Dr. H. John Wood
(Photo: Submitted)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.
— Researchers and staff in laboratories at the University
of Arkansas will welcome area K-12
students and teachers of science, math and technology during University Days on
Thursday and Friday, Feb. 16-17.
Sponsored by the Dale
Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences; the College of
Engineering; the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences; the College
of Education and Health Professions; the Center for Mathematics and Science
Education; and the Arkansas NASA Educator Resource Center, this annual program
seeks to stimulate science education in northwest Arkansas classrooms by
offering instruction and hands-on experience.
Teams of two students and
one teacher from home, private and public area schools attend this
free-of-charge day. They select three separate sessions of interest from
numerous science, mathematics and technology choices; experience the science,
mathematics and technology activities at their appropriate grade levels; and
are provided an internationally known guest scientist speaker at the University
Day luncheon.
This year’s featured guest
is Dr. H. John Wood, an astronomer who serves as an optical engineer at NASA’s Goddard
Space Flight Center.
Since June 1990, he has been the optics lead engineer on the Hubble Space
Telescope Project. He led the team that successfully determined the optical
prescription of the telescope while in orbit. He then led NASA's effort to
develop and test the corrective optics for Hubble. He currently serves as
science liaison in the instrument synthesis and analysis at Goddard. Wood, the
author of 50 research papers in astronomy and space optics, will offer a public
lecture on “15 Years of the Hubble Space Telescope: Looking at Past, Present
and Future Space Research.” It will be at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 16, in the Arkansas Union Theater. The public is invited.
“One reason University Day
has become such an annual success is that regional K-12 students and teachers
have the opportunity to interact with faculty in creative and novel approaches
to math and science education,” said Lynne H. Hehr, director of the Arkansas
NASA Educator Resource Center. “Students and teachers view windows into the
future of science, math and technology as they participate in a day of hands-on
laboratory activities using state-of-the-art equipment and technology. We offer
students the chance to experience the relevance of science and we offer
teachers new ideas and techniques to use in their classrooms.
University Days 2006
requires prior registration. Activities on Feb. 16 will be for grades K-6, with
activities on Feb. 17 planned for grades 7-12. The sessions are free to home,
private and public school children and teachers. To register or for more
information, call (479) 575-3875 or e-mail mmixon@uark.edu.