is an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Her work at the CfA includes astronomy curriculum development for elementary schools, Internet-based hands-on astronomy activities for K-8, and science-oriented public outreach programs. She has logged over a thousand hours in Massachusetts elementary school classrooms implementing science curricular materials and giving presentations about recent astronomical events. When not engaged in science education and outreach, Tania works on the high energy astrophysics of clusters of galaxies and irregular galaxies, telescope operation and observation, science fiction writing, and archaeoastronomy.

is a computer scientist from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He specializes in image manipulation software and research development as well as being a father. This combination of skills is what brought him to conceive of this project, as he saw a need for younger students to discover the power of observation and scientific inquiry. Eric has developed several lessons and activities for elementary schools, combining inquiry with hands-on experiences. It is this spirit which fuels the Threads.

is a senior astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. She specializes in research regarding high-energy activity in clusters of galaxies using state-of-the-art X-ray telescopes. Dr. Jones spearheads many educational projects at the Center and has spent countless hours in local public schools.

is a Research Associate at Project Zero and a member of the Cognitive Skills Group. She received her Ed.D. in 1993 and Ed.M. in 1985 from Harvard University and her A.B. in Developmental Psychology from Vassar College in 1981. Tina has studied cognitive development both as a teacher and as a researcher. Her research focuses on topics at the intersection of cognition, development, and educational practice, such as the learnability of intelligence and how to help children grow to be effective thinkers. She is particularly interested in children's understanding of complex causalities and the development of systems concepts, and in how these understandings interact with math and science learning. Tina works with teachers in several school systems on an on-going basis, linking theory and practice such that they inform one another.

is a graduate student at the Cambridge University in England, studying in the department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic. His degrees in both Folklore and Mythology, as well as his present graduate work in Scandinavian and English history, have helped to add a new dimension to this curriculum. Carl speaks and reads several languages, a fact which lead him to conceive of introducing the history of words as a fascinating related topic for the Threads of Inquiry. In his spare time, Carl writes fiction, performs in musical ensembles, and lectures on the finer points of J. R. R. Tolkien's collected works.

We worked extensively with teachers from elementary schools in Massachusetts...