Northern California - Education

Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) Workshops

Each Spring we participate in Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) science workshops for young women in 6th grade through high school. This year we'll make presentations at four separate programs. More information is available below. If you are female and would like to volunteer to participate please contact Kathy Arnold, kvarnold.avs@gmail.com.

Science in Action Program

Provides a free one period session of demos and experiments in Science, for grades K through 12 in our schools. Our Presenter brings in the vacuum apparatus, to conduct the program in the individual teacher’s classroom. Since starting the SIA program, we have worked with over 43,000 students in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our intention is to pique the interest of the students in Science, and demystify some of the words of Science, such as atmospheric pressure, vaporization, gas expansion, etc.

Links For Science Teachers

• The Bell Jar –The World of Amateur Vacuum - Hints for low-cost experiments and demonstrations.
• Nanoworld For Kids -University of Wisconsin
• San Francisco Exploratorium
• San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation
• Delights of Chemistry - Univ. of Leeds (England)
• Brainpop – Animations on science, technology, and health for 5th to 8th grade
• Optics for Kids – for 6- to 12-year-olds
• A Guide to Stereograms

Be a Science Fair Advisor or Judge!

Each year the NCCAVS awards prizes for outstanding physical science entries at the Contra Costa County, Alameda County, and Synopsys Santa Clara Valley Science Fairs. 

The school and regional Science Fair season is January-April. Volunteer to be a Science Fair judge in your area. Contact our coordinator Larry Heath for details.

Visit the Fair websites for details:

• Alameda Country Science & Engineering Fair
• Tri-Valley Science Fair (East Bay)
• San Mateo County Science Fair
• San Francisco Bay Area Science Fair
• Santa Clara Valley Science Fair (Synopsys)
• Synopsys Silicon Valley Science & Technology Championship
• Santa Cruz Science Fair
• Contra Costa County Science Fair (Concord)
• Chico Science Fair
• Sonoma County Science Fair

CASE

California Association of Science Educators
Vacuum Workshop handout from 2010 presentation

More Opportunities For Science Educators

• IISME  – Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education. Summer fellowships for K-12 teachers in the SF Bay Area.
• California Science Project

Tours

We have organized tours of the Computer History Museum, the Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC), Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Advanced Light Source (ALS). If you would like to help organize a tour please contact Randy Mundt.

Visit the SLAC Virtual Tour website for a preview and map to SLAC

Workshop Demonstrations

Download a description of CSTA and EYH demonstrations and experiments in pdf format. A list of equipment and materials, the procedure, and supplemental information is included:

• Low cost Hand Held Vacuum Pump Demonstrations (pdf)
• Simple Vacuum Demonstrations with Syringe (pdf)
• Trash Bag Hug (pdf)
• Low-cost Vacuum Experiments (360k pdf)
• Bargain Basement Lung Demonstration (pdf)
• Is There Sound in a Vacuum? (148k pdf)
• Strange Effects in a Vacuum (391k pdf)
• Triple Point Experiment (296k pdf)
• Atmospheric Bar (116k pdf)
• How To Make Water Move Uphill
• Atmospheric Pressure Verses the Weight of Water

Science Teachers - Do you have a vacuum pump that needs service?
Download helpful hints and a list of vendors offering discounted services:

• Pump Help (pdf)