Looking at a Review Article to Engage Students in Science

Not every student puts science on the top of his or her list when it comes to captivating interests.  Yet, sustainability requires global citizens to be literate and educated in the sciences.  So, how can we capture student interest?

Perhaps you have pondered that question.  I will provide one answer (of the many available) and give an example here.  For this example, I will use a high school class level (ages 14-18), however, the technique may be modified for K (age 5) through U (age 18+-120+).

The article I have selected is one of many.  You can repeat such exercises a number of times.  I have chosen a review article as it is broader than a typical laboratory report-type article and it will therefore attract more students.  The review article selected for today:

Review
Herbal medicine in ancient Egypt
N. H. Aboelsoud
Department of Complementary Medicine Researches and Applications National Research Center- Cairo, Egypt.
           E  -   mail: neveenster   at   gmail   dot   com [modified to prevent spam]

 Accepted 8 December, 2009 

How will this article capture student interest?  Well, for one thing, Egypt has been in the news during their lifetimes, so, it is at least something familiar.  Most of them know about pyramids, for example.  If you ask them about Egypt, they will successfully have something to say.

Second-of-all, the scientist is approachable.  Aboelsoud has provided an e-mail address.  Even if students don't use it, they feel a connection with the researcher.  He uses electronic media like they do.

Wait, we haven't gotten to much science yet...  We will.  Look, we are already talking about reading a technical journal article.

But some of the students are putting on make-up (What, your students forgot lab safety rules? No.  Oh, I see, they've slipped out of the room and down the hall to the "lav" ... What better time than science to apply make-up?  At least they took hall passes and will be back soon...).

Oh, and let's get back to the article.  The citation information at the top of the page also informs us that the article is available on-line:

• Journal of Medicinal Plants Research Vol. 4(2), pp. 082-086, 18 January, 2010
• Available online at: http://www.academicjournals.org/JMP 
• ISSN 1996-0875© 2010 Academic Journals 

Good.  The students will likely enjoy accessing the article on-line, on their cell phones and newer technologies, or at the library computer.

A student that grows houseplants or gardens (or both) might find the section discussing,"Some of the medicines were made from plant materials imported from abroad," will suggest a new direction for science study: botany, economic botany, horticulture, or, even, border patrol.


Someone wishing to be a doctor might be captivated by this, "Thanks to the medical papyri, we know of many of the Ancient Egyptian treatments and prescriptions for diseases," or, " Medical prescriptions were written with high skill. A prescription usually began with a description of the medicine," or many other points in the article.  Students could compare and contrast the ancient prescriptions with modern ones, or, research new methods of treating the diseases mentioned with the Ancient Egyptians' treatments.

A history buff or someone who makes paper as a hobby might like all the descriptions of papyri.  Or, what about a map to where the plants were found and are found today, might that interest some?

Similarly, a student of ancient languages (Greek, Latin...) might also be interested in the ancient documents written on papyri and can go on to look up the science of preservation of old documents. Or, perhaps be interested in the scientific use of Latin as found in these examples:

- Acacia (acacia nilotica) - vermifuge eases diarrhea and internal bleeding, also used to treat skin diseases.

- Aloe vera - worms, relieves headaches, soothes chest pains, burns, ulcers and for skin disease and allergies.

- Basil (ocimum basilicum) - excellent for heart.

- Balsam Apple (malus sylvestris) or Apple of Jerusalem -
laxative, skin allergies, soothes headaches, gums and teeth, for asthma, liver stimulant, weak digestion.

- Bayberry  (Myrica  cerifera)  -  ...  [Many more examples are found in the article.]. 

The artist among the students may rather wish to draw the plants mentioned than study their Latin names.

The article does talk about adult topics (but many high school students do, too) so you might have to get permission from parents, guardians, schools (and caution is advised) because the article says, "The Kahun Papyrus (Ghalioungui, 1975) is a gynecological text  that  deals  with  topics  such  as  the  reproductive organs, conception, testing for pregnancy, birth, and contraception.   Among   those   materials   prescribed   for contraception are crocodile dung, honey, and sour milk (Rosalie and Patricia, 2008)."  Of course, some students' interests will be captured by these topics.  They might not have known science was so interesting.  And, the article could be a good segway to the school nurse's discussion with the students on similar topics.  Remember in high school, there are typically some students who become parents so some of their parents might like them to talk more about such topics.  Some students will laugh about the crocodile dung and some will need to be directed to their doctors for learning about safe practices, but, they will want to read more of the article.  I often worked with high school students who were between the ages of 18 to 21, so, this was less of a problem in terms of topic, but, even 80-year old students had to be guided to health care professionals for education in safe practices.

Let's get back to the students interested in make-up.  They might be interested that, "Malachite used as an eye-liner also had therapeutic value. In a country where eye infections were endemic, the effects of its germicidal qualities were appreciated (Andreas et al., 1995).  They could start a whole new interest on germs in make-up, or germicidal additions to make-up, or, what germs are, or MERSA, or...   Well, you get the idea.  Their imaginations can take-off.

Students very interested in religion might find interesting that, "Along with their strong faith in their gods, the Ancient Egyptians used their knowledge of the human anatomy and the natural world around them to treat a number of ailments and disorders effectively. Their knowledge and research is impressive still today, and their work paved the way for the study of modern medicine. The remedies used by Ancient Egyptian physicians came mostly from nature especially medicinal herbs."

A business-oriented student might see this,"A kind of what is called today Quality Control Test was  done after preparing a drug; a chemist had to test its quality," and be fascinated that there was an interest in quality control that long ago.  S/he might come up with a business idea using herbs.

Math whizzes may wish to calculate the proportion of herbs used in Ancient Egypt that are still used today, or, do further research and calculate ratios of herbs used in different formulas.

Your students will have more ideas about what interests them from this article.  Watch them come up with ideas.
Are you ready to read the article yet?  Get the point.  There are so many ways, in just this one review article to capture the imagination and stimulate greater science learning.  Your students will capture your passion, too.  Enjoy!  By the way, students might want to go on and read the articles this author cited, or, read other articles citing the review article or the articles it reviewed.  Students will also what may be a new, "genre," for them, a review article.  Soon, the whole school will be talking science.

(c)2013 J S Shipman.  Please cite any ideas borrowed from the posts here, including this one and write to the author to get written permission first for uses in text book or money making ventures.   Thanks.

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For questions on reading in and for science or any STEM (science technology engineering or math) topic, or for a science literacy workshop for faculty or students, contact Dr. Shipman.

Art and Science: What you can do with Crayons

Some students learn best by drawing.  It is amazing what can be done with crayons.  Try letting students draw what they see.  Many students will do better than I have done.  Here are my examples.

Everglades

Thank you Rachel Carson

Bluebird in Apple Tree

Mallard Pair

All drawings (c) 1992-2012 J S Shipman

Note cards available to support the blog and science education and global sustainability.  Inquiries welcome.

(c) 2012 J S Shipman

Plants not only move, they dance: Award winning La Bloomba!

In memoriam:
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/senate/inmemoriam/williamoliverbright.html

"Wishing You Clear Skies and Sunny Days" -WSP 2011

Under development...more coming...



Under development...more coming...


The Winter Star Party, long anticipated and suddenly gone, puts us back in the mood of waiting for next year's event. Still, while looking forward to next year, we have plenty of time to reflect on the night sky observations and the talks. We've had our, "Omega Centauri Fix," (Thanks, Al and Judi) , the, Best Brownies in the Universe," (Thanks, Micki), and can go back home satisfied that we had such wonderful nights, despite the wind. And as Jack Horkheimer (1938-2010)always reminded us, we can "Keep looking up."

Tippy D'Auria delighted us with, "Amateur Astronomy- Frustrations and Rewards," ...The tales of different astronomers and their observations and tools, told in a way that still makes us feel part of each spell-binding saga.

Sheldon Faworski gave us an insightful historical perspective with. 'Amateur Astronomy - through the Prism of "Sky and Telescope."' Sheldon pointed out that "Sky and Telescope" archives are available at a very reasonable price ...He showed how they would make a great addition to any school or home library.

Alan Friedman's talk, "Catching Sunlight - The Art and Science of High Resolution Solar Photography," brought us the expertise of an amateur whose photographs are featured on NASA websites and in their exhibitions. More details are found at avertedimagination.com.

Warren Keller

Mark "Indy" Kochte

Al Nagler

Donald C. Parker spoke tales of the Gas Giants in, "The Gas Giants put on a Show."

Mike Reynolds' talk, "Are [You] Sure This Isn't Astrology? Crazy Astronomy Adventures from Around the World," culled adventures from over 30 years experience in astronomy...academics (teaching and research), museum work, NASA, writing... Plenty of exciting experiences were shared.

Russell Romanella gave a talk that should call us to action: "NASA - Exploration at a Crossroad." While he spoke from his experience at NASA of all the accomplishments, he also spoke of the shuttle's last missions. Having grown up in the Space Age, Russell Romanella's talk had me glued to my seat.

I will add the following comment outside the scope of what was presented in the talk: Since we live in a Democracy, we have the power and ability to contact our elected representatives in the White House, Senate, and Congress. Space has created innovations, excitement, industries, jobs, and a national focus, a striving to be top in math and science, and many other great things. These are things we need today as much as when NASA started. Let your voice be heard on this matter: Continue our Space Exploration. You can now even, "tweet," the government, so, there's no excuse. From snail mail, to e-mail, to tweeting, and beyond, let your voice be heard.
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml.

Bob Summerfield

Keith Venables spoke on, "Preserving Dark Adaptation," and let us experiment, too. He gave us a better understanding of bright lights at night. Take a look at lights all over the World. See if you can put any lights out at night. He spoke to us of a movement to darken the night skies that began in the Netherlands and moved to the UK. He is encouraging everyone the World over to join the Dark Skies movement.

Dan Joyce is greatly appreciated for teaching the skills of mirror grinding needed for reflecting-telescope-making.

In addition, we were able to have informal discussions with ...
Matt Baum and Al Nagler who both worked on the flight simulators NASA used to train the Apollo astronauts for their safe flight to the moon and back, that is, their safe flight, descent, ascent, rendez-vous, and, what we all waited for on the edge of our seats, the return home. Matt worked on the electronics, especially the cameras and displays, while Al worked on the necessary optics.

Special thanks go to the vendors and manufacturer's representatives that provided wonderful door prizes and who participate in the WSP in many other ways. I invite them to submit their links either to me (Dr. J ) or in the comment lines below for readers to "click: at will.

• Astro Gizmos
• Astronomic's
• Astronomy-toGo
• APM Telescopes
• ATIK Cameras
• IP4AP
• Bootleg Astronomy
• Apparel
• Camera Concepts
• DiscMounts, Inc. &
• SFAAA
• Explore Scientific, LLC
• Galileo Visions, Inc
• Hamilton's Name Game
• Howie Glatter's Laser Collimators
• Infinitees
• Meade Instruments
• Micki's Kitchen
• Model Optics, Inc.
• Normand Fullum Telescopes
• Software Bisque
• Spirit of the Mountains
• TeleVue Optics, Inc.
• Vernon Scope/Yeier Optics

more coming, so come back

Make a Plant Video---Enter this contest: Chlorofilms

A WORLD-WIDE, OPEN COMPETITION FOR PLANT BIOLOGY VIDEOS ON YOUTUBETM Deadline: 10 January 2010; Enter early---> by 16 Dec 2009 for a chance to win an iPod Touch

What is Chlorofilms? A competition for new videos illustrating the remarkable aspects of plant life. Get details at: http://www.chlorofilms.org/

Actor and psychiatrist Mohan Agashe commented: "...cinema could be used for education, as it combined the audio-visual media. It had a mass reach when compared to literacy through the written word." Source: http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article53224.ece?homepage=true. Accessed Nov. 21, 2009.

We're ready for your entry!!!

Chlorofilms CONTEST NOW OPEN

Rules and Prize Information:
http://www.chlorofilms.org/index.php?module=Pages&func=display&pageid=3

Action Potential Animation, Membrane Potential Animation

http://akciospotencial.blog.hu/2007/09/20/videok_az_agybol_az_akcios_potencial

Here's a portal to a science art exhibit on birds.

http://artist-registry.stanford.edu/html/menu/Exhibit/Welcome.html

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.