December 1, 2022 Newsletter
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Happy December!
We can't believe it's the last month of 2022! In this issue of our Science Outreach Newsletter we are sharing some information from the Astronomy Department about Stargazing tomorrow night, and an article about Mars and it's rare aligment this month. There is also a reminder about our upcoming Envision event in February and a tentiative schedule for our summer Science-U camps. In addition, check out information about book donations to AAUW-State College and about the Make It Matter scholarship program for high school students. Please enjoy the topics and let us know if you have any questions.
Best wishes to all for a happy and healthy holiday season! We look forward to seeing you in 2023!
Stargazing is Back
Davey Lab rooftop observing is back by popular demand! Members of the Astonomy department at Penn State will be hosting a few Friday night stargazing events throughout the rest of the semester. So come out for an opportunity to use the telescopes and see some cool space objects! This is a free event for all ages!
Note: The November event was cancelled due to a storm, so be sure to check the AstroFest Facebook page below before heading over. The next stargazing event is scheduled for this Friday, December 2nd!
Mars in December
This month the Red Planet is close to Earth and may be visible as a bright spot in the sky. However, next week our moon will occult Mars! This means Mars will get very close to the moon, and the moon will pass in front of Mars! This rare celestial alignment should be visible in Central Pennsylvania and most of the Northern hemisphere. See the pictured map for the track of the occultation.
So, if you're up late on the night of December 7, be sure to check out the sky! Between 10 p.m. and midnight, Mars will appear as a very bright light very close to the moon. For a few minutes around 10:45 p.m., it will even pass behind the moon as seen from State College and northward!
The button below links to an interesting article that describes various properties of Mars, shows great photos, and explains the occultation. Have fun learning more about Mars this month!
Save the Date for Envision 2023!
Saturday, February 25, 2023 is the date for Envision: STEM Career Day Supporting Young Women! We are looking forward to hosting this annual event for all students in grades 6 through 12. The day will start at 9:00 a.m. with participants meeting their mentors and groups. Then, everyone will hear from two, very engaging keynote speakers who are undergraduate students in the Eberly College of Science.
For the majority of the day, participant groups will attend three different workshops focused on various types of S.T.E.M. - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. They will get to participate in hands-on activities related to some of the cutting-edge research being performed at Penn State.
At lunchtime, participants will get to enjoy a meal in a Penn State dining hall - just like college students do! - and select their own food options. Before the day concludes at 4:00 p.m., the middle school and high school attendees will have a chance to meet and chat with scientists, University students, and professionals about various career options in S.T.E.M.
Watch for more information to become available next month! Online registration will open on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at noon. Until then, please browse our Envision website page and bookmark it for further updates.
AAUW Accepting Used Books
We greatly appreciate our partnership with the State College branch of the American Association of University Women! The overall mission of AAUW-State College is to advance equity and education for all women and girls, especially in the STEM fields. Towards this goal, AAUW-State College financially supports our Envision event and provides Science-U scholarships for several young women and girls in Centre County, PA!
All funding from AAUW-State College comes from their incredibly successful Used Book Sale! This coming year the sale will be held May 13-16, 2023. Until then, AAUW-State College is collecting used books at their warehouse on High Tech Road in State College.
If you have books to remove from crowded shelves, please consider donating them to the AAUW Used Book Sale. Donation information from AAUW's website is linked below.
When donating books to the AAUW Used Book Sale, you are helping to encourage more young women and girls to pursue a career in STEM! Thanks for your help!
We are very excited to host Science-U camps at Penn State's University Park campus again this year! Although we are waiting on some final details, we want to share our tentative schedule (see below). Please note that this schedule is still subject to change! We will have an official release of our Science-U website in the January issue of this newsletter.
Other notes about 2023 Science-U camps
- All camps are five days, except where noted. Due to the observance of Juneteenth (June 19) and Independence Day (July 4), two weeks of the camp season will be shorter.
- Camps shown below are color-coded based on the school grades campers will be entering in the Fall of 2023.
- Grades 2-5 are blue.
- Grades 5-8 are yellow.
- Grades 9-12 are gray.
- Online registration for most of the camps will start on February 7, 2023 at noon. This is a later start time than in the past (formerly 10 a.m.). The online registration this year will contain questions regarding your child's health history. These additional questions will eliminate the need to complete forms prior to the camp start date, but should only add a few minutes to the registration process.
- We will offer two small sessions of Nature Explorers camp this summer, instead of one large session. Content for both sessions will be the same, so families are encouraged to choose only one of the weeks for their campers.
- Prices for the camps have not yet been determined. As in the past, Science-U will be offering financial aid and scholarships for campers to attend a camp.
Again, more conclusive information about Science-U will be forthcoming next month. If you have any questions in the meantime, please email sciencecamps@science.psu.edu. We can't wait to have fun this summer at Science-U!
Scholarship for Make It Matter Camp
Penn State's Center for Nanoscale Science is once again sponsoring scholarships for motivated high school students to attend the Science-U Make It Matter camp! This residential camp will be held the week of July 9-14, 2023, and individuals who value diversity and inclusion are encouraged to apply for the scholarship.
Applicants must complete a short form and write a 1-2-page essay answering three questions. A completed recommendation form from a STEM teacher or mentor is also required. All scholarship materials are due January 10, 2023. Please see the Make It Matter Camp Scholarship website linked below for more information and to download the scholarship forms.
Meet our team!
Our Office of Science Outreach staff members are happy to assist you with any questions related to Science Outreach. Bookmark our website at https://science.psu.edu/outreach for more information or email us at outreach@science.psu.edu.
We'd love to hear from you!
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