Single Session Workshops

Physics in Math and Math in Physics

Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Pheona Hunt and Elli Simonen

THURSDAY, MAR 30

ONLINE  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Are you a physics teacher with students who need algebra support? Are you an algebra teacher who is interested in integrating physics into the curriculum? While we know that these subjects overlap, in many schools, they are taught in isolation. Join us as we collaborate to refine curriculum and devise instructional strategies to support learning both physics and mathematics. We will open by discussing each curriculum, finding connections between them, and determining skills needed for state assessment. Teachers will leave this session with resources compiled from our shared past experiences and our work together. This course is best suited for high school level physics and algebra teachers.

Pheona Hunt is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Special Music School in Manhattan.

Elli Simonen is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Special Music School in Manhattan.

Physics With Phones: Redesigning Labs Using Cellphone Sensor Data

Facilitators: David Rakestraw, Ph.D., and MƒA Early Career Teacher Elissa Levy

THURSDAY, FEB 9

MƒA 

SCIENCE

Our cellphones’ internal sensors are impressively powerful, enabling us to experimentally determine the acceleration of an elevator, the coefficient of friction between our phone and a table, the centripetal force exerted by a salad spinner, and even the strength of a magnetic field produced by a solenoid. In this workshop, we’ll use the free Phyphox app to explore classroomready lessons developed by Lawrence Livermore National Labs and tested in physics classrooms around the country. After conducting a few investigations together, we’ll divide into groups to further explore online materials. We’ll conclude by discussing how phone physics can supplement (or replace) some of the labs we do in our physics classes today. This course is best suited for physics teachers of grades 7-12.

Dr. David Rakestraw is a senior scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Following decades of conducting and managing research, David is currently working in the field of STEM education.

Elissa Levy is an MƒA Early Career Teacher and science teacher at Hunter College High School in Manhattan.

Raptors in NYC: Eagles, Osprey, and Hawks, Oh My!

Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Stephen McClellan and Scott Wassmuth

WEDNESDAY, MAY 31 OFFSITE  SCIENCE

+ PLEASE NOTE: THIS SESSION WILL TAKE PLACE IN ISHAM AND INWOOD PARKS.

If you ask your students to name some NYC wildlife, they will probably list rats, pigeons, and cockroaches, but rarely will they mention birds of prey. For decades, raptor populations in NYC were in decline, but thanks to recent restoration efforts, raptors are back! Join us in this workshop as we walk through Isham park and explore the infrastructure and reintroduction efforts to restore our native raptor population. We’ll begin by discussing the history of predators in the city and the sudden disappearance of birds of prey coinciding with the increased use of organophosphate and organochloride biocides. Then, we will examine the slow scientific and societal recognition of the dangers of these chemicals, the environmental legislation to curtail their release, and the eventual protection of our top predators. We’ll also consider trophic cascades, connections between raptor loss and a rise in rodent populations, and the epidemiological and ecological consequences of this trophic disruption. Throughout, teachers will learn how to identify native raptors on a guided raptor walk with a ranger from the National Park Service.

Stephen McClellan is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan.

Scott Wassmuth is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at N.Y.C. Museum School in Manhattan.

RoboExpo

FacilitatorS: MƒA Master Teachers Everton Henriques, Jared Jax, Ed.D., and TJ Smolka

THURSDAY, MAR 30 MƒA

 COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Are you interested in creating or expanding a robotics program at your school but want support in getting started? Come to the MƒA RoboExpo! Teachers will explore a variety of approaches to robotics used by MƒA Master Teachers across various grade levels and contexts, including virtual platforms, Arduinos, Lego, VEX, TETRIX, and FIRST Competition robots. Learn about opportunities to incorporate robotics into your STEM classrooms and join a network of MƒA teachers ready to support you and your students in getting started. No previous experience with robotics is necessary.

Everton Henriques and Dr. Jared Jax are MƒA Master Teachers and science teachers at Staten Island Technical High School in Staten Island.

TJ Smolka is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Ralph R. McKee Career and Technical Education High School in Staten Island.

The Science of Smell: A Journey Into the Brain Through the Nose

Facilitator: Beka Stecky

TUESDAY, APR 25

MƒA

 SCIENCE

Have you ever caught a whiff of something that suddenly transported you back to a specific time and place? Perhaps you sat next to a stranger who wore the