ISU hosts eclipse workshop for local science teachers

It was back to school time for local teachers in Southeast Idaho on Wednesday.

Science teachers around the state were invited to be a part of Idaho State University’s eclipse workshop.

The workshop was free for teachers to attend. ISU received a $110,000 grant to be able to put on the workshop.

Though any teacher was invited to attend, the bulk of those who showed up to participate were high school and middle science teachers from the region. They got a hands-on learning experience to prepare for the eclipse and all the education opportunities it brings with it.

There were devices like pinhole cameras and sun spotters for the teachers to view the sun, a similar method that would be used for viewing and studying the eclipse.

There were other tools that showed teachers how to harness the sun’s energy and its power, such as penny melting devices and solar ovens. The penny melting machines demonstrated how focusing the sunlight intensely on one point can have an affect. The intense heat melted the zinc in the penny.

The ovens were put to the test.

“They cooked their lunch today and also made cookies,” said Steve Shropshire, a physics professor at ISU. “Many of the teachers kind of underestimated the power of the sun and they burned their cookies.”

Shropshire said the goal of the workshop was to offer teachers possible classroom teaching tools and ideas.

The teachers will collectively be gathering data that students can later analyze and learn about the eclipse. Shropshire said the goal is that they would be able to answer scientific questions about the once-in-a-lifetime event.

“For example, do animals get quieter?” Shropshire explained. “Do the birds get quieter during an eclipse? Do insects get more active like they would in the evening? What’s going to happen to the air temperature? What’s going to happen to the air pressure?”

Teachers who attended the workshop said they learned a lot and got some great ideas to take back to their classrooms.

“Because I’m a special ed teacher at the high school level, I need to be able to access the classes that they’re taking and modify it so that it’s more understandable for them,” said Brenda Thibeault, a special ed teacher at Blackfoot High school. “So the better I understand the science, the better they’ll understand the science.”

“We did some activities with stellar spectrum this morning,” said Alan Southern, a middle school science teacher. “I’m learning how to determine the composition of stars based upon the light that comes from those stars and so there’s some definite activities that I can take back and work with my students in my classroom with.”

“It’s absolutely invaluable,” Thibeault added. “I can’t even place a value on it.”

The teachers got to keep most of the devices used in the workshop, including the penny melting machines.

The total solar eclipse will happen on Aug. 21.