Virtual Visits with the New York Hall of Science

There are several science concepts currently being researched that are making front page news. Can Jupiter’s moon harbor fish-size life? Well, this was the title of a recent article on the front of the National Geographic website. Here is what Dr. Martin Weiss, Staff Scientist at the New York Hall of Science, had to say about the article:

“Given all the “should’s” and “could’s” it is hard to comment. However, for fish to have evolved to fish on Earth—eg tuna, sharks, octopi— the selective pressures would have to be exactly like those on Earth. Evolution suggests that if we were to turn the clock back 4 billion years on Earth and start the process over it is unlikely I’d be sitting here typing an email to you or that there would be anything lik here and now. My feeling it is more likely there might be microbes on Europa but I would not expect large fish if any fish at all. Nice to speculate based upon science principles but it would be nice to have more data.”

Nanoscience and nanotechnology is another science topic that has been receiving a lot of attention lately. In 2005, the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network was developed to help “engage the public in advances in nanoscale research”. Their website contains so much information and activities on this truly fascinating topic.

In our new “Science in the Now” series, we explore some of these topics. From discoveries of microbial life in extreme environments to the development of cutting edge technology via nanoscience, “Science in the Now” will show learners the pivotal role science plays in society. E-mail angeron@nysci.org for more information!

*I would also like to wish everyone and your families a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving!

What would happen to a fish in space? Would it float out of the water? This was on the mind of a student in Ms. Drysdale’s class at the Colinton Primary School in Scotland. This question eventually found its way to our departments’ twitter account. After consulting with some of our educators, we were able to provide the student with an answer but why should we stop there? We felt this would be a great opportunity to establish a Virtual Visit connection and help answer any other questions the students had about our solar system.

Helping me answer the students questions during the day of the program was fellow co-worker Adiel Fernandez. Adiel and I were very impressed with how all of these students thought completely “out of the box”. Here are some examples of the questions they had: Why do we have space and what is it for? How did planets come about? What would Mars look like if you cut it in half?

Both The New York Hall of Science and Ms. Drysdale’s class had an excellent time together and hope we can establish other connections in the near future.

As you may have read in other posts, October is Catapult month here at The New York Hall of Science. In celebration of this month long event, we have been putting together video packages showcasing all the departments involved in the project. The latest video gives visitors an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how programming was developed for the catapult. Hope you all enjoy!

Is that a mad scientist? No, it is actually the one and only Great Osmosis. Through his journey across the world studying various science concepts and combining them with magic tricks, The Great Osmosis has decided to share his knowledge with all of you! Recently he graduated a group of students from the Brevard Public School in Florida to become honorary magical scientists. Visit www.nysci.org if you would like more information about booking the Magic & Science VV Demonstration.

This past Saturday I attended a fundraiser that was being held by The Living Through Learning Foundation. LTLF is an educational support organization for children with chronic health conditions. During the fundraiser, I gave 2 cow’s eye dissections. One for the children and parents at the event and an encore presentation for children watching from their computers at home.

Besides the usual gross factor that kids always show when they see aqueous humor shooting out of the eye ball (which it did!), these children had a blast watching the demonstration. We fed off each other’s energy and, I can’t even describe how much of a rewarding experience I had with these kids and their families. One child in specific who I had the pleasure of teaching for several Virtual Visit sessions was in attendance. Her name was Rowan, and to see her smile in person was something I will never forget!

In our very first installment of our Catapult series we got the opportunity to meet Alice Stevenson, Senior Manager of Public Programs & Pre-School Learning here at The New York Hall of Science. After countless weeks of hard work from our entire Exhibit staff, NYSCI staff were able to see the final product in action. Let me tell you seeing this Catapult hurl things hundreds of feet away is absolutely amazing and should be viewed in person. Luckily for everyone we have an exclusive sneek peek of our Catapult in use as well a sit-down interview with its engineer Mr. Kyle Dries.

Do you want to learn how to integrate brain science into your curriculum, innovate your lesson plans, and motivate your students for FREE? The New York Hall of Science invites you to participate in the Dana Brain Science Educator Series and become a Dana Fellow. Upon completion of the program, each Dana Fellow will be awarded a stipend of $300.

This year, the series will be entirely online, providing a great opportunity for educators from across the nation to learn and collaborate. We will be highlighting the “Best of the Dana Brain Science Educator Series” with six sessions that combine the most popular activities and materials from past years. Sessions will focus on exciting topics like brain damage and disease, memory, and the five senses with the underlying theme of learning, tying all the sessions together.

Using the course management system Moodle, each session will allow participants to access video lectures from experts in the field, readings, and classroom-based investigations as well as participate in moderated discussions with fellow educators. Additionally, all Dana Fellows will be required to create and submit a unit on the brain that consists of at least six lessons.

The series is open to K-8 educators throughout the country and participation is limited to 20 teachers, so apply now! To apply, please follow the link below and fill out the online application. The deadline for applications is December 1, 2009.

For more information please contact Michaela Labriole at mlabriole@nysci.org or 718.699.0005, ext. 569.

The dates for the synchronous sessions are January 9^th, 23^rd, February 6^th 27^th, March 13^th and 27^th. Sessions will be held from 3-6pm EST (12-3pm PST).

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=zwGir5_2bx6CPABdCPjtP6Dw_3d_3d

This October is Catapult month at NYSCI. Our exhibit team has been working day and night to design and build a trebuchet, which is a type of catapult. There are so many teams working on this project that Digital Learning thought it would be best to create a series of video packages highlighting each departments hard work. The first installment has officially been release and can be viewed on our new website or clicking the picture down below.

Everyone here in the museum is excited about this month long event that will feature a Catapult demonstration, pumpkin tossing, and so much more. Stay tuned for our next installment!

The New York Hall of Science is very proud to announce that as of yesterday September 21st, 2009, we officially launched our new website with a completely fresh new look. A team of employees representing different departments in our museum have been working tremendously hard on revamping our website. The final product is now available for everyone to see at www.nysci.org.

We have received some feedback in the past on our old website where it was a bit difficult to find our Virtual Visit programs but, now all our programs is just a few clicks away. Once you are on the main page click Learn>Education Programs>Virtual Visits. Here you can view VV descriptions and footage. We hope you enjoy the new site and any feedback would be appreciated.

We are proud to announce that the New York Hall of Science Virtual Visit team has been awarded the title “Honorable Mention” in the CILC Pinnacle Awards for the 2008-09 school year.  Congratulations to the other recipients for their hard work in the world of education videoconferencing. We hope to continue our success for the 2009-10 school year and stay tuned for upcoming new programs and news from the Digital Learning department here at Nysci!