Tag - Hands-on Science Institute

President Obama… Please Let Me Help You Make Science Cool

President Barack Obama held a town hall meeting at Facebook headquarters on Wednesday… and his comment about making science cool caught my attention.

“I’m frustrated by stories about how we can’t find enough engineers and computer programmers. That means our education system is not working. That’s why we are emphasizing math and science,” Obama said, noting efforts to “make science cool” for minorities and women.

Here’s my open letter to President Obama…

Mr. President, the comment you made at yesterday’s town hall meeting about “making science cool” kept me awake last night because I realized that I actually have something to offer you in the way of a solution to achieve your goal. I was reminded of Don Herbert (the original Mr. Wizard) who made science come alive for millions of kids during the 1950s and 60s. That was exactly what our country needed during the time that followed Sputnik – inspirational people like Don Herbert who made science fun for kids.

Today, we’re faced with a different set of problems that require creative solutions targeted not at the
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Mosaic 2008 – Teachers Share Their Favorite Hands-on Science Experiences

We just wrapped up our first ever MOSAIC science workshop for teachers… and we had a blast. Here’s the idea behind MOSAIC – amazing teachers from diverse backgrounds coming together to share best practices and to learn how to the tools in their classrooms to create unforgettable learning experiences. All of this year’s participants received a special invitation from our workshop team because they had previously attended our week-long Hands-on Science Institute from Regis University or, more recently, they attended a three-day workshop called Science in the Rockies. I as said, this was the first time we ever offered a small-scale, very one-on-one training of this caliber. Judging from response… I think we’ll do it again in 2010.

UPDATE – MOSAIC 2010 is scheduled for June 23-25, 2010. If you previous attended Science in the Rockies, you’re eligible to register for MOSAIC. Learn more about the hands-on science training for teachers at MOSAIC 2010

Here are just a few memories from the MOSAIC 2008 workshop experience…

Science Boot Camp – New York Finale

The final stop in New York on the Science Boot Camp tour was a great way to wrap up our twelve city tour. I always enjoy working with east coast teachers (there’s an edginess to their sense of humor) and this group of highly motivated teachers was no exception. And not all of the workshop participants were from New York. I was honored to have teachers from all over the east coast, in addition to a number of non-teachers.

One non-teacher participant introduced herself as a Chinese art dealer from New York who found out about the workshop through our website and wants to be a “science mom” at her child’s school. I’m seeing more and more of this type of hands-on parental involvement on this year’s tour than ever before. Maybe it’s a sign of great parents or maybe it’s an indication that parents are worried that we are allowing science to become an extra-curricular
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