EDUCATION/PUBLIC OUTREACH EVENTS

We invite all those involved with education and public outreach to submit an abstract for a poster or oral presentation for the 43rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.  Please consider presenting your programs, partnerships, successes, and lessons learned.  This year we are encouraging presentations that highlight scientist engagement in E/PO activities by both scientists and E/PO professionals that highlight best practices, overcoming barriers, opportunities available for scientists, and successful partnerships.

The abstract deadline is January 10, 2012; to submit, follow the Abstract Submission Instructions.

Planetary Undergraduate Faculty Workshop at LPSC —
Sunday, March 18, 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The third annual Planetary Science Undergraduate Teaching Workshop — Planetary Science Education Resources and Assets — will be held in conjunction with LPSC on March 18, from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center.  The focus of the workshop is to highlight some of the most compelling assets for the undergraduate classroom, as well as to give participants an opportunity to share new resources being used in the classroom.

We invite you to attend the workshop! Bring a classroom asset to present!

Please RVSP to Emily CoBabe-Ammann at ecobabe@spaceeducation.org

Undergraduate Planetary Science Research Conference —
Sunday, March 18, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Town Hall Exhibit Center

As part of the NASA SMD Year of the Solar System (YSS), an Undergraduate Planetary Science Research Conference is being hosted in conjunction with LPSC.

The Undergraduate Planetary Science Research Conference includes:

• Panels on “How to Choose the Grad School Right for You,” “Alternative Careers in Science,” and “Women in Planetary Science”
• Poster sessions where students will present their posters to other student and to the scientific community
• “Meeting Mentors,” which will pair students with a scientist for part of the LPSC meeting, so students can learn how to engage at a scientific conference
• Opportunities to meet other undergraduate researchers, graduate students, and scientists

Undergraduate students currently conducting research in planetary sciences, astrobiology, and lunar sciences are eligible. To apply, please visit https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meeting_portal/iofi/index.cfm?mtg=yssurc2012. Applications are due by close of business February 10, 2012. Student participants, and all participants receiving travel support, are expected to submit an abstract by February 10, 2012, and present a poster at the conference. Go to the Abstract Submission Page to submit your abstract.

Note: This form is part of the USRA Meeting Portal, which requires users to set up a personal profile to access the form (setting up a profile is quick and easy, requiring only about two or three minutes).

Some travel support will be available to students who qualify. Priority will be given to students of diverse backgrounds. To receive support, students must attend the entire YSS Undergraduate Research Conference and present a poster. Students are encouraged to attend LPSC and any travel support can be applied to registration for and participation in LPSC.

For additional information, please contact Dr. Emily CoBabe-Ammann at ecobabe@spaceeducation.org.

Knowing What Your Audience Really Thinks: Common Misconceptions in Students’ and the Public’s Understanding of Planetary Science
Sunday, March 18, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Click here to register

If you are involved in any level of education in planetary science, this may be one of the most important workshops you will attend.

Children construct their understanding of their world through observation and personal experimentation. Because early experience is necessarily limited, early conceptions are often erroneous. These erroneous preconceptions, often called “misconceptions,” are often never challenged by experience and can be persistent. People cling to these misconceptions through high school, into college, and into adulthood.

Some of these misconceptions about planetary science can be especially persistent. Ideas that the phases of the Moon are caused by the shadow of the Earth cast on the Moon, that all objects produce their own light so we can see them, and that gravity ends above Earth's atmosphere are common even in the adult population. Often the language used by experts (e.g., “zero gravity”) reinforces misconceptions. Teaching strategies that ignore misconceptions and rely on “telling” are usually ineffective in changing ideas.

This workshop will provide the research done on misconceptions in planetary science; revealing what those misconceptions are, how to probe for misconceptions, and how to challenge misconceptions effectively to promote changes in understanding that is long lasting. RSVP interest to Don Boonstra at DonBoonstra@cox.net.