Curiosity and The First Day of School

Most of the time, people are resistant to change. We like the comfortable, "I have this down" feeling that comes with time and repeated experiences. 

I was thinking about this aversion to change while sitting in the slowed traffic that comes with the start back to school. I drive past 2 schools on my way to work, so I get to see eager students in their new clothes saying good-bye to caring, committed, and/or harried parents trying to get to work on time.

Well, okay maybe the older students are not so eager. But mostly, the young ones are excited to see friends they missed over the summer months. 

Why aren't they all equally excited?

I believe young children are still mostly information sponges. They ask why a million times a day (or so it seems). Change is their watchword, their motto, their way of life. It isn't until much later - after a few failures or someone older said an idea was impossible - that curiosity dims and change becomes something to be avoided. 

So the next time you talk with friends, parents, and colleagues, think about that. Curiosity is important! We need to nurture and celebrate it not just on the first day of school, but every day. Curiosity and asking why are the foundation of the scientific method. Go Science!

Congrats Peggy Whitson!

As you might remember, I worked at NASA-Johnson Space Center for several years and was privileged to know and work alongside incredibly talented and courageous scientists, engineers, computer scientists and astronauts. One of those was Peggy Whitson who now holds the longest total combined time in space of any human. Peggy is a huge supporter of STEM education and all it offers. Check out this video of her talk with the President about all the opportunities in STEM and what her work means to her. Go science!

Virtual Reality is a Reality

Finally back from fuzzy bed-headed winter/spring head cold couch potato land, I wanted to share a fun event coming up April 7 and 8, 2017 in Little Rock, AR. 

The University of Arkansas Little Rock Emerging Analytics Center Virtual Reality lab will be open to the public. Bring friends, family and neighbors.

Check it out! It's free, but tickets are needed in order to make sure everyone gets a chance to see and try everything. Go Science!

Asteroid Day

I was out-of-town for the celebration, but just to catch up, June 30th was designated as Asteroid Day. It was created in 2015 to "bring together scientists, artists and concerned citizens to raise awareness of the hazards of asteroid impacts and build support for solutions that might avert disaster from the skies."

Museums and science centers around the globe host a ton of events and use the associated publicity to highlight STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and art events concerning the Earth and environment.

The June date aligns with the 40 meter wide asteroid that hit Tunguska, Siberia in 1908 and leveled 2,000 km of forest. The energy released has been estimated at 185 times that of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima. Not trivial, but by comparison Krakatoa's 1883 eruptions (4 over four hours) were so loud, they could be heard 3,000 miles away in Perth, Australia. The final blast was 10,000 times more powerful than the one unleashed by the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima. 

So, fingers crossed, only asteroids of the smaller, gentler kind will feel the gravitational tug to visit Earth anytime soon. In the meantime, we will keep working on ways to dissuade them and their larger cousins. Go science!

Building Body Parts from Fruit

Yes, I know it would be a sweet deal if it could easily be done, but think about cellulose and the structural parts of an apple. All the stacked cells offer a scaffold for cells to grow into whatever structure is required.

Andrew Pelling, Ph.D., an experimental biophysicist at the University of Ottawa, Canada, is interested in genetic and architectural controls of health and disease. Using different fruits for in vitro 3D cell culture in his Laboratory for Biophysical Manipulation, Pelling found that mammalian cells grow and expand into the structure provided (once the fruit cells were removed). 

This type of research is being done elsewhere, but not with the basic materials found in the kitchen. Not only is it fun to think about, but a great chance to discuss STEM (science, engineering, technology, and mathematics) applications and careers with students. Plus, Dr. Pelling advocates "play" as a crucial part of inspiring his research. Go science!

Science Videos in School

When I was in school, having a film during class was a treat. Usually it was because the regular teacher was out, but sometimes films were used to augment curriculum. 

These days, videos are a staple in our culture. YouTube has experienced logarithmic growth. Teaching methods also use video more as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts especially benefit from video. Videos are able to show an experiment that would take too long in one class period or are too dangerous to demonstrate. 

I love the University of Nottingham videos on each of the elements in the Periodic Table. They are fun and offer examples of each element, their uses, and often a reaction. I also enjoy the Symphony of Science videos like "We Are Star Dust" by Neil DeGrasse Tyson that I've pinned with many other educational videos to my Cool Science Videos Pinterest board. Check it out and share some of your favorites.

If you're a teacher, I have Pinterest boards for Science Education, Science and Nature, Space and NASA, Robots, and Architecture and Design, to name a few. I use Pinterest as an online, visual filing system for cool websites, articles, concepts, and images. Stop by if you are exploring Pinterest and say hello.
Go science!

Women in Science

I always find it interesting to hear how folks got interested in science. As more women than ever are entering the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields, I thought you might be interested in this geologist turned science educator. http://www.steminist.com/tag/science/