The University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ at Boulder and Denver's CBS television station, KCNC-TV, are collaborating on an educational program and contest for ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ fourth, fifth and sixth grade students that will air Nov. 6-17 at 4 p.m. on Channel 4.
The series, "Convection Connection," features News4 anchor Larry Green, ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder physics instructor Michael Dubson and Alex Weaver, K-12 outreach director at ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥'s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.
"Convection happens all around us, all the time. If you understand convection, then you can understand how clouds form, how the ocean currents move, and why we see spots on the sun," Weaver said.
Convection Connection explains many phenomena in the environment with dynamic demonstrations and fun experiments that include lava lamps, silly putty, a pyramid of cheerleaders, collapsing cans of boiling water, a hot air balloon and more. All of the demos help to explain the scientific concept of convection: How the molecules of a heated fluid actually move from one place to another.
The experiments show how and why convection is found in the atmosphere, ocean, Earth's mantle and sun.
"This is the perfect age for these students to master convection. It explains so many things in the world around us, and understanding it will help them with science throughout their educations," Dubson said. "Knowledge is power, and we want to make our kids powerful."
Convection Connection posters and activity guides for the series were recently mailed to each fourth, fifth and sixth grade class in the state.
The series also has a contest component. Students will be asked to watch the 4 p.m. newscast on Channel 4, which will feature a password at the end of each lesson. They can then write in or send e-mail to News4 with the password and be entered into a drawing to win educational materials for their classrooms.
For more information, visit the News4 Web site at .
The Convection Connection series was written by ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder's Science Discovery outreach program staff. Science Discovery offers innovative, experiential programs in science, math and technology. According to Program Director Carol McLaren, Science Discovery classes, school presentations and professional development programs are designed to spark interest and advance the skills and knowledge of students and teachers. Science Discovery is a statewide program.
Links to the series, as well as the Science Discovery program, can be found on ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder's new K-12 program guide for ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ elementary, middle and high school teachers and students. ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥4K12 provides access to more than 180 ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder outreach programs, campus resources, professional development services and Internet resources for research. The Web address is .