Session 24

Seeing the Universe through a Gravitational Lens

I will present one of the hands-on inquiry-based learning activities that are being run as part of teachers summer workshops in astronomy at York University. The goal of the workshop at York University is to support educators to further develop scientific thinking in students in grades 9-12 through experiential learning. More specifically in this conference session, participants will study how light bends around a miniature model of a black hole to develop a deep understanding of the gravitational lensing phenomenon. The activity I will present can be suitable for using within the Earth and Space Science and Physics units in grades 9 and 10 science courses, as well as in grade 12 Earth and Space Science and Physics courses, using an inquiry based approach.

Biography

"I have completed my B.Sc, in astrophysics from the University of Belgrade and M.Sc. in astrophysics at the University of Toronto. I was a PhD candidate in physics at the University of Toronto (ABD). I am now in the first year of the 2-year MT program at OISE and my teachable subjects in the I/S division are mathematics and physics. My experience with students includes running science camps at the Petnica Science Centre in Serbia, working as a TA in astronomy and physics undergraduate courses, and serving as a board member and long-term judge at the Toronto Science Fair."