Roseman Opens Smithsonian Lecture Series
As it forges stronger ties with science centers and museums, AAAS Project 2061 is finding new ways to share its vision of K–12 science teaching and learning with informal science educators. Through a public outreach campaign, Project 2061 partnered with science centers in cities across the U.S. to help introduce the importance of science literacy to parents and families. Professional development workshops focused on Project 2061's Atlas of Science Literacy are regularly hosted by institutions like the Miami Science Museum and The Exploratorium in San Francisco. So when Project 2061 Director Jo Ellen Roseman was invited to open a lecture series for the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies earlier this year, she welcomed the opportunity.
Dr. Roseman had the honor of opening the 2007 G. Brown Goode Smithsonian Education Lecture Series, which was founded in 2006 by the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies in collaboration with the Science Education Department of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). Named after the Smithsonian’s earliest proponent of museums as educational institutions, the lecture series helps Smithsonian and other museum staff keep abreast of emerging developments in education pertaining to many aspects of their work, from exhibit design to outreach in the schools.
“Project 2061 has long valued CfA as a partner in promoting science literacy,” said Dr. Roseman. “We're grateful to both CfA and the Smithsonian Center for helping us bring the latest in science education research to a wide audience of teachers, museum staff, and the public.”
Roseman's talk, which took place in May at the CfA in Boston and was Web cast live, described Project 2061's efforts to clarify the science knowledge and skills that all students need and to promote a standards-based approach to science curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Drawing examples from the topic “Matter and Energy Transformations,” Roseman highlighted the importance of key ideas in this topic for making sense of everyday phenomena and for confronting a range of societal problems, such as climate change.
Dr. Roseman's lecture was followed by a discussion on ways to get cutting edge science research into the nation's schools. Dr. Philip Sadler and Dr. Matthew Schneps of the Science Education Department, CfA, moderated the discussion with Dr. Avi Loeb, Theoretical Astrophysics Division, CfA; Dr. James Moran, Chair, Astronomy Department, Harvard University; and Dr. Dimitar Sasselov, Director, Harvard Origins of Life Initiative.
View “Project 2061: Education for a Changing Future,” Dr. Roseman's PowerPoint presentation.
Learn more about the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies.
Learn more about the Science Education Department of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, including its many resources for science educators and the public.
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For more information, please contact:
Project 2061 Communications Director: Mary Koppal, (202) 326-7004