Earth and Space Science - 2011 Course
Monday to Friday, July 18 – 22, 2011 at MIT, Cambridge MA
Sponsored by the STEM Education Institute at UMass Amherst and funded by the National Science Foundation
3 UMass Amherst graduate credits available at reduced cost; free PDPs
Earth and Space Science will develop an understanding of planetary accretion and evolution and the place of the Earth in the solar system, and explore methods of inquiry-based teaching.
- Making a planet: From elements to dust to planetesimals
- The history of life so far: Paleontology, climate, other planets, and the future
- Comparative planetology using maps
- Why there are volcanoes
- What is the lifetime of a planet?
Along the way we will cover pertinent topics in mathematics, including:
- Units and converting units
- Radioactive element half-lives
- Why do random events occur in clusters?
- Scientific notation and significant figures
Participants will develop curriculum units that will be presented to the class on the final day, uploaded to the course website, and piloted during the school year. This material will be available for other teachers to use (with the writer's permission) via a course website.
In the spring of 2011 course participants are expected to attend a one-day conference to present the results of implementing their units and to discuss and share further materials.
Three graduate credits are available for the class and curriculum unit; the cost will be $300 plus a $45 registration fee: PDP's will be available at no cost.
Application process
The 2011 course is full and applications are no longer being accepted. Thank you for your interest.
For more information, contact Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton, MIT (617-253-1902)