Site search
sponsored by
Home
News
Einstein's special theory of relativity sounds like heady talk for a barbecue, but that's just a taste of what's on tap this summer from the new Aspen Science Center.
The organization replaces the Science Outreach Center, which had most recently operated out of Carbondale. It is gearing up for a series of summer sessions for middle- and high-school students.
And, by science, its founders don't mean chasing butterflies and identifying wildflowers.
"These are very serious programs, very serious people and very serious subjects," said George Stranahan, founder of the Aspen Center for Physics and one of the minds behind the Aspen Science Center.
The program is also the brainchild of Andrei Ruckenstein, president of the Aspen Center for Physics, and Kevin Ward, a former Harvard teaching fellow who will serve as the center's executive director.
The Aspen Community School campus in Woody Creek has been pegged to host the science camps, Stranahan said.
The goal, according to Ward, is to bring together master teachers from around the country to collaborate with local science teachers and create "one-of-a-kind science learning experiences."
A Stanford University professor, for example, will teach Earth Systems I and II. High-schoolers will explore tectonics, stratigraphy and hydrological cycles, then discuss the interrelatedness of resource issues, and public policy. Finally, they'll present a report on their conclusions, according to the course description.
"We're aiming high," Stranahan said.
In DNA, Genomics and Bioinformatics, for grades 10-12, participants will "isolate their own DNA using saline mouth wash, amplify a portion of their genome using PCR, and compare polymorphisms," whatever that means.
The center is also planning a Physics is for Kids barbecue/lecture series on the lawn of the Aspen Center for Physics. Burgers will be followed by a lecture by a noted physicist and geared for kids, ages 8 to 18. That's where Stranahan's talk on the theory of relativity will come in.
"Where else can you talk to Nobel laureates over potato salad?" said Ward in a news release.
Tuition for the four science camps is $300. Course descriptions and other information can be found at aspensciencecenter.com and registration is accepted online, or call 922-0234.
Aspen High School college counselor Kathy Klug is urging students to sign up, according to a center news release.
"When an Ivy League interviewer asks what you did over the summer, it sure sounds better to say, 'I studied stratigraphy with the dean of Stanford Earth Systems' than 'I did a lot of cool biking with my friends,' " she said in the news release.
Aspen Science Center is debuting its offerings with the summer science camps, but it won't end there, according to Stranahan.
The center is developing an online Web network for journalists and will eventually host both media workshops and teacher training, he said.
"The media actually denies it, but scientists say journalists don't understand science at all and report very badly on it," he said.
Janet Urquhart's e-mail address is janet@aspentimes.com
The organization replaces the Science Outreach Center, which had most recently operated out of Carbondale. It is gearing up for a series of summer sessions for middle- and high-school students.
And, by science, its founders don't mean chasing butterflies and identifying wildflowers.
"These are very serious programs, very serious people and very serious subjects," said George Stranahan, founder of the Aspen Center for Physics and one of the minds behind the Aspen Science Center.
The program is also the brainchild of Andrei Ruckenstein, president of the Aspen Center for Physics, and Kevin Ward, a former Harvard teaching fellow who will serve as the center's executive director.
The Aspen Community School campus in Woody Creek has been pegged to host the science camps, Stranahan said.
The goal, according to Ward, is to bring together master teachers from around the country to collaborate with local science teachers and create "one-of-a-kind science learning experiences."
A Stanford University professor, for example, will teach Earth Systems I and II. High-schoolers will explore tectonics, stratigraphy and hydrological cycles, then discuss the interrelatedness of resource issues, and public policy. Finally, they'll present a report on their conclusions, according to the course description.
"We're aiming high," Stranahan said.
In DNA, Genomics and Bioinformatics, for grades 10-12, participants will "isolate their own DNA using saline mouth wash, amplify a portion of their genome using PCR, and compare polymorphisms," whatever that means.
The center is also planning a Physics is for Kids barbecue/lecture series on the lawn of the Aspen Center for Physics. Burgers will be followed by a lecture by a noted physicist and geared for kids, ages 8 to 18. That's where Stranahan's talk on the theory of relativity will come in.
"Where else can you talk to Nobel laureates over potato salad?" said Ward in a news release.
Tuition for the four science camps is $300. Course descriptions and other information can be found at aspensciencecenter.com and registration is accepted online, or call 922-0234.
Aspen High School college counselor Kathy Klug is urging students to sign up, according to a center news release.
"When an Ivy League interviewer asks what you did over the summer, it sure sounds better to say, 'I studied stratigraphy with the dean of Stanford Earth Systems' than 'I did a lot of cool biking with my friends,' " she said in the news release.
Aspen Science Center is debuting its offerings with the summer science camps, but it won't end there, according to Stranahan.
The center is developing an online Web network for journalists and will eventually host both media workshops and teacher training, he said.
"The media actually denies it, but scientists say journalists don't understand science at all and report very badly on it," he said.
Janet Urquhart's e-mail address is janet@aspentimes.com
