Hands-On Optics - Making an Impact with Light

Call for Volunteers

Volunteers are needed to serve as Optics Resource Volunteers (ORV) http://www.hands-on-optics.org/whatishoo/volunteers.aspx in the Hands-On Optics (HOO http://www.hands-on-optics.org/home/ ) program, a unique informal science program that brings together two professional societies (SPIE - the International Society for Optical Engineering http://www.spie.org/ and OSA - the Optical Society of America http://www.osa.org/ ), and a national observatory (NOAO National Optical Astronomy Observatory http://www.noao.edu/ ) to provide a new model for informal science education activities in optics.

As an ORV you will be matched with a teacher at one of the schools on the list attached to introduce middle-school students to some fun and educational optics projects that have been designed by optics educators at NOAO. The time commitment for this project includes:

- 2 days of training on Sept 22-23 from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. each day. In Fiesta Rooms A & B of the UNM Student Union Building.

- 15-25 hours of volunteering with the teacher through the course of the upcoming school year at mutually agreed upon times

Goals of HOO

- Create links from the professional optics community to the informal science education community.

- Reach underrepresented middle school cohorts in science and technology, and connect with their parents and teachers, school districts and communities.

- Provide opportunities for the target populations to succeed in collaborative learning and problem solving through inquiry-based, hands-on applications of optical and engineering skills and knowledge.

- Increase science and technology knowledge for students, and increase awareness of optics as a discipline and career that crosscuts numerous fields.

An estimated 20 teachers at Albuquerque and surrounding area public, private, and charter schools will need volunteers to work with them. Feel free to forward this to any interested colleagues. Membership in SPIE or OSA is not required - just an interest in helping students get excited about optics!

If you are interested in volunteering for the program please contact me at 202-416-1416 or email cstark at osa dot org.

The following school still need volunteers assigned...

Manzano High School
1200 Lomas Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87112

Cibola High School
1500 Ellison
Albuquerque, NM 87114

Del Norte High School
5323 Montgomery Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109

Ernie Pyle Middle School (2 teachers)
1820 Valdora SW
Albuquerque, NM 87105

Garfield Middle School
3501 6th Street NW
Albuquerque, NM 87107

Mesa Alta Junior High School
327 N Bergin
Bloomfield, NM 87413

Rio Grande High School
2300 Arenal Road SW
Albuquerque, NM 87108

Harrison Middle School
3912 Isleta Blvd SW
Albuquerque, NM 87105

Polk Middle School
2200 Raymac SW
Albuquerque, NM 87105

Taylor Middle School
8200 Guadalupe Trail NW
Albuquerque, NM 87114

Truman Middle School- 2 teachers
9400 Benavides Rd SW
Albuquerque, NM 87121

Jimmy Carter Middle School- 2 teachers
8901 Bluewater Rd NW
Albuquerque, NM 87121

Valencia High School
PO Box 1300
Los Lunas, NM 87031

Thanks again for your help!

Chad Stark
Deputy Senior Director
OSA Foundation, Membership & Education Services
Optical Society of America
2010 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-416-1416