Contact: Jane Platt (818) 354-0880

Educators will learn how to bring the wonders of space into
classrooms on Earth at four workshops provided by NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., as part of “Universe
2000,” the 112th annual meeting of the Astronomical Society of
the Pacific, taking place in Pasadena from July 13 to 19.

JPL-led educator workshops include:

– “Light, Waves and Interference” with Dr. Rudi Danner and
Rhonda Hines, JPL: Learn how different NASA/JPL flight
projects use the wave nature of light and radio waves for
extremely accurate measurements.

– “Scale of Stars and Planets” with Dr. Mary Urquhart, JPL and
Sheri Klug, Arizona State University: A set of hands-on
science/math lesson plans for grades 6-8 explores stars and
their relationship to planets, with a special focus on scale.
Scale models help students understand relative sizes and
distances of solar system objects.

– “Teaching Space Science with the Math and Science Standards”
with Ken Berry, JPL: This session will cover many new space
science discoveries and how to apply them to the California
State and National Math and Science Standards.

– “Saturn In Your Kitchen and Backyard” with Stephen Edberg and
Shannon McConnell, JPL: Bring the high-tech world of space
exploration into the classroom using everyday materials.
These inquiry-based activities introduce students to
astronomical concepts, planetary geology, and remote-sensing
techniques.

These workshops are part of the annual meetings “Universe in
the Classroom: A Workshop on Teaching Astronomy in Grades 3-12,”
on July 13 and 14. Designed for teachers at all levels of
expertise, librarians, curriculum specialists and youth group
leaders, this two-day program includes such topics as black
holes, constellations and how to make comets in the classroom. A
symposium called “Cosmos in the Classroom: Teaching Astronomy to
College Non-Science Majors,” July 17-19, is designed to help
teachers of introductory college astronomy put astronomy in a
wider context.

All these educator events take place at the Pasadena
Convention Center, 300 East Green Street in Pasadena, 8:30 a.m.-
5:30 p.m. For details and fees, visit
http://www.aspsky.org/meetings.html , call (415) 337-1100, fax
(415) 337-5205 or e-mail meeting@aspsky.org.