Imagine taking a workshop to learn the chemistry behind making perfume. Consider listening to a presentation on how to teach physics through sports. These workshops and presentations will be among the hundreds of sessions science educators can participate in at NSTA’s 56th National Conference on Science Education in Boston.

The conference will begin on Thursday, March 27, and will end on Sunday, March 30. Registration and sessions will be held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Sessions will also take place at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, the Seaport Hotel and Seaport World Trade Center, and the Westin Boston Waterfront.

Attendees can select the workshops or presentations they want to participate in based on a variety of disciplines. Sessions will focus on biology, chemistry, Earth science, environmental science, and physics.

A sample list of workshops and presentations appears below. For more information, visit the Boston web pages.

Biology

• DNA on a Budget. Attendees will learn how to isolate DNA from a banana using everyday household items. Other strategies for teaching DNA on a limited budget will also be presented.
• Journey Into the Jungle: Are You Ready to Join an Expedition Into the Amazing World of the Steaming Hot Rainforest? Attendees will learn about the animals and their prey found in a rainforest. They will build a vocabulary Kapok tree to learn the parts of speech, all while creating anthills and transforming them into a virtual anteater.
• Bugs and Scrubs: Hands-On Activities to Teach Disease Concepts. Attendees will learn about hands-on activities, virtual activities, and online resources to teach students about fundamental and novel disease concepts. Participants will receive a free CD of materials.
• The Case for Evolution: The Dover, Pennsylvania, Trial. Key participants in the trial that pitted evolution against intelligent design will share their perspectives. A clip from a new film that recreates the trial will be shown.

Chemistry

• Pondering Perplexing Polymers. Attendees will learn about six demonstrations that illustrate properties of polymers.
• Exploring Spectroscopy and the Interaction of Light With Atoms. Through explorations with downloadable computer software, attendees will be shown how to teach new chemistry students quantum concepts using anchoring analogies from classical systems.
• Science—It’s a GIRL Thing: The Chemistry of Perfume! Attendees will learn how to engage girls in science by taking a journey through the chemistry, history, and art of perfumes. Each attendee will leave the session with his or her own perfume.
• AP Chemistry Teachers’ Open Forum. Attendees can join Advanced Placement (AP) chemistry teachers and members of the AP Chemistry Test Development Committee for a discussion of the 2007 exam, AP audit, AP chemistry redesign, and other issues or concerns.

Earth Science

• Tsunami! Understanding the Generation, Propagation, and Hazards of Tsunamis. Attendees will explore the December 26, 2004, Indonesian tsunami and engage in a hands-on activity using an inexpensive, easy-to-construct wave tank to understand tsunami generation, propagation, and hazards.
• Shark Teeth in the Classroom: Take a Bite Out of Time. Attendees will work with fossilized teeth/plates as a way to learn how an object can engage students, enliven instruction, and ensure learning.
• Every Pebble Tells a Story. Activities will be presented to help attendees learn about minerals and rocks, the rock cycle, and inferring the geological history of a rock sample through the use of creative writing.
• Creating and Using Solar Ovens.
  Attendees will discover how to research, design, build, and use solar ovens to teach heat properties and introduce renewable energies.

Environmental Science

• Are You Wearing It? It’s California Cotton. Attendees will dissect a cotton ball, twist lint to form a thread, integrate cotton with other disciplines, and learn about the future of cotton.
• Oceans Without Borders Sequel. Attendees will engage in a roundtable discussion to share best practices related to environmental research and the use of technology to enhance science instruction.
• Podcasting the Rio Grande. Capitalizing on students’ interest in audio technology, attendees will hear about a project that incorporates MP3 players/recorders and GPS to communicate the results of a water monitoring program via podcasting and websites.
• Truth and Consequences: Global Warming Is Really Here! Attendees will learn about symptoms, science, solutions, and classroom lessons concerning global warming.

Physics

• Slippery Slope: A Physics Ski Lab on the Slopes or in the Classroom. Attendees will see how students can collect and analyze data from a ski trip. A discussion of how similar topics can be studied at school by performing a classroom slopes lab will also be held.
• Paper Propulsion: Air-Powered Rocketry for Any Physics Classroom. Attendees will learn how to teach physics using air-powered paper rockets that are safe for any skill level or budget.
• Can You Solve the Unknown Circuit? By actively experimenting with bulbs, attendees will determine the way a circuit is wired and draw a schematic showing the connections of bulbs, wires, and batteries.
• Classroom Construction Zone: Using Mousetrap Cars to Teach Force and Motion. Attendees will learn how to construct simple mousetrap cars and use these vehicles to apply and discover concepts in force and motion.