Professor Lynn Cominsky and Dr. Laura Whitlock have founded the Sonoma Center for Innovative Education in Science to serve as an umbrella organization for their NASA Education and Public Outreach grants and the North Bay Science Project site. The total funding for SCIES projects over the next five years exceeds $5 million. There are currently five ongoing science education projects at SCIES: Space Mysteries, GLAST, Swift, and work in support of NASA’s Structure and Evolution of the Universe Education Forum (all funded by NASA), and the state-funded North Bay Science Project. SCIES personnel now include Research Manager Dr. Phil Plait, Scientific Illustrator Aurore Simonnet, NBSP Site Director Sharon Janulaw, and students Tim Graves, Sarah Silva, Michelle Curtis, Mark Fertig and Julia Maisen.

North Bay Science Project (NBSP). The NBSP is part of the California Science Project, an effort by the state to facilitate educators in teaching science topics. NBSP sponsors hands-on workshops to help teachers get a “feel” for the science they teach, knowing that experience is the best teacher of all. The Project has been enhanced enormously through the aid of Master Teacher and site director Sharon Janulaw, winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in teaching science and math, who teaches at the local Hahn Elementary School. The website (http://perry.sonoma.edu/nbsp/) has more information, including a schedule of upcoming workshops, the second summer institute for science teachers, and a bulletin board forum page in which teachers can ask questions and give each other support.

Space Mysteries. We are developing a series of interactive web-based games to take advantage of students’ natural curiosity to build critical thinking and analytical skills. The games are mysteries involving astronomical topics, and the students must determine whodunit (or whatdunit) using real NASA data and tools similar to what real scientists use. The first game, “Alien Bandstand,” is now online as a beta-test version at http://perry.sonoma.edu/learners/mystery3/htmlout. Two more will follow in the coming months. Space Mysteries are funded by a grant from LEARNERS, a NASA project to enhance science learning through the Internet.

GLAST. The Gamma Ray Large-Area Space Telescope, scheduled for launch in March 2006, is an ambitious NASA satellite built to detect gamma rays from space. Gamma rays are produced in only the most violent or energetic events in the Universe, and are a key to understanding how the Universe behaves. The GLAST EPO project at SSU has many components, including the development of teaching material, two new Space Mysteries modules, a network of telescopes to aid professional astronomers in observing gamma ray bursts (extraordinarily bright flashes of gamma rays whose source is still unknown), a traveling museum exhibit and even a PBS television show. The GLAST website has a lot more information at http://www-glast.sonoma.edu.

Swift. The Swift satellite, scheduled for launch in fall 2003, is named after the speedy bird because it can catch gamma ray bursts within seconds after an event. Swift carries on board an x-ray telescope as well as a more conventional optical and ultraviolet telescope to broaden our understanding of these violent events. Swift EPO at SSU includes a new Space Mysteries module, workshops for teachers to aid in science teaching, and “What’s In the News,” a multimedia children’s current events program which reaches five million children in 32 states and Iceland. The Swift website is at http://swift.sonoma.edu.

SCIES sponsors a monthly chat session featuring an expert from the Swift or GLAST team. These chats give students of all ages a chance to talk to real scientists involved with cutting-edge technology and NASA space-based astronomy. The last chat of the 2000-2001 season will be in June 2001. Chats will resume in September 2001 with a new season of experts. For more information, see the website at http://perry.sonoma.edu/quest.htm.

SEU Forum activities. We have begun a series of activities to support the Education Forum for NASA’s Structure and Evolution of the Universe theme area. Our first project was the design, printing and production of folders of flyers which showcase the various satellite missions within SEU. Almost 4000 of these folders were distributed at national educators conferences. Our next big project will be to define a multi-media “kit” of educational materials that can be distributed at these conferences next year.

We are always eager to find physics students willing to participate in developing educational materials for SCIES. We are particularly interested in students with web-based programming skills. Please contact us if you want a challenging and fun project!