Inspiring Science Education Summer School -- Hi from Marathon, Greece!

Hi everyone,

At the end of April I received an email from Tom Jordan asking if I would be interested in attending a teacher workshop in Greece. I was shocked but happily accepted. It was shortly after this that Tom suddenly passed away after returning home from Fermilab. (We will celebrate Tom's life at a memorial service at Fermilab on Sunday 7/19.)

Early in the morning on July 11th I left Kansas City, connecting through Chicago and Toronto before arriving, about 18 hours later, in Athens, Greece.

Among the activities I've participated in this week, I of course must mention the excellent lectures and learning activities provided by our European hosts. I've learned about HYPATIA, a data browser for the ATLAS detector similar to the CMS browser many of us are familiar with here. We learned about several simulation softwares, have been given access to repositories and collaborations in the European teacher networks, and saw demonstrations of augmented reality. We watched the BBC movie Eddington and Einstein (optional late-night activity), visited the southern tip of Attica to visit the Sanctuary Temple of Poseidon and the Sounio port for a seaside fish dinner. We also visited the Acropolis museum and the temples on the Acropolis including the temple of Athena.

My project (as of this writing) is developing a geometric optics introductory scenario using a Google Chrome app. It's still in progress, so let me know if you want to know more (or see it on this site somewhere in the near future).

The details of the trip will have to be left to another post, as I'm working on my work product for the workshop now -- and aside from that, I want to spend as much time as possible enjoying the resort, the beach, the Aegean sea, and Greece. It's Thursday, and I already really do not want to leave!