...along with a set of teaching resources for all grade levels, can be seen at the new Understanding Science website created by the folks at the University of California Museum of Paleontology in Berkeley. Currently in beta release, the website goes into full-featured release on January 5th at the Year of Science 2009 launch event in Boston that AIBS and other organizations are involved in.

Here's some of the press release information about what's going on in Boston right now:

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The Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science will hold a Year of Science 2009 launch event in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), beginning January 3, 2009 at The Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel, Boston, MA. The SICB meeting will include plenary presentations emphasizing the benefits of an engaged public, a workshop that focuses on science communication, and several Science Cafes in the Boston community.

Ira Flatow, host of National Public Radio's Talk Of The Nation: Science Friday, and Dr. Sean Carroll, University of Wisconsin-Madison, will spotlight Year of Science 2009 with plenary presentations emphasizing the importance of public understanding of science and evolution.

John Durant, Director of the MIT Museum, Ben Wiehe, WGBH Educational Foundation, and Carl Zimmer, science writer, will share their respective expertise in science festivals, science cafes, and the benefits and impacts of blogging about science in a session to highlight communicating science in 2009.

YoS09 Launch Science Cafe and Celebration will bring together COPUS leadership, several regional hubs, and scientists for food, drink, and fun as we celebrate science together!

A special component of the meeting is the much-anticipated January 5th unveiling of the Understanding Science website and its new paradigm for portraying the process of science. Prominent and popular textbook author and Brown University professor Ken Miller will join forces with Natalie Kuldell of the MIT Department of Biological Engineering to officially launch the site at the Boston meeting. High school science teacher Dr. Kathleen Gorski in Wilbraham, MA was one of the first educators to preview the site and implement it in her classroom. She writes "... the materials have had a huge impact on my classes this year; I've been told 'that makes more sense [than what was learned earlier]' and the kids seem to understand how one does science at a much deeper level. It is still the early days of the course, but I am thrilled with their response!"

COPUS looks forward to similar activities at other professional meetings throughout the year. The strategy is simple: (1) partner with local organizations that can share their expertise and facilitate public engagement; (2) connect with the community about science, and (3) have fun.

To stay in touch with the activities and events of the Year of Science 2009 as they unfold, register your organization to become a participant in COPUS by completing the online form at www.copusproject.org. By becoming a part of this communication and collaboration network, adding Year of Science logos to your website and marketing materials during 2009, and spreading the word to others, you are helping promote these efforts.