Summer Institutes 2012

Monday, June 25 – Friday, July 13

Summer Institute: The Unwired Pier

Monday, July 30 – Thursday, August 2
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Open to all secondary science teachers; preference given to OUSD/SFUSD
Applications are due Sunday, April 15, 2012
$250 stipend upon completion

The Exploratorium is moving to Piers 15/17 on San Francisco’s Embarcadero in the spring of 2013. Our new home will provide a platform for studying the environment in that location, including the weather, the sky, and the water. In preparation for our move, the Exploratorium has been developing many new exhibits and classroom activities designed to explore the bay. The Exploratorium Teacher Institute invites you to join us for this summer’s Unwired Pier institute, during which we will explore the environment through hands-on investigations and our own data-gathering tools. This institute’s activities are designed to compliment the museum’s Wired Pier—a collection of technical instruments that will gather data about the location’s changing atmospheric and aquatic conditions. Learn to integrate web-based data and hands-on learning to help your students understand what’s happening in the bay. Institute activities can be easily incorporated into a classroom setting. This institute will include field trips to various pier locations. All secondary science teachers are encouraged to apply, but preference will be given to teachers from Oakland Unified School District and San Francisco Unified School District. You will receive a $250 stipend upon successful completion of this institute. Questions? Please contact Lexie Waite at lwaite@exploratorium.edu. Apply online by Sunday, April 15.

The Unwired Pier is funded by the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

Alumni Workshops

Summer Alumni Institutes and Saturday workshops are available to alumni of the Teacher Institute. Online applications for 2012 Summer Alumni Institutes are now available. All applications are due Sunday, April 15. And, if you haven’t signed up yet, we still have some room in our 2012 Spring Workshops. For applications for the Summer Alumni Institutes or to register for Spring Workshops, please go to the Alumni Page for more information.

Spring 2012 Workshops for Middle School and High School Science Teachers

This series is funded by the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

To sign up for a workshop, please e-mail Lexie at lwaite@exploratorium.edu

2/18/12: Delta Discovery Voyage (1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.)
Join the Teacher Institute and Marine Science Institute (www.sfbaymsi.org) on MSI’s Delta Discovery Voyage. Come explore this vital part of California’s watershed through hands-on experiences while cruising on the Marine Science Institute’s 90-foot research vessel. In addition to collecting and studying water samples, plankton, sediments, and fish, we will focus on understanding the importance of the Delta’s important freshwater ecosystem, current threats to the Delta, and California’s many water use issues. This workshop meets in Contra Costa County. Details will be sent to those who sign up.

3/17/12: Tides and Currents and Sediments, Oh My! (8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.)
The Exploratorium Teacher Institute teams up with Literacy for Environmental Justice (www.lejyouth.org) for a Saturday morning at Heron’s Head Park. We’ll explore the park’s wetlands to observe the tides, and make models of Paul Doherty’s Tide-o-Matic to help explain two of the two hundred factors affecting tidal motion. Learn how bay geology affects our tides and currents, and how tides and currents affect the transport and deposition of sediments and pollutants. Discover the toxic legacy of various parts of San Francisco Bay, including the Bayview/Hunter’sPoint area. This workshop meets at the EcoCenter in Heron’s Head Park in southeast San Francisco. Details will be sent to those that sign up.

4/21/12: What’s the Water Say about What’s Happening in the Bay? (8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.)
Join the Exploratorium Teacher Institute and our partners from the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) and Romberg Tiburon Center (RTC) for a morning exploring water quality in the bay. We’ll collect our own water quality data using specialized science equipment and learn how to supplement these data with NERR’s online data. NERR’s estuary-related curriculum resources will also be introduced. RTC is San Francisco State University’s estuarine and marine research center. We’ll get a bigger picture of what’s happening in our bay by collecting data, using hands-on activities, and using free online data and other resources! This workshop meets at the RTC research site in Tiburon. Directions will be sent to those who sign up.

Teacher Induction Program

The Teacher Induction Program consists of a two-year Beginning Teacher Program for novice science teachers, and a two-year Leadership Program that trains experienced teachers to be mentors and coaches of the new teachers.

Podcasts