2012-13 News
Congratulations to Lynne F. Zielinski
Lynne has been selected by the National Space Club as the 2013 recipient of the National Space Educator Award! - photo by the National Space Society www.nss.org Stars at Yerkes very own Lynne Zielinski was presented with the National Space Society's National Space Educator Award on March 22, 2013 at the 56th annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Since 1982, the award has been given annually to secondary school teachers who mentor students in the field of space, science, and technology. Recipients are also given a $1,500 grant and a plaque for their respective school. "Lynne Zielinski is the first two-time winner in the thirty year history of the National Space Club National Space Educator Award. After being selected in 1988 for exemplary work motivating students to do research by planning and flying experiments on the Space Shuttle, she did not rest on her laurels," said National Space Club Award Chairman Kerry Joels. "She spent the next quarter century expanding her students' opportunities to participate in space science research, encouraged dozens to pursue science and engineering degrees, and expanded community awareness of space science. Her career is an impressive and exceptional model for a space educator," he added. Click here to read the full article posted by the National Space Society. Congratulations Lynne - We are proud of you! |
Stars at Yerkes Teachers Fly on SOFIA Once More
Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (from left) Constance Gartner, Vince Washington, Ira Harden and Chelen Johnson at the educators' work station aboard the SOFIA observatry during a flight on the night of February 12-13, 2013. How excited we are for our colleagues Connie Gartner and Chelen Johnson! You can read about these amazing educators in these articles: Educator Teams Fly on NASA'S SOFIA Airborne Observatory NASA Reaches Out to Deaf, Hard of Hearing Students Breck Teacher's NASA Experience "Dream Come True" UW-Madison Alumna Set for Research Flight Aboard NASA Observatory Aboard SOFIA, NASA's Flying Observatory (closed captioned) NASA Official Press Release - Photo Credit: NASA / ASP / N. Veronico |
Yerkes in the News!
Yerkes Observatory is in the news. Last month, the Robert McCoppin from the Chicago Tribune, wrote Yerkes Observatory aims for resurrection as school for astronomy. At Yerkes, we have copies of the full page article that has additional graphs. This month, the article by Benjamin Recchie in the University of Chicago Magazine describes Yerkes’s new tricks. |
April 2013 - Register now for Zooniverse in the Classroom!
2013 April: Zooniverse in the Classroom - New Tools for Awakening the Citizen Scientist in Your School
Saturday, April 27, 2013 - Teacher Workshop Workshop will be held at Yerkes Observatory from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. In the past ten years
there has been an explosion of internet-based citizen science research in
astronomy. Hundreds of thousands of people have contributed to scientific
research through the Zooinverse projects.
Participants in Galaxy Zoo, Hubble Zoo, Merger Zoo and more have been so
active that the educators and scientists needed to develop new ways for
participants to explore beyond the focus of any one project. The result ia a whole host of new web-based
tools designed to assist citizen scientists in exploring vast quantities of
astronomical data on their own. Many of
these tools are also being linked to student lessons on the Sloan Digital Sky
Survey Database website, SkyServer. This workshop will provide educators with an overview of the Zooniverse and explore how new interactive tools are being used to allow students to discover for themselves the structure, laws and beauty of the cosmos.
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Dec 1 - Galaxy Zoo Training - Register Now!
Teacher Training from the Galaxy Zoo - December 1, 2012
If you teach astronomy
or space science and want to take advantage of some great new graphing
tools to go with your study of galaxies, this workshop is for you. This
material is appropriate for middle and high school teachers.
The Zooniverse team is looking for up to 20 teachers to participate in a
90 minute introduction and follow-up evaluation for the new Galaxy Zoo (www.galaxyzoo.org)
interactive tools. We are planning the session to be held at Yerkes
Observatory, Saturday December 1, 2012 in advance of the Observational
Astronomy Student and Teacher Convocation. If you are bringing students
to attend the convocation, they are welcome to attend the workshop with
you.For more details and registration for attendance in-person |
March 2013 Yerkes Book Discussion - Packing for Mars Registration Open Now!
Saturday, March 16, 2013 - Join us for our next Stars at Yerkes Teacher Workshop! Workshop will be held at Yerkes Observatory from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. This workshop will focus on a book selection made by teachers from Stars at Yerkes. Join us in the Yerkes library for a relaxing and fun discussion along with sessions related to the topic. We will be examining the red planet of Mars through the lens of Mary Roach's book Packing for Mars. How will humans get to Mars? What will they find when they get there? What do we know about Mars already? These and other topics will be discussed "by the fire" at Yerkes in March. We hope you will join us! Cost for workshop is $25.00 and registration is suggested. Registration includes CPDUs and lunch. Click here for event agenda and registration. Planing a Mission to MarsPossible Mission Objectives:
Mission Type
Mission Duration |
S@Y at SEEC 2013
![]() Presentation materials can be found linked below. |
February 2013 Dawn of the North - Registration Open!
Dawn of the North: Space Weather, The Sun, and Aurora - Yerkes Teacher Workshop - Saturday February 23, 2013![]() ![]() This workshop will help you to better understand the strong connection between the Sun, Earth, and the Aurora (with a little stellar evolution thrown in too). We will look at the aurora and explain how they are formed due to the processes that occur on the sun and through space weather. Hear about the new IRIS (Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph) spacecraft and get your middle or high school students involved in the NASA ‘Tracking a Solar Storm’ project. We will explore the sun, its activity at various layers safely, with al of our modern ground based and NASA space based technologies. Participants will also learn about the space weather predictors used by scientists and what websites and Apps they can go to for aurora prediction. An aurora demonstration will also be provided As an extra bonus, we will share NEWLY DEVELOPED star cards, H-R diagram, and stellar evolution classroom activity that will make you a star in your classroom. BRING your laptop, mobile device, and/or tablet! Registration includes CPDUs and lunch. Register for this workshop now! Click here for registration form. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * RESOURCES Dawn of the North
Website This is a tutorial about how the aurora are created from energy from the Sun. (grades 9-12) http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/aurora_rocket/aurora/ Educational Materials and Activities for Middle and High Students http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/aurora_rocket/education/
Geophysical Institute Aurora Forecast http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast Graphing Sunspots Activity - This activity has been archived and the orginal website gone. But you can still access it from the Wayback Machine. On this link there are several sun spot activities for all grade levels. The one you want fhat we did at Yerkes is called "Graphing Sunspots" (Grades 9-12) IRIS Challenge Home http://irischallenge.arc.nasa.gov/ IIRIS Solar Storm Teacher
Guide http://irischallenge.arc.nasa.gov/iris_guide.pdf ISS AURORA VIDEOS - This is the entire video collection of aurora videos taken from the ISS and Shuttle by astronaut crews NASA Space Weather Action Center NASA Space Weather Media Viewer NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
SOHO Space Weather http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/spaceweather Space Weather Center - Current Space Weather Conditions - One stop shopping for links to many space weather predictor website. http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/forecast/welcome.html Space Weather Sun Song - Video - YouTube Classic - for younger students Nasa version - contains more detailed information The Magnetic Sun - Tutorial describing: What is Magnetic Fied - Magnetic Field Lines - Magnetic Field on Sun - Magnetic Loops on Sun's Corona - Sun's Changing Magnetic Field What Causes Aurora (YouTube) - Excellent Explaination from Sun to Earth Television in the Sky An Aurora and Cathode Ray Tube Analogy for how aurora are created. (grades 9-12) http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/aurora_rocket/education/crt/index.htm Water on Sun - Stanford news release http://solar-center.stanford.edu/news/sunwater.html Within Two Worlds (video) - Excellent mixed still and video images, including aurora Planetary Aurora Resources Earth Aurora (Video) Astronomy Picture of the Day http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101124.html Earth Aurora with Constellations Labeled (Astronomy Picture of the Day) http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120725.html Bad Astronomy - Pink Aurora as described in link above.... nice explanation http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/06/18/aurora-in-the-pink/#.USUUQ1esv5y Jupiter Aurora - Hubble Video clips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFsoXjFoKf4 Mars Aurora (no video) http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=martian-aurora-is-one-of Saturn Aurora Related to Earth - Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AmyfuJDMlY Saturn Aurora Explaination with new video clip http://phys.org/news204540485.html Uranus Aurora (no video) - Hubble image http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/04/hubble-uranus-auroras/ Uranus Aurora (no video) - Newer Hubble image http://www.universetoday.com/94565/hubble-reveals-curious-auroras-on-uranus/ Venus Aurora (no video) - Space.com http://www.space.com/15171-venus-auroras-magnetic-field.html Mobile device with any of the following free apps: Ideum: NASA Space Weather Media Viewer (Sun Viewer) NASA: NASA Space Weather (NASA SWx) NASA Heliophysics Division: 3D Sun ASTRA: Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) SELab Inc: SWx Monitor (SWx) Astra: Space Weather (SWA) Tinac Inc: Aurora Forecast (Aurora Fcst) iTunes only: Concentric Sky: Astronomy Picture of the
Day (APOD) Utah State University USTAR: Space Weather Note: There were a few files from the workshop that are just too big to be downloaded onto this page. If you would like any of those files, please contact Lynne Zielinski at lzielinski at comcast.net |
"Extreme Gravity" Family Night Program Monday, Feb. 4
Yerkes
Observatory offers monthly Family Night Programs for students in grades
3-8, with a parent. Join others on Monday February 4 from 6 to 8 p.m.
for "Extreme Gravity in Black Holes." Learn more about this amazing
force which keeps us glued to Earth,
keeps the Moon in orbit around the Earth, and, keeps planets in orbit
around the Sun. Find out what happens when two much gravity create Black
Holes! Two Yerkes Observatory astronomers, Rich Kron and Bob Loewenstein, will be on hand for a brief lecture and to help participants experiment with pendulums and falling tennis balls while learning to calculate density and investigate many aspects of this mysterious force. To pre-register, and, for further information on this and other Yerkes events, go to http://astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes/ or contact Brittnay Struble: brittnay at yerkes dot uchicago dot edu |
January 2013 Train Like an Astronaut - Register Now!
Train Like an Astronaut and Ham RadioSaturday, January 19, 20139:00 am - 4:30 pm Yerkes Observatory Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly in space and train like an astronaut? Join us for an active Stars at Yerkes session where we explore the challenges and benefits of human spaceflight in weightlessness. This workshop is designed for all grade levels, and will examine life support systems, human physiology, and analogs your students can compare as they "train like an astronaut." Information also will be shared about how you and your students can connect with the International Space Station with Ham Radio with the ARISS program. Cost for the workshop is $25.00 and registration is suggested. Registration includes CPDUs and lunch. Click here for event agenda and registration. |