We are seeking three highly motivated PhD students to work within a project funded by the Australian Research Council, the Graham (Polly) Farmer Foundation and the Gravity Discovery Centre. The title of the project is
Measuring the Effectiveness of Specialist Science Enrichment Programs
Closing date is 15 December. Please forward a current CV, including contact details, academic transcripts and a cover letter explaining your interest in and expertise with any of the three aspects of the project by email to Ruby Chan (rpc@cyllene.uwa.edu.au). Applicants will be notified by 22 December.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION This research links academics interested in promoting and enhancing science education and communication from the University of Western Australia, Curtin University of Technology, the University of Glasgow, the Gravity Discovery Centre (a specialist centre for school science enrichment), and industry partner The Graham (Polly) Farmer Foundation which specializes in providing education enrichment to indigenous disadvantaged students in remote schools.
The project will make use of the extensive facilities of the Eureka Prize-winning Gravity Discovery Centre, UWAs large new robotic telescope The Zadko Telescope and university facilities at UWA and Curtin. The aim of the research is to evaluate the effectiveness of science enrichment programs delivered through the Gravity Discovery Centre in changing students attitudes towards science, student career goals and expectations as well as their science understanding.
The research will provide an exceptional opportunity for research training and collaborative partnerships within the fields of science, science education and science communication. The PhD students will be based in the Faculty of Life and Physical Science at UWA, but will be required to liaise and work with the Gravity Discovery Centre (approximately 80km north of Perth) and schools in Western Australia.
CANDIDATES Candidates could be experienced science teachers with appropriate qualifications, recent Bachelor of Science or Engineering graduates with an interest in science communication and education, or graduates of double degrees that combine science with arts or social sciences. All should have a serious interest in astronomy and physics and in working with school students. Candidates will be expected to develop education programmes, work closely with school classes and then evaluate student responses.
The PhD students will be expected to focus their research on one of three types of educational programs all delivered through the Gravity Discovery Centre as follows:
a) Specialised Enrichment: Innovative high quality programs already developed by the Gravity Discovery Centre and comparable to many enrichment programs offered by diverse facilities across Australia. These activities include both pre-visit and post-visit classroom activities and international links.
b) Motivating through Research: Students will use the Zadko telescope and interact with research students. This aspect of the program will enable students to discover new astronomical objects and to provide improved data for known objects (asteroids, near Earth objects, gamma ray bursts and supernovae).
c) Learning through Narrative: Students will use the Cosmology Gallery facilities at the Gravity Discovery Centre. Here we will focus on the story of the universe and compare cultural creation stories at the Gravity Discovery Centre with the scientific story. This unique facility is specifically designed for multi-cultural approaches to learning.
We particularly welcome applications from people with special interest in working with indigenous students, with specialised knowledge of astronomy and teaching through a narrative approach.
Coinvestigators: Prof David Blair, Prof Grady Venville, A/Prof Nancy Longnecker, A/Prof Mario Zadnik, A/Prof David Coward.
For more information, contact:
Assoc Prof Nancy Longnecker
Coordinator, Science Communication Program Faculty of Life and Physical Sciences, M011 The University of Western Australia 35 Stirling Highway Crawley, WA 6009
ph: 61 8 6488 3926 email: nancy.longnecker@uwa.edu.au
There is no point explaining everything in the universe if no one is listening to you. UWA Sci Comm student, 2009
CRICOS Provider No. 00126G
_______________________________________________ ASC-list mailing list list@asc.asn.au http://www.asc.asn.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=97&Itemid=115