Hands-On Astronomy: Asteroids for Teachers and Students

Location

Ellison Miles Geotechnology Institute
Brookhaven College Building H
3939 Valley View Lane
Farmers Branch, Dallas, TX 75244
Directions and Maps: http://www.brookhavencollege.edu/emgi/location.aspx

Eligible Attendees:

Project Directors and Instructional Team Members for the Texas Regional Science Collaboratives, TXESS Revolution teachers, and local teachers who work in high schools and teach the new ESS course or Astronomy will be given priority registration. This training can accommodate 40 participants.  

Description

The Hands-On Asteroids Workshop will provide Project Directors and high school teachers with general information and classroom activities on:

Solar System Debris Fields

Infrared Astronomy

Asteroid Light Curves (Astro-Spud)

Asteroid Search, Discovery, and Measurement (Astrometry)

Telescope Imaging of Asteroids, Comets and Deep Sky Objects

Asteroid Distance and Diameter Calculations

As part of the search, discovery, and measurement activities, teachers and their students will be able to participate in the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC="Isacc").  IASC is an online education outreach program in which students make original discoveries of asteroids. Provided at no cost to the participating schools, each year 225 schools participate from over 30 countries on five continents.

During the workshop, images of asteroid fields taken only hours before, will be analyzed by the teachers. It is possible they will make original discoveries at that time, which will be officially reported to the Minor Plantet Center at Harvard.

As part of the telescope imaging, teachers and their students will be able to use Internet-accessible telescopes in their classrooms. They will image asteroids and comets then estimate their distances and diameters. They will also image deep sky objects such as star clusters, galaxies, and gas clouds, which they will put together in color images.

Dr. Patrick Miller will lead the Hands-On Asteroids Workshop.  He is a professor of mathematics and astronomy at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. He founded and directs the International Astronomical Search Collaboration, an online educational outreach program in which students make original discoveries of asteroids and supernovae.  Assisting Dr. Miller will be Ginger Anderson of May HS  in May, Texas and Denise Rothrock of Madisonville HS in Madisonville, Texas.  They are both high school physics teachers and long-time prrticipants in the IASC asteroid search campaigns.

Of special note, the EMGI is hosting a world-class fine mineral show Saturday, January 22. Ever wonder where the big museums get their sparkly mineral displays? They buy them from these dealers!  They will also have specimens available that will fit your budgets. Time will be given on Saturday for you to visit the show. 

Certificates of Participation

Certificates stating 18 Continuing Professional Education hours (CPE credits) earned will be sent electronically after the participant has completed the online course evaluation.  Participants should receive the certificate two to three weeks after the PDA.  Any questions about certificates should be directed toward the contact person listed on this page.

Contact

Marsha Willis
Coordinator for Proffesional Development
Telephone: 512 232-5015
Email: [email protected]

Accommodations

Sleeping rooms are available close to the workshop site. Contact the hotel directly by phone to make a reservation.  Please tell the reservationist that you are with the EMGI for this training when making your reservation to get the special rate.

List of participating hotels in area. 

Parking

There is no parking charge at Brookhave College.

Registration

The cost is $45.00 per day per participant. Registration fees cover breakfast, lunch, dinner and training materials. Payments are due before this event. Refunds will not be issued for cancellations or those not in attendance. Registration will close January 14, 2011.

For this 2-day workshop, fees are $90.00 per person.

Registration Payment

The registration confirmation email will contain all necessary information to provide to business offices for credit card payment records and check processing instructions.

Participants MUST pay by credit card or mail a check. Checks for registration need to be made out to "The University of Texas at Austin." Please mail to the attention of Jeff Early along with the printed registration confirmation email.

All participants are responsible for their own lodging reservations and payments and all transportation costs. 

Registration Instructions:

Click the registration button below to register your attendance. You will be asked your name, email, and collaborative. If you are not the project director, you will need to enter your project director's email as well. If you have multiple people attending, please fill out this form for each person that will be attending. You may need to quit and restart your browser to enter multiple people. If you need technical help with the registration page, send an email to the: TRC Web Team.

TRC Professional Development Academies

The TRC has a 17-year track record of designing and implementing exemplary professional development using research-based instructional models, materials, and best practices.