Episode 113: Teaching Pseudoscience in the Classroom

For the final episode of season seven, we invite Rodney Schmalz and Steven Lilienfeld to the show to talk about pseudoscience.  Schmalz and Lilienfeld recently published an article discussing the use of pseudoscience in the science classroom to help give students the tools needed to differentiate between scientific and pseudoscientific or paranormal claims. According to the authors, “by incorporating examples […]

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Episode 112: Science and Politics – GMOs in Hawaii

This week we welcome journalist Amy Harmon to Lab Out Loud.  Harmon recently wrote an article for the NY Times in which she examined a county council in Hawaii that wanted to ban genetically modified organisms.  Listen to the show as Harmon unravels the intersection of politics and science in this heated debate, and you will discover many resources that […]

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Episode 111: Watching the History Inside You with Your Inner Fish

This week we welcome Neil Shubin to the show.  As paleontologist and anatomy professor at the University of Chicago, Shubin has had some fantastic opportunities to hunt for fossils and use them to communicate stories of our own evolution. In 2008, he wrote these stories into Your Inner Fish – a national bestselling book that has now been adapted into a three-part series […]

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Episode 110 – An Elementary Journey to the NGSS

Elementary science has been on our minds recently.  So it is fitting that our guest this week has been working hard helping elementary teachers tackle the Next Generation Science Standards.  As Coordinator for Elementary Science in Baltimore County Schools, Eric Cromwell has the task of moving a large number of schools and teachers into an NGSS based curriculum.  Listen to the […]

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Episode 109 – Thinking About Our Future With Robots

Our guest this week is Illah Nourbakhsh, author of Robot Futures.  As Professor of Robotics at The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, Illah has been building and thinking about robotics for most of his life.  Illah joins us to talk about his book, our potential future with robots and how students should be inspired to learn with purpose. Links: Illah Nourbakhsh, The […]

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Episode 108 – Science in Early Childhood Education

We invite Karen Worth to the show to discuss NSTA’s recent adoption of a position statement in Early Childhood Science Education.  In addition to helping write the position statement, Worth serves as faculty member at Wheelock College where she teaches courses in elementary education and science education to pre-service and in-service teachers.  Listen to the show to learn about the what […]

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Episode 107 – The Snowy Owl Irruption

This week we talk with Ryan Brady – a research scientist with the Wisconsin DNR, where he serves as the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative Bird Monitoring Coordinator.  Ryan talks to us about this winter’s snowy owl irruption, how to connect with other birders, and how you might be able to find snowy owls in your own region. Links: eBird Bird-Watchers Revel in […]

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Episode 106 – Story Assessments in Science

This week we welcome Fred Ende back to the show. Fred recently had an article published in the Science Scope (January 2014) discussing the use of stories in assessments.  Fred talks to us about his experience with story assessments, his student results and how you can create your own story assessments. Links: Science Scope: Every Assessment Tells a Story Lab Out […]

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Episode 104 – An Online Physics Course…With Lab!

This week we learn about MOOCs with Michael Schatz.   As professor of physics at Georgia Tech, Schatz has been running a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) for Introductory Physics I with Laboratory.  Schatz talks to us about his experience with the class, how the online lab requirements work, and his plans to expand it. Links: Michael Schatz, School of […]

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Episode 103 – Reimagining the Chemistry Set

Imagine the chemistry set of the 21st century.  That’s the idea behind a new competition.  SPARK, The Science Play and Research Kit competition, is a project of the Society for Science & the Public, in collaboration with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.  To tell us more about the competition, we contacted Janet Coffey – program officer for science learning at […]

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Episode 102 – Measure Your World With Sensordrone

This week we explore the world of sensors by talking with Mark Wagner – engineer and designer of Sensordrone.  Sensordrone is a handheld sensor that wirelessly connects to your smartphone to measure temperature, humidity, light, carbon monoxide levels, and other environmental conditions.   Mark talks to us about Sensordrone, the history and potential future of sensors, and how they could be used in […]

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Episode 101 – Everyday Science from BrainStuff

This week we explore everyday science found on BrainStuff with our guest Cristen Conger.  As host of BrainStuff and Stuff Mom Never Told You, Cristen talks to us about her work as a writer and host, and how she gets her ideas and does her research.  Listen to the show and explore everyday science explained on BrainStuff. Links: TestTube – A Discovery Digital Network BrainStuff […]

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One Hecto-sode: 100 Episodes Promoting Science Education

For our 100th episode, we welcome Glenn Branch to the show.  As Deputy Director for the National Center for Science Education, Glenn talks to us about the center, how they support climate change education, and how the NCSE can defend science in your classroom. Lab Out Loud thanks NSTA and our listeners for support of 100 episodes. Listen to how we […]

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Episode 99 – Rhett Allain: Blogging, Birds and Movies

This week we welcome Rhett Allain back to the show.  As an Associate Professor of physics at Southeastern Louisiana University, Rhett is an avid blogger for Wired Science at  Dot Physics. Rhett talks to us about his new book, analyzing physics in movies, and the ideas in his blog. Links Dot Physics Episode 51 – Science We Can Blog About Amazon.com: National […]

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