New Hampshire Science Teachers` Association April E

New Hampshire Science
Teachers’ Association
April E-Newsletter, 2013
NHSTA Newsletter Editor: Paul Williams
Volume 9, Issue 6
April 2013
Announcing the NHSTA 2013 Elementary Summer Science Institute
June 25-27, 2013. 8am-12:30pm. Location: Trinity Christian School, 80 Clinton St., Concord, NH 03301
NHSTA is running its second annual Elementary Summer Science Institute June 25-27, 2013. Come network
with other elementary teachers and science teachers from across the state. Veteran science teachers and experts
in the fields of science and education will present hands-on workshops that will help elementary teachers teach
science with confidence. Participants will enjoy four workshops each day and will leave with materials supplied by vendors.
For more information contact Naomi Hall at [email protected].
Costs: $50 per day (members); $75 per day (nonmembers - includes membership); $125 for all 3 days
(members); $145 for all 3 days (nonmembers - includes membership).
Daily Schedule
8:00-8:30 Registration and Demo of the Day
8:30-9:20 Session 1
9:30-10:20 Session 2
10:30-11:20 Session 3
11:30-12:20 Session 4
12:20-12:30 Door prizes and give-aways.
Click Here for the 2013 Elementary Science Institute Brochure
Click Here for the 2013 Elementary Science Institute Workshop Details and Descriptions
Registration open at: http://www.cvent.com/d/ncq5wj/4W
Teacher Feature. By Heidi Orestis
When Ben Ramsay who teaches at Raymond High School was asked, “What’s something cool you
do with your kids in science?” at the NHSTA Spring Conference at
Keen State, he told me about his biodiversity study with macroinvertebrates. He has been conducting this study for seven years now by
taking his students out to a local stream for two weeks in the fall.
Ben’s teaching is inquiry based. The students are responsible for
identifying the different macroinvertebrates in the stream, collecting them, and assessing the health of the steam using Simpson’s index and a bio index, comparing the numbers and variety of macroinvertebrates from year to year.
NHSTA Board of Directors, 2012/2013
Inside this issue:
NHSTA Board
Two upcoming meetings of the New
2
3
England Association of Chemistry TeachSpring Program Series sponsored by The
Little Nature Museum
3
Modeling Workshop
4
The 2013 MSMR Student Competition –
“Get Me The News”
4
NHDOE Looking for a “standards writing
team”
5
Upcoming Workshops Sponsored by
NHSTA
6-7
NASA Exploration Design Challenge
8
Interact with hurricane scientists and
hurricane hunters! National Hurricane
Center webinars for 5th grade classes in
hurricane prone regions
8
Institute for Nature-Based Learning
9
Laboratory Safety—A Full-Day Work-
10-11
shop for Vermont and New Hampshire
Middle and High School Faculty, Administrators, and Facility Operations ManagNASA Space Place
12-13
Useful Info from Flinn Scientific
14
Joining NHSTA
15
President – Steve Roberts, Inter-Lakes School, Middle Tier
1st Vice-President/2012 Fall Conference Chair Mark Parsons, Inter-lakes High School
2nd Vice-President/2013 Spring Conference Chair Heather Brunelle, Lurgio Middle School
Treasurer - Debbie Maloney, Hollis Brookline High School
Secretary– Naomi Hall, Trinity Christian School
Director-at-Large Executive Board Representative - MaryKate Hartwell,
Timberlane Regional Middle School
Immediate Past President – Leslie McRobie, Idlehurst Elementary School
Directors At Large (Appointed for 2012-2013):
Ian Atwell, Nashua High School South
Brewster Bartlett, Pinkerton Academy
Linda Bates, Retired Educator
Mindy Beltramo, Peter Woodbury School
Debbie Black, Keene State College
Janet Chamberlin, NH DOE
Andrew DiGiovanni, Bedford High School
Ronald Edmiston, Timberlane Regional High School
Susan Farrelly, Rundlett Middle School/Upper Valley Educators Institute
Jay Godfrey, Retired, Goffstown High School
Art Greenberg, University of New Hampshire
Robert Henry, University of New Hampshire
Sally Jean, Keene State College
Lisa Lavalley, Pinkerton Academy
Michelle Mitnisky, Hillsboro-Deering High School
Mary Anne Morcom, Kearsarge Regional Elementary School New London
Heidi Orestis, Sanborn Middle School
Robert Pisonneault, Bishop Guertin High School
Amy Rockwell, Lurgio Middle School
Christine Schadler, Spaulding High School
Robert Schroeder, Swasey Central School
Ellen Small, Iber Holmes Gove Middle School
Mark Turski, Plymouth State University
David Webster, Lin-Wood High School
Office Manager, Newsletter Editor, Database Engineer, Conferences – Paul Williams
Annual Spring Conference: 2014: TBA
Annual Elementary Summer Institute: June 25-27, 2013
Annual Fall Conference. Church Landing, Meredith, November 3 and 4, 2013
The New Hampshire Science Teachers’ Association is the professional science teaching
organization for our state. Its purpose, as stated in its constitution, is to promote and
improve science education in New Hampshire. NHSTA membership consists of all people
interested in science education who have paid their regular membership dues. Dues are
presently $20.00 per year. NHSTA is a volunteer organization run by an elected Executive Board consisting of a president, first vice-president, second vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and director-at-large. The Board of Directors is appointed by the Executive Board and represents New Hampshire’s geographic regions and its various educational levels and disciplines. The Board meets monthly. For more info visit
www.nhsta.net NHSTA, PO Box 583, Littleton, NH 03561 Phone 888-590-1555
Note: Although we try and keep announcements current, it is possible that sign-up
dates may have elapsed by the time you get this. Check via phone or web addresses to
be sure.
Volume 9, Issue 6
Page 2
Two upcoming meetings of the New England Association of Chemistry Teachers
NEACT Central Division Meeting on May 4, 2013 at Fitchburg State University: POGIL Chemistry of Art
http://www.neact.org/event/central-division-meeting
SAVE the DATES: Aug 5-8, 2013 74th NEACT Summer Conference, Stonehill College, Easton, MA
"IT'S ALL ATOMIC!"
Reasons to attend:
The COLLEGE Stonehill is a beautiful setting with a new dorm for our stay, new science building, new dining commons, and plentiful, convenient parking The CAMARADERIE - NEACT-ers are a friendly, gregarious group - warm and welcoming to new and long-standing members alike. Our evening get - togethers are
"Ah!"
The CHEMISTRY - We experience continued edification, either for our own knowledge or for immediate
use in our classes.
The BANQUET - a tradition that honors both an instructor and our chosen profession A Small Sampler Harvard-Smithsonian / Annenberg Learner series - Videos and materials from the free, online course, "Chemistry:
Challenges & Solutions, " a 13-unit course for AP through 1st and 2nd year college set to become available
this fall.
Lab-Aids - display of equipment and supplies, and a workshop, too Effective use of "technology" - iTunes,
iPad, devices and resources for learning An oral history vignette: "The Periodic Table, Glenn Seaborg, and
Me."
Take-a-ways - free materials, chemistry mementos, prizes
Contact Mary Christian-Madden [email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/New-England-Association-of-Chemistry-Teachers/168416323204554
www.neact.org
Spring Program Series sponsored by The Little Nature Museum
Title: Loon Magic: Sights and Sounds
Date and Time: Saturday, April 13, 1:30 - 2:30 PM
Description: Candace Morrison, experienced educator, who has presented a variety of programs for the US
Forest Service, will present an illustrated and very interactive program geared for all ages. It will include factual information about all aspects of loon life. Learn what the vocalizations of the loon mean, how the bird has
been considered supernatural, a weather barometer, even buried with the dead! You’ll have fun learning about
loons while trying to imitate the loon body movements.
Location: Community Room, Hopkinton Town Library, Contoocook, NH
Cost: This program is free; donations are appreciated.
Sponsor: The Little Nature Museum
Library directions: www.hopkintontownlibrary.org
weather related information - 603-746-6121
museum information - www.littlenaturemuseum.org
Greener Hopkinton information: http://greenerhopkinton.wordpress.com
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Modeling Workshops
Fifty Modeling Workshops in high school physics, chemistry, physical science, and biology will be offered in
summer 2013, in many states. Modeling Workshops are peer-led. Modeling Instruction is designated by the
U.S. Department of Education as an Exemplary K-12 science program. Some sites offer stipends, usually for
in-state teachers. Graduate credit is available at some sites. Pre-service teachers and TYC faculty are welcome
too. For information: <http://modelinginstruction.org/teachers/workshops-2013/> http://
modelinginstruction.org/teachers/workshops-2013/ Most workshops are described at http://www.ptec.org/pd .
Teachers say:
* "After the first year of teaching using the modeling method, I wished I had learned about modeling years
ago." David Braunschweig (retired; consultant for Vernier Software & Technology).
* In the one year that I have been modeling, I have seen wonderful results.
* [As a graduate student in physics], I discovered the modeling method of instruction to be a rigorous approach to physics instruction on the high school level, and one that is consistent with the way physicists understand the universe. Doug Vallette
*Compared to "traditional" physics teaching, at our school modeling has created:
(A) Larger enrollment in physics and AP Physics; (B) Higher retention of students majoring in engineering
and science when they go off to college; (C) Greater quantitative analytical skills; (D) Greater quantitative
presentation skills; (E) Much higher ability for "future non-science students" to communicate with science
people; (F) No plugging and chugging.
* We have had 3 physics teachers and 5 chemistry teachers enhance their professional development at your
ASU modeling workshops. Modeling has made a world of difference in our science courses. --Ray Howanski
Wendy Hehemann, American Modeling Teachers Association, Outreach Assistant.
http://modelinginstruction.org/
[email protected]
The 2013 MSMR Student Competition – “Get Me The News” Submit an Essay, a Poster or a
Webpage. The Challenge: You are the reporter for a science website for teens. Your editor wants you to go out and
report on a story about a recent breakthrough in biomedical research that could become a medicine or a medical device
in the future, for human or veterinary patients. You will dig into the research and present it to your editor in a compelling way that shows your creativity and your clear understanding of the science. Your editor is very flexible, and will
take your draft as an Essay, a Poster or a completed Webpage, but it has to be presented in a way that the audience - middle and high school students – will understand.
Goal: You must demonstrate mastery of the topic and present it with originality and economy. Judging is based on the
quality of the information in the Entry and how it presents actual biomedical research. Entries should include a lively
combination of words or images, or both, that attracts teenagers and informs them.
Eligible Participants: All New England students in grades 7 – 8 (Level 1) or grades 9 – 12 (Level 2) are eligible to
enter: public, parochial, private/independent or home schooled.
Prizes (in each Level)
Student: 1st Place - $500; 2nd Place - $250; 3rd Place - $100
Teacher: 1st Place - $100; 2nd Place—$50; 3rd Place
$25
Rules: Deadline—All Entries and Entry Forms for the 2013 Competition must be submitted between January 7, 2013,
and May 10, 2013.
Submit Electronically: Students must submit Entries by e-mail. Details are in the Student Packet, see below
Notification of Winners and Awarding of Prizes. Winning students and their teachers will be notified by June 5, 2013.
Winning students, their parents and their teacher are invited to the MSMR Annual Meeting in June to receive their
awards.
Reading the Student Packet is Essential: For further details, as well as the complete Student Packet, go to the MSMR
website (www.MSMR.org) and click on the Student Competition link on the Home Page.
Volume 9, Issue 6
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NHDOE Looking for a “standards writing team”
Dear Colleagues,
We are seeking experienced educators and teacher educators to help us in a very important new initiative. As
you may know, New Hampshire’s educator preparation programs focus on preparing future educators and
school leaders to meet the standards for certification as a professional educator.
In some credential areas, the number of certification standards can be considerable. In these instances, it becomes a challenge for those who volunteer to review a program and recommend it for state approval to know
which of the many standards are most “essential” for the program to address. This also makes it challenging
for the preparation program since, with so many standards to address, it’s unclear where they should most invest their limited resources, and how best to prepare for external review of so many standards.
For these reasons, we are seeking experienced and insightful science educators (as well as those who prepare
them), such as yourself, to serve on a “standards writing team” to review the certification standards for the
given credential. The team will recommend no more than twelve that it regards as especially “essential” for
the NH programs that prepare educators in this field to address. Depending on the team members’ availability,
the given team will meet on Thursday April 11th in a day-long gathering at Southern New Hampshire University, starting with breakfast at 8 a.m. and ending by no later than 4 p.m.
Continental breakfast, lunch, CEUs – and our deepest thanks – will be provided.
We need at least:
2 chemistry educators on either April 11th or 12th
3 earth space science educators on either April 11th or 12th
3 life science educators on either April 11th or 12th
3 middle level science educators on either April 11 th or 12th
1 physics educators on either April 11th
Might you be interested and available to serve on one of these teams? If so, could you please send the following information to Bob McLaughlin, administrator, Preparation Program Approval, NHDOE at
[email protected] at your earliest convenience:
Your name, credential area(s) in which you would be qualified to review certification standards, your email
address, and whether you would be available for a day-long meeting on April 11th and/or April 12th.
Thanks very much!
Sincerely, Bob McLaughlin
Robert T. McLaughlin, Ph.D., Chair, Association of Teacher Educators’ national commission on technology
and the future of teacher education; Administrator, Professional Educator Preparation Program Approval; New
Hampshire Department of Education
101 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301. Office: 1.603.271.2634; Cell 1.802.249.1159; Fax: 1.603.271.8709
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Upcoming Workshops Sponsored by NHSTA
Understanding Forest Dynamics at the Harvard Forest
Date of Workshop: Sat May 11th
Time of workshop: 11am-3pm
Location of workshop: 324 N Main St., Petersham, MA 01366
Cost of workshop: $40 for members; $60 for non-members (includes the cost of membership)
Minimum participants to run workshop: 8; Maximum number of participants: 16
Contact Person: Heather Brunelle; Contact information: [email protected]
New Hampshire Teachers are invited to Harvard Forest to delve into the world of Forest Dynamics.
Come see our internationally acclaimed models (dioramas) and walk Forest trails that depict the story of land
use change in the landscape. Participate in educational outreach activities related to Forest Dynamics. Harvard Forest staff are developing a field research project to engage Middle School and H.S. students in the
study of how the land(scape) in their town and region has changed in the past, and how current-day forests
will change over time. Students will participate in a plot study using a site within walking distance to their
school. Student research will connect to Harvard Forest Ecological studies related to land use change, forest
dynamics, and carbon uptake Activities will include data collection, measurement, plant identification, calculation of carbon storage, and data analysis.
Agenda:
11am-11:50am: Fisher Museum Photo activity and diorama tour
11:50am-12:00pm: Break-Bathroom/snacks-gearing up to go out…
12:00pm-1pm: Sanderson Farm Trail Walk
1:00p.m.-1:30pm: Lunch Break
1:30-2:30pm: Introducing….Our Changing Forests Schoolyard Ecology Project-Indoor Intro and Outdoor
Activities
2:30-3:00pm: Your input- How do we best serve the needs of you and your students in our educational outreach efforts?
Registration open at: http://www.cvent.com/d/dcqvn0/4W
Event summary and Description at: http://www.cvent.com/d/dcqvn0
Announcement to be e-mailed on 4/11/13
Spring into Bird Banding at Massabesic Audubon
Date: April 6 ; Time: 10am-12pm; Presenter: Jay Barry
Location: Massabesic Audubon Center, 26 Audubon Way, Auburn, NH 03032
Come join other teachers for a workshop that will combine direct instruction with hands-on activities related
to bird banding. The workshop will cover the history of bird banding and the use of banding as a tool for
wildlife management. Banding can be used to study migration, behavior, demographics, breeding biology,
longevity, and infectious diseases in birds. Modern advances in bird banding techniques and what to do if
you encounter a banded bird will also be discussed. Participants will also observe and participate in trapping, identifying, aging, sexing, measuring, weighing, and banding birds
Science Standards: S:LS1:4:2.3 Identify and explain how the physical structures of an organism (plants or animals) allow it
to survive in its habitat/environment (e.g., roots for water; nose to smell fire). [LS1(K-4)FAF-4]; S:LS1:4:2.3 Identify and explain how the physical structures of an organism (plants or animals) allow it to survive in its habitat/environment (e.g., roots for
water; nose to smell fire). [LS1(K-4)FAF-4]
Maximum number of participants: 25
Cost to members; $20 non-members: $25
Registration open at: http://www.cvent.com/d/rcqvy0/4W
Event summary and Description at: http://www.cvent.com/d/rcqvy0
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Hands-on Astronomy
Simulations, Internet Resources and More!
Hosted by: Andrew DiGiovanni; Physics and Astronomy Instructor at Bedford High School, Bedford, New
Hampshire
This workshop will feature a variety of lab activities suited for Secondary level science courses. Topics covered: an orientation of the celestial sphere, constellations, sky charts, tides, Kepler’s law, properties of starts
and the structure of telescopes.
Technical Requirements: Please download the free Demo version of SkyGazer 4.5 and this zip folder of settings file on to your laptop prior to the workshop. A laptop is required for this workshop.
When: Wednesday, May 15, 2013; 4 to 7pm (light meal included)
Where: Bedford High School, 47 Nashua Road, Bedford NH. Room 233
Fees: Member Fee: $40.00 Non-member $80.00 Retired Teacher $40.00 Student/ Paraprofessional. $40.00
Registration open at: http://www.cvent.com/d/jcq5wn/4W
Event summary and Description at: http://www.cvent.com/d/jcq5wn
Announcement to be e-mailed on 4/15/13
Overnight trip to Shoals Marine Lab, Appledore Island
Date: May 18-19, 2013
Cost: $280 member $300 nonmember (membership included)
Itinerary: (tentative)
Saturday, May 18, 2012:
Sunday, May 19, 2012:
9:00am-Depart SML Dock
Early morning bird watching
Settle into rooms, , welcome
Tide pool investigation
Natural History Tour of Appledore Island
Lunch
Sustainability tour of facilities
Lab time to identify organisms
10:00-11:00am-Brunch
Bird-Banding Demonstration
Free time to sightsee, journal, hike
Dinner
Gather belongings, evaluations
Dusk: star gazing
2:00pm-Depart Island, visit seal colony
Important Information:
*15 CEUs provided
*Trip is first come first serve. Sign up early. Only 30 participants allowed!
*Please check out SMLs Public Education website for trip details. There are 5
release forms that must be completed. Packing list also found on this page.
http://www.sml.cornell.edu/sml_publiced_userinfo.html
*Questions? Email Lisa Lavalley at [email protected]
Registration open at: http://www.cvent.com/d/rcq53n/4W
Event summary and Description at: http://www.cvent.com/d/rcq53n
Announcement to be e-mailed on 4/04/13
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April Newsletter, 2013
NASA Exploration Design Challenge
Students from Kindergarten through 12th grade will have the opportunity to play a unique
role in the future of human spaceflight through participation in NASA's Exploration Design
Challenge, or EDC. NASA EDC invites students around the world to think and act like scientists in order to overcome one of the major hurdles of deep space long-duration exploration -- the dangers
associated with space radiation. Students taking part in the challenge will discover how to plan and design improved radiation shielding aboard the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, currently being developed by
NASA, Lockheed Martin and other partners to carry astronauts to space, venturing farther than humans have
ever gone before.
Through a series of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, engagement activities, students in grades K-8 will analyze different materials that simulate space radiation shielding and recommend
materials that best block radiation and protect astronauts. Students in grades 9-12 will think and act like engineers as they apply what they learn to design shielding to protect a sensor on the Orion crew module from
space radiation. After a review of the design solutions submitted by teams in the grades 9-12 challenge, five
finalist teams will be selected and matched with a mentor from NASA to test their designs in a virtual simulator. The winning team will build a prototype radiation shield that will be analyzed and submitted to Lockheed
Martin for flight certification on the inaugural flight of the Orion Exploration Flight Test, or EFT-1.
The five U.S. finalist teams from the grades 9-12 challenge will be invited to attend the EFT-1 launch, currently scheduled for November 2014. The names of all students, grades K-12, participating in the NASA EDC
will fly aboard the spacecraft as honorary virtual crewmembers for Orion’s first flight. The deadline to register
students for the virtual crew is March 14, 2014. For more information and to register online, visit
http://www.nasa.gov/education/edc. For more information about Orion, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.
Email any questions about this opportunity to [email protected].
Interact with hurricane scientists and hurricane hunters! National Hurricane Center webinars for 5th grade classes in hurricane prone regions
The Hurricanes: Science and Society (HSS) team at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of
Oceanography (URIO/GSO) is excited to announce that it is again partnering with the National Hurricane
Center (NHC) to offer hurricane preparedness webinars for 5th grade students in U.S. regions that are impacted by hurricanes.
During these 1-hour webinars, students will hear from NHC scientists and forecasters, as well as NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) officers that fly into hurricanes. A presentation on region-specific hurricane
science and preparedness will be given with interactive questions prompting student responses. Classroom
questions will also be collected in advance of the webinar; as many of these questions as possible will be answered by the hurricane scientists. Many videos, visualizations, graphics, and other media will be included to
engage students. Groups will also receive a virtual tour of the National Hurricane Center.
We hope your classes will take advantage of this exciting opportunity! Webinars will be organized regionally
(U.S. Gulf Coast, Southeast Atlantic Coast, and Northeast Atlantic Coast). Dates and times are listed below.
Schools/classes wanting to participate MUST REGISTER in advance. Please visit the National Hurricane
Center: 2013 5th Grade Webinars page in the Resources section of the Hurricanes: Science and Society website for more detail and registration information. Please note, registration will close one week in advance of
each webinar. If you have any questions, please contact Holly Morin ([email protected]).
NHC 2013 5th Grade Webinar Series: Northeast Coast Webinar(s): Wednesday, May 8, and Thursday
May 9, 2013 (10am ET) *Northeast Coast states include: NJ, PA, NY, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH, & ME
Institute for Nature-Based Learning
Build Inquiry Skills for Project-Based Learning; Investigate and analyze a local environmental issue;
Work with scientists and natural resources professionals; Be part of a professional learning community
Institute Dates: August 4-9, 2013, October 25-26, 2013, Winter TBD, Spring TBD
What’s It All About
The Institute for Nature-Based Learning is a year-long professional development series for middle and high
school educators that is aimed at providing a greater understanding of ecological concepts and forest management, products and issues as related to cultural, social and economic contexts while preparing students to be
environmental volunteers in their community.
Sessions will provide the inspiration, knowledge and investigative skills required to transform classroom
teaching into effective and exciting project-based education about natural resources using public and community-based lands. You will be part of a professional learning community that will increase content knowledge
and develop skills that will allow you to integrate Common Core and the Next Generation of Science Standards into your classroom.
Teachers who participate in the program develop (or modify) their own curriculum unit to increase student literacy skills, critical and systems thinking as well as scientific practices required for field investigations. The
project-based approach integrates hands-on study of the natural and cultural resources of the local community,
address concepts in ecology, sense of place, civics, and forest l and
management and stewardship. At the heart of the program is the belief that students who are immersed in the
interdisciplinary study of their own “place” are more eager to learn and be involved in being environmental
volunteers in their communities and on public lands.
Register Now!
Although the value of this package is over $3500, the al l –inclusive registration fee for this year long series is
$400 per person. This includes eleven days of professional development, extensive curriculum material s, great
food, implementation grants
up to $200, and seven nights’ accommodations at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, home of the worldrenowned Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study. Graduate
credits are available for an additional fee. Download application: http://www.nhplt.org/programs/
a_forest_for_every_classroom_/
For more information, contact Judy Silverberg ([email protected]) or [email protected]
Presenting Partners: NH Project Learning Tree; Hubbard Brook Forest Foundation; USDA Forest Service
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Laboratory Safety—A Full-Day Workshop for Vermont and New Hampshire Middle and
High School Faculty, Administrators, and Facility Operations Managers
RIVER VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, CLAREMONT, NH
Identical Workshops on MAY 29 or MAY 30
(Choose the most convenient date!)
8:00 AM – 8:45 AM Registration & Breakfast
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Workshop
For more information and to register on-line at http://tinyurl.com/SchoolScienceSafety
Agenda
The Culture of Laboratory Safety
Why schools should be concerned?
Responsibility, accountability, and liability for laboratory safety
Exercise: What’s wrong with this picture, and how could it be fixed?
How to encourage a culture of safety within an academic laboratory
Overview of Environmental, Health and Safety Laws and Regulations
An overview of the environmental, health and safety laws applicable to school labs
Specific requirements in New Hampshire and Vermont
Chemical Hazard Evaluation
Laboratory chemicals of particular concern, including higher hazard acids, bases, oxidizers, flammables,
acute and chronic toxins, carcinogens, teratogens and reactives (nitro-organics, peroxide forming compounds, ,
water reactives, and pyrophorics)
Routes of exposure
On-line School Chemicals Database as a tool for easy determination of hazards and grade-level appropriate
chemicals for classrooms
Chemical incompatibilities
Proper Chemical Management
Proper chemical storage by compatibility
How to conduct and maintain a chemical inventory safely and efficiently
Using a chemical inventory to identify safety and health issues, needed maintenance issues, unsafe containers, and chemicals in need of disposal
Proper chemical labeling
Disposal of hazardous chemicals, hazardous waste, reducing disposal costs
Methods for reducing waste including small-scale and microscale chemistry
Exercise: Small scale double-displacement reactions
Identifying and Fixing Unsafe Situations
Eyewash and shower safety problems
Ventilation and indoor air quality problems
Unsafe storage practices
Preventing chemical theft
Food and chemicals don’t mix
Components of a spill plan and spill kit
Exercise: Responding to a spill
Getting Started on an Integrated Chemical Management and Safety Plan (Chemical Hygiene Plan)
Exercise: Responding to a spill—Overview of basic laboratory safety rules and procedures
Exercise: Inspection of a science chemical stockroom
OSHA’s Laboratory Safety Standard and key elements
Template for a Plan
Getting Assistance
Where can you turn for help?
Overview of resources being provided to each participant on flash drive
Learning Objectives
Participants will leave the training with enhanced skills and knowledge in these areas:
Identifying hazardous characteristic of chemicals in their chemical stockroom
Inspecting their lab for environmental, health, and chemical hygiene problems
Improving chemical storage and labeling practices
Understanding how to collect, process, and dispose of hazardous waste
Proper testing of eye washes, safety, showers, and fume hoods
Understanding basic laboratory safety rules and procedures and emergency response
Knowing the key components of a Chemical Management and Safety Plan (Chemical Hygiene Plan)
Workshop Presenters
Dave Waddell—Senior Environmental Investigator, Pollution Prevention Inspector, School Laboratory, and
Art Chemical Hazards Project Management for King County, Washington Hazardous Waste Management Program. Dave authored the King County Laboratory Waste Management Guide, created and maintains an online School Chemicals Database, and created and managed the award-winning “Rehab the Lab” program. Link
to BIO and CV.
Stephanie D’Agostino—Pollution Prevention Section Supervisor for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES).
Gary Gulka—Chief of the Assistance & Prevention Section in the Waste Management and Prevention Division of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.
Hazel Hunter—Safety and Health consultant with the State of Vermont’s Project WorkSAFE. Her focus is
with VOSHA Compliance and best works practices.
Teresa Ferrara—Industrial Hygienist working for WorkWISE NH. This is the New Hampshire OSHA Consultation Program run out of Keene State College.
Dwight Peavey—Senior Scientist in the Boston regional office of EPA.
Speaker biographies linked here.
Need Continuing Education Units?
In both New Hampshire and Vermont, you must provide a description of the program to you school for approval. The workshop flyer is linked here. Attendance certificates will be distributed at the conclusion of the
workshop. Pre-approval by your school is recommended. Speaker bios are linked here.
REGISTER ON-LINE AT www.uvlsrpc.org
A registration fee of $35 includes a light breakfast, lunch, materials, and thumb
drive with resources including a model Chemical Safety Plan. Registration is
limited to 45 for each workshop. Registration now open for project area
schools. Registration opens to all other schools in New Hampshire and
Vermont on May 1. (See registration web page for all registration information.)
Page 11
New Hampshire Science Teachers’ Association April Newsletter, 2013
These articles are provided by the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under
a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
Check out our great sites for kids: http://climate.nasa.gov/kids http://scijinks.jpl.nasa.gov http://spaceplace.nasa.gov
Your Daily Dose of Astonishment. By Diane K. Fisher
As a person vitally interested in astronomy, you probably have the Astronomy Picture of the Day website at
apod.nasa.gov set as favorite link. APOD has been around since practically the beginning of the web. The first
APOD appeared unannounced on June 16, 1995. It got 15 hits. The next picture appeared June 20, 1995, and
the site has not taken a day off since. Now daily traffic is more like one million hits.
Obviously, someone is responsible for picking, posting, and writing the detailed descriptions for these images.
Is it a whole team of people? No. Surprisingly, it is only two men, the same ones who started it and have been
doing it ever since.
Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell shared an office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in the early-90s,
when the term “World Wide Web” was unknown, but a software program called Mosaic could connect to and
display specially coded content on other computers. The office mates thought “we should do something with
this.”
Thus was conceived the Astronomy Picture of the Day. Now, in addition to the wildly popular English version,
over 25 mirror websites in other languages are
maintained independently by volunteers. (See
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
for links). An archive of every APOD ever
published is at
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html. Dr.
Nemiroff also maintains a discussion website
at http://asterisk.apod.com/.
But how does it get done? Do these guys even
have day jobs?
Dr. Nemiroff has since moved to Michigan
Technological University in Houghton, Michigan, where he is professor of astrophysics,
both teaching and doing research. Dr. Bonnell
is still with NASA, an astrophysicist with the
Compton Gamma Ray Observatory Science
Support Center at Goddard. APOD is only a
very small part of their responsibilities. They
do not collaborate, but rather divide up the calendar, and each picks the image, writes the description, and includes the links for the days on
his own list. The files are queued up for posting by a “robot” each day.
They use the same tools they used at the beginning: Raw HTML code written using the vi
Volume 9, Issue 6
The January 20, 2013, Astronomy Picture of the Day is one that
might fall into the “quirky” category. The object was found at the
bottom of the sea aboard a Greek ship that sank in 80 BCE. It is
an Antikythera mechanism, a mechanical computer of an accuracy thought impossible for that era. Its wheels and gears create
a portable orrery of the sky that predicts star and planet locations
as well as lunar and solar eclipses.
Page 12
text editor in Linux. This simple format has now become such a part of the brand that they would upset all the
people and websites and mobile apps that link to their feed if they were to change anything at this point.
Where do they find the images? Candidates are volunteered from large and small observatories, space telescopes (like the Hubble and Spitzer), and independent astronomers and astro-photographers. The good doctors
receive ten images for every one they publish on APOD. But, as Dr. Nemiroff emphasizes, being picked or not
picked is no reflection on the value of the image. Some of the selections are picked for their quirkiness. Some
are videos instead of images. Some have nothing to do with astronomy at all, like the astonishing August 21,
2012, video of a replicating DNA molecule.
Among the many mobile apps taking advantage of the APOD feed is Space Place Prime, a NASA magazine
that updates daily with the best of NASA. It’s available free (in iOS only at this time) at the Apple Store.
This article was provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Page 13
NewNew
Hampshire
Hampshire
Science
Science
Teachers’
Teachers’
Association
Association
March/April
February
New
Hampshire
Science
Teachers’
Association
April Newsletter, 2013
Joining NHSTA—2014, by
Steve Roberts, NHSTA President
Here is a reminder about membership dues for the New Hampshire Science Teachers Association,
(NHSTA). This is truly the best membership deal out there! Dues are presently $20.00 per year for an individual membership. Retired, pre-service, and first year New Hampshire teachers receive a complimentary one year membership. School membership prices are as follows: (1-10 teachers $200; 11-20 teachers
$250; 21 or more teachers $300). Membership dues pay for a one year membership effective from the
joining date until one year later.
NHSTA is the professional science teachers’ organization for the state of New Hampshire. The benefits of
membership in NHSTA include:
*your own copy of the quarterly NHSTA newsletter, full of science news, events, resources, activities, and
classroom ideas; *the opportunity to become involved in a leadership role by serving on an NHSTA committee or on the NHSTA Board of Directors; *access to high quality, content-rich, professional development opportunities; *a chance to be recognized through receipt of an NHSTA award such as the Bill Ewert
Award or the Howard H. Wagner Award; *affiliation with the state’s only professional organization specifically for science educators; *satisfaction of knowing that you are connected with over 700 other science educators throughout New Hampshire; *the opportunity to apply for mini-grants offered by NHSTA;
*registration forms delivered to your home for all NHSTA sponsored events; *reduced registration fees to
all NHSTA sponsored activities; *early electronic notification of science opportunities in the state.
Your dues purchase a one year membership. You can now join/renew your NHSTA membership on-line!
Go to http://www.nhsta.net/home/join You can pay with your credit card, use a purchase order, or
mail a check!
To join/renew your membership the old way, please fill in the following form and send it with a
check for the appropriate amount. A free membership is extended to retired, pre-service and first
year K-16 New Hampshire teachers. Mail the form and check to: NHSTA, PO Box 583, Littleton, NH
03561. The form below is also available on line at: http://www.nhsta.net/downloads/NHSTA_join.pdf
Name: __________________________________________________________
Please check one of the following:
_____ New NHSTA Member ($20) _____ Renewing NHSTA Member ($20)
_____ Retired teacher (complimentary) _____ Pre-service teacher (complimentary)
_______First Year Teacher (complimentary - one who has not taught before...)
_____ School Membership* (1-10 teachers $200; 11-20 teachers $250; 21 or more teachers $300)
School Name: ___________________________________________________
Home Mailing Address: Street__________________ Town _________________ Zip code __________
Home phone ________________, e-mail _____________________**
Grade(s) taught ______________
Subject taught ___________
*If this is a school membership, attach all members’ information in one envelope with check and make note of school
on all applications. **Please provide an e-mail address, we will confirm receipt of your application as well as keep
you informed of all that we do!
Send form to: NHSTA, PO Box 583, Littleton, NH 03561
Page 14
New Hampshire
Science Science
Teachers’
Association
March/April
New Hampshire
Teachers’
Association
April Newsletter, 2013
NHSTA E-Newsletter,
April 2013
The New Hampshire Science Teachers’ Association is the professional
science teaching organization for our state. Its purpose, as stated in its constitution, is to promote and improve science education in New Hampshire. NHSTA membership consists of all
people interested in science education who have paid their regular membership dues. Dues are
presently Twenty Dollars per year. NHSTA is a volunteer organization run by an elected Executive Board consisting of a president, first vice-president, second vice-president, secretary,
treasurer and at-large board member. The Board of Directors is appointed by the Executive
Board and represents New Hampshire’s geographic regions and its various educational levels
and disciplines. The Board meets monthly. For more info visit www.nhsta.net
Have a teaching idea that you’d like to share? An event? An opinion? Type it in a word processing
program and e-mail it as an attachment (or—just paste it in the e-mail) to: [email protected] with
“newsletter” in the subject area.
NHSTA 2013 Summer Science Institute for Elementary Teachers at Trinity Christian School, Concord, NH
Wednesday through Thursday, June 25-27, 2013
NHSTA 2013 Fall Conference at Church Landing, Meredith, NH.
3rd and Monday, November 4th, 2013
Sunday, November