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I Was Wondering... website
A new website sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences, www.iwaswondering.com, showcases the accomplishments of contemporary women in science and to highlight for young people the varied and intriguing careers of some of today's most prominent scientists. The site draws from and accompanies the publication of a ten-volume series of biographies entitled Women's Adventures in Science, co-published by the Joseph Henry Press and Scholastic Library Publishing. Each of the women profiled in the series participated in her book's creation by sharing important details about her life, providing personal photographs to help illustrate the story, making family, friends, and colleagues available for interviews, and explaining her scientific specialty in ways that will inform and engage young readers. The scientists also participated directly in the creation of the website.(from Triangle Coalition Electronic Bulletin)
Teen Science Lectures at Town Hall Seattle
(from Wier Harman, Town Hall Seattle)These events, designed for grades 7-10 and each featuring a 30 minute presentation followed by open Q+A, are offered free of charge; as seating is limited, your only obligation is to RSVP to me with a projected attendance for your group by three weeks prior. Two lectures are currently scheduled:Tuesday May 15, 4-5pm Natalie Angier speaking on "The Canon"Natalie Angier, Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of the bestselling 'Woman', comes to Town Hall on a book tour in support of her forthcoming THE CANON: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science. The book is a witty, passionate primer on the fundamentals of science, and her talk will draw on conversations with hundreds of the world's top scientists, as well as her own experience as an award-winning science reporter for The New York Times. Advance copies of the book may be available for curricular integration.Tuesday May 29, 4-5pm Lisa Shimizu on "An Inconvenient Truth"To help teens understand the science of climate change, Lisa Shimizu, of KEXP 90.3 FM and trained by Al Gore through The Climate Project, presents a 40-minute slide show especially designed for students 12-15 based on material from the Academy Award-winning film, An Inconvenient Truth. Students attending will receive, free, a copy of The Low Carbon Diet, a how-to guide showing easy ways for families to reduce their carbon footprint. Again, both programs are free, but RSVPs are requested, and we will ask participating teachers to collect a projected number of attendees so we can plan accordingly. Town Hall is located at 8th and Seneca, with handy parking adjacent or in convention center lots. And please feel free to contact me, via e-mail or telephone, with any questions you may have. Thanks very much! Wier Harman Executive Director, Town Hall Seattlewier@townhallseattle.org206.652.4255x0
2007 Brower Youth Awards
2007 Brower Youth AwardsDeadline: May 15, 2007A program of the Earth Island Institute, the annual Brower Youth
Award recognizes six young people (ages 13-22) for their outstanding
activism and achievements in the fields of environmental and social
justice advocacy. Each of six recipients will be awarded a $3000
cash prize, a trip to California for the award ceremony and camping
trip, and ongoing access to resources and opportunities to further
their work at Earth Island.
http://www.broweryouthawards.org/article.php?list=type&type=12
Listening to the Birds: What Seabirds are Telling Us about Puget Sound
Title: Listening To The Birds: What Seabirds Are Telling Us About Puget Sound
Date (time): April 5, 2007 (7:00 to 9:00 pm)
Location: REI Flagship Store, 222 Yale Ave. N., Seattle
Cost: $6 People For Puget Sound members/ $8 non-members.
Description: Puget Sound continues to attract more and more people and, as a consequence, wildlife, including marine life, has suffered. Fisheries, loss of forage fish, coastal development, pollution, disturbance, introduced species, and climate change have all been implicated by government agencies, academic scientists, and environmental groups in the decline of fish, marine mammals, and seabird populations. In this talk, Dr. Julia Parrish will examine Washington seabird population patterns. She will discuss the factors affecting some of our most abundant seabird species including those breeding in our waters, and those wintering in the Sound.
About the presenter: Julia Parrish is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington, the Associate Director of the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, and the Executive Director of the COASST citizen science program. Julia's research has focused on the patterns of seabird populations along the West Coast, from Oregon to Alaska, and the factors - both natural and human-associated - that influence seabird survival and reproduction.
In addition to a long-term study of the Common Murres of Tatoosh Island, Julia has been involved in work to reduce seabird bycatch in coastal fisheries, including the gillnet fisheries of greater Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia.
In 1998, Julia founded Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) - a citizen science program that teaches local coastal residents to find and identify beached birds as a way to monitor nearshore environmental health. With over 400 participants from Arcata, California to the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea, COASST is the largest beached bird program in the world.
Information or reservations, contact: KrisTina Hertz, 206-382-7007, khertz@pugetsound.org.
Event information is at http://www.pugetsound.org/index/siteevent-details-action/id.208Information about the "Keeping Our Sound Alive" series may be found at http://www.pugetsound.org/index/speakers_2006-07
International Polar Year is Here
International Polar Year began on March 1st. Check out the IPY website for information on the research, education, art, and other activities coming together for a year of investigation, education, and appreciation of polar science.
Check out the link for Educators, where you can launch a virtual balloon to mark your school on the IPY map, and access a variety of lesson plans about snow, ice, and polar science.
http://www.ipy.org/
New Natural History Blog from Burke Museum
The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture has started a natural
history blog. Recent blogs have included bird "attacks", science news,
dinosaur finds, and insider stories from the museum.
http://burkemuseum.blogspot.com/
Online Course for Environmental Education Program Evaluation
Environmental Education Online Courses offered in Summer and Fall 2007Applied Environmental Education Program Evaluation and Fundamentals of Environmental Education
The online course will be offered this summer and fall through the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The 12-week course will be offered in the summer semester from June 10 - August 24, 2007. The course will also be offered in the fall semester from September 10 - December 7, 2007.
The course is designed to assist environmental educators and natural resource professionals in evaluating their education programs. Participants have the opportunity to develop and apply skills in designing evaluation tools such as surveys, observation forms, and interview and focus group guides. This course was developed as a cooperative effort between the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP) at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) National Conservation Training Center. Participants may obtain three undergraduate or graduate credits from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The course is also offered as a non-credit workshop for those who are not seeking college credit.
If you are interested in enrolling in the course for the summer or fall please contact Angela Lemar (Angela.Lemar@uwsp.edu at the UWSP Extension Office for a registration form.
Scholarships are available to community and state level EE leaders who are interested in taking the course.
To learn more or request a scholarship application, please visit the course web site: http://www.uwsp.edu/natres/rwilke/eetap/ or contact Angela Lemar (Angela.Lemar@uwsp.edu) for a registration form.
To learn more about EETAP visit the EETAP website at http:// www.eetap.org/Fundamentals of Environmental Education
Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival
 Make plans to attend the 9th Annual...
HAZEL WOLF ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL ~ in Seattle ~ Presented by Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Network in partnership with the University of Washington. When: March 29 - April 1, 2007
Where: March 29: Woodland Park Zoo Rotary Education Center and March 30 - April 1: Kane Hall, University of Washington
What: The Northwest's premier environmental film festival, featuring 50 films and shorts in 14 sessions plus panel discussions and workshops. Topics include climate change, environmental justice, renewable energy, peak oil, mining, wildlife, rivers, activists, community, and more.
Tickets and more info: Full festival pass (Fri - Sun): $60 / $40 (students with ID / seniors 60+)Individual session tickets: $10 / $7
Donations Needed for Susanna Stodden Resting Bench
 Help Fund a Memorial Bench for Susanna Stodden
Last July, local environmental educator Susanna Stodden and her mother, Mary Cooper, were murdered while on a day hike in the North Cascades. Susanna was a teacher at Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center and a mentor for the programs' Taylor Creek watershed education internship program.
Please help Pacific Science Center raise the last few hundred dollars they need to create a resting bench along Taylor Creek that will serve as a memorial to Susanna. See below for more information.
From Apryl Brinkley, Program Supervisor at Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center:
I am pleased to tell all of you that we have confirmed a place to honor Susanna Stodden at Taylor Creek. Last summer, many gave donations, in lieu of flowers, to the Taylor Creek internship in Susanna's name. And knowing Susanna's commitment to educating everyone about the natural world, her obvious passion for stewardship and her indelible handprint on the landscape of Taylor Creek – it was obvious that those funds should go to having something tangible at Taylor Creek to honor her. But a few more monetary donations are needed to make this a reality.
Working with Susanna's immediate family, Darrell Dobson of Friends of Deadhorse Canyon
and the Seattle Parks Foundation we have been able to locate a spot along the trail at Deadhorse Canyon to install a permanent bench that will celebrate Susanna and her commitment to the environment. The attached photo marks the view from the bench. The location is at the top of a steady climbing trail right before you can cross the first bridge. The timeframe for the instillation is for Susanna's birthday, around the beginning of July.
Hence, the idea that it is a resting spot. A place to sit and rest and absorb the sounds of Taylor Creek as it tumbles by. As we all looked at this potential spot (Susanna's family, Darrell and I) – out of nowhere – a humming bird came and perched itself upon a nearby tree branch. No other words were needed – this was the spot.
I share this news to remind people that Susanna's is still in our thoughts at the Slough and at
Taylor Creek and that this is your opportunity, if you would like, to help make this bench tribute to Susanna a reality. With the funds donated to the Taylor Creek and with Susanna's family fundraising over the holidays, we find ourselves a few hundred dollars short of our needed amount.
If you feel moved to contribute, you can do so anomously. All donations need to be given by the end of March. Any donations given need to be marked “Susanna Stodden bench memorial." Please send it to the c/o Gary Streicher, Pacific Science Center, 200 Second Avenue N, Seattle, WA 98109.
Also, any funds collected over the amount needed will be used towards a tree planting planned to honor Susanna after the opening of the new facility at the Mercer Slough in 2008.
Help Test a Middle School Heath/Science Curriculum and Get Paid!
Youth Take HeartEarn $300 plus two continuing education credits, using a curriculum that combines inquiry science and health awareness!Youth Take Heart is a kit-based program for middle school science teachers that covers circulatory system anatomy and physiology, healthy lifestyle choices, and bioengineering. It has been created in a partnership between teachers and scientists. On July 17-20, 2007, there is a 4-day training at John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence, where teachers learn the curriculum to use in their classrooms, earn credits and a stipend. For more information and an application, email Teresa Demel at demelt@u.washington.edu. Youth Take Heart is funded by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) grant from NIH. It is supported by three institutions: University of Washington Engineered Biomaterials, The Hope Heart Institute and MESA (Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement).
Eagle Eye Outdoor Game for Kids
Eagle Eye Activity for KidsThe NatureSkills Journal features a fun, nature game called Eagle Eye. I used to play a variation of this game with the kids at Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center. As Spring arrives and the underbrush starts growing and provides ample cover, now is a great time to play Eagle Eye with the kids (or kids at heart) in your life.http://www.natureskills.com/eagle_eye.html
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