Teacher Academy


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

BCCP Homepage Academy Activity Instructors For Students For Teachers For Berkeley Lab Staff Facilities Center for Science and Engineering Education Academy Homepage
		21st Century Cosmology

		History and Structure of the Universe - Anze Slosar Dr. Anze Slosar introduced cosmology as a branch of physics that deals with the universe as a whole. He explained the structure of the universe, and the standard cosmological model and its observational support. He also discussed the Cosmic Microwave Background, its theoretical significance, and experimental efforts to measure it. Lecture 1 pdf Interview
		Minds On Activity Emission Spectra with Laura Guthrie (Acalanes High School Physics Teacher) In this exercise, students used quantitative spectrometers to observe and record the spectra of several different elements. After making these measurements, students studied the spectrum of a mixture of gases. The composition of the mixture of gases was not given to the students, except to let the students know that they had already observed the gases individually. It was up to the students to determine the composition based on their earlier measurements. Scientists use spectra to determine the compositions of astronomical objects. This activity permitted students to apply the concept themselves. Students use spectrometers to observe and record the spectra of different elements Materials for this activity: Spectrum tubes of several different elements, and a power supply for each Spectrum tubes of a mixture of gases, such as hydrogen and mercury (these must be specially ordered from the manufacturer) Quantitative spectrometers (we used Project Star spectrometers) Spectra Worksheet Solar absorption spectrum seen within the spectroscopes Watch Video on YouTube
		Hands On Activity Miles Chen (Physics Teacher - The Bay School) led a discussion and thought experiment on determining distances to the planets, stars, galaxies, and other objects in the universe. He introduced the distance ladder in astronomy so students would have a sense of how astronomers determine the distance of objects. Students and teachers began by calculating the distance to nearby objects such as planets and stars using radar, stellar parallax, and main sequence fitting. They continued by calculating distances to galaxies with variable stars such as Tully-Fisher and Type I supernova. This exercise gave the workshop participants an idea of the work that lead to the discovery of Hubble's law, and the scales involved with the size of the universe.
		Math Activity Estimate the amount of mass lost by the Sun every second given its luminosity. Assume the sun is an average star in the Milky Way and estimate the mass lost by the Milky Way every second. Wrap up: Cyber Reflections Students and teachers summarize lessons using Facebook and Inspiration software
		Astronomy Particle Physics Nuclear Science Mt. Diablo Field Trip Dark Energy Dark Matter The Large Hadron Collider and the Higgs Particle Cal Teach Stations Final Day: Student presentations Workshop homepage