ITHACA, N.Y. -- On November 16-17, science teachers in middle and high schools from across the Northeast joined the exploration of space as Cornell University and the Ithaca Sciencenter hosted a NASA-supported workshop to take advantage of Cornell's involvement in the Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission to explore a distant asteroid.

NEAR's primary mission is to remain in orbit around Eros for one year collecting high resolution ../../../images and other science data. Cornell astronomy department chair Professor Joseph Veverka leads the mission's science team. He is in charge of the visual light camera and the near-infrared spectrometer, two of the five science instruments carried by the spacecraft.

"We're focused on working with teachers and telling them what we do in a way they can directly convey to their students," says Cornell astronomy research associate Beth E. Clark, who taught the workshops with Kathie Hunt, education coordinator at the Sciencenter.

Titled "Using a NASA Mission to Focus Attention on Astronomy and Physics," the workshop was funded by a grant from NASA's Office of Public Outreach. The two-day event was timed so that teachers can include the material in their curricula before the NEAR spacecraft begins orbiting the asteroid Eros next February. They can then follow the information received from space with their students.

Each teacher received three meteorite samples to take back to their classrooms, along with a variety of demonstration materials including videos, slides and activity ideas. "This is very valuable, irreplaceable," was one middle school teacher's reaction to the workshop. All the teachers gave the program high marks. One stated, "This work was extremely interesting and very useful. The presenters were well prepared and helpful. I left here inspired and eager to know more." Another said, "One of the best workshops I've been to, and I've been to 15, because of the subject matter and the degree of rigor."

At the same time, it was a valuable experience for the organizers. "We were excited to work with the teachers," said Clark, "We got a window into their concerns and were able to gauge their level of understanding. It was an open atmosphere of inquiry. We challenged the teachers to develop their own way to design classroom materials. We plan to do this again."

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