Lab Out Loud®

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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:

• Don’t Be Such a Scientist
• Randy Olson – Wikipedia Entry
• Don’t Be Such a Scientist
• Don’t Be Such a Scientist (amazon.com)
• Don’t Be Such a Scientist (Facebook group)
• Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy
• Flock of Dodos
• Muffymoose.com
• Eager to Tell Stories of Science, a Biologist Evolves (NY Times)
• Invisibly Emptied Oceans (Dot Earth, NY Times)
• Their Own Worst Enemies
• Science-Based Medicine (book review)
• Randy Olson’s Forthcoming Book: Don’t Be Such a Scientist (book review)
• WSST’s Periodicity
• Periodicity Episode 46: Flock of Dodos

Barnacle Sex Music Video (Barnacles Tell No Lies)

Direct download: LOL48.mp3

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Barry Cartwright

Our guest this week is Barry Cartwright – the Science Content Specialist for the Colorado Department of Education.  In November, Colorado recently released their Final Draft of the Colorado Academic Standards in Science.  Barry discusses some of the highlights of the new Colorado science standards and the future of standards in science education.

Links:

• Colorado Academic Standards in Science – Final Draft, November 2009 (pdf)
• Colorado Science (Barry’s Blog)
• CDE Academic Support Collaboration Site: Barry Cartwright
• NSTA’s Science Anchors
• AAAS – Project 2061

Books Recommended By Barry:

• National Science Education Standards
• Ready, Set, Science (for K-8 science)
• Americas lab report (for high school science)
• How Students Learn: Science in the Classroom
• The World is Flat
• The Global Achievement Gap

Direct download: LOL39.mp3

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Jack Hidary

Our guest this week is Jack Hidary, chairman of National Lab Day.  Designed to encourage partnerships between scientists, engineers, teachers and students, National Lab Day emerged from a partnership between NSTA, the American Chemical Society (ACS), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Jack D. Hidary Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation.  Jack talks to us about the program and website, and what educators and other scientists can do to get involved.

Links:

• nationallabday.org
• YouTube: Obama Kicks Off “Educate to Innovate”
• NSTA Express: Obama Announces National Lab Day
• National Lab Day Fact Day from NSTA
• STEM Letter to Obama about the Importance of STEM Education
• Obama Addresses National Academy of Sciences, April 2009
• NY Times: White House Pushes Science and Math Education
• NPR: AT&T Pledges Support to National Lab Day
• MAKE Magazine and NLD
• Hidary Foundation

Direct download: LOL38.mp3

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Dr. Bonnie Bassler

With the upcoming 2009 HHMI Holiday Lecture on Science in December (Exploring Biodiversity), we decided to talk with one of the presenters – Dr. Bonnie Bassler.  The focus of Dr. Bassler’s research is on how bacteria communicate with each other in a process called quorum sensing.  This research has earned her a MacArthur fellowship in 2002, and her work is being carefully watched for the development of new antimicrobial drugs.  Dr. Bassler inspires us with her curiosity, her research, and science education.

Links:

• Profile from the Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University
• The Bassler Lab at Princeton
• Wikipedia Entry
• HHMI Investigator Bio
• 2009 HHMI Holiday Lectures on Science: Exploring Biodiversity
• Request Past HHMI Holiday Lectures on DVD
• TED Talks Video, Profile
• NOVA Science Now Profile & Video
• NPR All Things Considered: A Biologist’s Listening Guide to Bacteria
• Review: “The languages of bacteria” (Genes & Development)
• iBioSeminars: Cell-to-Cell Communication in Bacteria
• Wikipedia entry for Lewis Thomas
• Appleton College Avenue Bridge Opens

Direct download: LOL36.mp3

While reviewing early recommendations for new social studies standards, a review team for the Texas State Board of Education decided to remove Neil Armstrong from the ‘science strand’ of their fifth grade social studies textbook.

Their reasoning? Armstrong wasn’t a scientist.

Now, I understand what this team is trying to do. They wish to keep the focus on learning instead of memorizing names and dates. But come on, he walked on the moon! He’s on one of the shortest short-lists of all time.

Nevertheless, this isn’t what bothers me the most. Saying Armstrong isn’t a scientist is preposterous. If being part of one of the most monumental investigations known to humanity doesn’t make you a scientist- what in the world (or out of the world) does?

I stress to my students that science is for all of us regardless of the careers we choose. As citizens, we all need to be scientists. So many of the issues that our country is struggling with (climate change, health care, energy) have roots in science. How do we explain to our students that they are qualified to join the scientific community and examine issues critically and rationally when others don’t even consider walking on the moon enough to be called ‘scientist’?

Even if Armstrong isn’t technically a scientist (which I disagree with- engineers count in my book) he should still be included as an important part of science since he represents the ultimate citizen scientist.