CSA Teachers' Conference

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is proud to announce that the next instalment of the annual Educator Training Event will be held August 5 to 7, 2008 at the John H. Chapman Space Centre in Longueuil, Quebec. During each day of this three-day conference, educator participants and CSA engineers and scientists will explore space-related, curriculum-relevant topics at the primary and secondary levels.

This year, you will have a number of workshop sessions to choose from for the morning and afternoon sessions on each day. This will allow you to attend the presentations that interest you most and that are appropriate for the grade level that you teach. Prior to the actual event, all conference registrants will receive a list of each day's presentations and must register for those they wish to attend.

The daily workshop sessions will feature hands-on activities and presentations designed to enhance your own learning experience. You will have the opportunity to try each of these activities yourselves, facilitating their application to your classrooms. The smaller groups and number of workstations during these sessions will also allow you to interact with CSA scientists and engineers in a more intimate and individual setting, giving you access to some of the brightest scientific and engineering minds in Canada.

This conference also presents a great opportunity to network with other educators from across the country who are interested in space and science education.

This sixth edition of our annual conference, to be held at CSA headquarters in Longueuil, Quebec, will be limited based on the following number of places that have been reserved for educators from each region:

Once the allotted number of spots for a particular region has been filled all others will be placed on a waiting list and notified if a spot becomes available. The deadline for registration is April 30, 2008. Upon registration you will receive notification within 5 business days as to whether you have been accepted or placed on the waiting list.

There is a $25 non-refundable conference registration fee. Attendees are responsible for any costs associated with travel to Longueuil, as well as for their accommodations and food. Please note that your participation will be reserved once we have received your $25 registration fee and your workshop selections. The fee and selection deadline is May 1, 2008. The on-line program and options document will be made available as of April 1, 2008. If your cheque and workshop selections are not received by May 1, you will be removed from the list of registered participants and your spot will be given to someone on the waiting list. Please make your cheque payable to "The Receiver General of Canada" and send it to the following address:

Space Awareness and Learning Program
Educator Conference 2008
Canadian Space Agency
6767 route de l'Aeroport
Saint-Hubert, Quebec J3Y 8Y9

For educators from outside greater Montreal who plan on attending the conference, there are a number of subsidies available to help defray some of your cost of attending this conference. In order to apply for a subsidy, please complete the application form at: www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/educators/grants_prog.asp.

Please note that our subsidy evaluation committee must review each subsidy request and your acceptance to the conference is not a guarantee that your subsidy application will be approved.

Visit the CSA website at www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/educators/ for the registration form for this year's conference. Your workshop selections will be e-mailed to you, so please provide an e-mail address to which you have easy access, as well as ensuring that we have sufficient means of contacting you after the school year (providing home e-mail addresses and phone numbers). If you do not have Internet access please call (450) 926-4345 and we will be happy to help you with the registration process. Space is limited and you don't want to miss out on this unique opportunity to learn from the space and science experts themselves. This conference will undoubtedly help you in your quest to bring quality space content to Canadian classrooms, shaping and inspiring our scientists, explorers, and leaders of tomorrow!