2009 NSTA National Conference in New Orleans
From brains to the Big Bang, take a crash course in forefront science with the NSF Physics Frontier Centers including hands-on activities and summer opportunities.

Physics Frontier Centers (PFCs) are literally supposed to rewrite the laws of physics. These interdisciplinary research centers span a broad range of superlative science: the coldest, fastest, hottest, biggest; and span the globe (e.g., South Pole). Join us for some science headline news, a series of demos and activities grounded in the classroom but based on the latest in cosmology, biophysics, plasma physics (e.g., a fortune cookie collider and virtual cells); and a smorgasbord of opportunities for you and your students: distance learning (including alternative media such as YouTube and podcasts), research internships, outreach programs, visiting science shows, and field tested activities that integrate science on the edge.

• Randall H. Landsberg
  Director of Public Outreach, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
  Director of Education and Outreach, Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics
  email: randyoddjob.uchicago.edu
• Robert B. Friedman
  Graduate Student, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics; Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics
  email: rfriedmanuchicago.edu
  website: http://astro.uchicago.edu/~rfriedman/educational/
• Reid A. Sherman
  Graduate Student, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
  email: rasoddjob.uchicago.edu

Randall H. Landsberg
Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics (KICP), University of Chicago
Finding Galaxy Clusters in the Dark

Kenneth W. Cecire
Center for the study of the Origin and Structure of Matter (COSM), Hampton University
Large Hadron Collider on the edge of discovery

Christopher M. Smith
Center for Theoretical Biological Physics (CTBP), UC San Diego
Center for Theoretical Biological Physics

Randall H. Landsberg
Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics (KICP), University of Chicago
Edgy Science II: Physic Frontier Centers Introduction

Randall H. Landsberg, Robert B. Friedman, and Reid A. Sherman
Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics (KICP), University of Chicago
Maps from the Milky Way to the Hallway

Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics (KICP), University of Chicago

• 2007 Yerkes Summer Institute "Mapping"
• The Milky Way Model, by Robert Bryan Friedman
• Archive of Space Explorer Yerkes Institutes and Laboratory Activities
• Scientific Visualizations (Cosmus)
• KIPC Slacker Astronomy Podcasts
• Exploratorium Webcasts from Antarctica
• South Pole Station Tour (movie)
• Arrival at South Pole (movie)
• SDSS Fly Thru the Universe (movie)
• Interactive (Partiview) - Sloan Digital Sky Survey data

Center for Theoretical Biological Physics (CTBP), UC San Diego

• Rhodpsin
• CHEMOTAXIS - To Go or Not To Go - Decision Making 101 for Cells

Center for the study of the Origin and Structure of Matter (COSM), Hampton University

• COSM wiki

• The Milky Way Model
  • Student Handout & Teacher Guide
  • Plot of the object distribution
  • List of all the objects to use
  • Object Images
• ATLAS muon event in the LHC: What is it? Z,W, or background?
  • Information and data
  • Set 1
  • Set 2
  • Set 3
• Making a Contour Map
  • Student Guide
  • Teacher Guide
• Surveying a Fixed Route
  • Student Guide
  • Teacher Guide
• Mapping the Yerkes Grounds with a GPS
• Cookie Crumbler
• Fusion Cookie Activity
• Plasma Station
• Godzilla Geometry
• Quantitative Doppler Ball