Lake Afton Public Observatory
Wichita Omnisphere and Science Center
Contact: 223 S. Main, Wichita, KS 67202 (316) 337-9174
Hands-on science center and planetarium. School programs for a variety of ages. Bubble making
demos.
Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center
Contact: 1100 North Plum, Hutchinson, KS 67501-1499 1-800-397-0330
Museum tours, planetarium programs, OMNIMAX theatre features. Workshops and in-services
for teachers. The Cosmosphere is also the headquarters for NASA CORE, a NASA Regional
Teacher Resource Center. Mail order service for educational materials (including videotapes,
slide sets, computer software, and laser discs). Teachers may preview, copy, or receive materials
at the Regional Teacher Resource Center.
W.S.U. Geology Dept.
Contact: Geology Dept., Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS 67260
(316) 978-3140
Fossil lending kits are available. Tours (25 students maximum) of the W.S.U. mineral collection
available by arrangement.
Kansas Earth Science Teachers Association (KESTA)
Contact: Sheryl A. McCoy, 614 North Main Street, Erie, KS 66733; smccoy@eudoramail.com
KESTA is the state chapter of the National Earth Science Teachers Association(NESTA). Publish KESTA newsletter to disseminate information of interest to Kansas Earth Science Teachers. Sponsors KESTA Fall Conference and Fieldtrip, an annual meeting of teachers and leaders in Earth Science in the state that includes a geology field trip and a networking conference on various Earth Science topics. Sponsors the KESTA Rock Raffle and Share-A-Thon at KATS Kamp each year. Supports the enormous contribution of the Kansas Geological Foundation through the selection process and presentation of the Kansas Earth Science Teacher of the Year award. Supports other organizations', such as KACEE, efforts throughout the state to bring Earth Science information and materials into the classrooms of Kansas teachers from kindergarten through high school.
KSNW-TV3
Contact: 833 N. Main, Wichita, KS 67203 (316) 265-3333
Meteorologist Dave Freeman and the other three forecasters make classroom presentations on
weather and tornadoes. Also run the weather school labs for Kansas. Once a year they offer
applications to win a free weather lab.
NOAA-National Weather Service
Contact: 2142 S. Tyler Rd, Wichita, KS 67209 (316) 942-3102
Tours of the weather station are available (limited to about 20 people at one time). Note: tours
will be canceled if there is severe weather in the forecast area. Meteorologists are available to
speak on weather/NOAA careers. Career videos are also available.
Kansas Geological Survey
Contact: Wichita Well Sample Library, 4150 Monroe, Wichita, KS 67209
(316) 943-2343 (Larry Skelton)
Will give classroom talks on many subjects within earth science (all grades, including adult, except
high school). Talks complemented with minerals and/or fossils. Reservations must be made at
least one week in advance. Field trips to the geological sample library are available for small
groups only, however teachers are welcome anytime (best to call first). A guided downtown
geologic walking tour is also available. The KGS Publishes a wide variety of geology-related
educational books.
Kansas Geological Foundation
Contact: 4150 Monroe, Wichita, KS 67209 Bob Cowdery (267-9030) for info
Janice Bright (265-8676) for video tapes. (316) 263-5785
Produces a wide variety of educational materials, including an extensive library of videotapes on
Archaeology, dinosaurs, geological hazards, the environment, etc. A large screen videotape
projector is also available. The Foundation also maintains a speaker's bureau.
The
South Central Chapter of the American Meterological Society/National Weather Association
Meetings for those interested in weather. Members include: meterologists (T.V, radio,
private, and National Weather Service) from around the area,
college students, high school students, teachers, storm chasers, and other people facinated
by the world of weather. Website offers meterology career information and meeting schedule.
WSU Evolution Page
- Information and links that provide real answers on evolution.
Wichita Audubon Society
Contact: P.O. Box 47607, Wichita, KS 67201 (316) 685-4867 (Carol Cumberland, Education
Director) (316) 321-6931 (Field trips - Bill Langley)
WAS sponsors the Audubon Adventures curriculum, organizes many field trips to regional birding
sites. Owns and operates Chaplin Nature Center (see below).
Chaplin Nature Center
Contact: Rt#1, Box 216, Arkansas City, KS 67005 (316) 442-4133 (Visitor's Center)
Located just west of Arkansas City, in a beautiful stretch of riparian forest winding through
prairie meadows. The nature center has a full-time naturalist (Gerald Wiens) who does classroom
presentations. Group tours are available.
Great Plains Nature Center Sedgwick County Zoo
Contact: Contact: 6232 E. 29th St. North, Wichita, KS 67220 (316) 683-5499
Very large, interactive nature center opening in 1999. Located in Chisholm
Creek Park. Aquarium, observation window, interactive exhibits, meeting
rooms, etc. Guided field trips available at Chisholm Creek Park, Pawnee
Prairie Park, and the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit in Central Riverside Park.
Wildlife programs for the classroom, which may include a slide program
accompanied by at least one live animal, are available as well. The Great
Plains Nature Center also has "Discovery Boxes" of hands-on materials,
pictures, and worksheets available for borrowing (2-week period).
Contact: 5555 Zoo Blvd.,Wichita, KS 67212 (316) 942-2212, ext. 213
Target Group: K - 12+
The Sedgwick County Zoo has a number of programs that benefit school-aged children. For over
20 years we have offered a variety of group presentations for class groups during their zoo visit.
Topics range from basic animal classification to zoo careers.
Zoo Summer School offers a dozen different topics for children ages 4-14. In small groups with their age peers, young people combine interactive classroom time with visits to some of their favorite animals. Many of the courses for older students provide opportunities to explore career options. Our Junior Zookeepers, Young Curators and Animal Watching classes are popular.
Saturday morning Wonders of Wildlife (WOW) Workshops expose young people to topics ranging from broad habitat studies to focuses on individual species. Crafts, games and other fun learning activities complement the indoor instruction time and animal encounters in the Zoo.
One of the newest Zoo education opportunities for young people is Sedgwick County Zoo's
website at www.scz.org. Anyone with internet access can visit the Zoo via computer and
download animal images, information sheets on a large sampling of our animals, or even work on
mazes and word search puzzles. A virtual tour of our Jungle exhibit premiered recently with all
the sights and sounds of the Jungle just a click away.
Botanica
Contact: 701 Amidon, Wichita, KS 67203 (316) 264-9799 (info) & (316) 264-0448 (office)
Target Group: K-12+
Currently offers a variety of programs and materials for groups and individuals, including guided
and self-guided tours of the Gardens, Discovery boxes, workshops, field trips, Lunchtime
Lectures, and reference use & storytelling in our botanical/horticultural library. In conjunction
with USD 259, they run the Plant-A-Seed program for 3rd graders, which involves classroom and
on-site activities combined with a tour of the Gardens. Will be developing activity carts for use in
the Garden as well as a series of Classes for children. Call for information.
Sedgwick County Dept. of Environmental Resources
Contact: 2625 S. Tyler Road, Wichita, KS (316) 721-9418
Presentations
Offers presentations for all classrooms in Sedgwick County about nature and the environment.
Topics include: Rain Forest, Natural Kansas, Pollution Solutions, Bats, Under the Sea, and 10
others. A minimum of 2 classes must meet together for 45-minute slide programs. Presentations
are scheduled in school classrooms on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Teachers may call
in late August to schedule for first semester.
Activity Boxes
Teachers or youth group leaders have a choice of 18 different science and environmental activity
boxes that can be checked out for a 2-week time period. Each box contains a teacher guide with
activities and information about the topic. Also included in each box are "hands-on" items to be
used by the class. For example, you will find a seahorse and a porcupine fish in the Oceans box, a
grab bag of products from the rainforest in the Rainforest box, and an activity using household
items like pliers and tweezers to teach about bird beaks in the Birds box.
Environmental Learning Center
A "Hands-On" Environmental Learning Center is available. Field trips are scheduled for
Thursdays and Fridays. A 2-hour time period is allotted per class. Each class will see a slide
show about the topic being emphasized that month, will go on a scavenger hunt in the Learning
Center, and will see live animals up close and personal. A Gift Shop will also be available for
those participating in this field trip. There is also a covered picnic area and nature trail available.
Library
A library of educational materials and lesson plans is available for teacher use. Most of the lesson
plans are already marked according to grade level and the library is divided into areas of interest
for ease of use. Copies of lesson plans can be made wile you work in the library.
Workshops
Teacher Workshops are offered after school at various times during the school year. These
workshops combine information with "hands-on" items that you make at the workshop and then
take with you for use in your classroom. All workshops are related to science or the environment.
Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks
Contact: RR 2, Box 54 A, Pratt, KS 67124 (316) 672-5911, ext. 108
Nature's Notebook, a guide to interactive activities for all ages, (especially geared to K-6)
available for educators who attend a Project WILD workshop. Extension workshops on water
(Project WILD Aquatic) and forest environments (Project Learning Tree) also available. Wildlife
Museum and Aquarium: Located in Pratt, KS. Wildlife Education Service: Publishes On
T.R.A.C.K.S.
Lowell D. Holmes Museum of Anthropology
Contact: Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount , Wichita, KS 67260
AnthroEd@aol.com Amy Drassen Ham (316) 721-6259
Museum Kits available for classroom use. Museum representative can present the kits. Guest
speakers available.
Physics Alliance
& W.S.U. Physics Dept.Kansas Outreach School in Mathematics (KOSM)
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM: KOSM assists middle-school and high-school Kansas students in improving and enhancing their available math education. KOSM enrolls students from seventh through tenth grades, although students of other grades may also be admitted. The School is not remedial; however, no significant background in mathematics is assumed. Students are expected to participate in the program for three years. All students receive booklets that explain the subjects covered, provide examples with solutions, and furnish exercises to be worked by the student. The School assignments are directed toward explanation of those parts of the standard math curriculum that normally are difficult for students, introduction to some deeper subjects of the mathematics curriculum, and consideration of additional topics that are important for future engineering and science careers. Students' solutions are returned to students with detailed comments.
RELATED ACTIVITIES: The Saturday Math Club meets weekly at the Math Department of WSU. Get-together parties for students of KOSM and of the Math Club, their parents, and our faculty are held once per semester. During these events we organize presentations and problem solving contests.
FUNDING: Except for return postage for assignments, the School is FREE OF COST TO THE
PARTICIPANTS. During the second year of operation, KOSM was supported by an NSF
EPSCoR Grant. We are currently seeking funding from private and governmental sources for the
next three years of operation.
MATHCOUNTS
Contact: Mark Borst (316) 383-7901
Target Group: 7th & 8th Graders
MATHCOUNTS is a nationwide program to promote math excellence among junior high school
students. It is an annual competitive event hosted by the National Society of Professional
Engineers and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Slide Rule Lending Program
Contact: Bill Cooper, East High School (316) 833-7010
Target Group: High School Science & Math Students
Provides information and loans slide rules that can give students practice in computational skills
that can help them grasp concepts such as large and small numbers, powers of ten, significant
digits and determining the value of increments on a scale. The slide rule is a calculator in every
sense of the word, albeit one that requires more participation from the user in finding an answers.
Bill can loan a set and provide teachers with a sheet of instruction on how to use the slide rule and
lesson worksheets on order of magnitude estimation, significant digits and reading scales.
Kansas Association of Teachers of Science (KATS)
Contact: John Maryfield, 5634 NE 12th ,Newton, KS 67114-9450
KATS is the state chapter of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Publish KATS
News to disseminate information of interest to Kansas science teachers. Sponsors KATS KAMP,
an annual meeting of science teachers that includes workshops, make-it- take-it activities,
demonstrations, and networking.
Kansas Starbase (Science and Technology Academies Reinforcing Basic Aviation and Space
Exploration)
Contact: Wendy Donaldson, 52955 Jayhawk Dr. , McConnel AFB, KS 67221-9000(913)
861-4196 - Topeka or (316) 687-7964 - Wichita
Target Group: Teachers working with grades 3-8
Forbes Field, Topeka and McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita. Tuition:$100, which includes a 200 page curriculum
manual of hands-on experiments.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
If you could make math and science more exciting for your students, would you? If you could
teach them to set and attain goals which impact them for the rest of their lives, would you? If you
could present physics in such a way that students aren't frightened at the word, would you? If you
could build and launch a model rocket to demonstrate the forces of flight, would you? If you had
the chance to sit in the pilot's seat of a KC-135 or a B-1 Bomber, would you? All these and many
more math, science, personal growth skills and tours are presented in this three-day workshop
loaded with hands-on, inexpensive experiments which can be used in the classroom. You will
learn from real people doing real work as members of the Kansas Air National Guard, pilots,
navigators and technicians, make flying come alive. You will receive a 200 page curriculum
manual full of activities which will allow you to take these concepts back to your classroom and
integrate them into your current curriculum or create a new, multidisciplinary learning unit. This
program is part of the nation's educational goal of having our students be world leaders in math
and science by the year 2000.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Education professionals and paraprofessional working with children in the 3rd through 8th grades.
COLLEGE CREDIT
Receive one hour credit through Wichita State University, Friends University or Kansas Newman.
Also, continuing education credit may be allowed by various districts. Please contact your
district.
The Exploration Place
Contact: 209 E. William, Suite 500A Sutton Place, Wichita, Kansas 67202 (316) 263-3373
Target Group: K-12+
Possibly opening as late as 1999, the Exploration Place has provided us with its Mission
Statement:
The mission of Exploration Place is
To benefit the widest possible audience, in all its diversity
by making accessible highly engaging, enjoyable and creative
exhibits, programs and resources
that foster a greater public understanding of and stronger
relationship with science and technology, a deeper appreciation
of their roles in our culture and lives, and of their
cross-fertilizing associations with the arts and humanities.
Exploration Place also serves the local community
as a common cultural and educational meeting ground and
as an informal, welcoming, and comfortable setting
where meaningful exchanges and activities are encouraged
among residents of the region and among professionals in the
sciences, arts, and humanities.
Residential Investigative Summer Science Program
Contact: Surendra Singh, Ph.D., Kansas Newman College 942-4291
Target Group: high school students
The program takes in 20 students each year (reflecting the same proportion of rural to urban
students as that of Kansas' general population) and is designed to enhance enthusiasm and interest
of high school students in sciences and motivate them through exploration and testing of ideas and
at the same time foster independent scholarship and critical thinking.
Each participant selects one research project from each of the biological or medical and physical sciences and proceeds to conduct a literature search, sets up laboratory/field experiments, collects data, analyzes the results, draws conclusion from the findings, and discusses the entire group of program participants and faculty, and finally writes two separate papers in a scientific format. Room and board for two weeks and two hours of college credit, upon successful completion of the program, is provided at no charge to participants. Program participants are encouraged to enter their papers at the annual meeting of the Kansas Junior Academy of Science.
Sponsored by Vulcan Chemicals with the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita and
Campus Compact as co-sponsors.
Children's Museum of Wichita Fairmount Center for Science and Mathematics Education (FaCSME) The Science Alliance
Contact: 435 S. Water, Wichita, KS 67202 267-3844 (info) or 267-2281 (office)
Interactive science exhibits. Science-related field trips and weekend programs.
Contact: Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS, 67260-0032
(316) 978-3191 email: facsme@wsuhub.uc.twsu.edu
Target Group: K-12 Students & Teachers
A W.S.U.-based clearinghouse of resources for science and math teachers. Develops workshops,
lending kits, classroom presentations, and resource materials. Maintains this list, a calendar of
science & mathematics events for teachers, and publishes a newsletter on math & science
education. Assisted by W.S.U. faculty associates from several University departments. Also
responsible for the Kansas Science Olympiad state competition, and the Kansas Junior Academy
of Science.
Contact: FaCSME (see above) Scott Kardel (316) 978-3991
Target Group: K-12 Teachers
An alliance of teachers and others of any and all of the sciences. Geared toward elementary and middle
school teachers, but all are welcome. Monthly meetings to share resources, demonstrations, and
activities of use to science teachers.
Fellow-Reeve Museum of History and Science
Contact: Friends University, 2100 University, Wichita, KS 67213, Davis Administration Bldg,
4th & 5th floor (316) 292-5594
Classroom visits available, but groups of eight or more should make reservations at least one
week in advance.
Northeast Magnet Science Projects
Contact: Alan Schmidt (316) 833-2300
The Northeast Magnet High School in Wichita, Kansas has developed a curriculum that requires
students to participate in and complete science research projects. Projects provide students with
opportunities to study an area of their interest and use their skills in writing, mathematics,
research, and processing. Each student in the science magnet is required to conduct a science
investigation which includes a referenced research paper, a project paper, and a visual display.
Many students enter this project in competitions such as The Kansas Junior Academy of Science,
Science Olympiad, etc. The Northeast Magnet is always looking for members of the scientific
community who could assist students as they conduct their investigations. Students are
encouraged to secure "mentors" which act as project advisors; indeed, successful student projects
require the cooperation of the students, parents, instructors and resource people in the
community. Top notch investigations have provided tremendous educational experiences to the
student and they have earned many academic awards as well.