Elementary School Outreach Programs
Our outreach programs for elementary schoolers cover a myriad of physics topics geared towards 1st - 5th graders.
Astronomy & Cosmology
Eyes on the Universe
Format: Remote, Onsite at CMU or Onsite at your school
A presentation of astronomical images taken by the world's most powerful telescopes, with discussion of relevant astrophysical phenomena (supernova explosions, black holes, extra-solar planets, galaxy formation, etc.)
Contact: Matthew Walker
Constellations
Format: Remote
Do you want to know what's up in the sky this week (planets, the Moon, constellations) and how to observe (night vision, binoculars, light pollution), including what indigenous people saw in the sky? Noting how shadows change position during the day and year helps us understand Earth's rotation and the movement of the Earth around the Sun. We'll tell stories about women and minority astronomers. Want to know what it's like to be an astronomer?
Contact: Diane Turnshek
The Physics of Climate Change
Format: Remote
The Earth is getting warmer at a rate higher than is sustainable. Either our practices or our lives will have to change. The solar system is our laboratory, displaying a prime example of the runaway greenhouse effect in our sister planet. Learn the basics of human-influenced climate disruption, then celebrate creative new ideas with the potential to change the change.
Contact: Diane Turnshek
The Possibility of Life Elsewhere
Format: Remote
The hunt for life is on! Consider extreme life on Earth and what it can tell us about the possibility of other life in our Universe. Explore new information from probes sent to Mars and Venus. See how new technological developments, like the James Webb Telescope, will further our search for life on exoplanets. How would the news of life elsewhere change us?
Contact: Diane Turnshek
Dark Skies in Our Future
Format: Remote
The night sky is getting brighter each year, obscuring the stars from our sight. Light pollution is the cause, the excessive, obtrusive light at night that prevents us from living under a sky bright with stars. Roughly 80% of people in the US live in cities and can't see the Milky Way Galaxy. Artificial light at night adversely affects human health and the environment, can produce unsafe glare and raises our carbon footprint by wasting energy. Learn about the dark side of light and what steps can be taken to bring back the stars.
Contact: Diane Turnshek
Particle & Nuclear Physics
Particle Physics for 3rd Graders
Einstein and His Discoveries for 4th Graders
Format: Remote or Onsite at your school
Prof. Paulini introduces Einstein's famous formula and basic ideas of his theory of relativity for elementary school students.
Contact: Manfred Paulini