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Term 3 and National Science Week |
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Our holidays are booked solid, Term 3 looks exhaustingly busy and National Science Week is just absolutely insane.
Although science week itself is full, we still have some times left wrapped around it, especially in the next week (August 22nd - 26th). |
MSE at the start of the July Holidays |
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David is increasing his hours from Term 3 onwards so we will be more able to satisfy your nerdy needs.
Okay, that didn't come out right...
National Science Week is almost upon us! Book now! Or the doggy gets it!
(DR: You can't say that, Lee...) |
MSE at the end of Term 3. |
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Switching on to Science |
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MSE will be playing a large part in the upcoming "Switching on to Science" two-day conference being held at Greenwith Primary on the 1st and 2nd of September. The conference is being organised by Dominica Thompson, northern adelaide region science coordinator for the Primary Mathematics and Science Strategy, and her organising committee. This is a cluster event for the Golden Grove, Ridgehaven, Torrens, Leaders in Learning and Hope Valley clusters.
MSE, along with many other science enthusiasts in the state, will be providing incursion programs for students as well as modelled lessons for teachers aimed at demystifying science and science practical work.
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Pelican Point - available times |
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Pelican Point Power Station Tours will be temporarily shut down for the last half of term 3 for scheduled maintenance. Tours will cease August 26th and start-up again at the beginning of Term 4, October 17th. |
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There are still a few Term 3 booking times available during weeks 1 and 2 of Term 3, along with the Wednesday of week 3 and almost anytime in week 5. After that, you'll have to wait until Term 4 - sorry. |
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Sky + Telescope = Revelation |
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Coming Soon - 'Science at Night' astronomy programs with real telescopes for your school camp or sleep-over. Do you want to know how much of a difference a telescope encounter can make to your students? Then read on:
One of the most eye-opening experiences I have ever had was something really rather simple - I saw the planets Saturn and Jupiter with my own eyes and a telescope.
I had been an interested layman in astronomy for a long time; I was familiar with the more recognisable constellations, could tell you interesting facts about stellar evolution, our solar system, cosmology, etc. This all came in very useful when I was presenting the various Stardome programs at the Investigator Science and Technology Centre. But I'd never looked through a telescope.
When I finally shelled out $45 for a cheap and cheerful 4 inch refracting telescope it was the year 2005, I was a thirty year-old smarty-pants ex-teacher working at the Investigator and spending many of my days telling kids all about the planets that I had never bothered to look at. That night when I tried out my first (awful, awful) telescope and saw Saturn, my first coherent thought beyond, "Oh wow, look at that!!" was very simple:
"It's all real!"
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Yes, I know - what a revelation, right? Didn't I know that already?
You see more in a Hubble image or a Voyager image than you ever will in an earth bound telescope. These pictures are undoubtedly beautiful and deservedly iconic, but they are still... just pictures.
The Hubble space telescope can show us amazing things; pictures of deep space can catch our eye; star-forming nebulae can make us feel awe...
...but usually just for a moment. We are surrounded by rich digital imagery every day - sometimes one stands out from the crowd. Cool, move on.
'Seeing is believing' |
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I generally detest that aphorism. I am a magician and I know a thing or two about the difference between what's seen and what is real. However, the fact remains that nothing has ever brought me closer to the sky than that telescope and my own eyes. Which is why I went on a mini-crusade at the Investigator and convinced my boss to let me buy three telescopes and create an evening program for school camps and sleepovers to go with them.
It's also why, now that MSE is growing and word is spreading, I've just done it again. Three large simple-to-use telescopes + 2 presenters + a raft of astronomy-based programs + the sky above your school camp = an education revelation.
Lee Harrison |
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