Kate Miller co-presents with Jennifer Burgin, a kindergarten teacher who recently went to the Galapagos through the National Geographic Lindblad Expedition Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship, at Festival of Minds. Festival of Minds is a professional learning conference run by Arlington Public Schools that provides a diversity of sessions for all PK-12 instructional staff to hone their instructional practice (https://www.apsva.us/fom/). Kate and
Casey O'Hara, Katey Shirey, Liz Ratliff and Kate Miller put together a poster sharing the PolarTREC program, their experiences working with IceCube through PolarTREC, and details on how other teachers can apply. The poster is presented at the Knowles Teacher Initiative (former KSTF) Summer Meeting 2017 to over 300 high school math and science teachers from across the United States.
Last December when I found out that I was fortunate enough to be selected for the PolarTREC program, I had only a vague idea of the adventure that awaited me. I knew that I would be given the opportunity to go to the Arctic and do actual hands-on fieldwork with a small science team
Music teachers often play instruments in local orchestras. PE teachers are often involved in sports outside of school. Art teachers pursue their medium and drama teachers act in local performances. Science teachers talk about science, but we very rarely get an opportunity to do basic research.
When I was a
PolarTREC has been an amazing experience, wow! The heart of the PolarTREC program is the field expedition, which allows the teacher to be embedded in a field research team. STEM educators are passionate about what they teach but often lack access to meaningful opportunities to participate in basic research. Programs like PolarTREC provide that missing
Impacts of a field experience on teaching high school science
Early in my teaching career, I learned that authenticity is essential in creating working relationships with my high school students. By showing them that I am a human being with experiences, ideas, dreams, and opinions, I’m able to connect in ways that invite their attention as I teach skills
My experience at McMurdo Station involved the study of neutrons caused by cosmic radiation from the sun. The sun can be very active. Changes in the sun's active surface can result in the ejection of high energy particles (from solar flares, coronal mass ejections, or related phenomena). Some of these particles can get sent toward the earth
Kate Miller is joined by IceCube undergraduate researcher, Samantha Pedek, in presenting at the Arlington Public Schools' Superintendent's Seminar.
Superintendent’s Seminar is a summer enrichment program for rising 11th and 12th graders who have demonstrated a desire for an academic experience. Approximately 30 students from across the district spend a week participating in activities focusing on this year's theme of