Year of Science 2009

Teachers and parents take note: 2009 is the Year of Science!

Several organizations have joined forces to create a vehicle through which to generate excitement about science. The project is massive, as far as I can tell, and there are an overwhelming number of ways for any one person to participate.

Firstly, you can visit the Year of Science website. It is a portal to all sorts of information on science, why it is important, how it is practiced, who practices it, and how you can be more involved in it. One of the cooler gems I stumbled across while wandering around there was the Flat Stanley Project, a simple idea with an amazing ability to help students explore worlds beyond their classroom. (The project was inspired, of course, by the Flat Stanley books.)

The organizers have also created a separate website dedicated to fostering a better public understanding of science. Although the Understanding Science website doesn’t officially launch until later this week, you can see a preview here. Teacher resources seem plentiful and I look forward to exploring this site more when it launches.

Finally, the twelve months of the Year of Science have been assigned themes:

January: Process & Nature of Science
February: Evolution
March: Physics & Technology
April: Energy Resources
May: Sustainability and the Environment
June: Oceans & Water
July: Astronomy
August: Weather and Climate
September: Biodiversity and Conservation
October: Geosciences & Planet Earth
November: Chemistry
December: Science and Healthy

In thinking of ways that I might join the celebration, I have decided to adjust my reading for the year. I’d like to explore these topics each month through the books I read, and I will share the best of them here on my blog.

So, dear readers, go forth and celebrate science. I’m off to the library in search of books about its nature and process!