LOCAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO HS-SEM

[smit...@pdx.edu]

Dear HS SEM Group,

I have been following the recent discussion and agree with Caroline
about the supportive local microscopist door/advisor and the
enthusiastic teacher etc.

What this brings to mind is that the MSA local societies can help
with this. My own group, the Pacific Northwest Microscopy Society
(PNMS) [OR, WA, ID, MT] has a new interest in HS and teacher education.
Many vendors are willing to help with this. Joining the local
group should help with the consistency that is needed the SEM or
other microscopies over the long-term. It also increases your
chances for a link to the local university or college. Portland
State University has several HS science programs through the NSF-
REU program (Research experience for undergraduates).

It recalls to mind that most high schools had a science club at one
time, but it seems that many of these are gone in the current climate.
Not 'cool', I suppose. But if you do have one, you have the best
avenue to getting these young minds to see some new horizons.

Randy Smith
Portland State University
and the Pacific Northwest Microscopy Society
P.O. Box 751-PHY,
Portland, ORegon 97207

[Ted Kinsman]

Is there a similar organization here in Upstate New York?

I have been reading all the emails in this form and continue to try to
figure out how I could integrate a machine into my school.

Cheers,

Ted Kinsman
Brighton High School
Rochester, NY

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[dljones]

Ted,

I'm not exactly sure what your question is, but drop me a email. I'm down
close the NYC and helped get an SEM into a small K-12 school down here.

I guess I'd need to know a bit more about your background. Do you have any
microscopy experience?

The school here uses their SEM in many ways. They give short demos to
elementary kids, I think they start with their second graders, use the SEM
in their regular science classes and they offer I beleive it's two
different advanced science classes using it quite a bit more. They do have
two science teachers that are fairly knowledgable, one used to be a
research microscopist for IBM before she decided she'd rather be a
teacher, and the head of the science department who had been dreaming for
years to have a SEM available to use in his classroom.

The advanced classes give college credits accepted at least at one local
community college, maybe more, I'm not sure.

How you could integrate one of these into your school is up to you. Here,
The science teacher and I had to give a preentation to the board of
education stating why this was a good thing, a brief outline of how it
would be used and how it would be maintained. After initial install, then
an agreement was reached with a local community college for the credits
and a small grant was given for certain upgrades to make the instrument
more easily accessible to the curriculum.

Anyway, drop me an email and we can chat more...

dj