(Chattanooga, TN - July 29, 2010) National leaders in science and technology will gather in Chattanooga to attend workshops at Creative Discovery Museum, the only institution in the United States that has implemented a model biofuels curriculum for elementary age students. From August 10 – 13, representatives from five nationally recognized museums, as well as six regional organizations in Tennessee and Georgia will participate in workshops to learn best practices for teaching alternative forms of energy to young children.
In 2008, Creative Discovery Museum was selected to receive a grant from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and University of Georgia’s Education Department to develop and pilot science lessons on biofuels and alternative energy for transportation. The Museum quickly accepted this honor and worked with top scientists, engineers, and science educators to create a classroom lesson that is presented through the Museum’s school outreach program, Museum-A-Go-Go. The lesson which is appropriate for Grades 4-7 clearly communicates the scientific processes for creating biofuels from switchgrass rather than from corn. This grant enabled the Museum to develop curriculum for alternative fuel lessons in collaboration with scientists currently in the field and become an educational model for others in the field.
Updated list of participating museums: The New York Hall of Science, The DuPage Children’s Museum, Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, TX, Arizona Science Center, and Fort Myers’ Imaginarium Hands-On Museum and Aquarium. Regional delegates will represent East Tennessee’s Hands On! Museum in Johnson City, TN, East Tennessee Discovery Center in Knoxville, TN, Lichterman Nature Center in Memphis, TN, Adventure Science Center in Nashville, TN, Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, GA and National Science Center/Fort Discovery in Augusta, GA.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome other professionals to the Museum to share what we’ve learned,” states Dr. Jayne Griffin, Creative Discovery Museum’s Director of Education. “It is an honor to be first among the great museums out there that are beginning to incorporate such technology and advanced science into curriculum for younger kids. The Museum approaches teaching with the knowledge that kids are naturally curious, and what better way to nourish that curiosity than to let them experience science that is fun and relevant with issues of today. They are the scientists of tomorrow, so what they learn today will help us all in the future.”
Those attending the workshop will visit Hardy Elementary on the evening of August 10th to observe a biofuels Family Night. On August 11th, scientists from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Brian Davison and Suzy Fowler, and the University of Georgia (UGA), Dr. Jan Westpheling, will give scientific information and updates from the BioEnergy Science Center (BESC). On the morning of the 12th, the workshop participants will help set up a demonstration outreach lesson, “Farming for Fuels”, at East Ridge Elementary. In 2009, Creative Discovery Museum was privileged to work with UGA and BESC to present lessons and family nights to over 1000 students at area schools.
In addition to the valuable information gained during the August workshops, each participating museum will receive materials to present educational family events at their own organization, in schools, as well as at community events for up to 300 people. In the “Farming for Fuels” Family Night, children and caregivers are posed the question “Is grass the fuel of the future?” Adults and children work together to experiment with the ideas scientists are using to create biofuels. Examples of activities include making molecule models representing ethanol and other carbons, planting seeds and comparing plant growth, using assorted items to make cells that mimic plants’ different cell walls, and experimenting with building a vehicle that can move on its own using various materials.
“Farming Fantastic Fuels” is a lesson teachers can schedule for Museum Staff to present in the classroom setting. Students gain first hand knowledge about the sources of energy and their effect on the environment as they explore the carbon cycle, cell structures, and how these relate to the development of biofuels. The lessons encompass observation of a gasoline engine with parts exposed so students can see why a liquid fuel is needed, a sugar testing station where students evaluate the amount of sugar found in various liquids, a food processing station where students grind corn and soybeans with mortar and pestle or a mechanical grinder and then see the four steps that would be necessary to get the sugar out of switchgrass or poplar, and a model car station where children compare engines powered by solar, wind and hydrogen technologies.
“These lessons are of great benefit to classrooms,” states Sue Kral, Creative Discovery Museum’s Outreach Program Coordinator. “Besides giving good, hands-on science materials for students to work with that teachers or schools couldn't likely afford individually, the Museum’s mobility to take these lessons to different schools enables us to reach many more children and also demonstrate ideas and practices for teachers to incorporate hands-on lessons that truly spark kids’ interest in science as it relates to improving the world around them.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Lynda LeVan, 423-648-6043, lhl@cdmfun.org
Director of External Affairs
Creative Discovery Museum Hosts Leading Biofuels Workshop for National Guests
Museum Has Nation’s Only Model Program
About Creative Discovery Museum
Creative Discovery Museum is open Mon-Sat: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun: noon-5 p.m. 321 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402. Creative Discovery Museum is recognized as one of the top children’s museums in the nation. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to educational enrichment for children age’s 4-months to 12-years-old through interactive, hands-on experiences that foster creative and critical thinking. Creative Discovery Museum focuses on a broad range of areas encompassed by Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Technology and the Sciences. In addition to its exhibits, Creative Discovery Museum provides local residents and visitors with special events, educational programming, teacher resources for the classroom, field trips, after school programming, early childhood education classes, artist residencies, camps, art lessons, science demonstrations, and a branch of the local library. Creative Discovery Museum is a funded agency of Allied Arts and Tennessee Arts Commission and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Summer Hours, June 20-August 15. The Museum will be open every day (Monday through Sunday) from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. beginning June 20. Regular hours will resume on Monday, August 16. Tickets: $10.95 for children and adults. 321 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402. For more information, call (423) 756-2738, or visit www.cdmfun.org.
About BESC
At the Department of Energy Bioenergy Science Center, a cross-disciplinary team of world-leading experts are working together to make revolutionary advances in understanding and overcoming the recalcitrance of biomass, making it feasible to displace imported petroleum with ethanol and other fuels. In forming BESC, leading researchers from institutions across the United States were recruited to establish a team that brings an unprecedented breadth and depth of expertise to the challenge.
Brian Davison, ORNL
Dr. Davison is the coordinator for Biomass Characterization and Modeling. He is the Chief Scientist for Systems Biology and Biotechnology at ORNL. He has managed individual and multi-institutional projects. He has authored over 100 publications and six patents, including one of the first reports that genetic variation in poplar composition can affect hydrolysis.
Suzy Fowler, ORNL
Ms. Fowler is the DOE BESC Technical Project Manager. She is responsible for implementing management processes to include assuring that project milestones are coordinated and that project goals are met and communicated in a timely manner. Ms Fowler brings over 15 years of diverse management experience in both the government contractor and commercial sectors. She holds a MS degree in Business Administration and a BS degree in Biochemistry.
Janet Westpheling, UGA
Janet Westpheling is a professor at the University of Georgia within the Department of Genetics. She has more than 25 years experience in microbial conversion with specific interest in Streptomyces. Her research in this area includes investigation of how these complex metabolic and developmental processes interact involves characterization of the regulatory mechanisms that control the transcriptional activity of genes involved in carbohydrate utilization.
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