2013 California Science Education Conference

Can't do astronomy during the day? Think again. Meet astronomer Robert Victor of the Abrams Planetarium on the back lawn of the convention center to see some amazing sites in the daytime (and pre-dawn) sky. From 5:15 to 6:15 AM join for some cool pre-dawn viewing of Mars, Jupiter, the Moon, Comet ISON and winter skies in October. From 8 to 10 AM learn how to use a polarizing filter to do high contrast Moon observations during the day. In the afternoon from 3 to 4:30 PM see a gibbous planet Venus in broad daylight!

Can't do astronomy during the day? Think again. Meet astronomer Robert Victor of the Abrams Planetarium on the back lawn of the convention center to see some amazing sites in the daytime (and pre-dawn) sky. From 5:15 to 6:15 AM join for some cool pre-dawn viewing of Mars, Jupiter, the Moon, Comet ISON and winter skies in October. From 8 to 10 AM learn how to use a polarizing filter to do high contrast Moon observations during the day. In the afternoon from 3 to 4:30 PM see a gibbous planet Venus in broad daylight!

Can't do astronomy during the day? Think again. Meet astronomer Robert Victor of the Abrams Planetarium on the back lawn of the convention center to see some amazing sites in the daytime (and pre-dawn) sky. From 5:15 to 6:15 AM join for some cool pre-dawn viewing of Mars, Jupiter, the Moon, Comet ISON and winter skies in October. From 8 to 10 AM learn how to use a polarizing filter to do high contrast Moon observations during the day. In the afternoon from 3 to 4:30 PM see a gibbous planet Venus in broad daylight!

Join us for a beautiful evening under the starry desert skies! Head outdoors to see the stars
for yourself through high-powered telescopes and binoculars provided by the Astronomical
Society of the Desert. When you’ve finished stargazing, you can head back indoors to
explore a STARLAB Portable Planetarium, where you’ll see the night sky devoid of any light
pollution. You can also learn how to make your own inflatable planetarium for your classroom,
presented by Maureen Allen of the Orange County Office of Education. The finished
project is large enough to seat 35-40 children and costs less than $35 to make! This event is
included with your registration. CSTA requests that you RSVP with your registration.

Just added to the Stargazing Party:
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Invasion of the Cognitive Scientists - into Astronomy 

Stephanie J. Slater, Ph.D., Research Professor Capital College Department of Engineering and Executive Director of CAPER Center for Astronomy & Physics Education Research

Given the innately captivating nature of astronomy – alien planet landscapes, exploding stars, black holes hidden within galaxies, and speeding space probes – teachers are often surprised at how challenging it is to convert astronomy from a lecture-dominated descriptive class to a scientific inquiry-oriented one as called for in the NGSS. Fortunately, recent advances in cognitive science offer new pathways for teaching astronomy through inquiry. Dr. Slater will illustrate how a scaffolding approach dramatically enhances students’ ability to do scientific inquiry in astronomy and improve their conceptual understanding of science.