Connecting People to Science

(The 2011 Education and Public Outreach Meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific) July 30 – Aug. 3 in Baltimore

Here is the latest update about the national meeting focused on education and outreach in space, earth, and physical sciences. Participants include scientists and educators working in or with schools, colleges, museums, parks, community groups, government agencies, observatories, and the web. There will be hands-on workshops, special interest group discussions, panels, invited talks, and oral and poster paper sessions. Cosponsored with the American Geophysical Union and the Space Telescope Science Institute.

June 13th is the deadline for submitting abstracts for late poster papers at this conference. Please see http://www.astrosociety.org/events/2011mtg/abstracts.html

June 30th is the last day to register at the advance rate and to reserve an exhibit booth.

Here are just some of the interesting sessions that will be offered at the meeting:

• Mobile Apps for Education: A Round-table Discussion
• From Mercury to the Asteroid Belt: Views of Diverse Worlds
• Climate Change Misconceptions and Messages
• How-to Workshop on Evaluation of Informal Science Education and Outreach Projects
• Sources of EPO Funding, Techniques for Getting Funded
• After-school Programs: Your Next Partners in STEM Learning
• Data in the Classroom: Using Real Space-Science Data in K-12 Education
• Using the Planetarium to Talk about Climate Change
• The New NRC Framework for K-12 Education Standards: What’s In the Framework and What It Means
• Examining Large Public EPO Events (Special Days, Years, Nights)
• Best Practices for School and Community Star Parties
• Unscientific America: What’s the Problem? What’s the Solution?
• Engaging Girls in Science Education
• Citizen Science in the Classroom and at Home
• The Pluto Debate: Learning through Role-playing Games
• Tales from the Twitterverse
• The 2012 Transit of Venus: How to Facilitate Group Viewing
• Marketing 101 for Scientists
• Incorporating Performing Arts into Science Learning for Teenagers
• The Greatest Scientific Achievements of the Hubble Space Telescope
• Why Just Counting Attendees Won’t Cut It for Evaluation in the 21st Century.

For more information on the program, lodgings, and registration, go to http://www.astrosociety.org/events/meeting.html.

There will also be professional development workshops for teachers in grades 3 – 12 offered from July 30 through Aug. 3. The web site has detailed descriptions.