesting cluster of
already banded--and old--Purple Finches that showed up in our traps.
Hilton Pond 03-01-08
We were fortunate this March to journey to southern Wisconsin to speak
about our hummingbird research, but the highlight of the trip for us
was a behind-the-scenes tour of the old stomping grounds of
conservation pioneer Aldo Leopold. Among other things, we got to visit
"The Shack," the almost-mythical structure where Leopold formulated
many of his thoughts for his beloved book, "A Sand County Almanac."
For a photo essay about Leopold and our visit, please see the 1-15
March 2008 installment of "This Week at Hilton Pond" at
<<
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek080301.html>>
As always we include a tally of all birds banded or recaptured at
Hilton Pond during the period, as well as miscellaneous nature notes.
There's also a link to a map of Ruby-throated Hummingbird migration--
the better to know when to put out your feeder(s) this spring.
Last fall we collected a caterpillar that in turn formed a pupa that
opened up unexpectedly "This Week at Hilton Pond," producing a moth
whose external structures bordered on the abstract.
For a macrophotographic view of the adult insect that emerged, please
visit our essay for 16 March 2008 at
<<
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek080316.html>>
As always we include a tally of all birds banded and recaptured
during the period--and there were a lot of both--plus a few
miscellaneous nature notes.
2)
NASA
Register Today for 2008 MY NASA DATA Teacher Workshop
2008 MY NASA DATA Teacher Workshop
The 2008 MY NASA DATA Teacher Workshop will take place at NASA’s Langley Research Center on June 22-27. This workshop will include hands-on sessions designed for educators of students in grades 6-12. The workshop will focus on the implementation and use of Earth system science data sets developed for the pre-college education community as part of the MY NASA DATA program.
Participating teachers will explore topics in Earth system science (especially atmospheric science), educational application of data sets, and hands-on classroom activities. Participants will take informative field trips and benefit from the expertise of nationally recognized atmospheric researchers. The teachers will also explore how data sets can be used to enhance their curriculum and how students can use this data for inquiry-based learning and research.
Applications must be postmarked by April 9, 2008. For more information, visit http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/workshop.html. Please e-mail questions about this opportunity to Susan Moore at susan.w.moore@nasa.gov.
Nominate a K-12 Teacher for the 2008 American Stars of Teaching Awards
The U.S. Department of Education continues to honor exemplary classroom teachers as the American Stars of Teaching. Those honored are successful in using innovative teaching strategies and raising student academic achievement. These teachers will be highlighted as representatives of the thousands of teachers who are making a difference in the classroom. One teacher from each state and the District of Columbia will be selected. Officials from the U.S. Department of Education will visit the classes of each winner to congratulate them on their success.
Nominations will be accepted through
March 31, 2008. Winners will be announced this fall.
For more information about the awards and to nominate an exceptional teacher, visit
http://www.t2tweb.us/AmStar/About.asp .
Questions about the awards may be sent to
TeacherQuality@westat.com.
Apply Now for the 2008 Thacher Scholars Awards
The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies is currently accepting entries for the 2008 Thacher Scholars Awards. The awards will be given to students in grades 9-12 who demonstrate the best use of geospatial technologies or data to study Earth. Eligible geospatial tools and data include satellite remote sensing, aerial photography, geographic information systems and the Global Positioning System. The main focus of the project must be on the application of the geospatial tool(s) or data to study a problem related to Earth's environment.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens currently in grades 9-12. Students in public, private, parochial, Native American reservation and home schools are eligible. Entries can be submitted by individuals or teams. Cash awards will be given to students in the top three places. Awards will also be given to the winning students' teachers.
Entries must be postmarked by
April 4, 2008.
Entries may also be submitted electronically.
For more information, visit . Please e-mail any questions about this opportunity to
ThacherScholars@strategies.org.
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are the nation's highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science. The awards recognize highly qualified K-12 teachers for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession.
Since 1983, more than 3,700 outstanding teachers have been recognized for their contributions to mathematics and science education. If you know great teachers, nominate them to join this prestigious network of professionals.
Nominations for elementary school teachers are being accepted online and should be submitted as soon as possible. Teachers who are nominated must complete an online application. Applications are due
May 1, 2008.
(Secondary school teachers are eligible to apply in 2009.)
For additional information on the award and to
nominate an outstanding teacher
If you have questions about this opportunity,
please contact your state coordinator.
NASA Science News for March 12, 2008
To celebrate Women's History Month, an all-female team of scientists and engineers has taken control of Mars rover Spirit. Is Mars exploration different with women calling the shots? Find out in today's story from Science@NASA.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/12mar_spiritday.htm?list111411NASA Science News for March 20, 2008
For reasons not fully understood by scientists, the weeks around the vernal equinox are prone to Northern Lights. In other words,
spring is aurora season. Observations from NASA spacecraft are shedding new light on this old mystery.
3. NOVA
NOVA presents "Bone Diggers"
Broadcast: Tuesday, March 25, 2008
http://www.pbs.org/nova/bonediggers
(NOVA airs on PBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings as
broadcast dates and times may vary. This program can be used up to
one year after it is recorded off the air.)
Evolution Down Under
http://www.pbs.org/nova/bonediggers/evolution.html
Discover why pouched and egg-laying mammals came to far outnumber
placental mammals in Australia. (Grades 9-12)
The Extinction Enigma
http://www.pbs.org/nova/bonediggers/extinction.html
Find out how Australia came to be marsupial heaven, what may have
played a role in Australia's extinctions, how humans may have
affected top predators, and more in this interview with geologist
Gifford Miller. (Grades 6-8, 9-12)
Anatomy of Thylacoleo
http://www.pbs.org/nova/bonediggers/thylacoleo.html
Click on parts of Thylacoleo to learn more about its physical
traits. (Flash plug-in required; printable version available.)
(Grades 6-8, 9-12)
Australia's Vanished Beasts
http://www.pbs.org/nova/bonediggers/vanished.html
Take a look at illustrations of how Australia's extinct mega
fauna, or "big animals," might have appeared when they were alive.
(Grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12)
Teacher's Guide
http://www.pbs.org/nova/teachers/programs/3408_bonedigg.html
Learn the difference between mammals and marsupials, find out how
scientists discover information from animal bones, compare and
contrast extinct Australian megafauna with their modern-day
relatives, and more in this set of viewing ideas. (Grades 6-8,
9-12)
Program transcript
http://www.pbs.org/nova/transcripts/3408_bonedigg.html
This site includes a complete narration for this program.
4)
Space Weather News
http://spaceweather.com
JULES VERNE AND THE ISS: The European Space Agency's new robotic cargo carrier, the Jules Verne, has parked itself in orbit 2000 kilometers ahead of the International Space Station. This sets the stage for some beautiful double flybys in the nights ahead--the Jules Verne appears first, as bright as a 1st magnitude star, followed four and a half minutes later by the even brighter International Space Station. This is a must-see for sky watchers in cities and countryside alike.
TRIPLE FLYBY ALERT: Space shuttle Endeavour has undocked from the International Space Station and the two spaceships are now orbiting Earth in tandem. This sets the stage for a series of rare *triple* flybys, which many sky watchers will be able to observe on Tuesday, March 25th. It's a triple because three spacecraft are involved. First to appear is the European Space Agency's Jules Verne cargo carrier flying 2000 kilometers ahead of the ISS-Endeavour combo. Jules Verne is about as bright as a 1st magnitude star. Four minutes later, and even brighter, the space shuttle and space station follow Jules Verne across the starry sky--a spectacular sight!
US and Canadian readers can find out when to look using our new Simple Satellite Flybys tool:
http://spaceweather.com/flybys. (Note: We haven't forgotten about the rest of the world. Work is underway to expand our simple flyby predictions beyond North America to all parts of the globe. Stay tuned.)
SOLAR ACTIVITY: Who says the sun is quiet? Two new sunspots are growing rapidly near the sun's equator. Just yesterday they were almost invisible; now the active regions are several times larger than Earth and are putting on a good show for anyone with a backyard solar telescope.
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