HR: 13:55h
AN: ED33C-02 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: PUMAS (Practical Uses of Math And Science) - Low Cost, High Impact
AU: * Kahn, R A
EM: ralph.kahn@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Caltech, MS 169-237 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AB: PUMAS is an on-line journal, aimed at giving pre-college teachers brief examples showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes can be used in interesting settings, including everyday life. The concept is a simple one - (1) ask scientists, engineers, and other content experts to write up their favorite examples of practical uses, (2) ask the authors to key their examples to the National Standards and Benchmarks, so the material is grade-appropriate and useful in the classroom, (3) have each example peer-reviewed by at least one scientist with a relevant background, and at least one teacher at an appropriate grade level, helping keep an emphasis on quality, and (4) disseminate the examples widely and inexpensively through the PUMAS Web Site (http://pumas.jpl.nasa.gov). PUMAS examples may be activities, anecdotes, descriptions of "neat ideas," formal exercises, puzzles, or demonstrations; each one is a gem, written in the voice of its author. The PUMAS site also provides opportunities for feedback on individual examples and on the journal as a whole. As with most scientific journals, the writing, reviewing, and editing efforts are volunteered; they leverage the "community service" offered by so many teachers and scientists. We have streamlined all aspects of the example submission, review, and search processes so participants can contribute at a high level, with a minimum of extraneous effort. The primary PUMAS operating expenses cover Web Site technical maintenance and computer security. The PUMAS site receives several thousand unique queries per week, and publishes an average of about one new example per month. Maintaining a strong user base has been helped by endorsements from such organizations as the NSTA and NCTM. To contributors we offer an avenue for making a real impact on pre-college education with a relatively small time commitment, and the opportunity for peer-reviewed publication. We are always looking for good examples of the Practical Uses of Math And Science. This work is performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
UR: http://pumas.jpl.nasa.gov
DE: 0805 Elementary and secondary education
DE: 0815 Informal education
DE: 0820 Curriculum and laboratory design
DE: 0830 Teacher training
DE: 0845 Instructional tools
SC: Education and Human Resourcese [ED]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting