An electronic newsletter for the science education community
November/December 2007
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.
# # #
For more information, please contact:
Project 2061 Communications Director: Mary
Koppal, (202) 326-7004
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