Famous Scientists Webquest

Introduction

The government needs a brilliant scientist to head its new department: The Scientific Masters of Applied Research and Technology (SMART). Using an amazing new technology, you can actually become another person with injections of their DNA! (This is �science fiction�!) You will be going on a job interview for this most prestigious job! You need to prepare for the interview by compiling an awesome brochure for your resume. After all interviews have been completed, the class will display the scientists who will potentially become the new National Director of SMART!

The Task

You are to create a brochure with information about your scientist. Below is a list of information you should include in the brochure:

• educational background
• previous job experience
• special interests, hobbies
• contributions to the scientific world
• organization memberships
• special honors awarded

Resources

You may use internet resources as well as IMC resources to gather information about your men and women scientists.

Below is a list of helpful websites to use for your research:

Eric Weisstein's World of Scientific Biography Features scientific Biographies by listed by branch of science, gender/minority status, historical periods, nationality, and prize winners.

Women of NASA - Women working in the Space Program are found here.

Women in Biology - Environmental, Archeological, and Biological Women in Science are found here.

Women in Science - Many different biographies are found here.

Nobel Prize Laureates (winners) Information on all winners in all categories of the prize, including chemistry, medicine, and physics.

Distinguished Women - Many different biographies are found here.

Contributions of 20th Century Women to Physics A list of 83 women who have made significant contributions to science .

Women Nobel Prize Laureates - Information about women who have won the Nobel Prize.

http://www.ask.com/� An online search engine.

Book resources at the Intermediate School Library:

Science Kelsey, Jane
Dear Benjamin Banneker Pinkney, Andrea Davis
The disease fighters: the Nobel Prize in medicine Aaseng, Nathan
Biography today: scientists & inventors series.
Contemporary women scientists Yount, Lisa
How Ben Franklin stole the lightning Schanzer, Rosalyn
The flower hunter: William Bartram, America's first naturalist
Ray, Deborah
The tarantula scientist Montgomery, Sy.

• 
  The Process

• 
  You will choose one of the following scientific fields to research:
  � Astronomy
  � Biology
  � Space/Engineering
  � Chemistry/Physics
  � Zoology
  � Electronics/Communications
  Each student will research one scientist. Choose one scientist under your category. Make sure each student chooses a different scientist within the given category. Print out the resume and complete the information about your scientist.

• Astronomy

  Caroline Hershel

  Edwin Hubble

  Maria Mitchell

  Nancy Roman

  Annie Jump Cannon

  Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin

  Carl Sagan

  Helen Sawyer Hogg

   

• Biology

  Alice Catherine Evans

  Stephen Jay Gould

  Rosalind Franklin

  Barbara McClintock

  Lynn Harper

  Myra Adele Logan

  Angella Ferguson

  Gertrude B. Elion

   

  Space/Engineering

  Eileen Collins

  Robert Goddard

  Duane Graveline

  Mae Jemison

  Laurie Marshall

  Sally K. Ride

  Lisa Shore

  Alexandra Swanson

  Wilbur Wright

  Gloria Yamauchi

   

  Chemistry/Physics

  Luis W. Alvarez

  George Washington Carver

  Irene Joliet-Curie

  Charles Hall

  Claude Shannon

  Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin

  Henry W. Kendall

  Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards

  Steven Chu

  Marie Curie

  Marie Goeppert Mayer

  Chien Shiung Wu

   

  Zoology/Environmentalists

  Rachel Carson

  Aldo Leopold

  Margaret Morse Nice

  Dian Fossey

  Jane Goodall

  Eugenie Clark

• Electronics/Communications

  John Barden

  Alexander Graham Bell

  Thomas Edison

  Grace Murray Hopper

Using the resume worksheet, complete the information as described below to assist you in completing your bibliography.

• Name: The name of the scientist you researched.
  Country of Birth: where the scientist was born
  Date of Birth/Date of Death: birthday and date deceased if applicable.
  Education: List the names of colleges attended and majors studied during college. Example:
  Pennsylvania State University - Biology Major
  Princeton University - Chemical Engineering
  Job Experience: List relevant job experience. Refer to the biographies for ideas. Example:
  United States Air Force - Aircraft Commander
  NASA - Space Shuttle Astronaut
  Awards Received: What awards has your scientist received? Refer to the biographies. Example:
  Gold Medal of the New York Zoological Society
  Nobel Prize for Chemistry
  Contributions to the Scientific World: What has your scientist done help the world be a better place? Example:
  Opened the door for women in medicine.
  Realized how dangerous pesticides are for humans.
  Interests/Hobbies: Scientists have other interests; list them if you can find what else they may be interested in.
  Miscellaneous: You may add any other interesting information to your biography. Some examples may be the following:
  Books your scientist has written
  Memberships to scientific societies

Next: Create a brochure (flyer):

Using the information from your scientist�s resume, create a flyer or brochure with the information.
How to make a brochure in Publisher

Be Creative!

This webquest is adapted from a webquest by Jackie Michelson http://www.sdst.org/sms/giftedscience/women_in_science-student.html