|
In The News
WWF Competition Rewards Environmentally Friendly Inventions
The World Wildlife Fund awarded the top prize in its Smart Gear competition to a former high school biology teacher who created a tuna fishing line that uses hooks only once the line reaches 100 yards below the surface -- below the areas sea turtles and birds frequent.
Steve Beverly, now the fisheries development officer for the Secretariat of the Pacific Community in New Caledonia, took the top prize and $25,000 for his creation.
Beverly found that fisheries' logbook data and studies indicated sea turtles swim and become hooked in shallower waters than tuna. In testing by three vessels in Pacific waters, 42 percent more bigeye tuna were caught using Beverly's new gear. That's because any bycatch -- such as turtles and birds -- is minimized.
The WWF hopes industry will adopt Beverly's design. Duke University researchers estimate more than 200,000 loggerhead turtles and 50,000 leatherback turtles are accidentally caught by commercial longline fisheries annually.
In addition to the grand prize, one $5,000 Smart Gear award went to a team that combined glowing ropes and stiffer nets to minimize the entanglement of whales, while another $5,000 award went to Indian scientists for their invention to reduce the bycatch of juvenile shrimp and fish in shrimp trawls.
Upcoming Events and Conferences
Make sure to visit the PASCO booth at the following events and conferences:
- May 23-25 -- Teaching and Learning Consortium (TLC), Upper Montclair, NJ
- May 31-Jun 3 -- Mansfield ISD Curriculum Conference, Mansfield, TX
- June 9 -- Texoma Regional Math/Science Conference, Wichita Falls, TX
- June 12-15 -- American Society for Engineering Education, Portland, OR
- June 21-24 -- Technology in Education, Copper Mountain, CO
- June 27-30 -- National Educational Computing Conference, Philadelphia, PA
Back to top
Finding the Funds
Dow K-12 Education Grants
Dow Chemical Co. supports school districts/school boards and efforts in and around communities in which Dow is located with cash or product donations, research grants, in-kind services or volunteered times. Dow prioritizes its areas for K-12 education funding to: math and science, teacher training and parental involvement. Dow further categorizes the qualified K-12 programs to: national, state and local programs that benefit Dow communities; programs that promote systemic education reform in math and science; and school districts and school boards, rather than individual schools.
Intel Foundation Grants
Intel Corp. offers a wide range of support for many technology- and science-related initiatives. On a national level, Intel funds programs that advance math, science or technology education, promote science careers among women and underrepresented minorities or increase public understanding of technology and its impact. National grants are made either to national projects or to local projects that serve as pilots for national programs.
Back to top
This Month in Science History
May 19, 1910
The Earth passed through the tail of Halley's Comet, the most intimate contact between the Earth and any comet in recorded history. The event was anticipated with dire predictions. Because astronomers had found the poisonous gas cyanogen in a comet a few years earlier, it was surmised that if Earth passed through the comet's tail everyone would die. Astronomers explained that the gas molecules within the tail were so tenuous that absolutely no ill effects would be noticed. Nevertheless, ignorance bred opportunists selling "comet pills" to the panicked portion of the public to counter the effects of the cyanogen gas. The Earth passed through the comet without incident.
Back to top
PASCO FEATURED PRODUCT:
My World GIS 3.0 |
|
 The newest version of My World GIS, the Geographic Information System (GIS) designed for students, is now available. My World GIS 3.0 includes several new and improved features, including the ability to import aerial photos and topographic maps as layers. Students can now use aerial photographs or topographic maps as background layers for maps and import image layers in JPEG or TIFF formats using ArcView-compatible world files or geoTIFF files.
Students can also create "hot links" from map locations to videos, photos or any file type, or link graphics, videos or any other documents to features on maps using an easy-to-use interface for creating hot links. Students can also collect position data with a GPS unit and import it into My World GIS 3.0 using a new wizard. Or, they can capture environmental data manually or with probeware and import it to display their own data on topographic maps, aerial photos or any appropriate projection. See Details.
Back to top
Middle School Experiments
To help you use your PASCO equipment more effectively, we offer free, online probeware lab activities in your science subject. Experiments include:
- Purpose
- Background information
- Equipment list and setup instructions
- Instructions for data collection and analysis
- Pre-configured DataStudio files
See our collection of Online Middle School Experiments.
Back to top
Tell Us Your Story -- Receive $100 PASCO Credit!
We love to hear stories about teachers using probeware in the classroom. Let us share your story with others. If we feature your story in this newsletter or elsewhere on our website or literature, you'll receive $100 store credit and a free T-shirt. Tell us your story.
Back to top
Professional Development for Science Teachers
Seating is limited and spaces are filling fast. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn with PASCO’s professional development team-register today!
Summer Institutes
 |
Locations |
Dates |
|
| PASCO Corporate Training Facility - Roseville, CA (Roseville Institutes include an optional 5th day of training at no extra charge) |
#1 - June 20 - 23/24 #2 - July 11 - 14/15 #3 - August 8 - 11/12 |
 |
| Penn State University - University Park, PA |
Cancelled |
| University of Texas at Dallas - Dallas, TX |
July 19 - 22 |
| Orlando Science Center - Orlando, FL |
July 26 - 29 |
| Mercersburg Academy - Mercersburg, PA |
July 26 - 29 |
Orlando Science Center - One of PASCO's Summer Institute sites. |
| Harrison High School - Harrison, NY |
August 2 - 5 |
Check PASCO's Summer Institute web page for more details and registration information. Or, call (800) 772-8700, ext. 289, and ask for our Professional Development Department.
Online Training Available
You can now receive probeware training over the internet, using your own equipment for hands-on learning. Or take a demonstration course -- no equipment needed. Courses are in 30-minute time blocks.
For more information go to www.pasco.com/training or e-mail PASCO training representatives at onlinetraining@pasco.com.
 Online Xplorer GLX Demos
Can't wait to see the revolutionary new Xplorer GLX? You can see it right now, thanks to PASCO's new online multimedia overview of this exciting new product. We are also offering a number of live online web demos of the Xplorer GLX -- a perfect chance for you and your team to get many of your questions answered. To find out more about these opportunities and PASCO's upcoming exhibits near you, see www.pasco.com/GLX/tour.
Standards Correlation Engine
PASCO's new standards correlations engine lists national standards for all 50 states, and allows teachers to see how PASCO equipment and lab manuals can help you meet the standards. For more information visit www.pasco.com/standards.
Back to top
Technical Support
The PASCO Technical Support team is committed to helping you get the most from your educational purchases. Our Technical and Teacher Support is always free. 800-772-8700 (US only) 916-786-3800 (outside the US).
NEW - Technical Support Tip of the Month
Our first Technical Support Tip of the Month deals with the PASPORT Dissolved Oxygen Sensor (PS-2108). A new manual has been released that thoroughly explains the proper calibration and measuring technique to use for this sensor. Find out more.
Back to top
Subscribe or Unsubscribe to this Newsletter, other PASCO Probeware Newsletters or PASCO Alerts.
|
|
|
E-mail Page
