Science for the classroom and beyond
http://traffic.libsyn.com/wsst/LOL54.mp3 Originally imagined by Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson as “…an electronic page for each species of organism on Earth…”, The Encyclopedia of Life is a free, online, collaborative encyclopedia intended to document every living species known to science. It is compiled from existing databases and from contributions by experts and non-experts throughout the world. This week we talk with […]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/wsst/LOL50.mp3 This week we discuss our favorite new science shows and talk to Mythbuster Kari Byron about her new show Head Rush on The Science Channel. Airing after school and Saturdays, Head Rush provides a commercial free hour of MythBusters mashups. What science do you watch? Comment below and share your favorite science TV shows, internet clips or other […]
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For several years I’ve turned my students loose with a rather boring video of my speedometer as I traveled around town.
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Lawmakers in Washington and in state governments across the United States have officially labeled earthquake damage as preventable. They have enacted laws that tax citizens for new building strategies. After watching the earthquake disasters unfold in Haiti and Chile, a majority of American citizens are now becoming skeptical of the claim that human actions can prevent the massive amount of […]
Read moreI know many of you are still fighting for Pluto (let it go, it’s over). You might find tonight’s NOVA special, The Pluto Files on PBS, helpful as you work through your loss. Host Neil deGrasse Tyson (also author of the book The Pluto Files) walks us through Pluto’s story from rise to fall. Check out the trailer. After tonight’s […]
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http://media.libsyn.com/media/wsst/LOL43.mp3 We first met Adam Savage (from the Mythbusters) at The Amaz!ng Meeting 7 last summer, where he gave a talk about the creative process and failure that comes with ‘making’. Of course, we knew that we had to get Adam on the show. A few months later, we were lucky to talk with Adam about the Mythbusters, science […]
Read moreWe’ve talked about laboratory safety in the past here at Lab Out loud, but we’ve never put our thoughts to song. Fortunately, the folks at The Sounds of Science hit the right notes for us.
Read morehttp://media.libsyn.com/media/wsst/LOL34.mp3 Our guest this week is Dr. Jay Neitz from the department of Ophthalmology at the University of Washington, Seattle. Dr. Neitz and his research team successfully used gene therapy to replace a faulty gene responsible for red-green colorblindness in adult male squirrel monkeys. We talk with Dr. Neitz about his experiment, its implications for gene therapy in humans […]
Read moreWhile 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 […]
Read moreLast night Dr. Mark Devlin appeared on The Colbert Report to talk about BLAST the Movie. The movie is a documentary about an experiment in 2006 that involved launching a car-sized telescope in Antarctica using a balloon. Before Lab Out Loud, we did a podcast for the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers called Periodicity. Dr. Devlin, a graduate of University […]
Read moreThis weekend Brian and I are happy to be in Las Vegas attending The Amaz!ng Meeting7 (TAM7). TAM7 is a conference sponsored by the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) that showcases speakers and guests that focus on critical thinking and skepticism. You might remember our discussion with Phil Plait (a.k.a. The Bad Astronomer) in episode 12 when we talked about […]
Read moreMy favorite webcomic, XKCD, recently featured a hilarious senario that reminded me of our interview with Crittercam installer Mike Heithaus. So maybe this is how Mike decided at the early age of five that he was going to pursue scientific research.
Read moreDr. Neil deGrasse Tyson joins Lab Out Loud for our season finale. Dr. Tyson is an author (most recently The Pluto Files and Death by Black Hole), has been described as the ‘Carl Sagan of the 21st Century’ and named “Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive” by PEOPLE magazine, appeared numerous times on The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, stars in the […]
Read moreIt was early spring of 1998 and I was student teaching in a 7th grade Life Science class. Now, I’m not a biology person – not certified to teacher it at all – but here I was trying to teach kids about the parts of the cell to the tune of Gilligan’s Island. Desperate times called for desperate measures. The […]
Read morehttp://media.libsyn.com/media/wsst/LOL29.mp3 Our guest this week is Dr. Michelle Thaller. A research scientist at the California Institute of Technology, Thaller is currently the Manager of the Education and Public Outreach program for the Spitzer Space Telescope. Thaller talks to us about Spitzer, infrared light, and our origins in stellar corpses. Profile from Spitzer Profile from Cool Cosmos SIRTF Profile NASA […]
Read morehttp://media.libsyn.com/media/wsst/LOL24.mp3 We welcome Phil Plait (aka The Bad Astronomer) back to the show. Phil talks to us about the International Year of Astronomy and highlights a few events planned for the IYA. As President of the James Randi Educational Foundation, Phil also discusses the role of skepticism in education. Links: The Bad Astronomer at Discover Magazine Original BA site […]
Read moreOn Jay Leno’s Garage, Jay introduces us to the new wind turbine destine for the house of Ed Begley Jr. The new design uses magnetic levitation to reduce friction, noise, vibration and other forms of energy loss. I wonder how this will affect the rivalry that Ed has with his neighbor Bill Nye?
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I only have a half day of school the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. With only twenty minute classes, some might wonder if there is enough time to do anything. Well, I make my class all about turkeys on this day. Turkey wishbones to be more precise. First, we examine the age old tradition of breaking the wishbone to see who pulls […]
Read moreAs the 2007-2008 school year was coming to a close, I came across an article written in the New York Times by physicist Dr. Brian Greene. With graduation just days away, final grades to enter and textbooks to collect, I skimmed through the article and went back to closing out the school year. Yet, I could not get the points […]
Read moreThe Scientists and Engineers for America (SEA) put together a few questions for our Congressional and Presidential candidates. Senator Barack Obama has submitted his responses. Senator McCain has yet to answer. You can urge him to answer. SEA also has a comparison of the candidates’ positions.
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