Teachers Academy


Creating Access to World Class Science and Engineering for K-12 Teachers and Students

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		History and Structure of Universe Students & teachers spent the first two days of the workshop exploring the present model of universe structure formation since the Big Bang. Key topics included the quantum fluctuations of the early universe that became the anisotropies in the Cosmic Microwave Background (discovered by George Smoot and John Mather - Nobel Prize in Physics, 2006). The mechanisms for structure formation (such as inflation and dark matter) were introduced as they relate to the current universe. Nao Suzuki’s talk included a tour of the size scales of the universe, and the sources of galactic and extra-galactic structures. This led to discussion of how these large-scale structures formed throughout the evolution of the universe.

		Talks George Smoot - The CMB Dr. Smoot delivered a welcoming presentation and discussed the current cosmological model of the universe. The talk included his Nobel Prize winning research of the cosmic microwave background radiation. Lecture summary. Video clip: Quantum Fluctuations Video animation - Early Universe Matter Density Distribution PDF of Powerpoint Presentation _______________________________________________________________________ Nao Suzuki - Tour of the Universe Dr. Suzuki delivered a presentation about the entire universe - starting from the smallest objects to the largest. He explored the mechanisms for structure formation such as inflation, dark matter, and dark energy as they relate to the infant and current universe. Lecture summary. Photo Videos PDF of Powerpoint Presentation Warm up The Cosmologic Game - Laurie Kerrigan Students had a cosmology glossary term taped to their backs and were encouraged to socialize with others to determine which word they were given. They could only ask yes or no questions about their word. Photos Worksheets The Cosmologic Game _______________________________________________________________________ Objects in the Universe As an introduction to the exotic nature of the universe, students and teachers were given a laminated Hubble telescope image and asked to identify the object, determine its size scale, and place the image in the appropriate category: galaxies/clusters, planets, or nebulae. ________________________________________________________________________ Main Activity Hands-On Universe - Rich Lohman Rich Lohman used the Hands-On Universe website to guide students through astronomy concepts such as parallax, expansion of the universe, asteroid & supernovae discovery, periodic measurements, and Kepler's laws. The students processed real telescope images and made physics calculations based on the theory presented. Students learned about astronomical units (arc- seconds and arc-minutes) and also explored parsec measurements by doing angle measurements of their fists. To understand parallax, students see how objects appear when viewed from different angles. Photos Worksheets and Powerpoint PDFs: Distance - Supernovae Determining the Distance to the Whirlpool Galaxy M51 using Supernova Ia “Standard Candle” Supernova Light Curves Unit Rich SNe-Std Candles Inverse Square Law Parallax Outdoor Parallax Measurement Outdoor Parallax Diagram Distance to Asteroid 1998wt Parallax of Asteroid “Austria” Size in Astronomy Angular Size Handouts Size in Astronomy - Often Angular ______________________________________________________________________ Wrap-up Student teams created concept maps about their initial knowledge of cosmology. These maps represented what they knew after one full day of cosmology instruction, and were used in comparison with a final concept map at the end of the two week workshop. Photos Questions – Team discussion. Throughout our discussions and lectures, various questions arose that were compiled and debated in teams. Additional Resources and Web Sites Evolution of the Universe Standard Model of Particles and Interactions Evolution of Energy and Matter in the Universe / Chemical Evolution of the Universe What's Next Workshop Homepage Back to top