AAPT’s 2008 Summer Meeting in Canada is fast approaching.

As you already know, the annual meetings present a unique opportunity to
take part in a variety of events that are based on physics education and
the principles that AAPT represents.

We hope that you will join us in Edmonton for five days of educational
workshops, sessions, plenary speakers, posters, a large exhibit hall and
networking with over 1,000 of your colleagues.

Register today (www.aapt.org/Events/SM2008/index.cfm) to ensure your place
at the physics event of the summer.

When you do, you will find a fresh and more effective registration page
designed for your convenience. Your request will be processed immediately
guaranteeing your conference registration as well as your current workshop
and event selection.

If you have any concerns about completing your registration online you can
always download the registration form on our website. We are looking
forward to seeing you in Edmonton, Alberta from July 19-23 for an eventful
meeting.

P.S. Please do not forget that a passport is required. Safe travels!

The Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy Expands Opportunties for Teachers to Attend the 2009 Program

The Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy recently announced a new way for elementary school teachers to get a chance to attend the 2009 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy and improve their math and science teaching skills.

Students can nominate teachers from Grades 3, 4, and 5 or urge them to apply for an all-expense paid trip to the Academy’s math and science professional development program by logging on to www.sendmyteacher.com, an interactive website.

Developed in conjunction with the National Science Teachers Association and Math Solutions, the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy enables teachers to hone their science and math teaching skills, enhance their curricula, and discover innovative new ways to inspire students.

The teachers will spend five days next July at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ, deepening their understanding of mathematics and science content, building expertise in facilitating student learning through problem solving and inquiry, and using links between math and science that support student learning and understanding in the classroom.

Teacher applications are due by October 31, 2008. The National Science Teachers Association and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics will convene a panel of math and science experts to evaluate the entries and announce the selections in February 2009.

The 2008 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy will host more than 600 teachers in Houston, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Jersey City, New Jersey. To date, nearly 1000 teachers have attended the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy.

To nominate a teacher or to learn more about the program, visit www.sendmyteacher.com.

Navigating Change and
Aloha ÿÄina
A Workshop for Educators
in Celebration of the International Year of the Reef
What: A workshop for Grades 4, 5, and 7 educators
Where: Moku o Loÿe (Coconut Island) Hawaiÿi Institute of Marine Biology
When: June 12, 2008
Workshops will provide teachers:
• Updated standards-based educational materials that focus on the marine environment and
integrate Hawaiian culture with science, math, and language arts (Grades 4-5 Navigating
Change and Grade 7 Aloha ÿÄina)
• A teacher’s guide with lesson plans, student activity sheets, rubrics, CDs, a DVD, and other
resources
• Hands-on sessions to try the activities with other educators
• A preview of field sites on Moku o Loÿe
• Lunch
Registration Deadline: May 30, 2008 ————————————————-
For more information, contact the Pacific American Foundation at (808) 263-0081 or email
Maura O’Connor at mauraoc@hawaii.rr.com. Space is limited, so register early.
Name __________________________________________________Home Phone _________________
Address ______________________________________________________________________________
E-mail ________________________________________________________________________________
School _____________________________________________________________Grade Level _____
The $20 registration fee includes a complete teacher’s guide, training and lunch. To register,
complete this form or download an application at www.thepaf.org and mail it with the
registration fee to: The Pacific American Foundation • 629 Kailua Road, Room 207 • Kailua, HI
96734. A confirmation letter with workshop details will be sent to all registered participants.
Workshop Partners
Hawaiÿi Institute of Marine Biology
Aloha ÿÄina – Pacific American Foundation
Navigating Change Educational Partnership: Bishop Museum and Co-trustees of Papahänaumokuäkea
Marine National Monument: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
NOAA Marine Debris Program
Hawaiÿi Department of Education – Hawaiian Studies & Language Program Services and Environmental
Education and Service Learning
Mahalo nui loa to our funding agencies: Tesoro Hawaiÿi and the Atherton Family Foundation

RET/V-P: A Research Experience for Teachers in Volcano-Petrology

Professional development for high school teachers in Hawaii

Summary

Teachers from Hawaii high schools are invited to apply for a professional development opportunity featuring participation in frontier research alongside graduate students, undergraduates, and a UH-Manoa faculty investigator for one week this summer. Exposure to research life will immerse participants in an ongoing research project and provide opportunities to develop technical, research, and communications skills. Science content to be covered includes general volcanology, formation and geological evolution of the Hawaiian island chain, and a focus on the current eruption of Kilauea Volcano. Teachers will work together to develop incorporating inquiry-based learning into teaching plans.

The RET/V-P program is funded through 2009 by a grant from the National Science Foundation. It is expected that three teachers will participate in 2008.

Dates: Flexible, to consist of 3 days on the UH Manoa campus (Department of Geology and Geophysics) and 2 days on the island of Hawaii within the period June 9– July 23, 2008.

Stipend: $500 + all travel expenses to the Big Island (airfare, ground transport, lodging, meals).

Inquiries may be directed to Julia Hammer, jhammer@soest.hawaii.edu.

For more information please see the RET-V/P website at http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/retvp/

Aloha; please invite your family, students and friends to these free, open
to the public events.

5th annual Hawaii Botball Robotics Regional Tournament: May 10, 2008

The 5th annual Hawaii Botball regional tournament (www.botball.org), now
the 2nd largest regional in the United States, will be held on May 10,
2008, Saturday, Hawaii Convention Center, Exhibition hall III, from 9:00
a.m.-5:00 p.m. Thirty eight teams from 35 middle and high schools will be
competing in a space themed game to protect astronauts and crops from a
solar flare. New to Botball in 2008 is the use of the iCreate robot,
which is similar to the Roomba robot vacuum cleaner; using its on board
sensors, the students will be using the iCreate as a platform on which
they will construct devices to score the maximum points.

The sponsors of the Hawaii Botball program are the College of Engineering,
the Hawaii Space Grant Consortium, the Hawaiian Electric Company,
Projection Presentation Technology, and the Hawaii Convention Center. The
event is free and open to the public.

The teams entered in 2008 are: Academy of the Pacific, Chiefess
Kamakahelei Middle School, Earl’s Garage, Hanalani Schools (2 teams),
Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Highlands Intermediate School, Hilo High
School, Hilo Intermediate School, Honokaa High School, Iao School,
Innovations Charter School, Iolani School, Island School, Kahuku High and
Intermediate School, Kapaa Middle School, Kealakehe High School, King
Kekaulike High School, Maui Waena/Maui High School, Mid Pacific Institute,
Moanalua High School (3 teams), Moanalua Middle School, Olomana School,
Stevenson Middle School, Roosevelt High School, King Intermediate School,
Farrington High School, Kalakaua Middle School, Wahiawa Middle School,
Waiakea High School, Waiakea Intermediate School, Waimea Canyon Middle
School, Waimea Middle School, Waipahu Intermediate School, Waipahu High
School and Washington Middle School. For further information, email
art@higp.hawaii.edu and go to www.botball.org.

Celebrate Engineering and Science at Kahala Mall, May 17, 2008, Kahala Mall

As part of a post Engineering Week, the Hawaii Council of Engineering
Societies is sponsoring a day of celebration of engineering and science at
Kahala Mall (stage) on May 17, 2008, Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30
p.m. On the hour, the Future Flight Hawaii
(http://www.higp.hawaii.edu/futureflight/) Weird Science Team of Dale
Olive, Waiakea High School Robotics Advisor, and Roger Kwok, Leeward
Community College, will provide humorous and exciting science
demonstrations; on the half hour, the award winning Waialua High School
Robotics Team under the leadership of teacher, Glenn Lee, will be
demonstrating their robots that participate in the FIRST robotics
tournament. The Waialua Robotics Team
(http://www.waialuarobotics.org/main.htm) won the Chairman’s Award, the
most prestigious award at the first FIRST Hawaii regional tournament, and
is competing in the International FIRST Competition in the Atlanta Georgia
dome with 300 other teams. Both Waialua High School and Waiakea High
School have evidence that robotics has changed students lives with several
having gone on to undergraduate study in engineering, and already some
back in Hawaii working as engineers. Families and friends are invited to
join us to celebrate engineers and engineering in Hawaii.

Art Kimura
Future Flight Hawaii
Hawaii Space Grant Consortium
http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/
phone (808) 934-7261

http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/tc/2008/30HI_STR2008.h27.pdf