Dr. Bennett speaks frequently to a variety of audiences. Click on the links below for details and to learn how to book Dr. Bennett for any of the following:
Elementary School Visits: Assemblies for children based on Max Science Adventure books.
Middle/High School Visits: Assemblies or discussions on astronomy or astrobiology.
Teacher Workshops (primary or secondary): Space science topics including the scale of the universe; relativity and black holes; and the search for life in the universe.
Colloquia for College Mathematics Faculty: A faculty seminar on "Mathematics for Life: Are You Teaching Students What They Really Need?"
Colloquia for College Science Faculty: A faculty seminar on "Strategies for Teaching Science."
Business/Corporate Audiences: Talks for the business community.
Public Lectures: Talks for the general public.
Other: Dr. Bennett's goal is to share his love of math and science with as many people as possible. If you have other ideas for engagements, please contact Dr. Bennett to discuss your idea.
Elementary School Visits
Interested in an author visit to your school?
Dr. Bennett offers "interactive readings" of his award-winning children's books Max Goes to the Moon, Max Goes to Mars, and Max Goes to Jupiter. These are assemblies in which he reads the main story (for one book) while incorporating science-based interactives and time for Q&A. Kids (and teachers) love it!
Details: Dr. Bennett generally offers two assemblies of 45 minutes each, one for lower grades (e.g., grades K-2 or K-3) and one for upper grades (e.g., grades 3-5 or 4-6). Large schools (>500 students) may request an additional assembly. Please be sure your facility can accommodate the assembly size with a screen and powerpoint projection. Note: For the most efficient use of his time, Dr. Bennett requests that schools commit to having all grade levels and classes attend his program.
"Everybody Wins" FREE School Visit Policy: Recognizing limited school budgets, Dr. Bennett offers schools the opportunity to sell books in lieu of a fee. Everybody wins because the school gets a free (or low cost) visit, kids get autographed books that they can keep, and Dr. Bennett gets the satisfaction of knowing kids will be reading his books. More than 90% of the schools Dr. Bennett has visited have qualified for the totally free visit. Here's how it works:
- Using an order form provided by Dr. Bennett (see sample), you offer students the opportunity to purchase autographed, personalized copies of the Max books at the discounted price of $15 (plus any applicable sales tax).
- Although Dr. Bennett has a standard fee schedule (see below) he will waive his entire fee if your book sales exceed a certain minimum (minimums vary with travel distance; see below). Moreover, for all book sales above the minimum, the school keeps 20% ($3 per book).
- If you don't meet the minimum, the fee will still be prorated based on the number of books sold; e.g., if you are 25% short of the minimum, then you pay only 25% of the fee.
- Contact Dr. Bennett directly for scheduling or more information. This checklist for schools that schedule visits may also be helpful.
Standard fees and minimum book orders for free visits are as follows:
Boulder County and Denver Metro Area (less than 1 hour drive of Boulder): Standard fee: $450.
Free visit minimum: 40 books.
Colorado Region, 1 to 2 hour drive from Boulder: Standard fee: $550.
Free visit minimum: 50 books.
Colorado Region, 2 to 4 hour drive from Boulder (no overnight stay):
Standard fee: $800. Free visit minimum: 75 books.
Outside Colorado Region (requiring air travel): To make out-of-state visits affordable to schools, Dr. Bennett suggests that nearby schools team up to share the visit; since a typical visit lasts 2 to 3 hours, Dr. Bennett can generally visit 2 schools in a single day:
* Single-day visit: Standard fee: $1,250 plus airfare and one night hotel (if needed).
Totally free visit minimum (meaning you don't pay for travel, either): 150 books (e.g., 75 per school if 2 schools share the day).
* Two-day visit:
Standard fee: $1,600 plus airfare and two nights hotel (if needed).
Totally free visit minimum (meaning you don't pay for travel, either): 210 books (e.g., 52.5 per school if 4 schools share the two days)
* Three-day visit:
Standard fee: $2,400 plus airfare and three nights hotel (if needed).
Totally free visit minimum (meaning you don't pay for travel, either): 260 books (e.g., 43.3 per school if 6 schools share the three days)
Contact Dr. Bennett directly for scheduling or more information. (Note: The totally free visit minimums presume that I am able to find a reasonable airfare.)
Note: For visits with an overnight stay, Dr. Bennett will be glad to add a public lecture at no additional charge.
Middle/High School Visits
Dr. Bennett is now offering visits to middle schools and high schools with the same "everybody wins" fee policy listed above; for middle and high school students, the free visit offers applies to combined sales of his books Beyond UFOs and On the Cosmic Horizon, and the books of his Max Science Adventure series. (For example, for a Boulder County school, the visit is free with orders for 40 or more books in total between all those titles.)
Program: Dr. Bennett will present an age-tailored version of his popular public talk on his book Beyond UFOs, covering such wide-ranging topics as the nature of science, the search for life on Mars, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, global warming, and why today's students represent the generation that will make the decisions that will determine the future course of the human race. Dr. Bennett is open to numerous potential program formats, but suggests a 1-hour assembly followed by a 1-hour discussion with a smaller group of students. Contact Dr. Bennett about scheduling.
Teacher Workshops
Would you like Dr. Bennett to present a workshop for teachers? He has done numerous programs for primary and secondary teachers. For primary teachers, he usually does a presentation on the scale of the universe and/or presentations about his books for children. For secondary teachers he can cover a variety of more advanced topics, including relativity and black holes and the search for life in the universe. Contact Dr. Bennett to discuss potential programs and fees.
Colloquia for College Mathematics Faculty
Dr. Bennett developed one of the nation's first courses in Quantitative Reasoning at the University of Colorado. As a result, he has spoken to faculty from dozens of colleges and universities about his course and the needs of students in general education mathematics courses. Below is a title and short abstract for his seminar.
Title/abstract: Mathematics for Life: Are You Teaching Students What They Really Need?
Make a list of mathematical skills and concepts crucial to daily life in modern society. Does it match the content of your core mathematics requirement for liberal arts students? Sadly, most college professors answer "no." Moreover, even when course content does seem applicable to daily life, many students don't seem to see the importance. We can trace the roots of these problems to two simple facts: First, most liberal arts students are still thrown into courses that were originally designed to prepare students for further work in mathematics (such as college algebra or developmental courses), when in reality this will almost certainly be the last mathematics course they ever take. Second, most of the students in these required courses will self-identify themselves either as "math phobics" (they're afraid of math) or "math loathers" (they don't like math). Clearly, such predispositions are an impediment to teaching. Fortunately, the solution to both problems is equally simple, at least in principle: Create a course that focuses on concepts and skills that your students will actually use for the rest of their lives, and teach it in a way that shows them the context and relevance so clearly that they cannot help but become engaged. The particular course that I will describe, which I originally developed for the University of Colorado, fits both the AMATYC standards and MAA guidelines for quantitative reasoning. Note: This talk is updated and adapted from an article I co-authored in AMATYC Review.
Fees/Scheduling: Please contact Dr. Bennett if you are interested in this seminar. Notes: (1) Normally I require travel expenses and any standard departmental honorarium; however, in some cases I can pay my own way if the visit is linked to a potential adoption of one of my textbooks. (2) I appreciate efforts to maximize use of my time during my trips, such as by coordinating with a science department for my science seminar or setting up an evening public talk during my visit. (3) In some cases I may also be able to make a morning visit to a local elementary school to offer a presentation on Max Goes to the Moon.
Colloquia for College Science Faculty
Dr. Bennett has developed many innovative strategies for teaching science to non-science majors and has written leading textbooks in both astronomy and astrobiology. As a result, he has spoken about strategies for teaching science to faculty at many colleges and universities, including the University of Kentucky, UCLA, San Diego State, Emory University, BYU-Idaho, SUNY-Stonybrook, Rice University, Charleston College, Indiana/Purdue, and many more. Below is a title and short abstract for his seminar.
Title/abstract: Strategies for Teaching Science
No matter whether you are teaching school children, undergraduates, or colleagues, a few key strategies are always useful. After an introduction on teaching philosophy, I will discuss five key strategies for teaching science, all designed to help non-science majors learn about the nature of science and key scientific ideas. The ideas are easy to implement and apply across the science curriculum, although most of my examples will be drawn from astronomy and physics. Note: This talk is updated and adapted from an article I wrote for Mercury, Nov/Dec 1999.
Fees/Scheduling: Please contact Dr. Bennett if you are interested in this seminar. Notes: (1) Normally I require travel expenses and any standard departmental honorarium; however, in some cases I can pay my own way if the visit is linked to a potential adoption of one of my textbooks. (2) I appreciate efforts to maximize use of my time during my trips, such as by coordinating with your mathematics department for my mathematics seminar or setting up an evening public talk during my visit. (3) I may also be able to guest lecture in some astronomy or astrobiology classes if you are interested. (4) In some cases I may also be able to make a morning visit to a local elementary school to offer a presentation on Max Goes to the Moon.
Business and Corporate Groups
Dr. Bennett is offering a new presentation for corporations and business groups, entitled “Living in the Real World: The Intersection of Science and Global Business.” The talk focuses on how a better understanding of physical reality can inform business decisions and help you plan for a better economic future. Please contact Dr. Bennett for further information.
Title/abstract: Living in the Real World: The Intersection of Science and Global Business
As human beings, we live in two distinct worlds. The first is the “real world,” which consists of our physical surroundings on Earth and in the universe. The second is the world in which we are concerned with such things as economics, politics, and social interactions — all of which are constructs of the human mind, and that would cease to exist if we humans ceased to exist. It is a simple fact that most of us spend the vast majority of our time living in the second world — the one we have invented in our minds. Virtually all business activity (with the arguable exception of the collection of primary resources) also occurs in this second world. I will not pass judgment on this fact, but it is very important to remember that this second world could not exist without the first. When we do damage to the real world (such as global warming), or fail to recognize constraints of the real world (such as limitations on resources), it is inevitable that it will also cause damage to our social, political, and economic world. In this presentation, I will give a few examples of these basic ideas, and talk a little about what I believe to be some of the most important but least recognized aspects of our real world. The overall focus is on how scientific understanding of the real world can help reshape business so it still works efficiently in human world while remaining in harmony with the real world. Click here to see a video of part of this presentation.
Public Lectures
Dr. Bennett speaks frequently to the general public at colleges, science museums, and planetariums. Currently he can offer either of the following three presentations, each lasting approximately 1 hour.
Beyond UFOs: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and its Astonishing Implications for Our Future
Is there really life beyond Earth? Astronomer and author Jeffrey Bennett will talk about why this question has become a hot topic of scientific research, and discuss how scientists are searching both for microbial life and extraterrestrial intelligence. Along the way, we'll also see why the possibility of life beyond Earth has profound implications to the future of our species, even in the unlikely event that we are alone in the universe. Children are welcome; those over about age 10 should be able to understand most of the talk, and younger children will still enjoy the pictures. Note: This talk is based on Dr. Bennett's forthcoming new book Beyond UFOs (Princeton University Press, 2008); he is also the author of Life in the Universe, the leading college textbook in the field of astrobiology. Click here to see a video of a past presentation of this lecture.
On the Cosmic Horizon: The Top Ten Mysteries in Astronomy Today
Do you enjoy the astronomical headlines, but wonder what they really mean? Astronomer and author Jeffrey Bennett will help you put it all into context with his personal "Top 10" list of the biggest mysteries in astronomy today. Along the way, he'll discuss how solving these mysteries may change our perceptions of ourselves and of our home planet Earth. Children are welcome; those over about age 10 should be able to understand most of the talk, and younger children will still enjoy the pictures. Note: This talk is based on Dr. Bennett's book On the Cosmic Horizon (Addison Wesley, 2001).
The Scale of the Universe
If you could hold the Sun in your hand, where would we find the planets and other stars? Astrophysicist Jeffrey Bennett will discuss the remarkable scale of the universe in both space and time, so that you'll see what it REALLY means when we say that something is "astronomical" in size. Note: This talk largely centers around the Voyage scale model solar system that is now a permanent exhibit on the National Mall in Washington, DC; Dr. Bennett proposed the exhibit and served as co-PI during its development.
Booking a Public Talk: Please contact Dr. Bennett for information about scheduling and fees.
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