Experience a hands-on, interactive approach that uses data collection and analysis to determine water pollution levels in area creeks and streams. Participants will perform water monitoring tests, standardize collected data, calculate a Water Quality Index Number, and determine the amount of storm water runoff on given areas of impervious surfaces.
ScienceWise Courses
ScienceWise Summer online courses for Summer 2013 are now available and registratio is open. Click here for list of courses. Visit the Science Pioneers Calender Teacher events to register online or call us at 816-460-2261.
Select a course title to view more details about the course. From the detail page you can download the course syllabus, which includes requirements for graduate credit and Missouri and Kansas standards. All are professional development courses for teachers. Courses are held at Union Station in the Training Room NW 4th Floor unless otherwise noted. 30 W. Pershing, Kansas City, Missouri 64108. Cost is $15/ 4 hour course or $45/ 12 hour course.
Download Course Schedule (PDF - 82KB)
Download the registration form
Thu, 10/11/2012 - 4:30pm - 8:30pm
Kate Delehunt
Sat, 10/13/2012 - 8:30am - 12:30pm
Sally Bell & Kathie May
Discover how the water cycle affects weather which, in turn, affects plants and shows the interrelationships between the environment and living organisms. Scientific literacy and the Common Core Standards will be incorporated into this class. Cancelled, trying to reschedule.
Tue, 10/16/2012 - 4:30pm - 8:30pm
Betty Paulsell
Use the popular field of forensic science to teach many science topics. Not only will you receive information and activities to use in the classroom but also how to incorporate many websites into the unit. This course will be in three parts of which you can attend one as a stand-alone course or attend all three courses. Laptops with wireless connectivity recommended, but not required. Concepts to explore include:
- Meet a Kansas City Crime Lab Crime Scene Technician
- How to set up a crime scene
- Photographing a crime scene
- Crime scene sketching
- Fingerprints
- Forensic websites
Tue, 10/23/2012 - 4:30pm - 8:30pm
Betty Paulsell
Use the popular field of forensic science to teach many science topics. Not only will you receive information and activities to use in the classroom but also how to incorporate many websites into the unit. This course will be in three parts of which you can attend one as a stand-alone course or attend all three courses. Laptops with wirelss connectivity are recommended, but not required. Concepts to explore include:
- Chromatography
- DNA analysis
- Blood splatter analysis
- Identification of unknown powders
- More forensic websites
Tue, 10/30/2012 - 4:30pm - 8:30pm
Betty Paulsell
Use of popluar field of forensic science to teach many science topics. Not only will you receive information and activities to use in the classroom but also how to incorporate many websites into the unit. This course will be in three parts of which you can attend one as a stand-alone course or attend all three courses. Laptops wiht wireless connectivity recommended, but not required. Concepts to explore include:
- Glass fracture patterns
- Hair and fibers
- Soil analysis
- Searching through garbage
- Even more forensic websites
Thu, 11/01/2012 - 12:00am - Fri, 11/30/2012 - 11:59pm
Scott McQuerry
Common misconceptions concerning the nature of chemistry are easily found in our culture. Help identify the most commonly accepted misunderstandings with your students so as to guide them toward scientific literacy.
*** This course is online and will run November 1-30, 2012.
Thu, 11/01/2012 (All day)
Scott McQuerry
The science behind simple machines is anything but simple to students! Become empowered with more knowledge on how to teach about the seven simple machines, their work, and how they have changed our lives.
Tue, 11/27/2012 - 4:30pm - 8:30pm
Patty Dailey
Come learn and play with basic activities for teaching weather and climate related topics and content. Discover an abundance of activities from NASA, many of which can be used in creating a "Climate Day" or event at schools. Laptops with wireless connectivity recommended, but not required. RESCHEDULED DATE.
Sat, 12/08/2012 - 8:30am - 12:30pm
Mary Coogan & Rosemary Camp
Explore DNA structure and function from the inside out. Get an overview of the structure of the DNA molecule and how it undergoes replication in the making of new cells. Delve into the process by which the genetic code is translated into proteins and also the expression of genetic traits.
Tue, 01/01/2013 - 12:00am - Thu, 01/31/2013 - 11:59pm
Scott McQuerry
There is no reason to be confused by the simplistic design of the metric system, especially in the study of force and motion. Unfortunately, many students struggle with the use of this widely accepted measuring device. Learn the tools to identify the most common misunderstandings of your students.
Tue, 01/01/2013 - 12:00am - Thu, 01/31/2013 - 11:59pm
Scott McQuerry
It is unlikely we can imagine how our ancestors survived without the comfort of electricity. But do you understand the unseen power of magnetism which drives our existence as well? Explore this and many other concepts so that you help guide your students towards mastery of these inseparable forces of nature.
Thu, 01/10/2013 - 4:30pm - 8:30pm
Ollie Bogdon
Explore hands-on life science activities as we notebook our way through several content areas. Also explore topics from Living Organisms and Ecology strands such as: adaptations and classification; disease; energy flow through ecosystems and humann impact on those systems. Activities will engage the learner and develop critical thinking skills as we practice notebooking techniques to organize our observations/findings and conclusions.
Sat, 01/12/2013 - 8:30am - 12:30pm
Karen Rogers
Experience simple, inexpensive, hands-on activities which will make teaching and learning basic concepts in earth science easier to understand and easier to remember. Concepts to explore include:
- Models of the earth (latitude, longitude, prime meridian, time zones)
- Plate tectonics (continental drift, convection currents)
- Earth's history (relative dating, radiometric dating, half-life of elements)
- Water (water cycle, fresh water, salt water)
- Astronomy (axial tilt, seasons, moon phases)
- Environmental issues- land, air, water
Thu, 02/07/2013 - 4:30pm - 8:30pm
Ollie Bogdon
Explore hands-on astronomy activities as we notebook our way through the universe. Also explore topics from Planets our Moon, to stars and other objects in the sky. We might even explore a little kinesthetic astronomy! Activities will engage the learner and develop critical thinking skills as we practice notebooking techniques to organize our observations/findings and conclusions.
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00am - Wed, 07/31/2013 - 12:00pm
Scott McQuerry
You may not have realized this, but all students of life sciences are bilingual. Besides their native tongue, they speak the universal language shared between scientists around the world. This language is not difficult to learn and by the end of the course you will master it. The language of biological classification is the key to understanding the vast differences existing between the main kingdoms of organisms.
Graduate credit is available through UMKC ($50/credit hour) or Baker University ($65/credit hour). Each online course will equal one credit hour. Payment is made directly to University for credit.
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00am - Wed, 07/31/2013 - 12:00pm
Scott McQuerry
Size is the single-most abstract concept that confuses both students and adults. The amazing connections between our cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems will be the topic of this course. However, it is not enough to be able to indentify a structure- its function must also be understood. You gain a better understanding of the structures and how they work.
Graduate credit is available through UMKC ($50/credit hour) and Baker University ($65/credit hour). Each online course equals one credit hour. Payment made directly to University for credit.
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00am - Wed, 07/31/2013 - 12:00pm
Scott McQuerry
The chemical world is a never-ending cascade of compounds breaking bonds, forming new bonds with other atoms, and breaking apart once more. Knowledge of the atomic structure is key to understanding the true nature of how atoms interact. This course will expose participants to the dynamic nature of the subatomic world.
Graduate credit is available through UMKC ($50/credit hour) and Baker University ($65/credit hour). Each online course equals one credit hour. Payment made directly to University for credit.
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00am - Wed, 07/31/2013 - 12:00pm
Scott McQuerry
Understanding how we perceive the world around us allows us to understand our amazing senses better. Within this course, participants will explore each of the five senses and how they consist of organs with specialized cellular structures that have receptors for specific stimuli. In addition, through a chapter on special senses existing within organisms other than humans, the learners will expand their knowledge of this topic.
Graduate credit is available through UMKC ($50/credit hour) or Baker University ($65/credit hour). Each online course equals one credit hour. Payment for grad credit made directly to the University.
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00am - Wed, 07/31/2013 - 12:00pm
Scott McQuerry
At first glance, the periodic table may look like a simple storehouse for the 110+ elements in the known world. A more thorough look at its structure will reveal a series of "hidden" purposes for each element's placement within this table. Participants within this course will explore how a chemist uses the periodic table to identify both similar and different properties of the elements within each of their numerous families.
Graduate credit is available through UMKC ($50/credit hour) and Baker University ($65/credit hour). Each online course equals one credit hour. Payment is made directly to University for credit.
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00am - Wed, 07/31/2013 - 12:00pm
Scott McQuerry
It is common knowledge that water exists in the solid, liquid, or gaseous state. However, many students struggle with the idea that all other compounds can change their state as well. By studying the chemical nature of what happens during a chemical change, participants will be able to expand their students' preconceptions concerning states of matter throughout the elements of the periodic table.
Graduate credit is available through UMKC ($50/credit hour) and Baker University ($65/credit hour). Each online course equals one hour of credit. Payment for credit is made directly to University.
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00am - Wed, 07/31/2013 - 12:00pm
Betty Paulsell
Explore forensics with numerous resources and website links that can help you expand your forensics knowledge and develop a unit to use in your classroom. how to set up, photograph and sketch a crime scene, identify fingerprints, analyze chromatography, extract DNA, analyze blood splatter, identify unknown powders, investigate hair, fiber and more!!
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00am - Wed, 07/31/2013 - 12:00pm
Betty Paulsell
Any science experimenet can include engineering with just a small tweak. Join us for a fun course that has lots of engineering ideas to integrate into your existing science class activities. The NGSS stress the inclusion of engineering design in science classes. You are probably doing experiments in your science class that involve engineering such as flying paper airplanes, using ramps, testing bridges, and more. Explore engineering + science with resources that can help you expand your engineering knowledge. Develop or revise activities and experiments to use in your classroom.
Graduate credit is available through UMKC ($50/credit hour) or Baker University ($65/credit hour). Each online course equals one hour of graduate credit. Payment for credit is made directly to the University.
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00am - Wed, 07/31/2013 - 12:00pm
Cheryl Turlin
Much of science necessitates the use of models; models are very useful in dealing with the various forms of science education. This course will focus on Earth and Environmental education models. Models Matter presents an overview of our home planet, from a geological perspective of changes in the atmosphere, water and rocks of Earth. Earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain building, landslides, floods, life evolution, plate motions, and life cycles interactions-- all of these processes interact to sculpt the dynamic planet where we live today. Teachers will experience online Earth Science computer models, research and create economic 3-D models for classroom use. Participants will develop models and learn how to use computer and 3-D models effectively in their classrooms.
Graduate credit is available through UMKC ($50/credit hour) or Baker University ($65/credit hour). Each online course equals one credit hour. Payment is made directly to University for credit.
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 12:00am - Wed, 07/31/2013 - 12:00pm
Karen Vaughn
Now we have to add environmental connections and saving the planet to our current curriculum...Seriously? No Problem! Wow your students with fun lessons and exciting activities that not only connect to the real world, but in addition, show them how everything is interconnected. From recycling to humans' unique interactions with the environment, you will gain materials and information to enhance what you are already teaching by incorporating environmental science. This class directly addresses the current and upcoming standards. This class is for anyone who teaches science at any grade level. Note to SPED teachers- the unique lesson in this class lend themselves to student understanding of integrated multiple science concepts.
Graduate credit is available through UMKC ($50/credit hour) and Baker University ($65/credit hour). Each course equals one hour of credit. Payment for credit is made directly to University.