At Arizona State University, a grad course for high school science teachers:
PHS 550: PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY (3 semester hours)
(The physics in astronomy)
June 10 - 28, 2002
1:30 to 5 PM MTWThF
ASU Main campus: Physical Sciences Center, room H-563
Instructor: Prof. Per Aannestad, ASU Dept. of Physics & Astronomy
Teaching Associate: Tom Vining, Desert Mountain High School, Scottsdale
Line # 65916
Visit modeling.asu.edu for registration info & ASU application form to
apply FREE. Tuition is $126/sem hr, and a pending grant may defray costs.
Teachers will learn physics-related concepts in astronomy and will develop
lessons that they can use in their classrooms. The course will incorporate
together lectures, discussions and group activities, including use of
Internet resources and computer laboratory experiments in support of class
material. The emphasis is on basic physical concepts as applied in
astronomical research. Major concepts and applications to be studied are:
1. The concept of a "standard candle" - measuring astronomical &
cosmological distances.
2. Spectroscopy - the "fingerprints" of matter.
3. The Doppler effect - from locomotives to the expansion of the universe.
4. "Weighing" the stars - Newton's version of Kepler's 3rd law.
As further uses of these concepts, we may also study spectral class -
luminosity relationships of stars (H-R diagrams), light curves of binary
star systems, and classification of galaxies.
Teachers will have open lab time daily before regular class meetings, to
work in collaborative groups.
The course is open to high school science and mathematics teachers. It has
no prerequisites, but a working knowledge of college algebra is
recommended.
Jane Jackson, Co-Director, Modeling Instruction Program
Box 871504, Dept.of Physics & Astronomy,ASU,Tempe,AZ 85287
480-965-8438/fax:965-7331 <http://modeling.asu.edu>
The more receptive you are, the more you can receive.