Some
Interesting Educational Sites
SCIENCE
BRIEFS
Kyoto prizes for youth
Local
high school students interested in science, technology or arts and philosophy
are invited to enter a new awards program sponsored by the Inamori Foundation,
administrator of the prestigious Kyoto Prize. Winners of the first-ever Kyoto
Youth Scholar Discovery Awards program – three high school juniors or seniors
from the San Diego area and three from the Tijuana region – will receive up to
$10,000 to help fund their higher education.
Students
are encouraged to check first with their school counselor to determine whether
their school is participating in the program. Initial judging will be at individual
high schools. Each campus can submit up to three essays for final judging.
For more information, see www.kyotoprize.org.
Reaching the Masses
The Astronomical
Society of the Pacific, working with NASA and the Astronomical League, has developed
new free materials aimed to help bolster hundreds of amateur astronomy clubs'
continued public education and outreach. The materials cover a variety of astronomical
subjects, with an emphasis on finding planets around other stars. Kits include
sky maps, a training video on DVD, a manual of suggested activities, and a Microsoft
PowerPoint presentation (with video clips) highlighting NASA missions that will
search for extrasolar planets.
Interested
clubs can receive the materials by joining the Night Sky Network. Besides the
kits, the network provides training, special opportunities for working with NASA
scientists and educators, and access to a dedicated Web site for communicating
with other participants. If your club is interested in joining the Night Sky Network,
or learning more about the program, visit http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov.
The Optics Institute of Southern California is a relatively new organization founded
in Orange County for the purpose of stimulating optics education in the Southern
California area. OISC's core mission is to use optics as a vehicle to promote
science & technology education to bring more enthusiastic students into science
and engineering.
OISC's purpose is to clarify the role of optics in the lives of teachers and students
and create the potential for students to pursue and include optics as part of
their college studies and then career choices. Please take a look at their website
http://www.oisc.net.
Science
Fair Help Links
http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com
This
site has over 500 fully searchable and well categorized science fair project ideas,
with full instructions and explanations. Currently, over 150,000 students across
the USA and Canada are using this free educational resource to search for science
fair project ideas. This site is listed by the California Science Fair website
as a useful resource. See http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/Resources/GettingStarted.html
Professional
Help Available
for Students doing Science Fair Projects
The
Project Advisor Committee of the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair
(GSDSEF) has developed a list of professionals who have volunteered to be available
throughout the year for counseling students regarding their science fair projects.
All areas of Science and Engineering are included.
These
advisors are available to students who need help with their developed projects,
be it latest information, technical help concerning equipment, availability of
equipment, books or suggestions for expanding previous work. They are NOT available
to students simply looking for project ideas.
If
you wish to be put in contact with an expert in your field of endeavor, contact:
Mr. Chris
Poulos
(619) 223-3952
poulosc@pacbell.net
Wise
Guide
http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/index-flash.html
Refreshed with new stories monthly, similar to a magazine,
this site from
the Library of Congress is designed to
introduce readers to the library's
extensive online materials.
ETOPonline.org
http://www.etoponline.org
Web
site supporting the biennial conference managed by OSA in 2003 titled
Education
and Training in Optics and Photonics.
OpticsEducation.org
http://www.opticseducation.org
Online
version of the Optics Education Directory – the first directory specializing in
helping students identify the educational institutions around the world offering
optics degree programs.
OSA's
Optics for Kids
http://www.opticsforkids.org/
The
first comprehensive online resource offering students, parents and teachers
a one-stop site for optics education information.
RefDesk:
Ask the Experts
http://www.refdesk.com/expert.html
Wouldn't
it be wonderful if your class could submit questions to a real astronomer while
studying the solar system? Or how about an entomologist to answer your insect
queries? This site contains the Web addresses of 50 experts who are willing to
answer questions.
The
Discovery Science Fair
http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/index.html
Optics
for Teens
http://www.opticsforteens.org/
Astronomy
for Kids
http://www.dustbunny.com/afk
Earth
and Sky: Skywatching
http://www.earthsky.com/Features/Skywatching
Sky
and Telescope: Astronomy Basics
http://skyandtelescope.com/howto/basics
Greater
San Diego Science and Engineering Fair
http://www.gsdsef.org
San
Diego Science Alliance
http://www.sdsa.org
General
Atomics Educational Outreach
http://www.sci-ed-ga.org
San
Diego Chapter Sigma Xi
http://www.sciences.sdsu.edu/sigmaxi/SigmaXiSD.html
Sky
and Telescope Magazine
http://www.skyandtelescope.com
National
Optical Astronomy Observatory
http://www.noao.edu
University
of Arizona, Optical Science Center
http://www.optics.arizona.edu/K-12_Outreach/default.htm
University
of Arizona, Optical Science Center Links for Kids
http://www.optics.arizona.edu/Recommended_Links/Optics_For_Kids.htm
Exploratorium
http://www.exploratorium.edu
This
online museum "is the best all-around science museum site.
It is replete
with science subjects, exhibit explanations, interactive elements
and links
on many subjects."
Science
NetWatch
http://www.sciencemag.org/netwatch
FUN
SITES
INTERESTING
ILLUSIONS
http://members.aol.com/Ryanbut/optical.html
How Things Work
http://www.howthingswork.com
Digital
Camera Web Sites
Digital
Camera Resourses
http://www.shortcourses.com
http://www.digitalcameras.activebuyersguide.com
Digital
Photography Review
http://www.dpreview.com
"The
best and most current source of consistently high-quality
and well-presented
technical reviews of digital cameras, software
and other products for the
'prosumer' digital photo enthusiasts.
http://www.imaging-resource.com
http://www.megapixel.net
http://www.pcphotoreview.com
http://www.steves-digicam.com
http://www.dcresource.com
