Experience the Expansion of the Universe.

Sloan Digital Sky Survey Masterclass for High School Physics Teachers

8:30 am to 4:00 pm, August 3 - 5, 2009

at Fermilab's CDF Building 327 (located just east of the CDF detector building - see site map)

Register online or contact edreg@fnal.gov.
Participants will receive a $300 stipend for full attendance.

Gravity is all around us. We experience it when we drop things, or when things drop on us, or when we drop on things. We can't avoid it.

Astronomers tell us that the universe is expanding. They're really nice people, and show lots of nice pictures, but why would we believe them? And who cares, anyhow?

The expansion of the universe, and how it is expanding, is a startling statement of how much we know (and don't know) about the cosmos. You don't need an advanced degree in astrophysics to experience this expansion. Just hearing about what the universe is up to is one thing, but seeing it for yourself and figuring out the grand scheme of things is an experience you will not soon forget.

In this masterclass you will learn how to use your own astronomical observations to prove or disprove cosmological theories. With a little help from pictures from telescopes that are available on the web, we will then map out the expansion of the universe. At the end of the class, you will know not only what astronomers say about the universe but also what your own observations mean and how to guide your students to similar discoveries.