University of Texas at Austin

Practical Considerations for Developing Science Process Skills in the Natural Sciences: Providing a Foundation for Inquiry
WILLIAM J. STRAITS, California State University Long Beach and R. RUSSELL WILKE, Angelo State University
July 13-15, 2006 in Austin, Texas
Apply: TXA

Note: Participants will be responsible for all costs and fees associated with transportation, lodging, and meals. A portion of the application fee is used to offset processing, mailing, phone charges, duplication of course materials, and refreshments.

          Inquiry learning is often presented in a fashion that mirrors the scientific method, proceeding from identification of a problem to reporting of findings. In post-secondary settings, these scientific-method inquiry exercises typically serve as the primary source of science process skill development. There are, however, shortcomings of this approach. (1) Teaching inquiry via the scientific method can be logistically difficult, requiring much planning and class time, particularly in college science classes where lecture is still the primary means of instruction. (2) Not every important process skill can be included in one scientific-method inquiry exercise. (3) Inquiry is used to teach science process skills, yet science process skills are the tools by which inquiry is conducted; to ensure student success, individual science process skills must be developed before proceeding to full-scale investigations.
          Specific science process skills can be individually targeted and developed by focusing on a single component of scientific inquiry. This provides instructors with the advantage of teaching a skill without employing an entire scientific-method inquiry exercise, thereby requiring less time to develop and implement. This allows a greater variety of individual skills to be taught and helps to ensure that more students master these skills. The independent teaching of these skills can be accomplished through the modification of active-learning strategies, which require limited preparation and class time. As such, inquiry-based instruction is ideal for instructors appreciative of the outcomes, yet weary of the demands of inquiry learning.
          This workshop will help instructors (particularly those of introductory courses) identify, prioritize, and develop science process skills appropriate to all sciences and learn a variety of active-learning techniques modified to reflect inquiry-based instruction to develop these skills in the lecture setting. In addition participants will:
• learn the fundamentals of instructional design,
• identify appropriate outcomes of inquiry learning, including goals and objectives for developing science process skills,
• construct simple inquiry activities appropriate for use in traditional lecture settings, and
• design meaningful assessments for each of their courses.
          Participants will also receive a compendium of inquiry-based resources for college teaching. If you are a "traditional lecturer" interested in incorporating science process skills without sacrificing course content, come learn how inquiry-based strategies can help you achieve your course goals.

Dr. Straits is an assistant professor of Science Education at California State University Long Beach, in southern California. Dr. Wilke is an assistant professor of Biology at Angelo State University in western Texas. They have devoted the past several years to collaboratively developing, implementing, and disseminating inquiry-based, science process skill instructional tools. As active members of the Society of College Science Teachers and National Association for Research in Science Teaching they have provided faculty development workshops and presentations throughout the United States.

Connecting Mathematics with Engineering and the Sciences
BERND SCHROEDER, Louisiana Tech University
July 20-22, 2006 in Ruston, LA
Apply: TXA

Note: Participants will be responsible for all costs and fees associated with transportation, lodging, and meals. A portion of the application fee is used to offset processing, mailing, phone charges, duplication of course materials, and refreshments.

          This workshop focuses on connecting mathematics courses on calculus and differential equations to concurrent and later classes in science and engineering. The main focus will be on freshman and sophomore courses, but integration in the later years also is a possibility. We start by exploring disciplinary recommendations (CUPM, ABET, etc.) as well as educational and quantitative psychological arguments in favor of systemic curriculum integration. Differences and similarities in the involved disciplines' approach, philosophy, terminology, goals and constraints will be explored. Key topics that lend themselves to interdisciplinary presentation will be identified and successful strategies will be showcased. The participants will then analyze the curriculum at their own and other institutions and determine their individual needs and reasonable goals for first steps towards cross-disciplinary integration. Concrete examples can be derived from Louisiana Tech University’s integrated engineering and science curricula and through conversations with Louisiana Tech faculty in mathematics, engineering and the sciences.

For college teachers of: mathematics, engineering, physics, chemistry, biology and related fields. Prerequisites: Interest in closer interdisciplinary ties at all undergraduate levels, experience in teaching undergraduate courses with potential for such ties.

Bernd Schroeder has eight years experience in building integrated engineering and science curricula at the freshman and sophomore levels. He is the principal architect of the mathematics course sequence for these curricula at Louisiana Tech University and he has authored an integrated precalculus-calculus-differential equations text that connects these courses to their counterparts in engineering and the sciences. Aside from his educational work he has authored over 30 research papers, mostly on ordered sets (centered around fixed point theory and reconstruction), but also in graph theory, computer science, probability theory and harmonic analysis. He serves as program chair for the program of mathematics and statistics at Louisiana Tech University and he was named the Edmondson/Crump professor in 2004. For more information on curriculum integration at Louisiana Tech University, please consider http://www.coes.latech.edu/isc/index.php.

Abandoning Dead Ends: Presenting the Heart of Mathematics to All Students
MICHAEL STARBIRD, The University of Texas at Austin
May 25-27, 2006 in Austin, TX
Apply: TXA

Note: Participants will be responsible for all costs and fees associated with transportation, lodging, and meals. A portion of the application fee is used to offset processing, mailing, phone charges, duplication of course materials, and refreshments.

          Question to typical college graduate majoring in the liberal arts: You graduated from college 15 years ago. What was the final mathematics course you took? Former student: Pre-calculus.
          Interviewer: What was your final literature course? Former student: Pre-Shakespeare.
          Students study the best paintings, the most glorious music, the most influential philosophy, and the greatest literature of all time. Mathematics can compete on that elevated playing field, but we must offer all students our grandest and most intriguing ideas. Infinity, fractals, and the fourth dimension; topology, cryptography, and duality--these ideas and many more can compete well with any other subject for depth and fascination. In addition, the powerful methods of analysis that generated these fabulous ideas can enrich every student's ability to think. Unfortunately, instead of grappling with culturally significant high points of mathematics, students are often asked to struggle up the first few rungs of a long ladder they will never climb. We should abandon educational strategies that lead to dead ends. Mathematicians have a great story to tell and that story could and should be an important part of the education of all students. Participants in this short course will develop effective ways of presenting intriguing, deep ideas in mathematics to all students and the general public.

For college teachers of: mathematics. Prerequisites: none.

Dr. Starbird is University Distinguished Teaching Professor in Mathematics at The University of Texas at Austin. He is a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at UT and has won many teaching awards. Among them are several student-selected awards that were awarded largely in response to his required liberal arts mathematics course, thus proving that, in the minds of students, mathematics can compete well with any subject at the university. With co-author Edward B. Burger, he has published The Heart of Mathematics: An Invitation to Effective Thinking, a textbook based on his and his co-author's 15 years of experience in developing lively mathematics courses for students who are not technically inclined.

Ancient Maya Mathematics in the Highlands of Guatemala
ED BARNHART, Maya Exploration Center
July 15- 22, 2006
Apply: TXA

Note: Participants will be responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from Guatemala City. A course fee to cover in-country costs for lodging, transportation, breakfasts, lunches and entry fees, estimated at $790, will be paid by the participants. Dinners during the week and other incidentals will cost and an estimated additional $160.

          The ancient Maya of Mexico and Central America were the most advanced mathematicians in the entire New World. They were only culture in the Pre-Columbian Americas to create the concept of “zero”, essential to higher math. Their complex calendar system remains one of the most accurate ever created. With it, the Maya were able to calculate astronomical events thousands of years into the future or the past. Recent studies have begun to show that they were also adept users of “sacred geometry”, otherwise known as the basic geometric forms and proportions found in nature. Especially in the Guatemalan Highlands, there are Maya people who still follow the ancient calendar and building their homes with traditional geometric proportions. This six-day course will teach about Maya mathematics as its participants travel through various colonial cities, indigenous communities, and ruins in that beautiful area of the world.
          The course will begin in Guatemala City, where the participants will visit the National Anthropology museum. The next two days will spent visiting the colonial city of Antigua and the ruins of El Baul, one of the oldest known Maya cities. From there the course will move to Lake Atitlan, with mist-covered volcanoes towering over its shores. In Panajachel, participants will look for the evidence that modern Maya are still using “sacred geometry” to construct their homes and lay out their cornfields. The course’s final destination will be Chichicastenango, the place where Spanish priests of the 1600’s first wrote down the Maya creation story, the Popol Vuh. There, participants will learn about Maya “Day Keepers”, traditional Maya priests who use permutations of the sacred 260-day calendar to divine and maintain the ritual cycle. All throughout the week, participants will receive lectures on Maya history, calendars, astronomy, geometry, and calculations using the bar and dot, base-20 numeration system.

For college teachers of: mathematics, archaeology, anthropology, astronomy, architecture, engineering, art, history, art history, sociology, philosophy and other related social sciences fields. Prerequisites: While not required, participants are encouraged to have at least some knowledge of Ancient Maya culture. Dr. Ed Barnhart can recommend readings for those interested in learning more before the trip. The tours will involve climbing pyramids in hot, humid weather. Participants in weak physical condition are encouraged to build strength and stamina before the trip.

Dr. Barnhart has worked in Mexico and Central America for the last fourteen years as an archaeologist, an explorer and an instructor. During his four years as the student of Dr. Linda Schele (world renowned for finally breaking the Maya code of hieroglyphics in 1973) he developed a strong background in Maya hieroglyphics, iconography and archaeoastronomy. From 1998 to 2000 he was the Director of the Palenque Mapping Project, an archaeological survey that discovered over 1000 new structures in the Maya ruins of Palenque. He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology at The University of Texas at Austin in 2001 and is now the Director of the Maya Exploration Center, a non-profit research center based in Austin, Texas and Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico. He and his team are currently investigating archaeoastronomy and ancient geometry in the ruins of Chiapas. Visit www.mayaexploration.org for more information about Dr. Barnhart and the Maya Exploration Center.

Archaeoastronomy in the Maya Ruins of Peten, Guatemala: Tikal, Uaxactun, Seibal, and Flores
ED BARNHART, Maya Exploration Center
July 7-13, 2006
Apply: TXA

Note: Participants will be responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from Flores, Guatemala. A course fee to cover in-country costs for lodging, transportation, breakfasts, lunches and entry fees, estimated at $700, will be paid by the participants. Dinners during the week and other incidentals will cost and an estimated additional $150.

          It has long been known that the ancient Maya of Mexico and Central America were highly skilled astronomers. Have you ever wondered what evidence supports that assertion? This five-day tour and lecture series will investigate the observation methods developed by the Maya and what astronomy may have meant to them as a people. Archaeoastronomy as seen through Maya calendars, hieroglyphs and architecture will be the foci of lectures during the course.
          The island of Flores, in beautiful Lake Peten Itza, will be the course’s home base for the week. Lectures on Maya history, archaeoastronomy, calendar systems, and mathematics will be given at a comfortable hotel in Flores. Horizon based sky watching exercises will also take place in Flores, taking advantage of its clear horizon and lack of light pollution. While on the island, participants will also learn about the mighty Itza Maya, the last group of holdouts against the Spanish conquest. Up until 1697, Flores was the city of Tayasal, the capital of the Itza Empire.
          Venturing out from Flores, the course will travel to the ruins of Uaxactun to visit its famous “Group E”, a set of four buildings oriented to record solstices and equinoxes. Tikal, the largest city ever built by the ancient Maya, will also be visited. In Tikal, course participants will learn how to read the calendar dates on its monuments and about how the city timed its battles to key risings and settings of the planet Venus. Then moving to the south of Flores, the course will travel by boat up the Rio Pasion and then forest covered trails to the remote ruins of Seibal, one of the last Peten area cities to suffer the still mysterious “collapse”. In Seibal the group will aid in the search for more astronomically aligned buildings and see monuments that chronicle the intrusion of Central Mexican religion into a formerly Maya culture.

For college teachers of: astronomy, mathematics, archaeology, anthropology, history, art history, architecture, sociology, philosophy and other related social sciences fields. Prerequisites: While not a requirement, participants are encouraged to have at least some knowledge of ancient Maya culture. Dr. Ed Barnhart can recommend readings for those interested in learning more before the trip. The tours will involve climbing pyramids in hot, humid weather. Participants in weak physical condition are encouraged to build strength and stamina before the trip.

Dr. Barnhart has worked in Mexico and Central America for the last fifteen years as an archaeologist, an explorer and an instructor. During his four years as the student of Dr. Linda Schele (world renowned for finally breaking the Maya code of hieroglyphics in 1973) he developed a strong background in Maya hieroglyphics, iconography, and archaeoastronomy. From 1998 to 2000 he was the Director of the Palenque Mapping Project, an archaeological survey that discovered over 1000 new structures in the Maya ruins of Palenque. He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology at The University of Texas at Austin in 2001 and is now the Director of the Maya Exploration Center, a non-profit research center based in Austin, Texas and Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico. He and his team are currently investigating archaeoastronomy and ancient geometry in the ruins of Chiapas. Visit www.mayaexploration.org for more information about Dr. Barnhart and the Maya Exploration Center.

The Biology of Bats in Big Bend National Park
MICHAEL T. DIXON, Angelo State University and LOREN AMMERMAN, Angelo State University
July 17-21, 2006 in Austin, TX
Apply: TXA

Note: A course fee will be associated with this course. Participants will arrive in Austin, Texas, then drive to Mason, Texas and on to the Big Bend National Park.

          Almost one fourth of the world’s mammals are bats. There are over 900 species that range in size from the moth-sized Bumblebee Bat to flying foxes with the wing span of an eagle. They eat insects, fruit, nectar, blood, fish, frogs, and even other bats. They roost in old buildings, caves, crevices, trees and even under rocks. Ecologically, bats are an important part of many ecosystems in their role as pollinators, seed dispersers and insect eaters. In the United States the most interesting place to study bats is in the desert southwest where bat diversity is the highest. Big Bend National Park is one of these places.
          Big Bend National Park spans over 800,000 acres that include the Chisos Mountains, Chihuahuan desert scrub and the magnificent canyons of the Rio Grande. It is home to mountain lions, peregrine falcons, endangered cacti and 22 species of bats, more than almost any other place in the US. We will study the ecology and evolution of bats during lectures. In the evenings we will introduce you to the tools used in field studies of bats including mist nets, harp traps and the Anabat acoustical system. You will learn how to measure and identify the species that we capture. During the day we will explore the diversity of the national park including short hikes in the mountains, desert lowlands and into a canyon on the Rio Grande.

For college teachers of: Biology or Zoology. Prerequisites: none.

Dr. Dixon, received a B.A. in Zoology at Miami University-Ohio, and a Ph.D. in Zoology at The University of Texas in 1994. He is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Biology at Angelo State University. He supervised numerous research topics with Texas Wesleyan University. Dr. Dixon has worked with Dr. Loren Ammerman and led field-based college courses throughout the central and west Texas, including the Trans-Pecos region for the past 10 years. His research interest includes questions of ecology, evolutionary relationships and genetic diversity. Using traditional field techniques, as well as modern biochemical methods in addressing these questions. Dr. Ammerman received her Ph.D. in Zoology from The University of Texas at Austin. She has worked with the study of bats for over 16 years in both tropical and dessert ecosystems. Her dissertation topic was the evolutionary relationships of bats.

Birding in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas
R. RUSSELL WILKE, Angelo State University and WILLIAM J. STRAITS, California State University Long Beach
May 17-21, 2006 in McAllen, Texas
Apply: TXA

Note: Participants will be responsible for all costs and fees associated with transportation, lodging, meals, entrance and tours fees as well as transportation during the course. Costs estimates for the course are as follows: transportation during the course $100 (not including airfare) and entrance and tour fees $75.

          The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) is an ecologically diverse region of the United States. Many different habitats converge within this region including; estuarine, riparian, barrier island, and sub-tropical scrubland. The LRGV is also a focal point of the North American central flyway for neo-tropical migrants. Subsequently, this region is home to over 400 bird species including many not found elsewhere in the United States.
          While the vast majority of our time will be spent birding in many of the local hotspots, participants will also attend short lectures detailing the unique biological significance of this diverse area. Local authorities will lead field excursions to the LRGV and mini-lectures and discussions on topics such as barrier island, plant, and bird ecology to complement the birding experience. Birding day trips may include the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Bentson-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, the World Birding Center, South Padre barrier island, and Falcon State Park (Falcon Dam of the Rio Grande) depending on participants interests and local conditions.
          Participants may expect to encounter Plain Chachalaca, Great Kisskadee, Green Jays, Altamira Oriole, Ringed Kingfishers, Zone-tailed Hawks, Painted Buntings, and various warblers and shorebirds.
          In addition to appreciating the avian life of the region, participants will have opportunities to explore the cultural, social, culinary, historical, natural, etc. features of the LRGV. Participants will decide upon afternoon and/or night trips (mornings and evenings reserved for the birds), possibly including excursions into Matamoros, Nuevo Progreso, and/or Reynosa, Mexico; the Gulf coast and South Padre Island, TX; museums of Brownsvllle and/or McAllen, TX; and much, much more.
          If you are a new birder or a seasoned professional, this course will give you the opportunity to visit a unique area of the United States and enjoy its diverse birdlife and natural history. We invite you to join us for this one of a kind experience.

For college teachers of: all disciplines and all levels of birding experience. Prerequisites: none.

Dr. Wilke is an assistant professor of biology at Angelo State University in western Texas. Dr. Straits is an assistant professor of science education at California State University Long Beach in southern California. They are bird enthusiasts who have birded across the United States, and share a particular interest for the birds of the American southwest.

Biological Digital Imaging and Field Photography at the University of Minnesota - Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories
DONALD L. RUBBELKE, Lakeland Community College and DAVID BIESBOER, University of Minnesota
July 11-15, 2006 in Itasca State Park, Itasca, MN
Apply: TXA

Note: Participants will be responsible for all costs and fees associated with transportation, lodging, meals, and park entrance fees, as well as a small transportation fee for mileage driven during the course. Airfare and car rental can be arranged through Minneapolis, MN (170 miles from the Station) or Bemidji, MN (35 miles from the Station). Lodging and board on station is available on a first come-first served basis with a reservation deposit. Arrangements for private lodging can also be made within a short drive (a few minutes) of the Itasca Station.

          Digital imaging techniques are enhancing research and instructional efforts of biologists in many ways. An excellent location to learn or explore interests in biological digital imaging is a field station nestled in the northern forests of Minnesota at Itasca State Park, headwaters of the Mississippi river. Surrounded by the three major biomes of prairies, coniferous forest, and mixed deciduous hardwoods; and multiple lakes, ponds, and streams, the Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories offers a multitude of possibilities for biological photography.
          Participants in this workshop will learn basic and more advanced photographic principles applicable to digital still photography and video. Digital equipment will be used to document habitats, flora, fauna, and behavioral natural history of select organisms in the beautiful Itasca State Park area. Participants will learn the basic and advanced digital techniques for editing and using their images in presentations. Video applications planned include an overview of digital video with computer-based capture, rendering, and editing, including videomicroscopy. High speed frame analysis of hummingbirds, diving water shrews or other organism of interest is possible if weather and subjects accommodate.
          Participants can expect to walk in bogs looking for orchids, pitcher plants, sundews and other unique organisms. Another planned activity will be to float a forest pond in search of Ophrydium, an ediacara-like colonial protozoan studied for its unique symbiotic relationships. Participants can also wade and snorkel in Lake Itasca and the Mississippi river to document fish, crustacea, freshwater sponges, red algae, and caddis flies with their underwater nets.

For college teachers of: Biology and most other related sciences, or those with an interest in biological imaging. Prerequisites: While not a requirement, participants are encouraged to bring their own digital cameras. Some digital cameras, research grade microscopes and cameras, computers, and video equipment will be available to participants. Those planning to purchase a digital camera for this workshop should contact one of the instructors well in advance for a recommendation. We have some advice for those who wish to buy a flexible digital camera that will meet their needs.

Dr. Rubbelke developed and currently teaches a course in Biological Field Photography at the Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories. His interests include all subjects but his primary interests are in high magnification macro-photography of insects and microscopy. He also possesses experience in infra-red photoelectric beam use with high-speed shutters. Dr. Rubbelke has taught biological photography at the Station for over twenty years and is familiar with the natural history of many organisms of the region. Dr. Biesboer is the Director of the Station, also very familiar with most of the habitats and organisms of the region, and a co-instructor with Dr. Rubbelke of a previous Chautauqua digital imaging course at Itasca.

A Hands-On Tour Through the World of Bioinformatics
LINEA FLETCHER, Austin Community College and SANDRA G. PORTER, Geospiza, Inc.
June 8-10, 2006 in Austin, TX
Apply: TXA

          High-throughout data collection, web-based bioinformatics tools, and molecular databases have changed the nature of biological research. This workshop will introduce educators and researchers to some of these tools and the experimental techniques required for doing this type of biological research. The workshop will begin with a discussion of the techniques that are used for gathering, analyzing, and managing large quantities of biological data. Genomic DNA sequencing will be discussed along with tools for error measurement (Phred) and sequence assembly (Phrap). Next, participants will gain hands-on practice using BLAST to compare and identify unknown sequences and using Entrez, effectively, to locate information in the databases at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). The second part of the workshop will focus on the relationship between the nucleic acid sequence and the structure of a protein. Participants will learn how to use Cn3D, a freely available tool from the NCBI, for viewing and studying 3-dimensional protein structures. This section of the course will also address how Cn3D can be used in biology courses to study protein structure and function. Participants will learn how to find molecular structures in databases and use alignments of multiple structure to study the relationship between structure and function and elucidate the effects of mutations. Lastly, participants will have time to discuss and explore how bioinformatics resources can be used in their courses.

For college teachers of: bioscience-based courses such as microbiology, genetics, biology, pharmacology, allied health, biotechnology, and molecular biology. Prerequisites: none.

Dr. Fletcher is currently Biotechnology Program Coordinator at Austin Community College and South Central Bio-Link Regional Director (http://www.bio-link.org). Dr. Fletcher's students use a variety of bioinformatics tools in the biotechnology program. Dr. Porter is currently a senior scientist at Geospiza, Inc. (http://www.geospiza.com), a bioinformatics company based in Seattle. Dr. Porter has received funding from the National Science Foundation to develop instructional materials in bioinformatics (DUE-008153, DUE-0127599) and continues to work in this area. Prior to joining Geospiza, Dr. Porter ran the biotechnology program at Seattle Central Community College and was the Northwest Regional Bio-link Director.

Studying Evolution with Bioinformatics
LINNEA FLETCHER, Austin Community College SANDRA G. PORTER, Geospiza, Inc.
June 12-14, 2006 in Austin, TX
Apply: TXA

Note: Participants will be responsible for all costs and fees associated with transportation, lodging, and meals. A portion of the application fee is used to offset processing, mailing, phone charges, duplication of course materials, and refreshments.

          Students in this course will learn how bioinformatics resources can be applied to the study of evolution on a molecular level. Course topics include the following: generating multiple sequence alignments for phylogenetic studies, issues to consider when choosing sequences for phylogenetic studies, a comparison of methods for creating phylogenetic trees (neighbor joining, parsimony, maximum likelihood), orthology, paralogy, homology, homoplasy, and comparative genomics. Case studies where phylogenetic trees have been tested experimentally will also be discussed. This course will include a significant hands-on component. Participants will learn how to obtain a set of DNA sequences, generate a multiple alignment, and produce a phylogenetic tree. Participants will also use free tools for viewing protein structures. Three dimensional structures from related proteins will be compared with information from phylogenetic trees will to determine if structural features are due to homology or homoplasy. Lastly, participants will have time to discuss and explore how bioinformatics resources can be used in their courses.

For college teachers of: bioscience-based courses including biology, organismal biology, molecular biology, genetics, evolutionary biology, and biotechnology. Prerequisites: none.

Dr. Fletcher is currently Biotechnology Program Coordinator at Austin Community College and South Central Bio-Link Regional Director (http://www.bio-link.org). Dr. Fletcher's students use a variety of bioinformatics tools in the biotechnology program. Dr. Porter is currently a senior scientist at Geospiza, Inc. (http://www.geospiza.com), a bioinformatics company based in Seattle. Dr. Porter has received funding from the National Science Foundation to develop instructional materials in bioinformatics (DUE-008153, DUE-0127599) and continues to work in this area. Prior to joining Geospiza, Dr. Porter ran the biotechnology program at Seattle Central Community College and was the Northwest Regional Bio-link Director.

Increasing Student Interest in the Sciences by Introducing Forensic Science into the College Classroom
EDWARD B. WALDRIP and ALAN P. PRICE, Southern Institute of Forensic Science, and HUGH E. BERRYMAN, Middle Tennessee State University
July 24-26, 2006 in Jackson, MS
Apply: TXA

Note: This offering is co-sponsored by, and offered at Millsaps College, Jackson, Mississippi. A course fee may be associated with this course.

          The recent increased interest in forensic science has made this discipline an excellent vehicle to introduce the scientific method and critical thinking to a greater number of college students. This Chautauqua short course is structured around lectures and laboratory exercises that can be incorporated into basic college level courses.
          A variety of forensic subspecialties will be discussed, including Basic Forensic Pathology, Forensic Odontology, an Exercise in Exclusion, and Forensic Anthropology as methods of Presumptive Identification, Analysis of Palm Prints, Finger Prints, and Lip Prints in Positive Identification, Ballistics, and others.
          At the conclusion of the short course, participants will assume the roles of crime scene investigators and medical examiners. Based on the information gained from previous lectures and laboratory exercises a staged crime scene will be investigated. Asking the right questions and obtaining pertinent information can solve the crime scene. Knowing appropriate questions to ask and the ways to obtain pertinent information can solve the crime. Transcripts of interviews from witnesses, crime scene photographs, fingerprints, information from the autopsy, toxicology findings, and other appropriate reports--when properly analyzed--will allow participants to assign correct cause and manner of death to the crime and identify a suspect. The direct involvement of the participants in solving a who-done-it will provide a challenging and enjoyable approach to understanding the working of several forensic science disciplines and how they interrelate in death scene investigation.
          Material from lectures, laboratories, and the crime scene exercise will be provided to each participant at the conclusion of the course as teaching tools for their own classrooms. This format will stimulate student interest in the sciences and induce critical thinking to solve a crime.

For college teachers of: science, biology, and physical science. Prerequisites: knowledge of anatomy and basic undergraduate sciences.

Dr. Waldrip has an M.S. in Biology, and a PhD. in Anatomical Studies. He served as chairman of the Department of Biology at William Carey College for 10 years. After 27 years of college teaching he became Executive Director of the Southern Institute of Forensic Science. The role of his group is to provide college level courses in forensic science and workshops to professionals in a variety of disciplines. For the past 12 years he has also served as the elected Coroner and Chief Medical Examiner Investigator for Lamar County, Mississippi. Dr. Waldrip has coordinated forensic science courses for the Universities of Loyola, New Orleans, Southern Mississippi, Memphis, New Orleans, and Colorado State. His research interests include fetal bone development; recognition of bone pathologies; and the mechanisms of bone trauma. Alan Price has a M.A. in Sociology from Idaho State University. His major research interest is the "Interaction of Society and Criminal Activities." He retired from the Weld County Sheriff's Office after 30 years of service. For twenty years, Mr. Price was assigned to the Major Crimed Unit. During this time, his primary investigatory duties were in homicides and sexual assaults. He is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Criminal Justice Department at the University of Northern Colorado. He also serves as Program Director for the Southern Institute of Forensic Science. Mr. Price is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Science and the International Association for Identification. Dr. Berryman received his M.A and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and in 1984 he became the 31st diplomate certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (DABFA). Dr. Berryman served on the faculty of the Department of Pathology, University of Tennessee, Memphis, and as Director of the Regional Forensic Center, Memphis for 20 years. He has also taught courses at the Universities of New Orleans and Memphis, and for the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy, Nashville, and is on the faculty with the National College of District Attorneys. Currently, Dr. Berryman is a forensic anthropology consultant to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command–Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii, and the Office of the Tennessee State Medical Examiner. He teaches as adjunct professor with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Middle Tennessee State University, and is Associate Director of the Southern Institute of Forensic Science. Dr. Berryman's research interests include physics of bone fracture and fracture interpretation; skeletal biology; skeletal biology; taphonomy; and archaeology of the Southeastern United States.

The Application of Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Pathology to Stimulate Student Interest in the Sciences
EDWARD B. WALDRIP and ALAN P. PRICE, Southern Institute of Forensic Science, and HUGH E. BERRYMAN, Middle Tennessee State University
July 27-29, 2006 in Jackson, MS
Apply: TXA

Note: This offering is co-sponsored by, and offered at Millsaps College, Jackson, Mississippi.

          The heightened interest in forensic anthropology and forensic pathology has made these disciplines excellent vehicles to stimulate student interest in the sciences. The course is structured around lectures and laboratory exercises that can be incorporated into the basic structure of science courses, including biology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, and physics.           Lecture topics include:
Introduction to Forensic Anthropology; Establishing the Basic Parameters of Sex, Ancestry, Age, and Stature from the Human Skeleton; Methods of Human Identification; Introduction to Forensic Pathology; and Cause, Manner and Mechanism of Death.
          "Hands-on exercises" will be emphasized in a laboratory component. These exercises are designed to be implemented in the registrant's own classes. These exercises include: Conversion of Plastic Skeletons into Forensic Specimens"; "Whose Bones are these Anyway?"; "A Jungle Mystery"; and others, and are designed to allow students to use their knowledge of the skeleton to solve mysteries of the "Disappeared."
          Scenarios will be used to induce critical thinking in the field of forensic pathology. Written formats with staged crime scene photographs will be provided. Students will be required to ask for specified reports, evidence analysis, and test results to determine cause, manner, and mechanism of death. Exercises such as these will be available to the registrants to incorporate into their own courses.

For college teachers of: science, biology, and physical science. Prerequisites: knowledge of anatomy and basic undergraduate sciences.

Dr. Waldrip has an M.S. in Biology, and a PhD in Anatomical Studies. He served as chairman of the Department of Biology at William Carey College for 10 years. After 27 years of college teaching he became Executive Director of the Southern Institute of Forensic Science. The role of his group is to provide college level courses in forensic science and workshops to professionals in a variety of disciplines. For the past 12 years he has also served as the elected Coroner and Chief Medical Examiner Investigator for Lamar County, Mississippi. Dr. Waldrip has coordinated forensic science courses for the Universities of Loyola, New Orleans, Southern Mississippi, Memphis, New Orleans, and Colorado State. His research interests include fetal bone development; recognition of bone pathologies; and the mechanisms of bone trauma. Dr. Berryman received his M.A and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and in 1984 he became the 31st diplomate certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (DABFA). Dr. Berryman served on the faculty of the Department of Pathology, University of Tennessee, Memphis, and as Director of the Regional Forensic Center, Memphis for 20 years. He has also taught courses at the Universities of New Orleans and Memphis, and for the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy, Nashville, and is on the faculty with the National College of District Attorneys. Currently, Dr. Berryman is a forensic anthropology consultant to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command--Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii, and the Office of the Tennessee State Medical Examiner. He teaches as adjunct professor with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Middle Tennessee State University, and is Associate Director of the Southern Institute of Forensic Science. Dr. Berryman's research interests include physics of bone fracture and fracture interpretation; skeletal biology; skeletal biology; taphonomy; and archaeology of the Southeastern United States.

Ethnobotany in the Oaxaca Valley, Mexico
ED BARNHART, Maya Exploration Center
June 24-30, 2006
Oaxaca, Mexico
Apply: TXA

Note: Participants will be responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from Oaxaca, Mexico. A course fee to cover in-country costs for lodging, transportation, breakfasts, lunches and entry fees, estimated at $750, will be paid by the participants. Dinners during the week and other incidentals will cost and an estimated additional $180.

          For thousands of years, from house building to medicine, the use of local plants has been central to the indigenous way of life in Oaxaca. The Olmecs, Zapotecs, and Mixtecs all inhabited Oaxaca, each sharing their plant knowledge and passing it down to the next generation. This course will discuss the vast botanical knowledge of the descendants of those cultures, while traveling around the Oaxaca Valley.
          The course’s home base will be the picturesque colonial city of Oaxaca. Within in the city, participants will explore its vast flower markets, peruse its herbal remedy shops, and sample its unique indigenous cuisine (including the famous Oaxacan chocolate, of course!). Visits to the cactus gardens of Santa Domingo and the city’s ethnobotanical gardens will also be made. Moving into the valley of Oaxaca, the course will go to the various craft villages, where people of Zapotec descent are still making pottery, textiles, and wooden carvings in the same way as their ancestors did. In Teotitlan del Valle, the participants will witness textiles and dyes being made in the same way as they were when the Aztec empire demanded them as tribute. In San Bartolo Coyotepec, they will meet a community who has been making the Oaxaca’s famous black pottery in the same way for almost 2000 years. Other stops in the valley will include El Tule, the largest diameter tree in the world, and mescal factories, where participants will learn how farmers turn maguey into a powerful alcoholic drink, once used by shamans to induce trance. A course to Oaxaca would be remiss not to include a tour of the hilltop ruins of Monte Alban. At those ruins, and also by studying the ancient books collectively referred to as the “Mixtec Codices”, the course will analyze the evidence of how Pre-Columbian societies were using plants in their everyday lives.

For college teachers of: botany, biology, chemistry, environmental studies, archaeology, anthropology, art, history, art history, sociology, philosophy and other related social sciences fields. Prerequisites: While not required, participants are encouraged to have at least some knowledge of the cultures and flora of Southern Mexico. Dr. Ed Barnhart can recommend readings for those interested in learning more before the trip. The tours will involve hiking in hot, humid rain forests and in high altitudes. Participants in weak physical condition are encouraged to build strength and stamina before the trip.

Dr. Barnhart has worked in Mexico and Central America for the last fourteen years as an archaeologist, an explorer and an instructor. During his four years as the student of Dr. Linda Schele (world renowned for finally breaking the Maya code of hieroglyphics in 1973) he developed a strong background in Maya hieroglyphics, iconography and archaeoastronomy. From 1998 to 2000 he was the Director of the Palenque Mapping Project, an archaeological survey that discovered over 1000 new structures in the Maya ruins of Palenque. He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology at The University of Texas at Austin in 2001 and is now the Director of the Maya Exploration Center, a non-profit research center based in Austin, Texas and Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico. He and his team are currently investigating archaeoastronomy and ancient geometry in the ruins of Chiapas. Visit www.mayaexploration.org for more information about Dr. Barnhart and the Maya Exploration Center.

Geomorphology, Environment and Sustainable Development of Tropical Islands: The Puerto Rico Case
JOSE MOLINELLI, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras
December 6-9, 2006 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Apply: TXA

Note: Participants will be responsible for all costs and fees associated with transportation, lodging, and meals. A portion of the application fee is used to offset processing, mailing, phone charges, duplication of course materials, and refreshments. A course fee of $75 per participant will be required to cover the transportation costs associated with field trips during the course.

          The extraordinary diversity of natural and anthropogenic environments of Puerto Rico present a unique opportunity to study the geomorphic and environmental impact of human activities within the context of sustainable development. With one of the highest population densities of the world, the pressure upon the environment and the resulting landscape transformation has created numerous environmental problems in the central mountainous uplands, the spectacular tropical karst region, the costal plains, and the seashore.
          Participants will travel across Puerto Rico to examine diverse environmental issues including land use changes and their impact on tropical watersheds, coral reefs, and bioluminescent bays, natural hazards including floods, landslides, erosion, sinkhole collapse and earthquake induced geologic hazards, urban sprawl, loss of agricultural lands, habitat destruction and rehabilitation, ground and surface water pollution among others. The complex interplay of economic, political, and social attitudes will be discussed in order to examine strategies to promote sustainable development through a rational use of the island natural resources.

For college teachers of: geology, geography, environmental sciences, earth science, planning, ecology, and related disciplines. Prerequisites: none.

Dr. Molinelli is the Director of the Environmental Sciences Program in the College of Natural Sciences with The University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus.

The Florida Keys: A Geographical and Environmental Overview
JIM WYSONG and KEN THOMAS, Hillsborough Community College
July 14-16, 2006 in Long Key, FL
Apply: TXA

Note: Participants should come prepared for the opportunity to swim, snorkel, and hike moderate distances. Some field trips will be conducted in small boats. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from the Keys Marine Laboratory on Long Key. Lodging is available nearby, or participants may arrange for reasonably priced dormitory-style accommodations at the Keys Marine Laboratory by contacting the course director. A course activity fee of $125.00 will cover the cost of field trips (including transportation), admissions and snorkel gear rental at the coral reef. Certified SCUBA divers who wish to dive at John Pennekamp State Park should make arrangements with the course director.

          Extending in a graceful arc off the southern tip of Florida, the Florida Keys are home to some of the most treasured, yet imperiled ecosystems in the nation. These islands lie atop the Florida Reef, a massive line of coral extending more than 430 km. from Miami to the Dry Tortugas. This course will provide a broad overview of the physical geography and geologic history of the Keys as well as an introduction to the varied and unique ecosystems found on these islands and in the surrounding waters. Field trips will include the Windley Key State Geological site, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, and the Long Key State Recreation Area. In addition to their natural history, the Keys also have a rich cultural history that will be examined in the context of the larger discussion of the human impact on this fragile archipelago.

For college teachers of: all disciplines. Prerequisites: none.

Jim Wysong is an Assistant Professor of Earth Science and Program Manager of Sciences at Hillsborough Community College's Brandon Campus. He is a life-long resident of Florida and is actively involved in geographic and geological education workshops and field programs. His research interests include aerial photography and mapping of sea grasses and estuarine geomorphology. Ken Thomas is a Professor at Northern Essex Community College. His area of specialty involves clam functional morphology and reproductive biology but he also has research experience in invertebrate neurophysiology, phytoplankton studies, and whale behavior.

Marine Ecosystems of Belize
LAURENCE MEISSNER, Concordia University
January 2-6, 2007 in Belize
Apply: TXA

Note: Participants will be responsible for all costs and fees associated with transportation, lodging, and meals. Participants will be housed at the Wee Wee Caye Biological Station and Possum Point Biological Station. These sites are popular base stations for many university biology classes from the US and the hosts are very knowledgeable biologists. The station maintains a large library of field guides and published papers pertaining to research done in the local area. Detailed information on these sites and their facilities can be found at http://www.marineecology.com/fac.html. Contact the course instructor, Dr. Meissner (Larry.Meissner@concordia.edu) for costs associated with transportation within Belize and lodging and meals at the biological station. A course fee will be associated with this course of approximately $480.00-$550.00, this will be announced closer to the course date. Deadline for application to this course is October 15, 2006. All fees associated with this course must be paid to NSF Chautauqua and mailed to The University of Texas at Austin, TXA Field Center, no later than November 1, 2006. No refunds are given, if you should cancel your appli8cation after this date.

          Pristine marine ecosystems are difficult to find on this hemisphere due to heavy fishing and tourist pressure especially in areas near resorts. Some less populated areas of Belize, however, are still relatively unspoiled and offer views of a great variety of creatures in several marine communities. This course will emphasize the native marine wildlife of Belize in various ecosystems including riverine, lagoon and mangrove systems, intertidal zones, and various reef communities of Eastern Belize. Our base of operations will be a privately owned caye off the coast of Sittee River, Belize, not far from the island where the Smithsonian Institute has been doing research for many years. In addition to the corals, marine algae, fish, and echinoderms typical of reefs at popular resort sites, participants should also be able to observe a large variety of sea cucumbers, tunicates, crinoids, and other marine species not as commonly seen by tourists. The island where we will stay is also host to a number of birds and a healthy population of boa constrictors. Evening discussions will focus on sharing observations and impressions from the day's field work, lectures on topics relating to effective strategies for teaching biology, as well as discussions of conservation issues related to marine ecosystems.

For college teachers of: any discipline, but especially science education. Prerequisites: good physical health, ability to swim, interest in nature and conservation.

Dr. Meissner, professor of biology and science education at Concordia University, Austin, TX has led groups to Belize for 20 years and has also led nature study trips to Hawaii, Jamaica, Mexico, and sites throughout the US. He earned his Ph.D. in science education from the University of Texas at Austin and has a special interest in strategies for engaging teachers and students in experiential learning.

Alaska Native Cultures of Southeast Alaska
PRISCILLA SCHULTE, University of Alaska Southeast-Ketchikan, Alaska
June 27-30, 2006 in Ketchikan, Alaska
Apply: TXA

Note: Course fee of $250 will include ground transportation in Ketchikan, museum fees, and a trip by boat to Metlakatla. Participants will be responsible for all costs and fees associated with transportation, lodging, and meals.

          This course focuses on a study of the archaeology and ethnography of southern southeast Alaska. Participants will learn about the culture and social organization of the three major Alaska Native groups of this area; the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian. The course will include discussions and demonstrations on how the Alaska Native people adapted to this area and utilized the local resources for food, clothing, shelter and the arts. Alaska Native artists will demonstrate their work. Participants will have an opportunity to help in the preparation of local plant resources for traditional uses. Students will learn about important aspects of traditional Native culture, such as the potlatch and Native dancing, which are still part of community life today. Fieldtrips will include visits to the two totem pole parks and clan houses located outside of the City of Ketchikan as well as to the City museums. Depending on the availability of boat transportation, a trip will be scheduled to the community of Metlakatla (the only reservation in Alaska) to visit the home of the Tsimshian people of Alaska.
          Ketchikan, Alaska is located on the western coast of Revillagigedo Island near the southernmost boundary of Alaska. It is approximately midway between Seattle and Anchorage. Ketchikan is surrounded by temperate rainforest with dramatic landscapes ranging from steep mountains to miles of coastal forest. Participants will visit the rocky beaches and walk some of the well developed trails in the rainforest.

For college teachers of: social sciences, natural sciences and humanities. Prerequisites: an interest in anthropology.

Dr. Priscilla Schulte is Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Alaska Southeast in Ketchikan, Alaska. She has done extensive work with the Tlingit elders regarding traditional food and resource gathering as well as research on the local totem pole parks. She is active in local Alaska Native organizations such as the Alaska Native Sisterhood and recently organized a local Alaska Native Oral History Forum featuring Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian storytellers. She leads an annual archaeological and ethnographic field trip with the Forest Service to survey traditional sites. Dr. Schulte teaches anthropology classes to local and distance students.

Galileo's Genius Viewed in Craft, Engineering, Scientific, Artistic and Political Context
DONALD SALISBURY, Austin College and THOMAS SETTLE, Florence Science History Museum
May 26-31, 2006 in Florence, Italy
Apply: TXA

Note: Participants will be responsible for all costs and fees associated with transportation to and from Florence, lodging, meals, and entrance fees. An estimation: lodging sharing a double (including breakfast) $650.00 other meals $170.00, course transportation $100.00, and entrance fees $40.00.

          Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) is rightly perceived as the father of modern science, yet debate persists to this day on his precise role in the post Renaissance scientific revolution. Recent studies have focused on the context in which he lived and worked, in particular emphasizing the craft origins of a Northern Italian engineering/science tradition of which he was a part, the new ways of "seeing" which emerged in the Florentine artistic Renaissance and in which Galileo actually received training, the courtier position to which Galileo aspired and eventually received appointment as Tuscan court Mathematician and Philosopher in 1610, and of course, the complex conflict with Rome which ultimately led to his forced abjuration of the correctness of the Copernican world system in 1633 and subsequent confinement to his home in Arcetri, Florence until his death in 1642.
          There is no better place to make these connections than in Florence, Italy. History and context are omnipresent. This year's version of the course will place more emphasis on the Tuscan craft and engineering origins of the scientific revolution. The late medieval economic background will be explored in a visit to the Datini International Institute for the History of Economics in Prato. Sound accounting was essential to the merchant Datini's (1335-1410) success, and Galileo himself argued that the mathematical modeling of the bookkeeper presaged mathematical abstraction in the new sciences. Florentine wool trade required mills that in turn required hydraulic engineers. The group will view pescaie (overflow dams) in Prato and Florence. A day trip to Siena offers an inspection of the extensive bottini (underground aqueducts), as well as side visit to the first public secular art of the early Renaissance in the Palazzo Pubblico. The group will visit and study the duomo in Florence, Brunelleschi's (1377-1446) marvelous engineering feat. Sangallo's (1483-1546) Fortezza da Basso (lower fort) in Florence is an excellent example of sixteenth century military engineering. Toscanelli's gnomon will be uncovered for viewing in the cathedral. The work of Egnatio Danti (1536-1586) will feature in discussion and viewing of his astrolabes, his armillary and a gnomon in the church of Santa Maria Novella, and his maps in the Palazzo Vecchio.
          The group will visit the Science History Museum and view several Galileo artifacts including two of his original telescopes and the objective lens of the telescope with which he discovered the Medicean moons of Jupiter. The nearby church of Santa Croce houses Galileo's tomb and memorial - opposite the tomb of Michelangelo. The group will ascend the hills in the south of Florence to visit Galileo's home in Arcetri and the nearby convent of San Matteo where his beloved daughter Suor Maria Celeste lived until her death in 1634. No city in the world surpasses Florence in artistic treasures, and time will be devoted to many in the Uffizi Gallery, and the Palazzo Medici, accompanied with discussion of the geometry of perspective drawing and the influence of the Galilean revolution in manneristic art.

For college teachers of: physics, astronomy, economics, history, art history, science history, mathematics, engineering, philosophy. Prerequisites: participants are urged to read a biography of Galileo and familiarize themselves with some aspects of Northern Italian Renaissance history. A recommended reading list will be provided for those who wish to explore in more depth before the trip.

Dr. Salisbury is a theoretical relativity physicist with special interest in the history of science. He has contributed frequently to the Austin College core course dealing with our scientific heritage, and has conducted January term courses on site in northern Italy on the Life and Times of Galileo. Dr. Settle is one of the world's leading Galileo scholars. Based now at the Florence History of Science Museum he has for many years explored and written about the deep Tuscan roots of modern science.

The Portuguese Discoveries and its Scientific, Political, Religious and Artistic Impact
LUIS TINOCA, University of Lisbon and CARLOS OLIVEIRA, University of Texas at Austin
June 14-19, 2006 in Lisbon, Portugal
Apply: TXA

Note: Participants will be responsible for all costs and fees associated with transportation to and from Lisbon, lodging, and meals. There is a course fee of $100 payable to the Field Center that covers all entrance fees and tours. An estimation: lodging sharing a double (including breakfast) $600, other meals $250.

          During the 15th and 16th centuries Portugal created one of the vastest empires in the world. This period of development is usually referred to as the Portuguese discoveries. During that time Portuguese navigators achieved amazing feats such as the discovery of the American continent (Brazil in 1500 by Pedro Alvares de Cabral), the sea route from Europe to India (Vasco da Gama, 1498) and the first circumnavigation of the globe (Fernão de Magalhães, 1522). This was also a period of intense scientific revolutions fueled by this nautical enterprise. New navigational instruments were developed (such as the astrolabe, the quadrant and the cross-staff) and a new cartography of the skies was necessary with the crossing into the southern hemisphere. Implications are also present from the political relations established with the new trading partners (such as India and China), from the shock between different religions and on Portuguese art.
          The major goal of the course is to expose the participants to the scientific and historical revolutions that were centered in Portugal during the 15th and 16th centuries. The participants will gain knowledge of the scientific advancements of the era (particularly in the fields of physics, astronomy and geography). Participants will stay comfortable in the city’s main district and experience the effects of the discoveries on Portuguese culture and its relationship with 500 years of history. Another goal of the course is to give a broader image and explore the consequences of the Portuguese discoveries on Portuguese and World history.
          This course is in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, and the perfect location to interact with a variety of places and artifacts representative of the Portuguese discoveries. On day one the group will fly into Lisbon and settle into their hotel and attend an evening orientation lecture. The next two days they will participate in seminars and activities during the morning, and in the afternoons they will visit historical places related to the discoveries such as: the Nautical Museum, the Jerónimos Monastery (Vasco da Gama; Infante D. Henrique, and Luis de Camões tombs), and the Portuguese Art History Museum. The following days will be dedicated to the exploration of the local culture and history with visits to Expo 98 and Sintra. During the course the group will have the chance to interact with several Portuguese scholars specialized in some of the fields impacted by the discoveries.
          We strongly encourage you to contact us for any questions (carlos.oliveira@mail.utexas.edu) and to visit the course website at https://webspace.utexas.edu/co252/Portugal2006.htm.

For college teachers of: physics, astronomy, history, science history, art history, architecture, engineering, sociology, philosophy, and other related social science fields. Prerequisites: participants are encouraged to have at least minimum knowledge of the Portuguese discoveries. While not essential, this will help to keep the discussions focused on the scientific and social implications. Dr. Luis Tinoca can recommend readings for those interested in learning more before the trip.

Dr. Tinoca is a science educator, currently with the Centro de Investigação em Educação at the University of Lisbon, after having completed his Ph.D. at the University of Texas. He has specialized in science teachers’ education, and is also interested in the history and philosophy of science. Carlos Oliveira is a doctoral candidate in science education at the University of Texas at Austin. He specialized in astronomy in the U.K. and he also has a background in management.