Science & Attitude: Solve the puzzle; Lack of Fear of Journal Articles... My Students will recognize these Ideas as Something I've encouraged.

Today I heard Angela talk about her science experience. She's a high school student like any other, paying attention to shoe fashion, for example. When Angela spoke, though, she addressed two points I often bring up to my students...even elementary school students. Angela is a great role model for other students.

Here are the two points I want to highlight.

1. When you want to know something, use the journal articles with peer-reviewed research. Even though these at first seem impossible to learn, eventually...after about the fifth article, they become easier. It has been my experience to see even 4th graders (~age 9) successfully read journal articles when they want to know.

2. When facing questions, where the answer is unknown, a scientific attitude treats that like fun, solving a puzzle, looking for a video game prize, so to speak. A challenge to go after...that is the joy of science.

Angela, though not my student, addressed these two points in an interview today on ABC. I was awed by her and I think you will be too. Here is an article about Angela. Perhaps she will save your life. Learn from her attitude. You may or may not make a major discovery, but, you may excite an interest in someone else who will. You may, however, make a discovery, solve a problem. At the very least, you will have more joy in your life.

You can go back through and look at other blog posts on journal articles found within this blog. I will go back and link some below a bit later on, or, you can use the search bar if they are not yet listed. Be sure, also, to check out Angela in the link below and online elsewhere. I hope she got a patent, too. (FYI: You might check out links on patents before making your discovery public.)

More about a Terrific High School Student:

http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-cetera/17-year-old-wins-100k-for-creating-cancer-killing-nanoparticle-2011128/

Science Literacy and Journal Articles:

http://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2010/09/say-student-found-paper-on-rotted-wood.html

http://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2011/02/more-on-birds-birds-and-science.html

Oprah, Ellen, Teachers, You and Botany...Botany 2012 - The Next Generation July 7 - 11, 2012 Greater Columbus Convention Center Columbus, Ohio

In 2008, I began e-mailing Ellen to invite her to come to the Botanical Society of America's conference. I had a harder time finding Oprah's e-mail ( Oprah’s email : oprah@oprah.com ), but wish her to come, too. In 2011, the students have picked up on that and are contacting them. It is 2012. Think about if it is now your turn.

You might ask, "Why? Why contact Ellen? Why contact Oprah?" Well, funding gets paid from taxes and taxes get spent where voters in primaries and elections want, if they are vocal. To have more botany research and more botany jobs takes more people knowing botany and its importance. How do you reach the masses? ... Oprah? Ellen?

Perhaps this activity began in fun but it has a serious side. Food comes from plants. Even if you like beef, plants are necessary. Oxygen, anyone? The air you breathe gets some oxygen from plants. The home you live in and the clothes you wear may have been dependent on plants for materials.

Botany covers many areas including, but not limited to: agriculture, horticulture, plant morphology, plant metabolism/biochemistry, biotechnology, plant pathology, plant physiology, gardening, houseplants, plant breeding, plant taxonomy, pressed leaves, pollen forensics, pollen in honey (or lack of it) indicating whether importation laws have been followed, forestry, forest pathology, urban forests, flowers, crops, international cooperation to prevent plant disease, invasive plants, environmental studies, algology, ferns, ...

Botany is the study of plants. The green revolution, sustainability, also require plants. So, let the people know the importance of botany to society. Put botany back in medical school curricula. Hire botanists at all companies using, "botanicals."

There is likely an area of botany that interests you. There are many ways we need plants to survive. Spread the word. Ask Ellen. Send Ellen an Email Ask Oprah. http://www.oprah. com/storyboard . Ask your government representatives. Support botanical research. Have doctors know, again, about the plants in the medicines they prescribe. Have a botanist at the shampoo company that has botanicals? Where is the botanist in your town government? Don't you have one defining wetlands and preserving space? The environmental impact studies need to consider plants...a major component of a healthy, sustainable environment.

For more information, contact Dr. J directly, or, look at outreach at the website of the Botanical Society of America: http://www.botany.org/outreach/ .

Oprah and Ellen, I really would like it if you would each take a group of teachers each year to the botanical society meetings. Teachers, you can come there, too, independent of Ellen or Oprah. Oprah, you are also welcome to bring some students from your school, and some American students, too. There are students here just as eager to learn as any in the World. They just need someone to believe in them. Ellen, you might enjoy plant videos... There's so much to talk about. We'll have to catch up on all the latest developments.

Botany 2012 - The Next Generation
July 7 - 11, 2012
Greater Columbus Convention Center
Columbus, Ohio

Your Special Invitation from the Program

Join the largest gathering of Botanists at the annual meeting
of these premier Scientific Societies

Botanical Society of America
American Bryological and Lichenological Society
Canadian Botanical Association/L’Association Botanique du Canada
American Fern Society
American Society of Plant Taxonomists
International Association for Plant Taxonomy

Making web pages talk...

Something to check out to help make people have more access to web pages:
BrowseAloud Download http://www.browsealoud.com/page.asp?pg_id=80004

http://www.freedomscientific.com/News/Pressroom/2011/FineReader-OCR.asp

Physics Outreach

NY Kestrel Banding 2011

George sent this in for other viewers to share:

http://youtu.be/fBFvF3aLi3g

In the News talks today about a stem cell grown trachea used in a transplant

First to Get Synthetic OrganSurgeons in Sweden have carried out the world's first synthetic organ transplant. The patient, a 36-year-old man with late-stage tracheal cancer, received a synthetic windpipe that was created in a lab using his own stem cells. The procedure could revolutionize the field of trachea transplants, making them far more accessible since it eliminates the need for a donor organ and relies on synthetic windpipes that can be created in a matter of weeks. Moreover, because the procedure uses only the patient's own cells, there is no need for immunosuppressants to prevent rejection. More ... Discuss

Source: In the News; Accessed July 8, 2011.

How can your students use the news to build science literacy? Are there words in the article that they do not know yet? Can they invent a game or play one they already know to familiarize themselves with the new words?

How about the science? What do they already know that relates to the article? Are there other activities that can bolster their knowledge? How about a Nobel Prize Site game? Let's go see...

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Botanical Society of America Meetings in Saint Louis: Patterns of Internet Use on the Science Education and Science Literacy Website: read-about-it.

Patterns of Internet Use on the Science Education and Science Literacy Website:

http://www.read-about-it.blogspot.com/

Science education plays a role in effective, "Healing of the Planet." People "wired or wireless," to the internet, are reachable by science educators. Gathering data on this use informs our e-teaching.
Developing/improving e-teaching needs data: how we use internet science sources. Data from 2004-2010 of internet use and reaction to the science literacy and education website, www.read-about-it.blogspot.com are analyzed . Data presented will include: Countries of people frequenting the site, outreach links used most often, popular topics, and how botany topics compare to other topics.
Since science outreach programs are available from numerous sources, including, but not limited to, the Botanical Society of America, NASA, and Plants Cafe, the site www.read-about-it.blogspot.com links users to these and other outreach sites. In addition, it provides discussions and tools both to encourage informal science education, botany and other sciences in the curriculum, science literacy. Such tools, provided here conveniently, foster a knowledgeable public that can act wisely to prevent/alleviate environmental problems.

Source:
http://2011.botanyconference.org/engine/search/index.php?func=detail&aid=259

Conference information:
http://2011.botanyconference.org/engine/search/

Author Contact Information:
Shipman, J

(c) 2011 J S Shipman. BSA has permission to include in abstracts which are quoted here.