The time between Thanksgiving and the holidays is speeding by. Julie and Don were here for Thanksgiving, and we had a wonderful time. Julie spent her days prior to Thanksgiving seeing all the sites in DC, and we also had a chance to go out to the Shenendoah Valley and Appalachians to see the fall colors and go to some outrageous caverns.
The following week, I served on the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math & Science Teaching review panels. It was quite an experience and I now have much more of a true understanding of how much work is involved in the review process at NSF and other agencies. We worked from 7:30 am to 8 or 9 pm each night and ate as we worked. It was pretty exhausting, but a great learning experience.
Last week was a busy one in OISE at NSF. The reviews are just about all in for the IRES proposals and also for some Doctoral Dissertation proposals, so I spent most of the week in panel reviews and writing review analyses, summaries and abstracts. When I first interviewed for the position, I was asked to submit an “on the spot” writing sample, and now I know why! Lots of reading and writing involved in this position, particularly at certain times of the grant cycles.
I did also attend a House Science & Technology briefing on Technology and 21st century Skills, including some research on successful technology integration to improve student learning and on Virtual online schools. I also took part in an ISTE web seminar at NSF about Emerging Technologies.
The holidays have definitely arrived in the Capitol. We had our Einstein Fellowship Holiday Party on Tuesday. It snowed about 4 inches and was very cold all week, and the white stuff added to the Holiday feel of the Capitol Tree Lighting on Wednesday night and the White House Tree Lighting on Thursday night. The Capitol tree is from Vermont, and since one of the Fellows, Jennifer, works in Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT) office, she was able to invite us to the reception after the lighting in the U.S. Botanical Gardens. It was beautiful and they served the best food we’ve had at a reception so far! Friday it began to warm up to the 40’s and rain, and now the snow is melted and it is just gray. (The photo on the left is the White House Tree, next is our patio, next is the snow on our street (my house is the one by the streetlight), and the last 2 are the Capitol Tree.)
This week and next are bound to fly by quickly. I have a meeting on STEM education at the Wilson Center and a science and technology briefing in the House on Tuesday, as well as an American Youth Policy Forum briefing on Friday. The rest of the week and beginning of next, I will be working to finish up my reviews and leave things organized at the office before I head home to Oregon on Dec. 19th. I am ready to come home for the holidays and see my family and friends! I will be home until the 1st of January, and then will take the red-eye back here to DC.
Megan has a month off between contracts, and will be coming out to stay with me on Jan. 4th for 2 weeks! I can’t wait to see her. It was very strange not to have her with us for Thanksgiving, and I am sure it will be even more so at Christmas. But, she is having a great time and we will see her shortly after the 1st of the year. She will have to adjust to cold DC weather after being in Hawaii! One thing I am excited about is that she will get to join the Einstein Fellow tour of the Capitol and White House while she is here. How cool is that?
I hope you are all well and that I will get to see many of you while I am home. I will also be home in February for a long weekend (16th-20th) so if I don’t get to see you this time, hopefully I will see you then.
Have a wonderful Holiday! I will not be updating the BLOG until mid-January.
Cheers!
Ruth
It is hard to believe that the holidays are upon us! Time is beginning to speed up, and I am busy attending conferences and trainings, as well as increasing my work here in OISE at NSF. (How do you like those acronyms?) As I mentioned, I attended the 2007 National Leadership Development Symposium, "Changing the Course of Science Education," sponsored by the National Science Resources Center of the National Academies of Science and the Smithsonian Institution. The symposium focused on ways of leveraging the involvement of a wide range of organizations in the science education of our nation's youth. Topics included: Research-based, effective K-16 science teaching and learning, characteristics of effective programs in school districts and states and forming effective partnerships for sustaining systemic reform. I learned about some fantastic science and math programs in other states and districts, as well as meeting several business leaders from Bristol-Meyers-Squibb and the Michelin group who are involved in trying to improve science education for K-12 students.
On Thursday night of the conference, they invited us to a beautiful, sit-down dinner in the Smithsonian Castle. it is apparently fairly rare to get to do this, and the surroundings were unreal! Take a look:
On the Friday night the symposium ended, most of the Einstein Fellows and I went to the Air and Space Museum for Smithsonian Teacher's night, where we got to see the new IMAX "Sea Monsters 3D" movie (highly recommend for all students and teachers alike!)
The teachers in the DC area have so many wonderful resources and opportunities available to them for their own professional development and for their students' learning. And, they treat educators well here! Always free, lovely food and drinks!
I also squeezed in a panel discussion at the Carnegie Institute sponsored by Common Good, called "Class Disrupted." I found it very relevant, and cause for thinking about all we are doing in education. The Program director of Educators for Social Responsibility, the RCCP folks, was there, along with several other social and education researchers. Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary, was the closing speaker, as he is involved in RCCP through his "Operation Respect" program. (Photos are of me, with fellow NASA Einstein Fellow Ann Coren, and me and Peter- he is ery friendly!)
The main point of the panel was to try to highlight to the NCLB folks that, you can have the highest standards, best trained teachers, best curriculum, etc., etc. however, if we don't address the social and emotional issues of kids (poverty, violence and such) they won't be ready to learn. LCSD had a big push some years ago for RCCP, and we seem to have just let it go by the wayside in our focus on academic achievement. I think we all need to be reminded that we are working with children with many needs and that, just because we have to answer to the feds, we need to take care of kids' basic needs before they can benefit from the Highly Qualified teachers and great instruction we offer!
On Monday, the 5th of November, we went to another panel, Wireless and Well-Prepared: The E-mergence of Technology in the Classroom with David Thornburg,founder and Director of Global Operations for the Thornburg Center, Mary Cullinane, Director, U.S. Partners in Learning, Microsoft Corporation and consultant to the new Philadelphia High School of the Future, Walter Bender, President of Software and Content, One Laptop per Child Foundation, and Amy Klobuchar, United States Senator, Minnesota and a member of the Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Innovation. Since all of us were true technology in education believers, it was a bit like preaching to the choir, but it was interesting to hear about the High School of the Future, and see the new One Laptops. It will be interesting to see if these take hold in the U.S. and throughout the world, as there is some controversy surrounding giving children in developing, poor countries technology, rather than food, shelter and medicine.
I continued working in the office on the IRES proposals, getting more reviewers for them and the IRFP's, and I wrote an abstract for a funded proposal that will appear on the NSF website (eventually...) I have also been going to panel reviews for biology and geosciences proposals with an international component. This has been very interesting, and should be helpful in the future to our grantwriting efforts. It is informative to see how the experts critique the proposals, and I see that writers must be brief, but explicit, and not leave anything to the reviewers assumptions. I also went in and out of several sessions at the NSDL (National Science Digital Library) Conference that wwas held here at NSF (well, at the Westin across the street, anyway!) That is an outstanding resource for science and math teachers, especially middle school, and I hope to do some professional development around that when I get back. In the meantime, if you are interested, here is the website, http://nsdl.org/
On Thursday, the 8th, I had a wonderful opportunity to go to the Louden Academy of Sciences, a magnet high school math and science program, to see about a dozen U.S. and a dozen Singapore students present research projects they have been collaborating on over the web. First, I was astounded by the sophistated level of equipment in their science labs. I was also stunned by the advanced level of the research that the students were undertaking and that they were using their social networking and email and web-based video conferencing to collaborate internationally. I feel so lucky to be able to go and visit exemplary programs this year, and hope that LCSD colleagues might be able to see some of these firsthand as well.
Last weekend, Veteran's Day, I traveled to St. Louis for the National Quality in Education Conference, and met up with my LCSD friends and colleagues. It was so great to see everyone and spend some "Quality" time with them.
We had many interesting and thought provoking conversations, and though I am having a unique and memorable experience here in DC, I miss everyone from home- both personally and professionally- and look forward to coming back and working to implement some of the great ideas people in LCSD have and meshing them with all I am learning this year.
Finally, when I returned to DC from St. Louis, I had the chance to go to a few more discussions and events. I went to the Woodrow Wilson Center for a panel discussion on Science and Math Education in Asia and the differences between Asia and the U.S.
Of course, the U.S. is well behind Asian countries in science and math student achievement, and some of the differences that contribute to this are elements that are being studied by education researchers, such as teacher preparation & professional development, standardized national curriculum, parental support and cultural respect for teachers and education. One interesting piece of information was that the bottom 20% of Asian students were still performing at significantly higher levels than the bottom 20% of U.S. students.
From this panel I went to the Kennedy Center for a reception for American Education Week that introduced a new professional development effort, supported by the Verizon Foundation, to train teachers to use Thinkfinity.org, a website that offers 55,000 lesson plans and resources for all subject areas. Reg Weaver, the NEA President, was the guest speaker, and spent some time conversing with me and Another of my Einstein Fellow friends, Jennifer Berry-Rickert, from Tennessee. Oregon is not currently one of the 17 states this effort is focusing on....wonder how we can change that?
Finally, some of us are going to be working on an interagency project with NOAA, USGS and the National Park Service to revise a Climate Change curriculum for middle schools. While we were at the meeting yesterday, we had a sneak peak at the Second Life Virtual Worlds learning tool that NOAA is developing. It was awesome, and I now have a small idea of why our kids' brains are different from ours! You have to see it to believe...
Whew! I now embark on a period of relative calm, between now and when I come home for Christmas on the 20th of December. Fewer professional development activities that take me out of NSF, and more OISE work, as the IRES proposal reviews start to come in. I am ready to focus more on my NSF work as I am actually on professional Development overload! And, Julie (my sister from Seattle) comes tonight for a week, and Don arrives Wed. night to spend Thanksgiving here in DC.
I hope all of you reading this will have a restful holiday and enjoy being with your loved ones. I look forward to seeing you soon!
Ruth
It has finally turned to Fall here. After a much needed few days of downpour, the sun is out, the leaves are falling and the air is cool and crisp. All the locals are already wearing their wool coats and boots and scarves, but I feel right at home! I can walk the mile to the metro without sweat!
Let me fill you in on the last few weeks. Don came out for a weekend a few weeks ago, and we had a great time. We went to the Hopper exhibit at the National Gallery, visited the WWII Memorial, (which Don had never seen) and had some delicious meals. There is an abundance of great food here...unfortunately for me and weightwatchers! Fortunately, I walk anywhere from 3-6 miles a day. We also went to the National Archives to see the Declaration, Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Botanic Gardens, a woodwind concert at the Library of Congress, and to Georgetown. Don probably needed a vacation from his vacation!
Oh...we also had brunch with Peggy (my College roomate) and Louis and their daughter, Michelle, a senior at George Washington U. We walked along the old (1700's ) lockes along the Potomac in Georgetown.
The next week was fascinating. At work, I continue working on getting reviewers for NSF proposals for the IRES (International Research Experiences for Students) program, and attending lectures and symposia on increasing the participation of under-represented groups in STEM. I went to a House Science and Technology Committee Hearing on the issue of Equity for women in science and engineering at the university level. The data seem to show that the K-12 system is doing a pretty decent job of getting girls interested in STEM studies, but once they get their degrees, the higher ed establishment is tough on them. Medicine and biological science are the only area where women are equally represented.
One of our Fellow's Landlord works for the Woodrow Wilson Center here in DC, and he invited all of us to a conference that was put on by a charitablle organization out of LA called "Children Uniting Nations." The evening prior to the conference, we were invited to a film premier of "The Invisible Ones" directed by various international directors, including Spike Lee. Next day, we heard several speakers talking about educating children in poverty and about a program this group has going in LA for mentoring Foster Children. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez of CA spoke about her experiences growing up in Anaheim (near my hometown.) Goldie Hawn introduced several other high ranking and famous individuals. But the highlight for me was the luncheon speaker, Jane Goodall. She was so gracious and is a wonderful person. I spoke with her for a few minutes and have these photos to remember the moment. (1st one is Rep. Sanchez)
Later that night, we attended a "Gala" dinner that included Goldie Hawn, the Princess of Malawi, the King of Ghana, Tom Lantos, and entertainment by actor Jeff Daniels, and singer Chaka Khan. Quite an experience for us mere teachers! Here I am with some of my fellow fellows!
Oct. 18-20th I went to the National Science Teachers Regional Conference in Detroit, and did a presentation about NSF and the office I am working in, as well as helped man the Einstein Fellows booth to try to recruit applicants for next year. Those of us there went up to the 72nd floor of the Marriott for a view of the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair.
Last week, the 22nd -26th, was the 1st week I was actually at NSF in my office every day. It is hard to remember sometimes that this is not exactly like a job, and that about 50% of my time is for my own professional growth and development. I am so appreciative of the opportunities I am getting to go to congressional briefings, hearings, education workshops and conferences, and science and technology trainings. I was able to go back to the Archives one afternoon with a Washington group that has invited the Einstein Fellows to all their meetings and activities this year. (Federal Interagency Committee on Education =FICE) The education specialist gave us a "backstage" tour and took us through an interactive activity that they do with middle and high school students who visit the Archives. They are getting it set up so students everywhere can do it online.Very Cool!
Later that evening, most of the Einstein Fellows attended a reception in the Gold Room of the Rayburn House Office Bldg. to celebrate National Chemistry Week and sponsored by the American Chemical Society. We met and had a great time talking with Congressman Vernon Ehlers, of Michigan, who is a great supporter of science education, (he was a physics and nuclear physics professor at UC Berkeley!) Later, Ed and Lynn, 2 of our Capitol Hill Einstein Fellows, took us on a tour of their offices and the underground tunnels under the Capitol..(there is s train from the House and Senate Offices to the main Capitol building, but we needed special permission to go..another time!)
Had a quiet weekend and cleaned up a bit around the house, took my new "old lady" cart to Safeway and got some groceries to help me stay away from those fantastic restaurants for a bit, and went to an Einstein Fellows gathering at one of the Fellow's places in Virginia. Kent, from Minnesota, has his 8 & 12 year old boys with him, and we had a bit of a Halloween party with them. The rest of us get our "kid fix" from Kent boys, and they are now honorary "junior" Einsteins.
Today, my office held their annual Advisory Committee, so I learned even more about NSF and OISE. I also met a biology Professor from the U of O who is on the committee (Janis Weeks.) We discovered she has a house about 10 miles down the road from us in Oregon. Small world. I have actually met many interesting scientists, and several from Oregon and Washington, so my "network" is expanding, and hopefully that will bring some opportunities for future partnerships with LCSD and some of these academicians.
The news tonight is warning everyone to bring in their plants as the 1st freeze is predicted. It is chilly, and I may go splurge on an electric blanket! Everyone is warning me that it will get very cold in the winter. I will work at NSF tomorrow, but Wed-Friday I will be attending a Science Leadership Symposium at the National Academies of Science, including a reception/dinner Thursday in the Smithsonian Castle. It's hard to believe it will be November already! The time is flying and I am being inundated with knowledge and learning that I need to process before long. Mid November things seem to slow down and I should have time to reflect on everything I've been doing.
I am meeting up with LCSD folks in St. Louis for the National Quality Education Conference over Veteran's Day, and Julie and Don are coming here for Thanksgiving, Then, I will come home for Christmas, so if you don't make it out here to DC before then, I hope to see you all then.
Have a happy Halloween and a great Fall! Drop me a note with all the local news!
Ruth
I can’t believe how fast time is passing. I have already been here 7 weeks and my plan to BLOG weekly is already reduced to bi-weekly. I have to look back at my calendar to recall what I have been doing.
Two weekends ago, on Saturday, Sept. 29th, I went to the National Book Festival, held on the Capitol Mall. It was so fantastic. Tents were set up for various genres, such as mystery, history, popular fiction, children’s lit, thrillers, etc. Every hour a different bestselling author gave a talk and answered audience questions to a packed crowd. This event is in it’s 7th year, and it’s worth a visit to DC next fall just to come to the Book Festival. Among the authors present were Jodi Picoult, Daniel Silva, Stephen Hunter, Ken Burns, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Jack Prelutsky, Patricia McLanahan, David Baldacci, and many more. PBS had a tent with all the characters from PBS shows and books, like Arthur and The Magic School Bus. Way cool!
The next week was a whirlwind! On Sunday night, a friend of mine, the lead chemical engineer on the Arsenic Project in the lab I worked in at Sandia last June, came for a visit on her way to a meeting in Maryland. We took her luggage back to my place from Union Station, then proceeded to do the nighttime Monument tour by foot. We walked from my place all the way to the Lincoln Memorial and most of the way back….a total of over 6 miles!!
Next day, she did a few museums while I went to work at NSF. Then, Malynda went with me and most of the other Einstein Fellows to a special Sputnik Documentary Premier at the National Press Club. There we listened to a Panel including Sergei Kruschev,
Tuesday, we were invited to the U.S. Department of Education to meet the entire Shuttle Endeavour’s crew, and we had the chance to talk personally with them and ask them many questions. Barbara Morgan and Tracy Caldwell, both of the female astronauts, are wonderful role models for girls. There were also about 50 students from a local school there and the crew was great with them…very inspiring.
Later that same eveining, we were invited to the Senate for a reception honoring Senator Edward Kennedy and Congressman George Miller (Ca) for their support of education. It was pretty impressive to be in the U.S. Senate building, and to be up close and personal with a Kennedy.
On Thursday, we had an Einstein Professional Development Day at the National Academies of Science. What a fantastic experience. We had 5 different presentations and learned all about the research conducted by the academies. I did not realize that so many materials that I refer to were produced by them, such as the National Science education Standards, and many other education resources. We were taken on a private tour of the Koshland Science Museum, which is run by the National Academies. We finished off our day with a visit across the street to the National Building Museum, one of the most beautiful structures in DC.
So, you have an idea of all of the events we get to go to as Fellows, and I must admit I did not feel like I was “working: at NSF, since I was hardly there. After a train ride and great weekend visit to Philadelphia to visit Arline Toates, her son, Greg and his wife, Stephanie and son, Noah, this week is shaping up to be much more of a “work” week.
I am finally working on some proposals, called IRES (International Research Experiences for Students) and have been busy finding reviewers and learning to navigate the whole process. My proposals deal with experiences in Belize and Nicaragua, and I have another one in the Netherlands, It is an entirely different type of work than teaching, and though not nearly as hard, tough on these old eyes. Even a computer geek like me did not realize what 8-9 hours looking at the monitor will feel like on the eyes! I am continuing to learn about NSF and their procedures for reviewing grant proposals. Just having the chance to read so many proposals should help me in writing grants in the future. If nothing else, I will come away from this year an expert on the NSF format. Here is my "office" at NSF:
Finally, Don arrives tomorrow (Thursday) nite, late. I will take the Metro to meet him at Reagan National Airport and we’ll get back here by midnite. I am taking the day off Friday to spend with him (I do really miss him!) We are going to take in a few DC museums and a concert Friday night at the Library of Congress. The weather is supposed to finally cool down to fall-ish levels by tomorrow as well. Sunday, Don and I will meet my college roommate, Peggy (from Chicago) and her husband Louis for Brunch as they are in town visiting their daughter, a senior at G-dub (George Washington U.)
The next week I travel to Detroit for the Regional NSTA conference, so my next update will likely not be till I return from there on the 21st. Megan calls me tomorrow from San Diego on her return from Mexico and way to Hawaii….rough life! I miss her, but know she is having a wonderful time working on the ship, and she will come stay a few weeks in January. I hope all of you are doing well. Though I am having an unbelievable experience here in DC, I miss everyone and Oregon. See you in December…unless you come here 1st!
Ruth
Wow! What a week! I never imagined I would be so busy. Every day some new event or opportunity presents itself, and I always try to take advantage of all there is to do since I know I am only here for 11 months...and one month is already gone!
Last week, I met with a Fellow from the Japanese Education Ministry. He was finishing up a year here and then will go back to his job in Japan. I found it very interesting that his main question was "How do you get students to LIKE math and science?" I asked why he would even be worried about this for Japanese students, since they have among the highest math and science scores of any industrialized nation. He related that while most Japanese students do very well K-12, once they get to college they feel like they don't have to work hard anymore, and fewer students are choosing math and science studies.
On Friday, I attended a Briefing in the House by the STEM Education Caucus, where they described the proposed changes for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in the NCLB reauthorization. Afterwards, we went to the Triangle coalition for the Education Policy Briefing, where we learned how Federal education Policy is made. What amazed me was how much influence the Federal Policy has on states and districts when the actual percentage of most budgets from federal dollars is an average of 8%!
Over the weekend, several of us enjoyed a free and fabulous performance on a gorgeous, fall afternoon of "La Boheme" right on the lawn in front of the Washington Monument. As are the majority of the events here in the Capitol, it was free. Hard to pass up that price!
Much attention is focused on education tight now, and on STEM education in particular. On Monday, we've been invited to the National Press Club for a special showing of a film about Sputnik and how it changed education in our country. Kruschev's son is a speaker and Barbara Morgan, the educator astronaut that just returned from the shuttle mission, will also be there. And....today at 3pm we were all invited to attend a special meeting at the Department of Education with the entire Shuttle Endeavour crew! How cool is that? I will certainly try to have my photo op with them!
On Thursday we are all being given a tour and special workshop at the National Academies of Science. This fellowship is giving me so many educational and cultural opportunities, and I hope this BLOG enables me to share them with all of you in a small way. Tomorrow is the National Book Festival on the Mall and many famous adult and children's authors will be there. I especially want to meet Patricia MacLanahan, and Jack Prelutsky. A friend of mine from Sandia Lab in ABQ is coming to town on Sunday night.
Don is coming to visit in 2 weeks, and next weekend I am going to Philadelphia to visit Greg Toates, wife and baby while Arline is there. I will put up photos of Philly, where I have never been.
Hope you are all well and enjoying some good fall weather. Today it finally cooled of and the humidity left town.
Ruth
Hi Everyone,
I have been so busy that I didn't realize I haven't updated the blog. Last week I was at "Boot Camp," also known as NSF Program Management Seminar, for 4 days. It was located at a rustic resort in the Appalachian Mountains (not Smokies as I said earlier!) We drove through the Shenendoah Valley and over the river and through Harper's Ferry on our way. I now have a much clearer picture of what the National Science Foundations is and does, as well as what I will be doing this year. If you want to know more about NSF, here is a good link with a photo of the building I am in, description and a 3 minute video: http://www.nsf.gov/about/glance.jsp
This week I have been working on a briefing for the Public Affairs Office to give background information on NSF funded projects in Ecuador (mostly in the Galapagos) for a Congressional Delegation visit to Ecuador. I am becoming very familiar with using a database and abstracts. I also attended a AAAS conference for Women's International Science Collaborations and got to meet some amazing women PhD's doing International research. They presented their work and we enjoyed lovely hors d'eurves and wine!
Last weekend I went to Kennedy Center again and walked around the Potomac in Georgetown. We had a BBQ with all the Einstein Fellows at our place on Sunday, and everyone shared how their fellowhips were going. The Capitol Hill Fellows just got started, and one of them in working on the Health, Education and Labor Committee that is "marking up" the revisions to the NCLB reauthorization. Tomorrow we are all going to the House Office building for a briefing from the House STEM Education Caucus on proposed STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) changes to No Child Left Behind. Then, in the afternoon, we have an "Education Policy" briefing where will learn how Federal education policy is made.
Every day I get multiple emails with opportunities to attend hearings and briefings on Capitol Hill, Science conferences, workshops and symposia, embassy events and receptions....it is all pretty amazing. I plan to take advantage of these whenever possible. The cool thing is that as a Fellow, I am expected to learn, grow and develop this year, so I am not always "working" in the technical sense. It's extremely different from teaching, and not nearly the hard work that preparing for and working with students is! I wish all my colleagues could have the opportunties I am enjoying this year, and to that end, I encourage any of you reading this Blog to start thinking about applying now for next year. Applications open October 1st, and the deadline is usually in January. I'd be happy to help anyone interested with their essay questions!
My roomate's daughter is coming in from Chicago Friday night, and her name is Megan, too. Chris has invited me to go with them to her cousin's engagement party in Bethesda, MD. On Sunday, a group of Fellows is going to the Capitol Mall in the afternoon to view a live Simulcast of La Boheme (free) around the Washington Monument. Next week I go to a 3 day Education and Workforce Summit by the US Chamber of Commerce, and on Friday I attend an American Youth Polivy Forum on High Achieving, Low Income students.
I will add some photos to this post this weekend, so check back on Monday to see them. I hope you are all doing well. If any of you are planning to come visit, December and January, April and May are wide open. Other months I am traveling, so check on dates with me. I'd love to have visitors and you've got a free place to stay.
Keep in touch and let me know how things are going with you.
Ruth
This week was all about getting oriented, and though I have a better idea of what I will be doing, it will take some time to really feel comfortable and learn all I need to do a good job. Tuesday all 17 fellows went to the Triangle Coalition Office at the NSTA building for a day-long orientation. We heard from the DOE head guy in charge of the Einstein program and from a few former fellows, who offered up words of advice. At the end of the day, we hopped the metro and got off at Foggy Bottom, where GWU (George Washington University) is and walked down past the State Dept. to the National Academies of Science, where we had a photo "shoot" at the Einstein Statue.
Afterwards, the Triangle folks took us out to a fantastic dinner at a famous, family style Italian place in Dupont Circle called Buca di Beppo. It was great, and there is one in downtown Seattle, so if you are there, try it. Howard Dean was also eating dinner and was a little annoyed with us for being so loud when he wanted a quiet dinner...
The rest of the week I went to my NSF office and learned how to use the data base...holy cow! I really know how my students feel when I have just explained something, they say they "get it," and 5 minutes later they don't and I have to show them again. That's me now! Fortunately, everyone I am working with is kind and patient. I am assigned to the Americas group, as I may have mentioned earlier, so I am getting some data together on Brazil for a briefing for one of the guys going there next week. Thursday I was invited to tag along to a meeting at the State Department to discuss issues that NSF funded U.S. researchers have with permits and sample collections in foreign countries. Very interesting. Friday I was invited to go to a reception at the Brazilian Embassy with my supervisor and the colleague going to Brazil, but at 3pm I broke a tooth! I managed to get in to a dentist right away and he filled it temporarily. However, when I got back to work, it was clear I couldn't go as the entire right side of my face was numbed and I couldn't even talk from 4 shots of novacaine! I had to bow out this time, but was assured other opportunities will come along.
Yesterday, (Saturday) my roomate, Chris and another NSF fellow, Nicole and I went to the FREE Kennedy Center Open House,
I have only 1 day in the office this week, as Tuesday through Friday I go to NSF Program Officer "boot camp," where I am to learn all I need to know about NSF and how to do my job this year. It is at The Woods Resort in Hedgesville, WVA on the edge of the Smoky Mountains, and is supposed to be very nice. Two of the other NSF fellows are also going with me, and the other 5 go in October.
Today is supposed to be the last of the 90+ humid summer days, with 80 degrees and rain coming soon. I can't wait. If anyone doubts I am coming back next year, rest assured the weather alone here will send me back to lovely, COOL and NOT HUMID Oregon! I can't wait to turn off the air conditioning and wear a sweater!
Hope you are all well and school, work, retirement are going well.
Ruth
Well, I have landed! I arrived Monday after taking a red-eye that would have been great except for the screaming kid. It’s an easy trip from Reagan National Airport to my place. I just hop on the metro at the airport, change trains once and get off at Union Station to walk 8 blocks to my doorstep. My roommate was already settled in and raring to go out exploring with me, and some of the other fellows had also arrived, so we have done a few outings as a group to get to know one another.
Tuesday, we went on a beautiful hike at Great Falls, Virginia. It is a national park on the Potomac River, where George Washington had grandiose plans to make the Potomac into the Thames of America. A series of 5 locks were built just at the end of the 1700’s, and for about 25 years, until 1826, boats with goods did travel up and down the Potomac to what was then the frontier. The falls are beautiful and surprising. There is much I plan to explore this year beyond the Capitol.
Wednesday I had made plans to go in to my office and get my badge and meet with my supervisor briefly. It turned in to a full workday and I ended up working Thursday and Friday as well, so I guess I have officially started my fellowship. I am assigned to the Office of International Science and Engineering, which is involved in funding scientific research that involves international collaborations. I am also assigned to the Americas Group, which means I will work specifically with Canada, Central and South America, and the U.S. I actually have several “supervisors.” One for the whole OISE, one for the Americas group and another for another group I am assigned to called Broadening Participation, which will focus in increasing NSF’s inclusion of K-12 student and teacher opportunities in their funded grants.
I have much to learn, and it is quite different than preparing for 30+ students, but everyone has been very kind and helpful. It is very strange, though, to spend an entire morning researching and the afternoon reading what you’ve gathered. I have been asked to help on a database project on Latin America, and to go to the International Math Congress in Mexico next summer. One of my co-workers also invited me to go with him and my Americas Group supervisor to a meeting at the State Department, and suggested my attire be just a bit more formal than what I had worn to the office. I’ll let you know if I see anyone famous. I’ll be firming up my other travel plans this week, so then those that are planning to come visit will know when I won’t be here!
The weather has been hot and humid- normal for DC for this time of year, but finally this weekend cooled down to a comfortable 84 with low humidity, and it is supposed to be very nice all through Labor Day weekend. Some of us went to the Capitol National Symphony Concert, which is right on the lawn in front of Congress! It was a beautiful night with the Capitol at our backs and the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial in front.
One of the women who is the NASA Fellow lives in MD and invited all of us over for a Labor Day BBQ today, and on Tuesday we all go to the Triangle Coalition, in the NSTA building, for an all day (10am-8pm) orientation. Then it is to work, and exploring DC and surrounds on the weekends. The very cool thing is that most of the events and museums are all free.
Sorry this is so long. I will try to do more frequent, shorter posts. Hope everyone is well and has a good start to the school year. Keep in touch!
Ruth
Well, if you have been checking this blog since the end of June, you haven't seen anything new! After my return from ABQ (as Albuquerque is fondly abbreviated!)
I was home with Don for about 5 days! My sister, Lori, and her family from PDX and my dad from SoCal were here for the 4th of July holiday, and we had a great time at the LaDeDa parade and fireworks.
Lori and I even got our pictures in the Newport Newstimes! At the end of the week, we all headed up to their house in PDX, where Don and I left for an Alaskan Cruise. We traveled on the Ryndam from Vancouver, BC through the Inside Passage to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and College Fjord in Prince William Sound to Seward, where we stayed on the ship and turned around and came back the same way, with the exception of stopping in Haines, rather than Skagway. We did not go on Megan's ship (Zaandam,) but we had a great time and went with our longtime good friends, Roger & Cathi (Don's college roomate!) and Becky and Herman (from our teaching days in Huntington Beach.)
We had some gorgeous weather and, of course, awesome scenery and delicious food.
We are waiting to see where Megs will be for the Christmas Holiday, and if possible we will try to go on her ship to be with her, but we won't know until she gets her next contract or extension if she will stay on the Zaandam or go to another ship and itinerary. She is having a fantastic time working on the ship and loves her job. She is planning on making it her "career" for the next few years ! You can follow her adventures through her blog as well. (meggo2002.vox.com)
After we returned from Alaska, we were home for a week, and Don worked at Eddyville while I did some work for the school district, getting some workshops ready to teach in August. We then took off for DC for a week to move me in to my new abode. We took 4 HUGE suitcases filled with my clothes and SHOES....Don's airfare and muscle were a better deal than shipping! We got me settled and spent a few days exploring the neighborhood and my route to work on the Metro. I met one day with my NSF supervisors, and they gave me a 5lb. notebook to read before I go back, along with several other thick reports I printed from the web! I have been spending all my free time reading about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education in the U.S. and internationally.
My house in DC is wonderful. It is completely furnished, with sheets, towels, dishes, cookware, etc.
It is an old (1905) brick rowhouse, just 8 blocks up the street from Union Station and the Metro and Amtrak. It was remodeled and is very nice, with 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths, a spiral staircase and lovely, enclosed patio.
I will be sharing the house with another Einstein Fellow, Chris
Donovan. She is a high school science teacher from Tuscon, and her
Fellowhip is at NOAA for the year. We have about 1400 sq. ft. and 2
futon sofas in the living room, so visitors are welcome, you'll just
have to check to make sure I am not off traveling when you plan to
come!
After conducting 2 different workshops for the district with my good friend and colleague, Kristin, I have this week to finish up odds and ends, like getting Don his own home email address and organizing which bills he'll need to pay, as well as meeting with the 7th grade teacher who will be taking my place this year. I'll be heading to DC permanently on August 28th, and from then on I will try my best to post to this blog weekly, but no promises!
I am very excited about this opportunity and I appreciate all the support I have received from everyone. Stay in touch through this blog, email and my cell phone, which is my Oregon number so will be a local call from Lincoln County. (Oh, did I mention that my NEW cell phone is an iPhone? Thanks to my wonderful "baby" sister for the 50th birthday gift to top all gifts!) I know all of you will keep Don from getting too lonely this year, and that the time will fly by.
Hope all is well with all of you!
RUTH
Here is a short video that the Sandia Lab folks made about the program.
