Virginia

The DEN National Institute will occur at Discovery’s global headquarters in Silver Spring, MD from July 21-25, 2008. The week before, July 14-18, 2008, we will host the DEN Leadership Council Institute (also in Silver Spring, MD). Up to 100 STARs will be invited to attend the DEN National Institute and 50 leadership council members will gather for the LC Institute. We encourage all STARs to apply!

Please visit the National Blog for more information.

This was passed on to me from STAR DEN member and S.L. Leadership Council Chair Fred Delventhal (aka Riptide Furse).

Thanks to the generosity of a local foundation, Earthwatch is looking for teachers and High School students from Virginia for fully paid fellowships on exciting scientific field expeditions. There is no experience necessary, just a desire to get out there and bring ideas and enthusiasm back home.

For any teacher or student who strives for new frontiers, an Earthwatch expedition will be paradise. They will spend a week or more in an exotic location, anywhere from the mountains of Vietnam to the rugged coast of British Columbia. As part of a research team, they will work alongside inspiring scientists, using the latest methods and state-of-the-art technology.

A teacher or student fellow may observe the antics of monkeys high in the trees or search for caterpillars in the thick rainforest understory. They could track wild carnivores in Brazil or measure corals in the Bahamas. Whatever the field tasks, there will moments at every turn to inspire new curricula or excitement in the classroom and community.

Please take a moment to nominate a student or teacher. If you are eligible you can apply as well!

* Please send nominations to fellowshipawards@earthwatch.org include the first and last name, address, phone number and email address of your nominee. Please indicate whether you are nominating a teacher or a student.

* For the most up-to-date information or to apply, visit us on the web at: http://www.earthwatch.org/fellowships/delmarva.html

The Fellowship covers all costs associated with the research and accommodations, and includes a generous reimbursement for transportation to and from the research site. Teachers and students will field in the summer of 2008. For more information see http://www.earthwatch.org/fellowships/delmarva.html

Regards,

Kevin McAndrew
Outreach Coordinator
1.800.776.0188 (ext. 268)
978450.1268 (Direct Office)
978-461-2332 (Fax)
kmcanndrew@earthwatch.org

Thanks to Fred for providing the information about this great opportunity.

The time has finally arrived for the DEN National Institute to the Bahamas.  Leadership Council members, Kathryn Staton, Katie Knapp and I will be shoving off on Sunday, July 15th.  Ports of call include Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas. We will have limited internet access, but Kathryn, Katie and I will periodically be updating you on all of our adventures.  Jannita has promised us a fun, fully packed institute.  We board the ship at 12 noon and we go straight to our conference room to begin working.  We look forward to sharing our adventure with you.  Please feel free to leave us any comments or questions. 

Heather

The DEN National Institute in Silver Spring, Maryland, National Headquarters of the Discovery Channel is now in Day 4! This has been the best professional development I have ever experienced! Here is a rundown of the non-stop action.

Day 1 - After some cool new tips, our group produced an enhanced Podcast (VodCast) of showcasing cool technology projects done throughout many different states. The finished product was shown to the whole group to end an exciting first day.

Day 2 - VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO! Based upon the AFI curriculum, stepped up for this group, Joe Brennen shared his expertise to help us produce the ultimate Door scene! At the end of the night, we got to see our videos on the big screen in the Discovery HD Theater. We also had a special guest with a preview of the upcoming (August) Shark Week! We are all now experts on the Hammerhead shark.

Day 3 - Time to start our major projects which will include an interactive assignment for students designed on a Discovery project that is still in BETA. The highlight was the dinner on the rooftop of Discovery National Headquarters followed by a four hour night tour of Washington DC and more!

Day 4 - We are working on finishing up our projects. Mine will include purple and pink puppets from another state! Several Virginia STAR DEN are here with me and we are all tired after all the hard work and the great night on the town.  Dinner is soon and then tommorow we will finish up around noon after we present our projects!

Discovery has put together an incredible week, I can only guess that next year there will be thousands of educators fighting for a place in these national institutes!

Kevin Johnson
Star DEN Member, VA LC Member

Probably not, but
even if you can say it do you know what it means? Paraskavedekatriaphobia is
the fear of Friday the Thirteenth, a form of triskaidekaphobia, the fear
of the number thirteen.

Not only is April 13, 2007 a Friday, but it is the last day
to register for the DEN National Institutes. I know there’s been a lot of communication about this but we don’t want
anyone to miss out on this great opportunity.

Click
Here for more information on the National Institutes and to download the
application.

Click
Here to learn how to pronounce Paraskavedekatriaphobia.

Click Here for the
Friday the 13^th Wikipedia entry.

Heather

Going, Going, Gone?

4, 3, 2,
1…. That’s right… the
final countdown is rolling!  4 days left to make sure you have your application in to the National Institutes.

If you have already applied, you
should have received a confirmation email.  If you have not, please email
Jannita at Jannita_Demian@discovery.com ASAP.

Good Luck!  We are looking forward to
seeing you at the institutes!

Heather