Scientists in Schools is a program that partners teachers and scientists, giving students the opportunity to work with "real" scientists and help them engage with science. SiS is run by the CSIRO and funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
I've been involved in the SiS program since 2007 and have partnered with Hartwell Primary School, Footscray Primary School, St Joseph's Primary School and St Leonards College (Cornish Campus).
My projects include:
- The Moon Project - this is a four week project where students make their own observations for the Moon to understand the lunar phases. Other activities during the month include making craters and using craters to date the lunar surface.
- AstroSarah - a blog about the life of an astronomer and general astro news, prepared for St Leonards College.
- Time and motion - a 3D interactive activity to understand how motions in the Solar System give us time here on Earth.
- Sound:
Part 1 - what is sound and how does it work? A range of activities discussing the cause of sound and how it travels through different mediums.
Part 2 - how instruments make sounds; wind, string and precussion instruments; pitch and loundness.
- A range of talks including: "The life of an astronomer", "Natural disasters: volcanoes in the Solar System", "Our Solar System’s energy:here does it come from?", "What is in the Solar System?", and "Diversity in Astronomy".
