Thursday, September 24, 2009

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Plant Life-Cycle Video Story for Young Children

Flowering plant life cycle...based on a story by Eric Carle.

Can you recognize invasive species and what can you do about them?

---Post under development---

Evaluating news articles about science

Science in the news...Cancer Blood Tests

Neptune and Math

Sweets and Behavior

---Site under development---

Using Music to Reach Youth about Science Topics

Take Aim at Climate Change

"Yo
Hey, y'all
Let's talk about the Earth
Really Talk about Survival
We can talk about the poles where the cold is our rival
The arctic top of the world
That's people and polar bears"

Listen to all the science and motivation tucked into this music video. Can your students create science videos using lyrics and song? Can they rap? Music is another way to learn about science.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Sickle cell News...Cut death toll in half.

Link to today's news article on a sickle cell anemia vaccine for future reference.

Use science in the news to draw attention to new developments and to help engage your classes in the activities of science and their results. Also, draw attention to the international nature of science.

Can your students find real laboratory reports in refereed journal articles about sickle cell anemia?

Monday, September 7, 2009

Dimensions and Life span: "Thunder thighs" a good thing?

Todays article (from the left-hand column) for future reference is linked here.
http://in.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idINIndia-42210520090904

Consider the source when reading a science news article. Is it credible? The news is a story about science. It is not a "primary source." Remember, the primary source is the publication of the lab report by the scientist(s) as (a) refereed journal article(s).

There are other posts within this blog on, "primary sources," and on, "referred journal articles."

Do you agree or disagree with this article? Why, or, why not? Support your answer with sources and quotes or paraphrases.

Microscope lens to Telescope Lens---What do you think about that?

How-to Make an Astonomical Eyepiece out of Microscope Eyepieces
by Dane Courney 04/17/03 | Email Author

http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=365

"Heat on the Move" Convection, Conduction, Radiation

I have been asked again to include information on conduction, convection and radiation. Here are some links for planning lessons on standards involving heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation). Please also refer to earlier posts by using the search bar at the top left of the blog or clicking here.

Heat on the Move (www.powersleuth.org/docs/EHM%20Lesson%205%20FT.pdf)

Interactive Module (http://www.teachersdomain.org/asset/lsps07_int_heattransfer/)

The Biosphere (http://education.gsfc.nasa.gov/ess/Units/Unit6/U6L07A.html)

Research for High School (http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/descriptions/INSPIRE_Project.html).


You might also be interested in reading:
Einstein on Brownian Motion, by David Cassidy

http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/essay-brownian.htm. Accessed November 1, 2009.

Adapted from David Cassidy's book, Einstein and Our World.

... especially, the chapter on: The Challenge of Heat

Here's a great opportunity ....

"Prototype 21mm Ethos Eyepiece Auction

"Be the ONLY person in the Universe to own an
Authentic Tele Eyepiece
months before anyone else!"

http://stellafane.org/help/auctions/ethos21.html

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

WYSIWYG vs What You See Depends on your Eyepiece

Microscopes, telescopes, and binoculars have lenses that enhance the capabilities of our eyes. Have you thought about the lenses and the physics of light enabling the microscopy and "macroscopy"?

When using a microscope, what do the lenses do?
When using a telescope, what do the lenses do? And for a set of binoculars, what do the lenses do? Think about these questions and jot down your ideas before continuing.

What do you already know about the eye? Eyepieces?

The title, WYSIWYG---What you see is what you get (Borrowed from computer jargon)---
in fact is:
What you see does depend on the quality of your eyepiece.

Compare what you can see in a child's microscope with the photos taken from light microscopes found in a children's or college biology text book.
As a child, I wondered why I couldn't get my microscope focused like that. As a college teacher, I discovered that many students, without them knowing of my own experience, had similar experiences comparing what they saw as children with what the textbook manufacturers had printed ("as possible".) The photographers were using different lenses on their microscopes than those available on most children's--- or, even first-year college students' microscopes.

Whereas that difference, between what my microscope showed me and what the text pictures presented, led me to continue learning about microscopes, it led others to total frustration that had to be undone when they reached their "required" college science course(s). Because of this realization and because of a recent experience at Stellafane using each telescope's own lens and then using a new ocular lens from Televue on both home-made (by others) telescopes and fancy purchased telescopes, too, I decided to include a post on eyepieces. The quality of the eyepiece on any scope is a major determining factor in what you see.


--Read more: http://televue.com/engine/page.asp?ID=139---

From Astronaut to Artist: Conveying Science--- and Commentary- through Art

---Post under development---
Every child growing up when I did seemed to want to be an astronaut. As people landed on the moon, our eyes were glued to television, watching, waiting...You could hear a pin drop!

You can imagine my excitement in having a chance, at Stellafane (2009), to meet and speak to Alan Bean, fourth astronaut on the moon. What a profound effect his words and perspective had on me. Beyond landing on the moon, there is the man that knows how good it is to have changing weather patterns on Earth, "I never complain about the weather now." (How do you think a trip to the moon would change your idea of weather?) Beyond landing on the moon, there is a man whose life continued to grow and develop.

Alan Bean is now a role model for people to continue developing rather than sticking to our past glories. Sure, he landed on the moon (and we were college sports heroes, or, whatever other accomplishments we did...), but what about now? What is he (you and I) doing now?

Alan Bean has taken up a passion started in his youth but that he is now developing. He is an artist now. He was an astronaut, let's not take anything away from that for it is an accomplishment few can claim. Now, however, he is conveying through art, the science and emotions, hopes and dreams emerging from his lunar experiences. He states, "[He] is an artist."

We can learn from Alan Bean to keep our minds active and develop new passions. Through Alan Bean's art, we can share his lunar experiences and dream of strong science programs again. Through his art, we can gain an understanding of the value of fellow humans. Through his art, we can learn more about the person who is Alan Bean.

Thank you Alan for expanding our vision. Thank you for sharing in such an approachable way. Thank you for your humble attitude. I have learned so much from you.

Dr-J

Note: NASA Videos here.

Point of View and Science

Here is an article with a particular point of view: Let them eat Dust

Try reading it and then see if you can find facts to support the point of view specified in the article.

Do you share the same point of view found in the article, or, does your view differ? Can you find facts to support your point of view?

What is the main idea of the article?

Why does the article talk about dust? Starvation?

What does science have to do with the article?

Here are some hints: botany, agricultural science, climatology, meteorology, chemistry, virology, bacteriology, mycology...

Does science overlap with economics, politics and other areas? How?

Did you enjoy reading this article? Why or why not?