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The “Out” in “Public Outreach” at Weber State University Brad Carroll, Dept. Physics, WSU.

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Presentation on theme: "The “Out” in “Public Outreach” at Weber State University Brad Carroll, Dept. Physics, WSU."— Presentation transcript:

1 The “Out” in “Public Outreach” at Weber State University Brad Carroll, Dept. Physics, WSU

2 Four Strategies: Traditional outreach Bringing selected groups to WSU Sending faculty and majors to public schools Interdisciplinary outreach to non-majors

3 Traditional Outreach Talks for Lions, Elks, Audubon clubs Guest commentaries in local papers, magazines Presentations for local elementary and high school classes

4 Traditional Outreach Ritchey Lecture (endowed) given annually Gene Shoemaker, Steve Vogt (extrasolar planets)

5 Traditional Outreach Get out where the people are! Physics booth at the Weber County Fair Exhibit in theater for “Attack of the Clones”

6 Traditional Outreach Planetarium run by director and 5 physics students 18 astronomy classes taught in planetarium Hosts ~200 events yearly to ~8000 people (nearly half are special presentations to school groups) Budget $4500/yr, plus grant from Utah State Office of Museum Services

7 Traditional Outreach Student-run public observing sessions at WSU Free every Wednesday night Supported by Ogden Astronomical Society Most telescopes donated

8 Traditional Outreach ~20 off-site public star parties per year Numerous locations, including out-of-state and public schools Run by faculty and Ogden Astronomical Society

9 Traditional Outreach Ogden Nature Center Summer Solstice Celebration Creatures of the Night (Halloween)

10 Traditional Outreach Natural Science Museum Run by emeritus faculty Coordinates with planetarium in serving school groups Budget a few $k Grant from Utah State Office of Museum Services In Lind Lecture Hall

11 Student Activity Scholarships Full tuition waiver Participate in community and school district outreach programs Planetarium and museum each have two scholarships, physics department has one Prepare for a fight persuading your university scholarship committee to grant these!

12 Selected Groups to WSU S 4 (Science Seminars for Superior Students) Run by Center for Science and Math Education Presentations by faculty and outside specialists

13 Selected Groups to WSU Utah State Science Olympiad Run by Center for Science and Math Education Physics faculty and students are event supervisors

14 Selected Groups to WSU MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement) and STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering) programs Increase the number of underrepresented minorities and women who enter and succeed in science and engineering Tours given by faculty and physics majors Statewide, reaches over 3000 annually

15 Selected Groups to WSU Science teacher workshops (NASA, NSTA) Run by Center for Science and Math Education Taught by faculty

16 To Public Schools SPS tutoring in high schools Awarded the Blake Lilly Prize

17 To Public Schools “From Spreadsheets to Space” video distributed to local high schools Produced by physics faculty and majors

18 To Public Schools Model rocket clubs Supervised by physics faculty and students

19 To Public Schools Project Starshine Shuttle will place a mirrored satellite into orbit for observation by K-12 students Director Gil Moore (Morton Thiokol) Physics faculty supervise polishing of mirrors by public school students

20 To Public Schools “Gifted and talented” programs Activities led by physics faculty

21 To Public Schools After-school enrichment programs Presentations by faculty and students

22 Interdisciplinary Outreach Half-time physics faculty position belongs to WSU Honors Program One course per semester taught for Honors Program “Energy and the Environment” “Energy and Entropy” “Physics of the Mundane” Three Cortez professors in physics Physics faculty on Honors Faculty Advisory Council “Pizza with a Prof” talks

23 Interdisciplinary Outreach “Physics in the Plays of Tom Stoppard” Read Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Arcadia, and Hapgood Theme: How much control do we have over our lives (philosophy and physics)?

24 Interdisciplinary Outreach In preparation: “Measuring the World” Read Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon The Measure of Reality by Alfred W. Crosby Coming of Age in the Milky Way by Timothy Ferris

25 Interdisciplinary Outreach Interdisciplinary faculty collaborations A five-year series of independent study courses on astronomy with a WSU artist Painting selected by Swedish Academy of Sciences for 2003 Nobel physics poster

26 Interdisciplinary Outreach “Principles of Physical Science” for elementary education majors Team-taught with a chemist Students have close contact with both instructors

27 Interdisciplinary Outreach Physics majors as ambassadors Some SPS events open to all

28 Essential Ingredients Commitment to volunteer and service work Cohesive self-motivated group (faculty and students) Realistic goals


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