Editor's Note:
The best times for video will be the hands-on activities. Teachers will learn how to view the stars through telescopes and other interactive projects tomorrow from 10 a.m. - noon, 1:30-6 p.m., and 9-10 p.m. (star party at the softball field). Also, Wednesday morning from 9 -11 a.m.

Sixth Grade Teachers to Attend Astronomy Mini-Course at AASU through NSF PRISM Grant

Savannah, GA—July 18, 2005—Sixth grade teachers from Chatham, Bryan, Camden, and Glynn counties have been invited to participate in a two-day mini course on "Astronomy in the Middle School" at Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU). Donna Mullenax, astronomy instructor at AASU, will teach some of the basic astronomical concepts—topics ranging from solar systems to phases of the moon— from July 19-20. The teachers will become students again as they explore these topics through hands-on, highly interactive activities that they can later teach their students. The workshop will be held from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 19, and 9 a.m. -3 p.m. on July 20 in room 1407 of the Science Center. A stargazing party will be held from 9-10 p.m. on July 19 on the AASU softball field.

Sixth grade teachers in the state of Georgia will teach earth and space science for the first time in the fall. The workshop is being held to help some of the local teachers brush up on this material. This is an important step in helping schools meet the new performance standards set by the Georgia Department of Education.

The workshop is made possible through the newly formed Partnership for Reform in Science and Mathematics (PRISM), a pre-school through college approach to improving student achievement in science and mathematics in Georgia, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). PRISM partners seek to identify the best practices in the teaching and learning of science and mathematics, and disseminating these practices statewide.

"Educators in this region are excited about this opportunity to exponentially grow the "knowledge capital" of southeast Georgia," said Thomas Z. Jones, president of AASU. "We look forward to improving science education for all students and to markedly closing the achievement gap in mathematics and science between various demographic groups."

In the southeastern part of the state, AASU and Coastal Georgia Community College are partnering with Chatham, Bryan, Camden, and Glynn county school systems to implement the new program. This region will receive $5,833,926 from the NSF grant during a five-year period.

For more information about PRISM programs, contact Sabrina Hessinger, PRISM coordinator for southeastern Georgia, at 912.921.2059.