New Video on "Dark Matter" With Teacher Notes to Benefit Students, From Canada's Perimeter Institute

Waterloo, Canada (ots/PRNewswire) - Perimeter Institute
for Theoretical Physics (PI) is now providing the first in a new
series of in-class, educational resources designed to help high
school teachers introduce and guide students through a variety of
topics in science.

The first module on "The Mystery of Dark Matter" features a 25
minute DVD and teacher guide complete with student activity sheets
and suggested hands-on demonstrations. The full video and kit can be
viewed online at http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca and is available
to educators in a hard-copy format.

Creative and Custom Designed

Described by celebrated scientist Vera Rubin as "...
imaginative, artistic and scientifically valid," Perimeter
Explorations fulfills the number one request from hundreds of high
school teachers who attend the Institute's popular EinsteinPlus
Workshop on Modern Physics - to receive PI's lessons in a flexible,
comprehensive and simple format that can be used in classroom
settings.

John Matlock, Director of External Relations and Outreach, says,
"It was clear that educators desired content related to curricula,
but at the leading edge of scientific knowledge. They also want to
challenge their students with deep concepts, abstract ideas, and
mathematical formulas in highly visual ways. Finally, we've long
known that students can really benefit through engaging with
researchers who probe, question, and postulate new ideas. This first
module brings all of these elements together and was created from
the ground up as an in-class resource for educators."

Shedding Light on Dark Matter

Over the last few decades, physicists have discovered that
around ninety percent of every galaxy in the universe is made of an
unseen substance called "dark matter". Damian Pope, PI's Senior
Manager of Scientific Outreach, comments, "It's currently one of the
hottest topics in physics. The module provides teachers with tools
to show how dark matter was discovered, to explain why it remains a
mystery, and to share the passion of scientists who are trying to
discover what it's made of."

Over 100 international educators and researchers contributed to
the new in-class resource, "which is designed with both expert and
novice educators in mind," says Dr. Pope. Teachers can edit the
electronic student worksheets and tailor the content to individual
classes. The video also takes viewers inside various research
locations, including Canada's Perimeter Institute, as well as
SNOLAB, an underground laboratory located in Sudbury, Ontario. The
full enrichment resource includes:

- DVD - with state-of-the-art animation and indexed chapters to
stop/start as required
- Suggested Ways to Use the Module - lesson outlines
- Curriculum Links - commonly taught topics related to dark matter
- Student Activities - hands-on demonstrations and mathematical
appendices
- Dark Side of the Universe - introductory article about dark matter

Available to view and order online

This first edition in the Perimeter Explorations series was
recently unveiled to international science educators, communicators,
and policy makers at two events - including a special workshop with
Max Tegmark of MIT , Damian Pope of PI, and John Matlock of PI at the
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual
General Meeting in Boston. Following this event, a special ceremony
took place with Canada's Toronto District School Board (TDSB) after
which the Director, Gerry Connelly, commented, "As a science junkie
and former science teacher, last Wednesday was a real treat for me!
Using multimedia, string and washers, students explored the cutting
edge of scientific knowledge and shared in the passion of
world-renowned researchers." James Ball, President of the Ontario
Association of Physics Teachers, says the module "Explains the
fascinating subject of Dark Matter in a way that both engages and
educates our students . The video is professionally put together and
is accompanied by an excellent teacher resource package."

The entire video and kit of materials is free for educators
while quantities last and is fully viewable online at
www.perimeterinstitute.ca. Future modules will include lessons on
Black Holes, Quantum Mechanics, and other hot topics in modern
physics. The Institute also provides summer science camps for
students and teachers as well as a popular monthly public lecture
series that can be viewed online.

About Perimeter Institute

Canada's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics is an
independent , non-profit, scientific research and educational
outreach organization where international scientists cluster to push
the limits of our understanding of physical laws and calculate new
ideas about the very essence of space, time, matter, and
information. The award-winning research centre provides a
multi-disciplinary environment to foster research in areas of
Cosmology, Particle Physics, Quantum Foundations, Quantum Gravity,
Quantum Information, Superstring Theory, and related areas. The
Institute, located in Waterloo, Ontario, also provides a wide array
of educational outreach activities for students, teachers, and
members of the general public in order to share the joy of
scientific research, discovery, and innovation.

For inquiries, please direct:
- Outreach-related questions to Julie Taylor at
jtaylor@perimeterinstitute.ca
- Media related items, please contact Renee Ellis at
rellis@perimeterinstitute.ca.

ots Originaltext: Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
For further information: Outreach-related questions to Julie Taylor
at jtaylor@perimeterinstitute.ca; Media related items, please contact
Renee Ellis at rellis@perimeterinstitute.ca


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