Return to Archive Index

Newton Network Special Newsletter – January 2007
[General Edition: Includes Regional Information for Northern Nevada Educators]
Newton Network News: Welcome to the new year!  Many of us are getting ready to hit the school grounds running pretty soon, so hopefully everyone has had a chance to recharge the batteries.  We were not planning on a January newsletter, however, we have some late-breaking news related to Space Day, and one of the deadlines is February 1.  So, here is a special newsletter to bring you up to date.

In This Issue:
        A T³ Conference – last chance to get involved
       NASA Space Activities – cool activities and challenges for students
       Wow! That’s Engineering! – an outreach event for Northern Nevada students
        Spark Their Interest (Literally) – check out the Nevada Terawatt Facility
        Gotta Question? – Newton Network can work two ways
A T³ Conference – Last call for this conference, which happens the last weekend of January.  Any late comers interested in signing up for this go to http://www.snvmath.org/conference/ for further information and to register.

NASA Space Activities – There are two NASA items to report on this month.  The first is Space Day 2007 which is scheduled for May 4.  For this activity, there is an opportunity to get your Grade 4-8 students involved in the Design Challenges, but they have to be submitted by February 1.  There are other opportunities for students, such as getting their signatures sent into space.  Check them out at http://www.spaceday.org/index.html.  In addition to Space Day, you can still provide your students with interesting math and writing challenges at http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/...  Their focus is on math at the high school level, but they pose several different kinds of problems, and support a variety of educational goals.  Check them out.

Wow! That’s Engineering! – Natalie Little and Seena Drapala from northern Nevada’s professional Society of Women Engineers (SWE) are developing an outreach experience for middle and high school students (male and female) in northern Nevada based on the national SWE activity (www.developdesigndiscover.org).  This is a great way to interest your students in engineering-related activities (which include math and science of course) and great careers.  The target date is set for April 22, so you will be hearing more about that from us as it comes along.  However, for the near term, they need some assistance with planning, and nobody knows the students better than their teachers.  If you can spare a little time to provide them some input, contact Natalie (nlittle@fs.fed.us) or Seena (seena1.drapala@ge.com).

 
Spark Their Interest (Literally) – In the Physics department at UNR, The Nevada Terawatt Facility (NTF) is a research facility that has a 2 Terrawatt (that’s big) z-pinch and a short-pulse laser, as well as a cluster computer.  They use the z-pinch and the laser to do research in plasma physics, and couple the results to simulations on the computer. Some applications of our research are: understanding fusion energy, astrophysics, and cancer treatment.  Natalie Le Galloudec (775-771-4522) can organize tours of the facility for your students, and can also send a speaker to your class to talk about the kind of exciting science they do.  Check them out at www.ntf.unr.edu.

Gotta Question?  As we continue to grow our database and contacts, we want everyone to know that you can ask a question at any time.  We will find the answer, or we will find someone who has it.  What do you use to teach basic chemical reactions if you don’t have a lab?  How do you manage critters in your classroom?  How can you teach quantum physics with jump ropes?  No question goes unanswered.  Try out the system.

Want more information about the Newton Network?
Check us out at www.unr.edu/newton, or contact Michael Leverington at michael@edtech-teched.com. 

Return to Archive Index