May 2009 Archives

Publicity poster for "Angels and Demons,"
a Ron Howard film, starring Tom Hanks.

Credit and Larger Version.

On May 15, 2009, Sony Pictures will release "Angels and Demons" and bring the world's largest particle physics laboratory to the silver screen.

Based on Dan Brown's best-selling novel, this major motion picture, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard, focuses on a plot to destroy the Vatican using a small amount of antimatter. That antimatter is made using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and is stolen from the European particle physics laboratory CERN. Parts of the movie were filmed at CERN.

Embracing this opportunity to discuss the real science of antimatter, the LHC and particle physics research, on May 19, 2009, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will host a live media briefing spotlighting three world-renowed physicists.

*What:*
Live Video Teleconference

*When:*
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 1 p.m. EST (12 noon CST; 7 p.m. CET)

*Featuring:*
Rolf-Dieter Heuer, director-general, CERN; former research director for particle and astroparticle physics, Germany's DESY Laboratory Leon Lederman, Pritzker Professor of Science, Illinois Institute of Technology; resident scholar, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy; director emeritus, Fermilab; Nobel, Physics (1988); and author, "The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question?" Boris Kayser, distinguished scientist, Fermilab; chair, American Physical Society's Division on Particle Physics; former program director, NSF Theoretical Physics.

*How:*
To watch and ask questions during the webcast, visit the Science360 Web site.

*To Participate:*
(Journalists Only) Send an e-mail to lisajoy@nsf.gov to obtain the call-in number and passcode. Submit questions anytime to webcast@nsf.gov .

*Contact:*
lisajoy@nsf.gov

This NSF live teleconference briefing is part of a larger effort in which, worldwide, scientists working on experiments at the LHC will host lectures and other "Angels & Demons"-related events for members of the press and the public. More than 45 lectures are taking place across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico as part of the series "Angels and Demons: The Science Revealed".Events are also planned in particle physics institutions across Europe, Asia, Central and South America. For more information on the LHC, visit CERN's Web site .

(Silver Spring, Md.) - Discovery Education and 3M announced today that 4H, Science Channel, Science Olympiad and Year of Science have signed on as partners for the 2009 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge (YSC). All four organizations share Discovery Education and 3M's common goal of encouraging middle schoolers in America to share their passion for science by entering this year's competition.

"Studies have shown that science test scores begin to drop in middle school when interest in science begins to wane," said Lori McFarling, Divisional Marketing Officer, Domestic Distribution and Enterprises, Discovery Communications. "We are proud to have 4H, Science Channel, Science Olympiad and Year of Science join us in fulfilling our mission of growing the next generation of aspiring scientific leaders."

The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge is the nation's premier science competition for students in grades 5 through 8, which encourages students to innovatively use everyday technology to communicate basic scientific knowledge to their peers. All entries must be submitted online at www.youngscientistchallenge.com by May 20, 2009. Ten finalists will be selected in late summer to receive an all-expense paid trip to New York City to compete in the final challenge in October. The winner will receive $50,000 in U.S. Savings Bonds ($25,000 cash value) and the title of "America's Top Young Scientist."

4H, Science Olympiad and Year of Science join the 2009 YSC to help identify the nation's great middle school science communicators and to encourage their entry into the competition. Science Channel is proud to once again join the YSC as the lead media partner, providing on-air support with "call for entries" interstitials playing intermittently on the network.

Entry Details

Underlining the importance of communication skills in the science field, the competition challenges middle school students residing in the United States to create a one- to two-minute video about a specific scientific concept that relates to innovative solutions for everyday life. Evaluated by a panel of judges, all video entries for the 2009 competition will be assessed based on creativity, persuasiveness, classroom suitability and overall presentation. Videos will not be evaluated on production skills and may be recorded on cell phones or simple digital cameras.

The video entry should use science to create an innovative solution to one of these everyday problems:
1) How can I play my music system for my own enjoyment, without disturbing the rest of the house?
2) What can I do to the soles of my shoes to make them better perform when I skate board?
3) What can I do to reduce the glare on my television when I'm playing video games?
4) What device or method can I create which might help lower my family's heating or cooling bills?
For more information on the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, including submission guidelines and examples of entry videos, go to www.youngscientistchallenge.com.

About Discovery Education

Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) revolutionized television with Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms through Discovery Education. Powered by the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Discovery Education combines scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a dynamic user community in order to empower teachers to improve student achievement. Already, more than half of all U.S. schools access Discovery Education digital services. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

About 3M

A recognized leader in research and development, 3M produces thousands of innovative products for dozens of diverse markets. 3M's core strength is applying its more than 40 distinct technology platforms - often in combination - to a wide array of customer needs. With $25 billion in sales, 3M employs 76,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 60 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com.

About 4H

4-H is a community of 6 million young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. The 4-H community also includes 3,500 staff, 518,000 volunteers and 60 million alumni. 4-H'ers participate in fun, hands-on learning activities, supported by the latest research of land-grant universities, that are focused on science, engineering, and technology; healthy living, and citizenship. For more information, visit www.4h.org.

About Science Channel

Science Channel is broadcast 24 hours a day and seven days a week to more than 56 million U.S. homes and simulcast on Science Channel HD. We immerse viewers in the incredible possibilities of science, from string theory and futuristic cities to accidental discoveries and outrageous inventions. We take things apart, peer inside and put things together in new and unexpected ways. We celebrate the trials, errors and brinking moments that change our lives forever. To find out more go to www.sciencechannel.com.

About Science Olympiad

Fulfilling a desire to bring excitement to science education and competitions, Science Olympiad was founded by educators Dr. Gerard Putz and Jack Cairns. What began as a grassroots assembly of science educators has now become the largest multi-discipline team science competition in the nation, with 5,300 teams competing in 47 states at the Division B & C level (grades 6-12) complemented by more than 10,000 competitive and non-competitive elementary programs. One of Science Olympiad's main goals is to bring academic competition to the same level of recognition and praise normally reserved for athletic contests. For more information about Science Olympiad, please see http://www.soinc.org/ or call (630) 792-1251.

The public is invited to a celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) on Saturday, June 6, from 4-8 p.m. at the Pasadena (Calif.) Convention Center, followed by public stargazing with small telescopes on the convention center plaza until 9:30 p.m.

A variety of fun, family oriented, hands-on activities and exhibit booths will be provided, including solar observing and a 100-foot scale model solar system, presented by organizations attending the subsequent summer meeting of the American Astronomical Society, with special additions from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Representatives from the popular Astronomy Cast podcast and the Galaxy Zoo citizen-science project will be among the exhibitors in the indoor "AstroZone". Special indoor presentations will be made using a portable planetarium and a digital data immersion environment from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

For updates on exhibits and organizations at the event, visit the AstroZone Web site. For more information on the SCUBE digital immersion environment, see insight.cis.rit.edu/SCUBE/.

"Pasadena and greater Los Angeles is one of the world's leading centers of astronomy, both historically and today," said Douglas Isbell, the U.S. single point of contact for IYA2009. "We look to this public event on June 6 to help us get the second half of the International Year of Astronomy off to a stellar start, as we anticipate the distribution of many thousand copies of our new Galileoscope telescope kit around the world, and several exciting citizen-science projects.".

Driving directions to the Pasadena Convention Center and information on parking is available at the Web site. The outdoor astronomy activities and bazaar will be held in the central plaza marked by a rose and purple background on the street map posted there.

The telescope viewing, and some of the afternoon outdoor activities on June 6 are weather dependent. The planet Saturn, in particular, will be well positioned for viewing that evening. Small telescopes for public viewing will be provided by members of the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers.

Commemorating 400 years since Galileo first used a telescope for astronomical research, IYA2009 is designed to help the citizens of the world to rediscover their place in the Universe through viewing the day-and night-time skies, to appreciate the impact of astronomy and basic sciences on our daily lives, and to better understand how scientific knowledge can contribute to a more equitable and peaceful society. Astronomers and educators in 140 countries aim to stimulate worldwide interest in astronomy and science, especially among young people, under the central IYA2009 theme "The Universe, Yours to Discover."

Major IYA2009 events to come include collaboration with the Year of Science 2009 in July , featuring a public imaging contest using NASA's MicroObservatory network, globally connected star parties focused on observing the Moon on August 1 and Jupiter (and its moons) on October 23-24, the Great World Wide Star Count from October 9-23, and further expansion of the new Portal to the Universe Web site.

To learn more about IYA2009, visit www.astronomy2009.org. Additional information on the U.S. plans and programs for IYA can be found at www.astronomy2009.us.

The U.S. IYA2009 program is supported by the National Science Foundation and NASA, and by private donations. The American Astronomical Society is the U.S. liaison to the IYA2009 program via the International Astronomical Union. Key U.S. partners include the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.

Image Credit: uBookworm,
Creative Commons.

A new web site, accompanying the PBS television special "400 Years of the Telescope," offers background information, classroom and family activities, and practical tips for everyone who is teaching about the development of telescopes, the history of astronomy, or the exploration of the universe. You are invited to discover its features at: http://www.pbs.org/soptv/400years/

Information on the site includes:

* An Introduction to Telescopes
* Getting Your Family Involved with Astronomy
* The Expanding Universe Explained
* The Astronomy of Many Cultures
* How Astronomers Search for Intelligent Life in Space
* Science Fiction With Good Astronomy
* Telescopes of the World (a table and database)
* Frequently Asked Questions about Galileo
* Video Clips of Interviews with Noted Astronomers
* An Activity for Observing the Cycles of Jupiter's Moons
* A Glossary of Astronomical Terms
* Teaching Ideas for 14 Key Topics Related to the Show
* A "Toolkit" for Demonstrating Ideas in Optics
* A Guide to the Changing Role of Women in Astronomy

and many other resources and tools.

Information on the site was put together by the educational staff of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (a 120-year old educational organization which has developed outreach materials on astronomy for a wide range or projects) and Interstellar Studios, the production company that made the TV special.

Both the TV show and the web site are among the key outreach projects of the International Year of Astronomy in 2009, celebrating the 400th anniversary of Galileo turning the telescope toward the heavens.