I came across a neat resource from the University of Toronto. As an educator who lives in Toronto and a University of Toronto alumnus, I am surprised that I had never heard of it before. The resource is called The Escalator. It is an outreach site from the University of Toronto, with an emphasis on math and science.
Under the Math tab at the top there are two options: Mathematics and Fields. Click on the Mathematics link and you are taken to the University’s Department of Mathematics page. Here you can find links to math competitions, teacher resources, and other tidbits.
There are two links under the Physics tab. The Physics link takes you to information for the Physics Outreach program and the Physics Olympiad Preparation program for high school students, complete with practice problem sets. The Candac link takes you to the Canadian Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Change, which has a variety of links and information, as well as a teacher resource page. The Chemistry tab also takes you to an access page for the Canadian Chemistry Olympiad for high school students, again complete with practice problem sets. The Engineering tab takes you to a list of robotics competitions and a variety of summer programs for students in grade 5 and up.
Click on Universe under the Astronomy tab, and you are directed to University of Toronto’s public portal. Here you can video chat with astronomers and send them questions, or book a planetarium visit or speaker. There is also a link here to the Transit of Venus. On June 5, 2012 Venus will pass across the sun. This has not happened since 2004 and will not happen again until 2117. (Alternately, you can read about the Transit of Venus here.)
The resources tab has a few areas to explore, including a link to the teachers’ resource page of the Canadian Mathematical Society, which has its own database of resources to search through. The curriculum link is still being developed, so check back to see its full potential. Currently you can find the link to the Science Rendezvous for Educators site. The Science Rendezvous is what first led me to The Escalator website. It is a one-day science festival, hosted on university campuses, research institutions and community sites across Canada on Saturday, May 12, 2012. The database on the educator page is not yet built, but again, I am curious to see what will be included there.
Have a great week.
Update – Escalator links are no longer active…I think this program has been discontinued.
