Cornell University
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
April 16-17, 2013
Ithaca, New York
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Dr. Jeff Goldstein, NCESSE Center Director, is giving a public presentation as part of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, and a presentation to physics undergraduates, at Cornell University, April 16-17, 2013.
Public Presentation
7:00 pm Tuesday, April 16, 2013, Physical Sciences Building, Seminar Room 120
A Teacher’s Gift – Nurturing Exploration in Our Children
Dr. Jeff Goldstein
Center Director, National Center for Earth and Space Science Education
Institute Director, Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education
We remember that magical time when our children first begin to express themselves, that moment marking the beginning of an unending stream of questions. In our children we can see our humanity — our innate curiosity — and recognize the obvious … that we are born to explore.
We are also born evidence-based learners with a need to poke our corner of the universe in every way we can, and see the evidence it presents us. It is how we reveal the operation of nature, and how we fit into this greater landscape.
As teachers it is our charge to nurture and extend these innately human gifts, placing high value on those skills that enable human exploration – ownership in learning, joyful inquiry, critical thinking, and the ability to navigate an interdisciplinary landscape in quest of an answer. It’s not about the acquisition of knowledge … it’s about promoting journey. It is how we enable the explorer, regardless of discipline, to take the human race to places we’ve never been. And more generally it is the best gift we can give the next generation so they are prepared for the 21st century job market, and most capable of addressing myriad issues we face as a community, a nation, and a planet.
Physics Undergraduate Presentation
LOCATION/TIME
A Voyage that will Forever Change Your Perspective of Home
Dr. Jeff Goldstein
Center Director, National Center for Earth and Space Science Education
Institute Director, Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education
When we venture beyond our home and explore a greater landscape—whether it’s the town beyond our house, or a planet beyond the Earth—we gain a deeper sense of our own existence. It’s a fundamental principle of exploration. To truly know and appreciate our home, we must leave it. So to truly know and appreciate a place called Earth, we must venture beyond it, and recognize the breadth and majesty of a greater universe.
From another vantage point—we are integrally connected to the universe, and it to us—so to know the universe is to know ourselves. And while we may seem small in its shadow, beauty has nothing to do with size—for the universe is revealed with something the size of the human mind.
You’re invited to the story of our existence—a race of explorers, 6 billion tiny souls strong. It is a story that ignites wonder about the universe, and a sense of pride in our ability to reveal its nature through both human imagination and ingenuity. It is a story that humbles us, and brings a sense of humility to our lives. It is a voyage that will forever change your perspective of home.
