KAEE’s 36th Annual Conference Call for Proposals

Theme: Creating Balance

Lake Cumberland State Resort Park

September 14-15, 2012

As environmental educators, we take a non-advocacy stance on environmental issues because our goal is to educate others and teach them how to think, not what to think. This difficult balancing act inspired the theme for KAEE’s 36th annual conference: “Creating Balance”. The Call for Proposals has officially opened and an online submission form can be found here. Please feel free to pass this on to other people if you’d like them to submit a proposal for our review. We’re always happy to hear from new people who are interested in the many sides of environmental education! Proposals are due by April 15, 2012 Guidelines for Proposals ·         Friday and Saturday Concurrent Sessions may be provided in a variety of ways including lecture, audio- visual presentations, activities, hands-on learning, experiments, discussion, and field work. ·         Connections with Kentucky Core Content and/or Program of Studies, national standards, and North American Association for Environmental Education standards are strongly encouraged. ·         If you are requesting payment or reimbursement of any fees, you must include this information in your proposal. ·         All proposals must be submitted using the 'Call for Presentations' form provided by KAEE. Electronic submissions are preferred. ·         Presenters must register for the conference in the category that best fits them (professional, student, retired, etc). ·         Proposals are peer-reviewed. Notification of acceptance or rejection will be directed to primary contacts. ·         Environmental education often has strong connections to social and economic issues.  If applicable, please provide information on the social and/or economic connections included in your presentation.  These connections may be a central or peripheral part of your proposed session. Session Format Preference: 45 minute traditional presentation - This time frame is most suitable for a 30-minute presentation, followed by 15 minutes for discussion and questions, although this may vary.  Note: In some instances, 45-minute panels may be formed comprised of two or three proposals on a similar topic. 90 minute hands-on presentation - Most suitable for hands-on sessions that deal with a single topic or program, in an interactive setting where participants can have an open discussion with the presenter. Not intended as a lecture. Forums or panel discussions with an interactive component are also suitable. 3 hours or 6 hours - This time frame is most suitable for hands-on sessions that will be conducted on-site or off-site. These sessions may also require time to travel to an off-site location. Family Activity (45 minutes) – Sessions for children will be scheduled on Saturday.  Activities should be as interactive and hands-on as possible.  Conference Strands: Environmental Education in Practice - These sessions will focus on the knowledge and skills that combine to bring excellence to the field of environmental education. We're looking for innovative learning strategies, professional development opportunities, new directions and research in EE, and unique methods of making learning about the environment relevant to adults, students, and teachers. Environmental Literacy - We're looking for sessions to give participants an in-depth look at content related to environmental issues and topics. This strand will give in-depth background information on your topic. For example, sessions may explain the science behind wetlands, discuss environmental health in Kentucky, offer instruction on how to identify trees, or investigate sustainability. Journey into EE - This strand is designed for those who are just starting their career, or those who want to learn more. Appropriate sessions will include the concepts of EE, such as alignment to state and national standards, environmental education ethics, assessment, and new ways to present material.

Light & Color in the Winter Sky

Submitted by Roberta Burnes, KAEE Vice President

Photo: Circumzenithal arc

Winter is the perfect time to watch the skies – and not just at night.  To be sure, the cooler drier air this time of year does make for clearer skies at night.  But I’m talking about daytime sky watching, and in the winter this means atmospheric phenomena.

I’m something of an atmospheric phenomena geek.  I actually have a “life list” of atmospheric effects I’ve witnessed, from double rainbows to sun pillars, and rarer phenomena like glories and circumzenithal arcs.  Once you know what to look for and when to look for it, you start noticing things that others rarely see – and some of it is pretty amazing.

Atmospheric light shows happen all the time.  Think of the colors you see at sunset, or the way sunlight creates those convergent rays when peeking through clouds (those are called crepuscular rays).  Chances are, you’ve seen many of these effects and wondered what caused them.  It generally comes down to one or more of the following properties of light: reflection, refraction, diffraction, and scattering.

People have written whole books about this topic and I’m not going to go too deeply into the physics of it here, but in case you’re interested I recommend Robert Greenler’s fine book Rainbows, Halos, and Glories.  There are several great websites on this too, including http://www.weatherscapes.com/ . 

Atmospheric phenomena can happen anytime of the year, day or night, but wintertime can be especially good for glimpsing ice crystal effects like halos, arcs, and sundogs.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Ice crystal halos

Halos are large, white rings of light that partially or completely encircle the sun or moon.  Haloes are caused by sunlight refracting through specific shapes of ice crystals in the upper atmosphere.  When you see a halo, chances are it will be located 22 degrees away from the sun or moon in any direction.  If you hold your fist at arm’s length and extend your thumb and pinky, the span between thumb and pinky will be just a bit more than 22 degrees.  The 22 degree halo is very common and can be seen practically anytime there are high altitude cirrus clouds in the sky near the sun or moon. 

Sundogs

Sundogs are very common and resemble bright spots of light about 22 degrees away from the sun on either side.  Sometimes you’ll see concentrated rainbow colors in sundogs, with red on the side closest to the sun and blue on the outside.  They occur most often when the sun is low in the sky, and are frequently associated with halos.

Sundogs form as sunlight is refracted by hexagonal plate-shaped ice crystals that have their flat faces horizontally oriented with respect to the viewer.  The ice crystals act like prisms, bending sunlight to create the effect.  A similar phenomenon can happen at night with the full or nearly full moon, called a moondog.

Circumzenithal Arc

As its name suggests, this delicate arc of rainbow-colored light appears to partially encircle the zenith – the overhead point in the sky.  It is one of the most overlooked atmospheric phenomena, mainly because one must look very high in the daytime sky to see it. 

The same milky white cirrus clouds associated with halos and sundogs often create circumzenithal arcs.  The sun must be less than 32 degrees in elevation to see them.  I always make a habit of looking up when I go outside, covering the sun with my hand to prevent glare and looking high overhead for this beautiful arc.

Keep Looking Up!

All of these phenomena can be seen year-round in the daytime sky if conditions are right.  Hopefully I’ve enticed you to keep your eye on the sky so that you, too, can enjoy nature’s light show.