NanoDays at Highland Road Park Observatory
Saturday, March 27, 2010 (2:00 PM - 6:00 PM)
LSU Department of Physics & Astronomy and LSU’s Center for Computation & Technology, or CCT, will host an afternoon of free, family friendly activities Saturday, March 27, as part of NanoDays, a national event of educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering coordinated through the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network .
What is Nanoscience: When reduced to the width of a human hair or smaller, ordinary materials often take on extraordinary properties. For example, the iridescent colors in butterfly wings are not created by pigments but instead by tiny patterns on the wings. Similarly, tinted glass in old cathedrals was made by mixing different sizes of gold particles to create a wide variety of colors. But it is just now that scientists have the tools and technology to understand these fascinating phenomena and their potential uses in every day life. Research in tiny scale systems and phenomena is called nanoscience, and it could lead to advanced information processing and storage, new medical treatments and much more.
NanoDays events will take place at more than 200 science museums, research centers and universities across the country. In Baton Rouge, faculty, staff and students from LSU’s physics department and CCT will host NanoDays at the Highland Road Park Observatory, 13800 Highland Road, on Saturday, March 27, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. NanoDays is free and open to the public.
NanoDays will feature several hands-on activities for children of all ages. Visitors will be able to see how big they are compared to nanoscale objects, understand how a Scanning Probe Microscope allows scientists to explore the nanoworld, experience the effect of reducing the size of regular objects by trying to pour water out of a nano-cup, and learn about nanomaterials used in the manufacture of stain-free clothes.
Children and adults will also have a chance to build models of nanoscale structures, play with liquid crystals, and make some fluids magically part in the middle by applying magnets to them.
In addition to the hands-on activities, NanoDays will also feature presentations from two prominent nanoscience researchers, who will provide an overview of the nanoscale world and the tools that allow researchers to "see" it.
At 3 p.m., Kristen Buchanan of Colorado State University, will talk about "Nanomagnetism" and its application to hard drives. At 4 p.m. Jayne Garno, Ph.D., of LSU, will present "Nano Theater,” showing images of nano-objects captured in her lab.
Buchanan is a lead investigator on projects funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Seagate. She spent four years at Argonne Center for Nanoscale Materials in Chicago, one of five nanoscale science research centers sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Garno has won various awards as an emerging young investigator in chemistry, including the National Science Foundation’s prestigious Early Career Award. Before getting her Ph.D. in chemistry, she worked the night shift as a bench chemist at General Motors for 10 years while attending classes during the day as a part-time student.
Juana Moreno , an LSU professor, is coordinating the Baton Rouge NanoDays event. For more information contact her at Juana Moreno.
Links for more information:
http://www.nisenet.org/nanodays
http://www.pirealps.org/nano/
LSU Get Animated! Summer Camp
hosted by LSU's Center for Computation & Technology, Red Stick International Animation Festival and the LSU Arts, Visualization, Advanced Technologies and Research [AVATAR] Initiative
June 7-11, 2010
Location: Shaw Center for the Arts, downtown Baton Rouge (9:00 A.M.- 3:00 P.M.)
**We've reached our registration capacity. If you would like to be on the "standby" list or the first call list for next year, please email kjones@lsu.edu.
LSU Get Animated! Summer Camp will work hands-on with students and teachers, instructing them in basic techniques to create art for animated films. By the end of the camp, participants will have worked in groups to produce an original, animated film they are welcome to submit to festivals or film competitions. The films students create during the camp will be screened at the 6th annual Red Stick International Animation Festival, Nov. 10-13 in downtown Baton Rouge.
LSU Get Animated! Summer Camp is part of the AVATAR Initiative, a LSU initiative to create a digital media academic program at the University. This camp is among the first opportunities LSU is offering that gives students a chance to learn skills for careers in animation, video game design, electronic composition, and more.
The LSU Get Animated! curriculum is based on the Red Stick Animation Festival’s successful Animation Collaboration for a Cause project, an annual event in which artists from AnimAction, a company that focuses on youth expression, work closely with school-age children to create animation about their experiences with various social issues. AnimAction projects emphasize working collaboratively and expressing creativity.
Qualifications: Baton Rouge and Surrounding Area High School and Middle School Students & Teachers, grades 6-12 with an interest in digital media and/or animation.
Registration & Submissions: Students wishing to register must submit 1) the registration form, 2) a short statement describing your interest in digital media and/or animation, how you are engaged in this activity already, if you are considering digital media as a career option, etc. and 3) a sample of your creative output and/or artistic ability (drawing, writing, music composition, short animation, etc.). Teachers wishing to register should submit the registration form or email kjones@lsu.edu.
Fee: $250.00 registration fee. Please do not send money when registering. You will be notified if you have been accepted into the camp. At that time, your fee will be due. Participants should bring their own bag lunch, sketchbook and sketch pencils.
Submissions should be emailed to: kjones@cct.lsu.edu (fax: 225-578-8902) or mailed to: LSU CCT, Attn: Karen Jones, 216 Johnston Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803.
Computational Science Workshop for Louisiana Educators
July 19-23, 2010 (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
Louisiana State University, 338 Johnston Hall
**How to Program - Online Instructions**
The LSU Center for Computation and Technology and LONI Institute invite Louisiana high school teachers to participate in the Computational Science Workshop for Louisiana Educators. Teachers should be instructing in the math, science or computer science fields. Community college faculty and university undergraduate faculty may also apply, but first acceptance will go to high school teachers.
This workshop will introduce educators to computational science and will show them how to merge computational sciences into their curricula by giving them a new way of looking at their discipline and providing access to new tools to convey their disciplines' concepts and problem solving.
The Computational Science Workshop for Louisiana Educators is a 5 day workshop and will focus on the following topics:
- Introduction to computational science: What is computational science? What are computational science areas of discipline? What is parallel computing? What is distributed computing? What is cloud computing? What is grid computing?
- Examples of how computational science is currently being used in the nation's high schools.
- Introduction to computational science tools for students, with lessons and tools for turning STEM subjects into computational science.
Each attendee is required to bring a 5-day lesson plan in their particular curriculum. Attendees will leave with at least one lesson plan and homework assignment that will include the new computational science concepts and activities that they learned in the workshop.
Fee: The workshop is FREE to participants, but registration is required. Limited space, so register early. High School teachers will receive a $500.00 stipend for attending the full 5-day workshop. Lunches and refreshments will be provided. Participants are responsible for their own transportation and/or lodging costs. Participants are also asked to bring their own laptops to class each day, however, if you do not have a laptop, we can assign one to you (request one here ).
Registration: Registration is Closed!
Note: This workshop will be taught by leaders in Computational Science Education from the United States as well as researchers and faculty from Louisiana. Faculty from the CyberTools Project and the LONI Institute will also be invited to present their current work and/or research.
For curriculum questions, please contact Bety Rodriguez at brodrig@cct.lsu.edu (225-578-8990). All other questions, contact Karen Jones at kjones@cct.lsu.edu (225-578-0595).
Directions: Click here for driving directions . Click for Campus Map .
Parking: Permits to park in the LSU commuter lots can be purchased in advance for $15.00. Click here to purchase. Ticketing and towing is enforced Monday - Friday. We recommend you park in the Stadium/S. Stadium lots and arrive at least 15-20 minutes early to find parking. Those who register early will have their permits mailed to them. Others will need to stop at the LSU Parking and Transportation Building to pick up their permits.
Note: The content of this workshop is eligible for up to 37 hours of CLUs (Continuing Learning Units). Participants must complete the entire course for the full 37 hours. With the certificate and the agenda from the workshop, participants should apply to their parish school board for CLU credits. An individual's school district gives final approval for awarding of CLUs.
Suggested Lodging:
Cook Conference Center and Hotel (on campus)
Courtyard by Marriott Acadian Center (2.3 miles)
LaQuinta Inn University Area (2.5 miles)
Radisson Baton Rouge Acadian Center (2.5 miles)
Summer Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) 2010
WHEN: Thursday, July 29, 2010 (1:00 PM - 4:00 PM)
WHERE: LSU's Union Cotillion Ballroom
The 17th Annual Summer Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) where undergraduate students from across the LSU campus present their summer research projects. SURF includes students from research programs such as CCT REU, HHMI, LBRN, LS-LAMP REU, Office of Strategic Initiatives REU (OSI REU) and Pre-Doctoral Scholar's Institute (PDSI) as well as individual student researchers in various laboratories across LSU. 130 students will be on hand to discuss their work, which ranges widely across a variety of scientific fields - chemistry, biology, chemical engineering, math, computer science, biochemistry and physics will be represented. Students come from LSU, colleges from all across the state, and universities all across the country.
Sponsored by the LSU College of Science, School of Veterinary Medicine and I3 (Innovation through Institutional Integration).
For more information, CLICK HERE .
