The Newsletter for Science
in Motion at Susquehanna University
Volume V Issue 1 September 2005
Director's Column
The Science in Motion program was
awarded state funding for the 2005-2006 fiscal year at the same level as last
year! We are excited to offer our services to area schools for another year.
This summer has been very busy at Science in Motion. We have put a great deal
of effort into revising old labs, adding new labs, purchasing new equipment,
and brainstorming for ways to better serve area schools. One of the many changes
we have made includes a guideline for registration forms. The guidelines
are listed below. I hope everyone will follow the guidelines to ensure
their needs are met to the best of our abilities. As an incentive for following
these guidelines, every teacher who submits a correct and complete registration
form will be entered into a drawing for a Palm handheld. Drawings will be
held once a month and winners will be announced in this newsletter.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new part-time
mobile educator, Greg Stout. Greg is in charge of water quality visits
for the Chesapeake Bay Commission (CBC) funded collaboration between SU SIM
and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC). You may also see Greg for
some equipment drops. We are very pleased Greg has joined the SU SIM team!
Another change in SU SIM staff is that Erica Merriett recently accepted a
position teaching Chemistry at Danville High School. We are very sad to see
Erica go, but we wish her well in her new position. To replace Erica, I am
advertising for a new Chemistry/Physics Mobile Educator. The ad is listed
under Job Opportunities on the Science in Motion Web site at http://www.susqu.edu/sim
and the SU HR Web site at http://www.susqu.edu/human_resources
and will also appear in regional newspapers. Please pass this information
on to any certified teachers who are looking for a full time position with
SU benefits!
Use the Web site to find
lots of information
· Lists of Labs available organized by subject
· List of equipment available for SIM labs or loans
· Mobile Educator available dates
There are many ways to
obtain a Reservation Form
· Complete the form online at www.susqu.edu/SIM/reservation.htm.
· Print the form from the Web site and fax or mail it to SIM.
· Ask us to send you a copy via e-mail.
Why we need specific information:
· We need at least 45 minutes to set up a lab; we need to know what
time we can get started.
· We need to know exactly what equipment to bring, especially if it
is a loan.
· We need to know how many periods and how many students so we bring
along enough supplies.
· We need to know how many students are in each grade level for our
data we send to the state.
KEEP IN MIND…
· Until we have a properly completed form, your date is not set in
stone. If you do not want to lose your date, get the form in quickly!
· The earlier, the better. Schedules fill up fast, if you have something
specific in mind; get your reservation in as soon as possible.
· If a mobile educator is not available on a date you would like, keep
in mind that you can use the equipment as a loan as well!
Greg Stout, Mobile Educator Says…
I am very excited to join the Science in Motion team as a Mobile Educator. I have lived in the Central Pennsylvania area since 1969 and am a graduate of Shikellamy High School. My employment history consists of 28 years experience in the food industry with expertise in Microbiology and Chemistry. I am currently pursuing teaching certification. I attended the Water Quality workshop in June and spent my first few weeks at SIM becoming acquainted with SIM colleagues/procedures and ordering/organizing water quality equipment. In August, SRBC personnel and I met with the four teachers involved in our water quality program and selected stream sites we will begin monitoring in September. I look forward to working with the teachers involved with the CBC water quality visits, as well as others I meet when I assist with equipment drops.
 |
| Greg, along with SIM and SRBC staff, participating in the Summer Workshop held June 20 and 21, 2005. |
Erica Merriett, Chemistry Mobile Educator Says…
I have had a great year working at Science in Motion, and I will miss being with SIM very much. I am looking forward to teaching Physical Science and Chemistry at Danville High School this year. Hopefully I will still run into some of you throughout the year at Science in Motion events. I plan to be around! I am also looking forward to being on the other end of the SIM program and getting to use equipment in my own classroom! Thanks to everyone for making the past year a fun and exciting one. Best of luck to everyone in the new school year.
Madge Schworer, Biology Mobile Educator Says…
This summer the SIM team spent many hours working on ways to make our service more efficient for you as well as for the mobile educators. Inventories of available equipment, supplies, and chemicals were completed, new equipment was ordered (see below), and procedures for operating were thought through. One visible result of this work is our on-line reservation form. This may be the easiest way for you to make a reservation for services, especially when school year visits really get going and educators are on the road. You can find this online form on our Web site under “Services”. The mobile educator will receive the form and can get back to you to confirm or modify your request. We have included in this newsletter some new reservation guidelines to help us serve you better than ever. Please remember that we must have your completed form to confirm your visit request. Schedules fill up fast. Many of the new guidelines came from a desire to be fair to everyone! Watch the Web site for information on Mobile Educator available dates to help you in planning a request.
Vernier has developed a new line of Human Physiology sensors to work with the laptop computers as well as a new Human Physiology lab book. The sensors we ordered have arrived but we are still awaiting the new lab book. The book is due for release in September. If this is of particular interest to you, email me and I will forward information as soon as it arrives.
The beginning of the year is a hectic time but I do encourage you to look at your lab calendar and make your Science in Motion requests early. Many visits have already been scheduled. If you have a visit scheduled, remember that you must still complete a reservation form with the details that I need to make your visit a success! I look forward to a busy and very productive year with Science in Motion and the great teachers of our region.
New Equipment – June 2005
Vernier Sensors
6 Barometers (8 total)
8 Blood pressure sensors
2 extra small BP cuff
2 Carbon Dioxide Gas Sensors ( 12 total)
3 Colorimeters (16 total)
2 Dissolved oxygen probes (10 total)
1 EKG sensor (10 total)
8 Hand Dynamometers
8 Hand Held Heart Rate Monitors
8 Salinity probes
10 Stainless Steel Temperature probes (30 total)
8 Microphones
8 Circuit Boards
16 Current Probes
8 Differential Voltage Probes
8 Reduction Potential Probes
Biology
2 Fisher BioTech Power Supplies (electrophoresis) (6 total)
1 Mini-Protean Cell
(Vertical Gel electrophesis box) (9 total)
2 Mini centrifuges (9 total)
8 Mini-magnetic stirrers
2 Mastercycler Thermal cyclers (3 total)
10 UV lamps (18 total)
Chemistry
4 Thunderdome Swap Top Mods (IR accessory)
8 Radioactive Source Kits
1 UV-Visible Spectrophotometer (3 total)
Physics
8 Angle Finders (Dial Inclinometers)
16 Tuning Forks 8A, 8C
2 Sony Digital DVD Handicam (3 total)
Computers
16 Dell Latitude laptop computers
NEW! SIM Teacher Information Sheet
Attached to this newsletter is a new form created by Science in Motion to help teachers fill out SIM reservation forms more quickly and efficiently. Teachers will fill out their schedule for the entire year including the times of the class periods, the title of the course, and the number of students in each grade level for each period. A copy will be forwarded to Science in Motion and the teacher will retain a copy for their records to refer to when filling out their reservation forms. We ask that every teacher take advantage of this useful tool. If you have any questions about the form, please contact Science in Motion at 372-4779 or email us at sciencemotion@susqu.edu.
Save a Tree
If
you wish to receive this newsletter in electronic format, please send us your
e-mail address at sciencemotion@susqu.edu
or phone us at 570-372-4779.
Courtney
Thomas
Director, Science in Motion
570-372-4778
thomasc@susqu.edu
