Welcome to the Science and Math Education Center
The Science and Math Education Center (SMEC) is all about well... education in the sciences and mathematics! We operate a STEM - science, technology, engineering, and math educational library and planetarium. Our library has books but also activity and project kits and ideas! The staff in SMEC has been busy with obtaining and cataloging these new resource acquisitions this past year. We help students and area teachers to find their needed resources and take your collection development suggestions too. We have worked with our SMEC Advisory Committee members on several workshops and conferences - from Girl Scout STEM leadership to professional university educators who work with preservice teaching students. Our planetarium has gotten an update in both equipment and show programming. For more see the news break and visit our planetarium webpage.
We have a dedicated crew of SMEC volunteers and if you would like to spend time with us, just drop by and find out more! This past year, our volunteers have been equally divided between the library and planetarium. In the library, they do everything from re-shelving books to working on creating an invertebrate fossil set for check-out to students and teachers. We are currently working on an archeological set for check-out as well with early people's trash - from pottery shards to spent projectile points - and more modern, 19th/20th century, "trash" including broken dishes and door knobs. SMEC volunteers have helped with collecting from a significant fossil site, follow-up with labeling and photographing this newest vertebrate fossil collection, which is being placed in a museum repository for all to study. In the planetarium, volunteers have been creating scripts and shows for live planetarium presentations. Read on to learn more of what we do and who we are...
News Breaks and What's New!!
Outdoor Writers and Photographers provide scholarships - Are you or do you know a high school senior or current students at university who want to pursue study in a Kansas university in wildlife or nature-based curriculum, or even, outdoors journalism? So, check out this $1000.00 scholarship opportunity, the Steve harper Memorial Scholarship (http://www.kansaswildscape.org/Programs/Steve-Harper-Memorial-Scholarship).
Application for the Bodie McDowell Scholarship 2015-2016 is due - postmark deadline - March 2,2015. These awards range from $1000 to $5000 and are for students -undergraduate and graduate- with career goals in outdoor communications. See http://owaa.org/programs/scholarships-fellowships/bodie-mcdowell-scholarship/
Scholarships for high school seniors are available at the Emporia Community Foundation
http://www.emporiacf.org/#!scholarships/cm8n - due May 1
Rock Mountain Outdoor Writers and Photographers - Scott-McKenna Memorial Scholarship applications must be postmarked by May 30th. See http://rmowp.org/scholarship-fund/
Planetarium - Wow, Peterson Planetarium is getting an update! ...and it is nearly finished!!
Duties for the director of the Science & Math Education Center include Peterson Planetarium. After a long year of trying to keep the unpredictable, failing equipment repaired, we received funding support from Emporia State University! These funds allowed us to upgrade the planetarium by choosing Ash Enterprise. Workers were here in October 2014 and back in November for some electrical improvements. For a summary of Peterson Planetarium, past and present, visit our special events page, http://www.emporia.edu/scimath/events2014.html and coming soon will be a listing of our new video show selections, Peterson Planetarium. Grand opening is coming in January with the beginning of a new year and spring semester!
Our Purpose
Search our Collection
Our Hours, Location, & Contact
Our Staff
2014 Special Events - Summary of Peterson Planetarium
Past and Present
2013 Special Events
Our Governance & Advisory Board
Our Mission & History
The Kansas Science Teacher
Our Purpose
The Emporia State University Science and Mathematics Education Center (SMEC) serves students, faculty, and area teachers! This STEM Center includes library resources, planetarium programs, and educational outreach. We have a plethora of K-12 physical sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics resources in formats including kits for classroom use, teacher resource books, student activity books, literature books, textbooks, professional materials, assessment resources, audio-video & interactive white board DVDs.
We are committed to the improvement of pre-service and in-service preparation for teaching. These services include dissemination of curriculum materials, hands-on outreach activities, staff development, research within school districts, state-wide research, and science and mathematics curriculum development.
SMEC is supported financially with funding from donations as well as the Departments of Biology, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences as well as the The Teachers College. Our resource center is open to the ESU community as well as the greater Emporia and surrounding communities* for your use. While we are not funded by the main library, our 10,000 available items complement the University Libraries & Archives collection. This win-win situation means our resources can be searched in the Center and by using the Kellogg on-line catalog.
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* If you are not currently an ESU student, staff, or faculty, then you need to obtain a Kansas Resident Card to check out our resources. The KRC is available at ESU White Library circulation desk (see campus map for White Library or WL location). What do you need to bring? A Kansas drivers license or official Kansas photo id card and $20.00 per year. Thanks for supporting us!!
Our Hours, Location, & Contact
The semester break will mean SMEC honors ESU closing between Christmas Eve, 12:01pm until January 5, 2015. At that time, we will have limited access... Holiday Schedule: SMEC will remain open until December 19. Beyond that date, you can still have access by dropping into the Physical Science Main Office (SH 133). See you again in 2015!
| Hours: | Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm & by appointment-in summer! |
| Location: | Science Hall 177 |
| Phone: | 620-341-5636 |
| Email: | scimathc@emporia.edu |
| Mail: | Emporia State University, SMEC |
| Campus Box 4030 | |
| 1 Kellogg CR | |
| Emporia, KS 66801-5415 |
Our Staff
SMEC and Planetarium Staff for Spring Semester 2015
Back row, left to right: Lizeth Magana; Rhyan Sawyer; Susie Aber, Director.
Front row: Chris Hayen; Bryan Longwell; Sarah Noller. Christian Lollar is also on staff and is pictured below.
Planetarum Staff - October-December 2014 - left to right> Chris Hayen, Lizeth Magana, Rhyan Sawyer,
Alyssa Floro, Bryan Longwell
SMEC Staff - September 2014 - Sarah Noller, Christian Lollar, Bryan Longwell
October 2013-May 2014
August-October 2013
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SMEC Director Susan Aber, PhD (620.341.5636) Lecturer, Earth Science, Emporia State University |
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Graduate Student Assistant, Biology & Chemistry Resource Coordinator Sarah Noller Graduate Student, MS Candidate, Biological Sciences, Emporia State University |
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Student Assistant, Astronomy & Physics Resource Coordinator Rhyan Sawyer Undergraduate, BS Candidate, Physical Science, Pre-Engineering, Emporia State University |
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Student Assistant, Astronomy & Physics Resource Coordinator Lizeth Magana Undergraduate, BS Candidate, Physical Science, Pre-Engineering, Emporia State University |
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Student Assistant, Planetarium Christopher Hayen Undergraduate, BS Candidate, Physical Science, Pre-Engineering, Emporia State University |
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Graduate Student Assistant, Earth & Physical Sciences Resource Coordinator Bryan Longwell Graduate, MS Candidate, Earth Science Emporia State University |
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Student Assistant, LibGuide Creator, Math Resource Coordinator Christian Lollar Undergraduate, BS Candidate, Earth Science, Emporia State University |
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Student Assistant, SMEC & Planetarium, Chemistry Resource Coordinator |
Latest update 2/17/2015.