We are looking for science teachers who are willing to be interviewed for inclusion in a book for parents about the science of how alcohol affects teens’ bodies. Teachers will be asked for advice on how parents can explain and engage teens in science. If you are also, or have been, a parent of a middle school student, that would be a plus.

The book, tentatively titled Delaying that First Drink, will be published this fall by AAAS. I am doing the research and writing it. The book will accompany a series of lesson plans for middle school students on the science of how alcohol. The science portion is centered around body systems and how they are interrelated and affected by alcohol, as well as new brain research showing that kids’ brains are affected differently than adults’ by drinking.

You can check us out on Facebook, and become a fan if you’re interested.http://www.facebook.com/pages/Science-Inside-Alcohol/33451484521. Please email or call me - Aimee Stern, aimee@sterncommdc.com or 202-744-5004 if you can help us with the book.

This post contributed by:

Stern Communications
9903 Forest Grove Drive
Silver Spring, MD 20902
202-744-5004
aimee@sterncommdc.com
sterncommdc.blogspot.com

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This blog posting was contributed by our Ohio Regional Hub leader. I thought others might enjoy reading it!

Dear COPUS Hub Colleagues:

This morning during the call I was asked about the role of our Public TV/Radio stations. We work in Cleveland with ideastream (a partnership of Cleveland’s WVIZ-TV PBS and WCPN-Radio NPR), although our outreach work is statewide. They serve as our non-profit fiscal agent. Aside from being the largest PBS/NPR outlet in Ohio, they also operate the Ohio Channel in Columbus, which covers state level government. Through their work, we are part of a network of all the PBS/NPR outlets in Ohio. For an indirect fee on our income, they provide us with office space, phones, computers, financial services, etc. We, in turn, look for opportunities to involve them in science & math outreach. Below is just one example of an activity done jointly between WVIZ TV, Great Lakes Science Center, SMART Consortium (one of OMSC’s teacher quality member organizations), and a panel of National Board Certified middle school science teachers. We received production funding from eTech Ohio - part of the state’s teacher quality initiatives for digital learning. Now, very little of this is new from a content perspective, but our design concept was to give teachers background knowledge, pedagogy, and additional resources so that a more inquiry-based approach could be taken to the study of the concepts in the videos. The first 20 episodes are here We are in the process of doing 8 more related to thermodynamics, convection, conduction, more air pressure, etc. to get at interactions of the hydrosphere and atmosphere.

http://www.wviz.org/psi/

The other current project is the production of the twenty-two 45-second STEM Ed viral media public awareness spots I mentioned this morning. Those start to roll out in April. They will show students and families some intriguing topics from science, engineering, mathematics, and technology that we hope will inspire students to seek careers in these areas. Resources for parents - including career preparation and college scholarship/apprenticeship opportunities will also be made available through a Web site dedicated specifically to this project. This is just in DRAFT, but we will probably be using something like this for outreach and conversation:
www.conduitohio.ning.com

Also look at our “Ideas” special news report from April 2008 http://www.wviz.org/index.php/WVIZ/ideas/ on Ohio’s schools and the crisis in STEM education. The relationship with media is complex, but workable. If it is objective and informs the community, then we can sometimes arrange to get news coverage. Such efforts are held to strict practices of news reporting. We can also purchase air time or underwriting and make more subjective advocacy announcements on a fee-based arrangement.

Feel free to write or call to discuss any of this in more depth.

George Viebranz, Executive Director

Ohio Mathematics and Science Coalition

www.OhioMSC.org

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New thirty minute video reflects on Why Is Science Important, watch it here:

Why is Science Important? from Alom Shaha on Vimeo.

You can share your thoughts on why science matters, submit your thoughts and ideas to the Why is Science Important Web site.

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I am really intrigued by this international contest where scientists are recognized for their ability to communicate science. One of the winners of the contest likened it to the science version of “Idol.” Check out the video below to see one of the contestants talk about brain function:

The project Web site:
http://famelab.org/

Is Prime Time TV ready for Science Idol?

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Nice to see this thought provoking editorial in Science Magazine. I have pasted the abstract and link here:

Scientist Citizens
Christopher Reddy

President Obama’s inauguration speech delighted scientists when he stated, “We will restore science to its rightful place.” But he went on: “What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility…. This is the price and the promise of citizenship.” For scientists, one often-overlooked responsibility is explaining their work to people. This is not an unreasonable price for receiving public funds to do research. And it promises to combat ignorance, guide sound policymaking, and garner more support for science, while simultaneously inspiring and recruiting new young scientists. Now more than ever, issues such as climate change, obesity, stem cell research, green technology, and evolution are migrating from scientific journals to the nonscience community, from school halls to the halls of Congress. It’s critical that scientists venture beyond their laboratories to put these issues into the correct contexts and help the public understand what is known, unknown, and under debate.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/323/5920/1405

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Children’s science books exploring sibling relationships in the animal world, global climate change, and neuroscience earned top honors in the 2009 AAAS/Subaru Science Books & Film (SB&F) competition, sponsored by Subaru of America, Inc.

The first 40 COPUS Members who email AAAS’ Heather Malcomson, senior project associate, will receive free copies of the books. Heather’s email is hmalcoms@aaas.org. Please indicate which book you would like a copy of, as well as your name, organization, address and phone number.

Here are the award winners!

Children’s Science Picture Books

Sisters & Brothers: Sibling Relationships in the Animal World
Author: Steve Jenkins
Illustrator: Robin Page
Houghton Mifflin

Why are nine-banded armadillos always born as identical quadruplets? What motivates hyena cubs to fight to the death, while falcons play hunting games in the air? Jenkins and Page created the ultimate book for animal lovers.

Middle Grades Science Book

How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientist and Kids Explore Global Warming
Authors: Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch Dawn

To explain how scientists know that the Earth’s climate is changing, authors Cherry and Braasch take young readers behind the science headlines to examine evidence from the natural world. The underlying message is that children can help make a positive difference.

Hands-on Science/Activity Book

True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet
Author: Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin
National Geographic Society

This activity book encourages families to take part in fun eco-adventures in the home and outdoors. Bright color illustrations and engaging text promote environmental awareness and conservation efforts.

Young Adult Science Books

Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys But Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life
Author: Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang
Bloomsbury

Authors Aamodt and Wang take readers on an investigation of how the human brain processes sensory and cognitive information, regulates emotional life, and forms memories. They also explore how human brains differ from those of other mammals, and reveal the mechanisms of dreaming.

Post submitted by:
Stern Communications
9903 Forest Grove Drive
Silver Spring, MD 20902
202-744-5004
aimee@sterncommdc.com
http://sterncommdc.blogspot.com/

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I received a couple of great updates from our Las Cruces hub leader:

I just submitted our starting program on our NPR station - KRWG FM to the Year of Science web pages under Programs..

In January we are lucky to have four 15-minute interviews focusing on the Interpretation of Science (Science Education). Next month we are hoping to have another four interviews on Evolution.

I am not sure of the schedule of exactly when the interviews are on, but I think they may be on in the morning. The first (and all following will be also archived) is available on the web at http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/krwg/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1453478&sectionID=6467

Our four interviewees for January are:

Christin Slaughter (Biology) - Christin is Outreach Co-odinator for the Biology Department and is currently working with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant to NMSU.

Carol Sutherland (Extension Plant Sciences). Carol talks to thousands of students, Master Gardeners and others on entomology every year.

Susan W. Brown (Director, Stem Outreach, Institute for Excellence in Math and Science Education).

Diane Walker (Doctoral Student, Science Education, College of Education).

I am amazed that we have been able to get this much done! The major credit should go to Fred Martino, who is the Assistant Executive Director of University Broadcasting, and who was totally supportive of this effort.

And in another email, he shared info about how they collaborate with the State Fair:

The story on the Southern New Mexico State Fair (we in New Mexico have several regional State Fairs plus the main State Fair in Albuquerque) is that we have a new fair director, Wilma Arroyos, and she thought we at NMSU should have a display at the 2008 fair. Unfortunately she brought this up about a month before the fair so we had no luck getting other departments in, but good old EPPWS is always ready for outreach and along with a lot of work by Carol Sutherland of Cooperative Extension we filled one half of a Cold War Era Quonset hut (about 120’ long, so we got the first 60’). It was as usual (we have done fairs before, including the one in Albuquerque) a great hit and I mentioned to Wilma that the Year of science was coming up and would she be interested. She said that they were thinking of renovating two more Quonset Huts and what if she gave those to us and made The Year of Science a theme of the 2009 Fair? I of course jumped on that and then panicked - what if I don’t get enough participation! Well I’m still not sure about that, but we seem to have interested the Asombro Institute for Science Education and the Las Cruces Museum of Natural History, plus the Las Cruces Astronomical Society. So I guess it is a go. The Fair is September 30-October 4, 2009.

Thanks Dave! For further info about the Las Cruces Year of Science activities, contact:

David B. Richman
nmbugman@taipan.nmsu.edu

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Six-year-old Izy launched an official YoS Flat Stanley today at her school in Sarasota, FL. Hers is one of a few specially chosen Stanley's, who are taking scientific sojourns through the YoS themes, their adventures highlighted on the YoS Web site. Although her Stanley partook in the festivities at the Year of Science launch in Boston, as well as the Year of Science launch in San Francisco ... this send away held very special meaning for her. It was here that she had the honor of sharing with her friends how Flat Stanley was going on a journey of her dreams -- to visit scientists that study moose. Stay tuned to follow Stanley's adventures.

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Two of our favorite people, Carl Zimmer (guest blogger for January in the Year of Science) and Chris Mooney (one of the intellectual founders of COPUS), are on this week’s Bloggingheads.tv Science Saturday broadcast talking about what to expect in the coming year in science. Another blogger described it as a like a Sunday morning talk show but with smart people.

You can listen to it online or download to your mp3 player.

This post was contributed by: M. Lee Allison, PhD, PG
State Geologist & Director
Arizona Geological Survey
www.azgs.az.gov

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