Lab Out Loud » books

Episode 74 – There’s a Zombie in my Classroom

Dale — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:30:16 +0000

Dr. Steven Schlozman

This week we talk with Dr. Steven Schlozman, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Lecturer in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Schlozman talks to us about his start in teaching, his recent book “The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks from the Apocalypse” and how to use zombies to teach science.

Links:

The Zombie Autopsies
“The Zombie Autopsies” (Amazon.com)
Steven Schlozman Profile at Harvard
George Romero Continues Undead Obsession with ‘Zombie Autopsies’
Potential of a Zombie Attack Considered by Guest Speaker (the Utah Statesman)
A Harvard Psychiatrist Explains Zombie Neurobiology
Inside Zombie Brains: Sci-fi Teaches Science (CNN)
The Neuropsychology of Zombies (Boston.com)
Essential Zombie Films
The Walking Dead, AFC

More Links:

The Zombie Autopsies Book Trailer

Zombie Autopsies 101 from Daniel Lagin on Vimeo.

To listen to this episode, download the mp3 directly, find us on iTunes, or use the player below.

Episode 71 – Hack Your Bio Class

Brian — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 06:30:44 +0000

Marcus Wohlsen

For the last episode of 2011, we talk with journalist and author Marcus Wohlsen. Wohlsen is a science writer for the Associated Press who has received abundant praise for his recent book “Biopunk: DIY Scientists Hack the Software of Life.”
Listen to the episode as Wohlsen talks about his book, the underground community of “biopunks” and how you might hack your biology curriculum.

Links

To listen to this episode, download the mp3 directly, find us on iTunes, or use the player below.

Episode 70 – Go Back in Time with Terra Tempo

Brian — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:30:20 +0000

David Shapiro

We welcome David Shapiro to the show to talk about his graphic novel “Terra Tempo: Ice Age Cataclysm”. Shapiro is the creative director and writer at Craigmore Creations – a publishing house that specializes in Earth science and natural history stories. In “Terra Tempo”, Shapiro’s young characters travel back in time to Glacial Lake Missoula and witness the resulting floods when the ice dam breaks. Listen to the episode and engage your students in natural history with “Terra Tempo”.

Links

To listen to this episode, download the mp3 directly, find us on iTunes, or use the player below.

Episode 69 – Success with Science

Brian — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 06:30:29 +0000

Shiv Gaglani

Ever wanted your students to conduct scientific research? Our guest this week has some insights for you. A second place winner in the Intel Science awards in 2006, Shiv Gaglani is now a graduate of Harvard working to spur interest in STEM among students. We talk with Shiv about his book (and website) “Success with Science”, how to engage your students in scientific research, and the importance of STEM in our economy.

Links

To listen to this episode, download the mp3 directly, find us on iTunes, or use the player below.

Episode 59 – The Courage to Teach

Brian — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 06:30:52 +0000

Dr. Eric Plutzer

This week we discuss evolution education with Dr. Eric Plutzer, co-author of “Defeating Creationism in the Courtroom, But Not in the Classroom” – a recently published article in Science Magazine. Dr. Plutzer discusses the paper, and what the results reveal about how much evolution is actually being taught in biology classrooms across the nation.

The Cautious 60:

The cautious 60% may play a far more important role in hindering scientific literacy in the United States than the smaller number of explicit creationists. The strategies of emphasizing microevolution, justifying the curriculum on the basis of state-wide tests, or “teaching the controversy” all undermine the legitimacy of findings that are well established by the combination of peer review and replication. These teachers fail to explain the nature of scientific inquiry, undermine the authority of established experts, and legitimize creationist arguments, even if unintentionally (Berkman and Plutzer, “Defeating Creationism in the Courtroom, But Not in the Classroom”, Science: 28 January, 2011).

Links:

Dr. Eric Plutzer, Penn State
Defending Science Education in the Courtroom, but not in the Classroom, Science (January 28, 2011)
Evolution, Creationism, and the Battle to Control America’s Classrooms (Amazon.com)
Evolution, Creationism, and the Battle to Control America’s Classrooms (Google Books)
Bad Science Education in the U.S. (Pharyngula)
NCSE (National Center for Science Education)
NABT (National Association of Biology Teachers)

Direct download: LOL59.mp3

Episode 57 – Preventing Bad Science in the Classroom

Dale — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 06:30:26 +0000

Dr. Ben Goldacre

Finishing our UK tour, we talk with Dr. Ben Goldacre, author of Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks and Big Pharma Flacks. Dr. Goldacre talks to us about interpreting scientific results, the tricks used to deceive us, and how science teachers might combat bad science in the classroom.

badscience.net
Bad Science Column at guardian.co.uk
Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks and Big Pharma Flacks (from Amazon.com)
Ben Goldacre’s Twitter Feed
Review of Bad Science by Cory Doctorow on boingboing.net
Ben Goldacre videos on YouTube
Ben Goldacre Talks Bad Science from PopTech on Vimeo (below)

Direct download: LOL57.mp3

Episode 52 – Science We Can Read About

Brian — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 05:30:11 +0000

Sam Kean

This week we discuss our favorite science books and talk to author Sam Kean. Sam discusses the periodic table, scientific discovery and storytelling in his new book The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements.

What science books do you read? Join the conversation at laboutloud.com to share your favorite science books, and visit the NSTA Science Store for the latest NSTA Press books … and more.

Links:

Science Books We Read:

The Edge of Physics: A Journey to Earth’s Extremes to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe by Anil Ananthaswamy
Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely
The Windup Girl by Pablo Bacigalupi (SciFi)
The 13th Element: The Sordid Tale of Murder, Fire and Phosphorous by John Emsley
Sleepless by Charlie Huston (SciFi)
Icarus at the Edge of Time by Brian Greene
Creation by Randal Keynes
Napoleons Buttons: How 13 Molecules Changed History by Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson)
Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman
The Smart Swarm: How Understanding Flocks, Schools, and Colonies Can Make Us Better at Communicating, Decision Making, and Getting Things Done by Peter Miller
Don’t Be Such a Scientist by Randy Olson
Anthill by E.O. Wilson

Direct download: LOL52.mp3

Episode 48 – Don’t Be Such a Scientist

Brian — Mon, 10 May 2010 05:15:07 +0000

Randy Olson (Credit: Sandy Huffaker for the New York Times

For our 100th podcast interview (including 52 interviews with Periodicity), we talk with former marine biologist turned filmmaker and author Randy Olson. Since we last talked with Randy about Flock of Dodos, he has since put out another movie (Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy) and a book (Don’t Be Such a Scientist: ). We talk with Randy about his new book and the importance of how scientists communicate.

We’d like to thank NSTA for their continued support of Lab Out Loud. If you haven’t already done so, make sure to join or renew your membership. If you have any comments from our third season, or have any suggestions for next year, please contact us.

Links:

Barnacle Sex Music Video (Barnacles Tell No Lies)

Direct download: LOL48.mp3

Episode 47 – Evolution for the Young Reader

Brian — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:15:53 +0000

Daniel Loxton

Our guest this week is Daniel Loxton, editor of Junior Skeptic and author/illustrator. Daniel joins us to talk about Junior Skeptic, shepherding and his new book: Evolution: How we and all Things Came to Be.

Links:

Praise From GeekDad (Wired):

Evolution

Daniel Loxton’s Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be (Kids Can Press, 2010) is the best overview of evolution for children of which I’m aware. There have been other recent kids’ books on Darwin, motivated by last year’s 150th anniversary of Origin of the Species. Instead of focusing on Darwin, Loxton sticks with explaining the mechanics of natural selection, both what it can accomplish and explain and what it can’t. Beautifully illustrated and elegantly written, any child interested in the story of life will be fascinated by it. There’s no need to take my word for it: This review is a couple of weeks later than I’d hoped, because my 6-yr-old kept stealing it and carrying it around the house to study.

Direct download: LOL47.mp3

Episode 46 – Paleontologist Scott from “Dinosaur Train”

Brian — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 05:15:13 +0000

Paleontologist Scott

You may know this week’s guest as Paleontologist Scott from the PBS hit show “Dinosaur Train”. In episode 46, Paleontologist Scott talks about the show, being a paleontologist, and his new book Dinosaur Odyssey.

Links:

Scott Sampson’s Website
Purchase Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life
Dinosaur Train (PBS)
Dinsosaur Train Videos
Dinosaur Train (Wikipedia Entry)
Dinosaur Fossil Reveals True Feather Colors (wired.com)
Listen to Colouring in Dinosaurs (Quirks and Quarks)
Masiakausaurus
Dinosaur Planet (IMDB)

Dinosaur Train Characters "Buddy" and "Tiny"

Direct download: LOL46.mp3