We have organized tours of the Computer History Museum, the Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC), Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL)  and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Advanced Light Source (ALS).  If you would like to join us on our next tour contact Eugene Xu, Eugene.Xu@meivac.com. 

In the meantime, visit the SLAC Virtual Tour website  for a preview and map to SLAC. 

Grants Available to High School Science Educators 
        Each year we sponsor middle and  high school science teachers' participation in the AVS Science Educators Workshop at the International AVS Symposium. There is no cost to the teacher or school and funds for a substitute teacher can be provided. The Workshop will be at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Oct. 20-21, 2008 and in San Jose, Nov. 8-9, 2009.  To apply contact Della Miller, e-mail Della@avs.org or call (530) 896-0477, or click here to download an application form.

Web Sites for SCIENCE TEACHERS 

The Bell Jar –"The World of Amateur Vacuum" Lots of hints for low-cost experiments and demonstations. 
Nanoworld For Kids -University of Wisconsin.
San Francisco Exploratorium 
San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation 
Life, the Universe and Everything – jazzy animations, and activities for the classroom. 
Delights of Chemistry - Univ. of Leeds (England).
Brainpop – Animations on science, technology, and health for 5th to 8th grade. 
Optics for Kids – for 6- to 12-year-olds.

More Opportunities For Science Educators

ISSME – Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education. Summer fellowships for K-12 teachers in the SF Bay Area. 
California Science Project 
Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education. Summer fellowships for K-12 teachers in the SF Bay Area. 

Each year the NCCAVS awards prizes for outstanding physical science entries at the San Mateo County Science Fair, the Tri-Valley regional Science Fair,  the Synopsys Santa Clara Valley Science Fair, and the Chico Science Fair.
      The school and regional Science Fair season is January-April. Volunteer to be a Science Fair judge in your area. 
      Find out more at these sites: 
Tri-Valley Science Fair (East Bay)
San Carlos School District Science Fair
San Mateo County Science Fair 
San Francisco Bay Area Science Fair
Santa Clara Valley Science Fair (Synopsys)
Santa Cruz Science Fair
Contra Costa County Science Fair (Concord)
Chico Science Fair

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For the past four years we have presented vacuum workshops at the annual California Science Teachers Association Conference (above).  We will again participate at the CSTA Conference in San Jose, Oct. 30 - Nov.  2, 2008 .

Each Spring we participate in Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) science workshops for young women in 6th grade through high school. This year we made presentations at the Tri-Valley EYH Workshop (San Ramon), the San Jose State University workshop, and  the Skyline College Workshop. The  pictures above and below are from the 2004 and 2005 workshops at San Jose and Skyline. If you are female and would like volunteer to participate please contact Kathy Arnold, kvarnold.avs@gmail.com. 

Workshop Demonstrations 

Below are handouts that describe some of  the CSTA and EYH demonstrations and experiments. The documents  include a list of equipment and materials, the procedure, and supplemental information.  Click on the image to download the PDF file.

Get some helpful hints and a list of vendors who offer discounted services. Click on pump image to download the PumpHelp.PDF file.