Shaw-IAU Workshops by the OAE

Currently, the interdisciplinary science of Astronomy (or Space Science) is seriously under-taught in most primary and secondary schools. Instead, the core sciences of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology are typically emphasized. The Earth sciences, like the Space Sciences, are also poorly represented – despite their vital importance for our shared well-being. In this presentation, I argue in support of teaching the Earth & Space Sciences together, so that students can attain a more holistic understanding of their physical environment, how it came to be, and where it is headed. Such teaching (and teachers) should receive the same priority as in the teaching of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as will be explained.

Biography:

I have worked as an observational astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, astronomy professor at Tufts University, and physical, Earth & space sciences teacher at my hometown high school in Rockport, MA. My research focus concerns the environmental causes and consequences of starburst activity in nearby galaxies. From 2002 to 2007, I served as Co-PI for the New England Space Science Initiative in Education (NESSIE), a NASA education & public outreach program where we brokered and nurtured scientist-educator “partnerships in cosmic discovery.” Since then, I have been mentoring high-school students in authentic research, developing content for The Galactic Inquirer, and more recently, producing video presentations for Doc Waller’s Earth & Space Reports. I am co-author of Galaxies and the Cosmic Frontier (Harvard University Press), author of The Milky Way – An Insider’s Guide (Princeton University Press), and expectant author of Astronomy – A Beginner’s Guide through Space and Time (OneWorld Publishers – in preparation).

Watch a video for this poster (external link)