Olivia DrakeDozens of Connecticut teachers went back to school July 7 to gain knowledge, confidence and skills for teaching their students about science, energy and energy conservation. As part of the 2009 Energy Education Workshops series, sponsored by the Project to Increase Mastery of Math and Sciences (PIMMS) and eeSmarts, teachers learned creative exercises to bring back to their classrooms. The annual program is open to all teachers in the state. During a "bottle shake" energy transformation experiment, the teachers were put into groups of four and given two plastic water bottles with a small amount of clear liquid in each…
Robert Rosenbaum, the University Professor of Mathematics and the Sciences, emeritus, and chair of the Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Science (PIMMS), will present the keynote address at a workshop on preventing math learning difficulties Oct. 16. In his talk, titled "The Vicious Versus," Rosenbaum will deplore "the all-too-common dichotomy that pits 'pure' mathematics against 'applied' mathematics." He will argue that "each type of mathematics enriches the other, thus illuminating the significance and beauty that give the subject its attractiveness." (more…)
Robert Borello, associate director of science for Wesleyan's Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Science (PIMMS), taught 19 teachers from Connecticut’s vocational training schools about the latest solar energy principles, technology and techniques during a day-long program Sept. 5 in Middletown. Borello demonstrated how the Earth moves in relation to the sun by using a using a mirror, a pad of paper on an easel, and a marker.