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Professional Development Workshop Archive

  • Water Quality and the Environment: an international perspective

    June 25-29, 2012
    614 Social Sciences
    University of MN
    30 CEUs

    Water quality plays an integral role in our lives. Water can reflect global history, and current land and water use practices influence water quality and aquatic ecology in lakes, rivers, and groundwater. This institute was designed for K-14 educators interested in water quality to assist them in incorporating the topic into their curriculum. Current global water quality issues were explored, including how water quality is changing Minnesota's lakes and streams as well as other parts of the world.

    Through interactive discussions, hands-on activities, field trips, and guest lectures, the following learning objectives were met: (1) Develop knowledge and awareness of water quality concepts, (2) Increase awareness of resources and curriculum related to water quality, (3) Identify and examine water quality issues in local and international contexts, (4) Be equipped to apply knowledge, resources, and case studies to their current curriculum. Guest lecturers included experts on both water issues and pedagogy from Minnesota, the US, and around the world.

    Cosponsored by The Center for Austrain Studies, U of MN Title VI National Resource Centers, U of MN; Institute for Global Studies, U of MN Horst Rechelbacher Foundation and Advantage Austria

    Download the Workshop composite which will lead you to materials containing presentations, lesson plans, and resources (PDF)

     August 23rd, 2012

  • RENEWABLE ENERGY: Wind, Solar, and Biofuels in the United States and Central Europe

    Friday, January 13, 2012
    9:00 am to 4:00 pm with lunch
    302 Kaufert Lab, St. Paul campus
    University of Minnesota
    6 CEU credits, with a focus on STEM related topics

    Austria is a world leader in the development of environmental technology, exemplified by receiving the title "The Green Heart of Europe". Austria has addressed many of the concerns and issues the United States is currently facing in the attempt to develop a sustainable economy. The workshop was an opportunity to hear from Austrian experts about Austria's development of new technologies in solar, wind, and biofuels. Hans Kordik from the Austrian Embassy, Washington, D.C. and Marcel Frei, General Manager of Bachmann Electronic Corporation, U.S. division, represented the Austrian views and efforts in renewable energy solutions. Faculty from the U of MN Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering discussed the status of the technology in the United States and provided lesson plans as well as demonstrations that make the introduction of the topic relevant to the classroom.

    The workshop was created as a collaboration between physical and social science educators in an effort to broaden the approach in introducing to students the "how" as well as the "why" for investigating the use of renewable energy and examining the long-term effects on the well-being of society. We looked at the question of meeting current needs and how that will affect the needs of future generations.

    Presenters:
    Marcel Frei, General Manager for Bachmann Manufacturing, Austria and U.S.
    Hans Kordik, Counselor for Agriculture and Environment at the Austrian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
    Shri Ramaswamy, Professor and Head, Dept. of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, U of MN
    Ulrike Tschirner, Professor, Dept. of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, U of MN

    Sponsored by the Center for Austrian Studies in the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and the College of Science & Engineering, and the Institute for Global Studies at the University of Minnesota; Advantage Austria; and Horst Rechelbacher Foundation

    Download the Workshop composite which will lead you to materials containing presentations, lesson plans, and resources (PDF)

     February 15th, 2012

  • They Built America

    From Central Europe to the U.S., 1870-1940

    Friday, February 25, 2010
    9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with lunch
    710 Social Sciences Building
    University of Minnesota, West Bank

    Of the 30 million persons who migrated to the United States between 1870 and1940, the majority came from the lands of the old three European empires inCentral and Eastern Europe: Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia. Theworkshop was designed to help teachers understand some of the internationaland transnational history of the Central and Eastern European migrants, aswell as the history of the era of mass international migration to the UnitedStates.

    • James Oberly, Visiting Faculty Center for Austrian Studies, U of MN
    • Donna Gabaccia, Director, Immigration History Research Center, U of MN
    • Ann Regan,Editor-in-Chief, Minnesota Historical Society Press
    • Annemarie Steidl, University of Vienna; Fulbright Visiting Professor inHistory, U of MN

    Sponsored by the Center for Austrian Studies and the Institute for GlobalStudies, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

    Download the Workshop Composite (PDF)

    Recommended Readings on Migration (PDF)

     April 6th, 2011

  • Spatial Dynamics of Austria and Central Europe in the 21st Century: A look at the heart of Europe

    February 14, 2009
    Macalester College, St. Paul, MN
    9:00 am to 3:30 pm followed by a field trip to St. Agnes Church, St. Paul

    Topics

    • The changing map of Europe: A cultural and political geographic perspective
    • Lost in transformation: Contemporary nationalism in East-Central Europe
    • European Cities: primate cities with focus on Vienna
    • Contemporary life in Central Europe
    • Tour St. Agnes church, typifying the transference of Austrian architecture

    Instructors

    David Lanegran, Professor, Dept. of Geography, Macalester
    Birgit Mühlenhaus, GIS Lab Instructor & Mgr., Macalester
    Ian Mühlenhaus, GIS Lab Mgr & Lecturer, U of WI, River Falls
    Rhoda Hubbard-Anderson, Hutcinson Middle School
    Sharon Shelerud, Burnsville High School
    Discussion with Thomas Koenig, Austria and Benjamin Stoltenburg, Germany

    Registration fee: $30
    8 ceus

    Download the Workshop Composite (PDF)

    Lesson Plans

    1. The Changing Face of Europe
    2. Central European Population Patterns
    3. Paths of Transformation
    4. Comparing Vienna to Chicago
     September 14th, 2009

  • Ethics of Medicine: The Power to Heal, The Power to Harm

    April 11-12, 2008
    Inver Hills Community College
    2500 East 80th Street, Inver Grove Heights, MN

    Keynote Speaker: John Eyler, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
    Guest Lecturer: Eva Kor, CANDLES Museum, Terre Haute, IN: Holocaust survivor
    Panel: Marjorie Bingham (moderator), Dr. Robert O. Fisch, Eva Kor, Stephen Feinberg

    Registration fee: $50
    15 CEUs

    Download the Workshop Composite (PDF)

     May 28th, 2008

  • Exploring Austria: Multiculturalism in the Habsburg Empire

    Saturday, April 14, 2007 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
    710 Social Sciences Building
    University of Minnesota (West Bank)

    Russell Christensen, professor, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Hamline University

    Teachers earn 1 CEU in this workshop

     September 28th, 2007