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| Summary of BETA program |
| Summer Workshop: | July 23-27, 2007 |
| First follow-on meeting: | Sept. 15, 2007 |
| Second follow-on meeting: | Dec. 1, 2007 |
| Third follow-on meeting: | Feb. 23, 2008 |
| Fourth follow-on meeting: | April 12, 2008 |
| Final Reception: | May 21, 2008 |
| Completed Projects |
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BETA Group at Final Reception
Reception Photographs |
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Fifteen high school teachers were selected by a competitive application process to participate in the 2007-2008 Beyond Einstein Teachers Academy. Most of the teachers are from the local DC-area and teach high school physics and astronomy classes.
The program began with a week-long summer workshop (July 23-27, 2007) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Scientists from the Astrophysics Division at NASA Goddard and the Department of Astronomy at the University of Maryland gave presentations on the theoretical and observational aspects of black holes, including gravitational waves and gamma-ray bursts. In addition to the science content, Dr. Tim Slater from the Conceptual Astronomy and Physics Education Research (CAPER) team at the University of Arizona presented research on astronomy education and tips for incorporating this content into the classroom.
Follow-up meetings were held on Saturdays during the following school year. Participants identified high school curriculum topics that could be taught using the physics of black holes. The teachers then worked on designing problem sets, lessons plans, and presentations structured around the topic of black holes that could be used during the normal course of a school year.
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