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GUIDING PRINCIPLES:

Science is an indispensable tool for understanding our world, becoming an informed citizen, and enriching people's lives. In today's world, each citizen must have a solid base in the understanding of, and appreciation for, scientific concepts and their essential role in the betterment of humankind.

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GLOBAL GREENPRINT: Charting the Critical Energy Path for the Planet

An Energy Solution Summit

The Challenge:  More energy, less Carbon dioxide

Never before has humanity faced such a challenging outlook for energy and the planet. According to the Shell future scenario, this can be summed up in five words: more energy, less carbon dioxide.

The energy and global climate crises are upon us. Over the next 50 years and across the globe -- governments, NGOs, corporations, banks, venture capitalists, institutions, entrepreneurs, and others -- will spend trillions upon trillions of dollars seeking solutions.  The trillion-dollar questions we seek to answer are:  Which of these solution paths is worth pursuing?  Which are a waste of time and resources?  Which are non-trivial and which trivial?  Which are achievable and which are resource-wasting mirages?  Which combination of viable solutions will deliver needed results faster, more efficiently, and more sustainably?

Our Solution -- Gobal GreenPrint -- is a Solution Summit designed to clarify and separate breakthrough approaches from trivial ones, and determine optimal paths to success.

The Aspen Science Center will again collaborate with the The Keystone Center and Aspen Institute, using the successful results-based methodology employed in our Science & Media Summit. The process begins with the Aspen Science Center gathering a non-partisan, multi-national, multi-lateral group of the most pre-eminent scientists, leaders, and policymakers from each critical subset of the energy puzzle.  We will:

  • Vet the new administration's energy plan -- scientifically, economically, and politically.
  • Identify the most productive paths to success, necessary interrelationships, obstacles/issues, alternative strategies, and other considerations.
  • Separate out the non-trivial from the trivial.
  • Help guide policy based on a non-partisan, multi-national, multi-lateral expertise.
  • Set the global stage for climate change now.

Because this summit is aimed at producing actual GreenPrints with to-dos for our high-level participants, we will develop the agenda and attendee list over the next few weeks based on the Keystone Center's proven methodology combining expert science, careful convening, and skilled process.

  • June 27, 28 -- Closed-door Session aimed at producing a blueprint for optimal resource allocation and international efforts over the next 25 years to deliver more energy, less CO2.  The goal is to create a working blueprint for leaders in all sectors to employ immediately.
  • June 29 ---Audience-attended Roundtable at the Aspen Institute Ideas Festival, moderated by Walter Isaacson (CEO, Aspen Institute). This will feature 5-6 panelists who have partaken in the closed-door session and will have a large Ideas Festival audience.

Bringing Inquiry-Based Science to all Colorado Schools

The Aspen Science Center is collaborating with Senator Gail Schwartz, Gov Ritter, the CDE and various foundations to enact funded legislation that will make Inquiry-Based Science Kits available as K-8 model curriculum for all Colorado schools.  These hands-on kits have been used in many Colorado schools, and other states across the country, to significantly increase student's knowledge and understanding of science, excite educators to teach hands-on science, and close the achievement gap.  The Aspen Science Center is helping to spread these successes across the state of Colorado.

Physics Cafes at the Wheeler Opera House

Our Physics Cafes are always well-attended and well-covered in the media. The crowds enjoyed coffee, tea, and cookies as they interacted with young physicists who shared their subject matter expertise and discussed the educational and career paths they traveled. The connection and enthusiasm translated into more focus and commitment in the local classrooms, according to our Physics/Science teachers.

The young scientists who lead the Cafe discussions are participants in the Winter Conferences of the Aspen Center for Physics who volunteer to help make their science more accessible.  Doors open at 4:15 pm in Aspen's Wheeler Opera House on the mezzanine floor.  Mingle with the scientists as you enjoy the cafe food and beverages before they speak.  The Physics Cafe & Lecture is then followed by the Maggie and Nick DeWolf Winter Physics Lectures, sponsored by our partner, the Aspen Center for Physics.

The 2009 Schedule is:

  • Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - Biophysics - Nature's Exquisite Nanomachines: The Dynamic and Varied City Plan of Living Cells.  James A. Spudich, Stanford University.
  • Wednesday, January 14, 2009 - Condensed Matter Physics - The Small Frontier.  Donald Eigler, IBM Almaden Research.
  • Tuesday, January 27, 2009 - Particle Physics/Astronomy - Einstein Rings and Giant Arcs: Mapping Dark Matter with Gravitational Lensing.  Bhuvnesh Jain, University of Pennsylvania.
  • Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - Astronomy - Life after Stellar Death: Supernovae, Neutron Stars, Pulsars and Magnetars.  Edward P.J. Van denHeuvel, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
  • Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - Elementary Particle Physics Condensed Matter Physics.  Physics in the LHC Era.  Roger Bailey, CERN.

(HS)2

The brain child of Andover alumnae Gar and Mollie Lasater, this program is a collaboration between ASC, Andover, Colorado Rocky Mountain School and selected gifted and talented minority kids from all over the country. After a spectacular launch, it has settled into a robust, challenging and rewarding experience for all involved. The kids are learning at an accelerated pace, and are experiencing enrichment courses that we doubt exist anywhere else in combination (e. g., whitewaterrafting, glassblowing, ironworking).

The students have bonded, feel a deep shared commitment to the program, and an appreciation for the opportunity it represents. During one game where we were to describe "the worst thing and the best thing that happened to you this year," over half of the kids said that our program was the best thing that's happened to them. See "Whiz Kids" in News.

Physics-is-for-Kids BBQs and Lectures

Another productive collaboration with the Aspen Center for Physics, our BBQs are the perfect combination of fun, food, eminent scientists, and engaged kids -- we fed, enlightened and illuminated over 2100 community members this summer, again breaking last summer's record. These events take place on Wednesday afternoons during the summer on the beautiful campus of the Aspen Center for Physics; scientists participating in the Center's programs engage kids in lively discussions of science. We consider attracting over 200 kids and parents each week to learn about galaxy formation and quantum physics, given all of the competition from sports, music, Ideas Festival, jazz, etc., to be a major accomplishment!

Super Science Summer Camps

Our Super Science Summer Camps, such as advanced DNA/Genomics, feature the same cutting-edge science taught by renowned experts in their fields -- and feature some very imaginative extra features. One such feature was a real-life CSI "Crime Scene" with an officer from the Aspen Police Department, which was so convincing it panicked the Director, who thought something had gone horribly amiss!. Another feature is the mini-science fair featuring Middle Schoolers explaining how they cloned Zebra fish and created genetically-engineered, rapidly growing, glow-in-the-dark bacterial organisms.

To extend the reach of this program, ASC has decided to introduce Advanced Science Enrichment Teacher Training Seminars in the summer of 2009.

Science Fairs

The Aspen Science Center sponsored both the Elementary School Science Fair and the Middle School Science Fair, for a total of 534 budding scientists. We provided curriculum integration so the teachers could give the kids a strong background in scientific method. The result was a much higher level of experiment choice, data collection, and hypothesis/conclusion quality. A growing number of students continued on to Regional and State competitions.

The Science & Media Summit

The Challenge was:  How can Science and the Media get it right?

Our first Summit was a spectacular success and exceeded every expectation -- the group achieved the goal during the first day, and then committed to form working groups elevating science to the national discussion among political leaders, corporate leaders, and foundations. Within two days after the conclusion of the Summit, we had a listserve, a mission statement, goals, strategies, and a set of science talking points which were delivered to Hillary Clinton.

The subsequent Roundtable, which kicked off the Aspen Institute Ideas Festival, was one of the most highly-regarded plenary sessions of the Festival. Our first international press attention arrived in the form of a blog on Time's website-more is on its way!

http://timeblog.com/eye_on_science/2007/07/saving_american_science.html

The success of our first Summit launches us into our 2009 Summit, Global GreenPrint.

ScienceDebate2008

Aspen Science Center is proud to be a sponsor of Sciencedebate2008, a national initiative encouraging the presidential candidates to address their scientific policies in a public debate. More information at Sciencedebate2008.com

To learn more about these and other programs, see the Programs tabs on the left.

The Aspen Science Center is a 501 (c)3 founded to bridge the gap between science research and education.  Please help support our mission by clicking on the Donate button.  All donations are tax deductible.