Hmmm Hmmm we are looking forward to some New Orleans famous beignets and jambalaya. Fill your bellies but don't forget to stop by our Booth# 500 and participate in our hands-on workshops. (workshop room to be announced soon)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2017
NGSS Waves: Protect Your Eyes!
8:00 am - 9:00 am
Investigate wave properties before gathering evidence that energy varies with different colors of light. Start with tubes to investigate sound then use a light station to explore light. Finally, experiment with colors and energy levels using a phosphorescent material. Middle School Physical Science
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NGSS Ecology: Modeling the Introduction of a New Species
9:30 am - 10:30 am
How does a new species affect the flow of matter and energy in an ecosystem? This card sort style activity models the introduction of a new species with special attention to the effect on existing predators and producers. From the new SEPUP middle level Ecology unit, revised and updated for the NGSS and published by Lab-Aids. Participants will receive free samples of the activity. Middle School Life Science
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NGSS Reproduction: Breeding Critters - More Traits
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Students model and explain additional patterns of inheritance as they explore cause-and-effect relationships for additional traits of the critters. These patterns help them model and explain the wide variation that can result from sexual reproduction. The activity provides an opportunity to assess student work related to PE MS-LS3-2. Middle School Life Science
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NGSS Biomedical Engineering: Get a Grip!
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Use the approach of biomimicry to design, test, evaluate, and redesign a mechanical gripping device to meet criteria. An iterative process is used to optimize the device by investigating the relationship between structure and function and applicable technology. Middle School Life Science
Chemical Batteries
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Although we live a battery-powered lifestyle, most of us (middle school and high school students included) have no idea how batteries actually work. In this hands-on workshop, participants will be engaged in an activity from Issues and Physical Science from Lab-Aids. Make a wet cell battery, explore the effect of using different metal electrodes on battery output, and consider ways to reduce the number of discarded batteries in the waste stream. Middle School Physical Science
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Investigating a Cliff Model
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
When is the last time you engineered a coastal breakwater? Here's your chance! Engineer a coastal breakwater (from the Issues and Earth Science "Erosion and Deposition" unit from Lab-Aids) and analyze the trade-offs of the design. Explore how the natural world is influenced by our engineered world, which in turn creates more societal issues that must be solved through science and engineering practices. Activities exemplify Next Generation Frameworks and show how SEPUP embeds the engineering practices and uses real issues to powerfully deliver content learning. Middle School Earth Science
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2017
Photosynthesis and Respiration Shuffle
8:00 am - 9:00 am
Students have major misconceptions about photosynthesis and cellular respiration, but this content is essential for understanding how matter and energy flows, both at the micro (cellular) and macro (ecosystem) levels. Using a computer simulation, a hands-on activity, and notebooking and discussion strategies, expose student thinking—all from SEPUP's new Science and Global Issues: Biology program from Lab-Aids. High School Biology
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What is a Species?
9:30 am - 10:30 am
In this activity from the SEPUP high school biology program, participants learn about conditions that lead to speciation, including isolation due to temporal, geographical, and behavioral factors, and more. They then apply this knowledge to determine whether selected animal or plant pairs are in the early, mid, or late stages of speciation. High School Biology
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Cell Differentiation and Gene Expression
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Students often have trouble conceptualizing how selective gene expression works. In this workshop, participants will use manipulatives to teach this concept and explain how it is connected to genetic engineering. Innovative activities are selected from the new Science and Global Issues: Biology program from SEPUP and Lab-Aids. Activities focus on ways to integrate selective gene expression as a relevant and engaging sustainability issue. High School Biology
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pH Scale
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
What does pH actually measure? In this investigation, you will measure pH indirectly using indicators and absorption using the Lab-Master. Using their data participants generate a graph of absorbance vs. pH. This graph can be used to determine the pH of solutions, within the measured pH range. Join us for this activity from The Natural Approach to Chemistry program. High School Chemistry
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Chemical Formula and Amino Acids
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
What is the difference between subscripts and coefficients? What does "balancing" a chemical equation mean? Many students have trouble with these fundamental concepts in chemistry. If a student does not fully understand the chemical formula, then moles, reactions, and stoichiometry are hopelessly confusing. Join us for some elegant, intuitive, and well-differentiated lessons that allow students of all levels to master the chemical formula and thereby move confidently into a deeper understanding of chemistry. High School Chemistry
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Distilling Aromatic Hydrocarbons
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
We distill water to purify it, or so we think. So why does the clear distillate from apple cider smell like apples? Join us and find out! Using a clever test-tube distillation apparatus, distill the essence of vanilla and the scent of mint…and we'll even show you how to make brandy from wine! Distillation is a crucial process in chemical engineering and technology, yet few students ever get to explore the process. High School Chemistry
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017
Calling All Carbons
8:00 am - 9:00 am
The element of carbon is critical to life on Earth. All living organisms contain different and essential carbon-based molecules. Several Earth processes work together to cycle carbon from one carbon reservoir to another and to keep the amount in each reservoir stable. Participants will model learn about and model different carbon transfer processes. High School Earth Science
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Prospecting for Mineral Ore
9:30 am - 10:30 am
How do geologists look for mineral ore? In this activity from EDC Earth Science, participants search for a layer of rock that contains a valuable mineral called molybdenum by testing sediments collected in strategic spots along river systems gathering data to decide where the deposit is located. This is no 'cookie mining' activity! High School Earth Science
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Using Climate Proxies to Learn about Earth's Climate History
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
How can scientists tell what Earth’s climate was like thousands of years before human measurements? This activity simulates the use of fossil ocean foraminifera, tiny organisms whose growth patterns are different in warm or cold water. Your students will analyze and graph samples of replicas of these organisms, and use this information to determine relative warm and cold periods in the past 200,000 years. This activity is from EDC Earth Science, a new NSF-supported high school earth science program from Lab-Aids that uses an active, data-oriented approach to the student of earth science and earth systems. High School Earth Science
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