Science for the classroom and beyond
“If we can do this, then where do we go from here? We’re doing the impossible, every single time we land on Mars” -Brandon Rodriguez Our exploration into distance learning takes on new meaning this week, as we discover what’s next from the Perseverance rover that recently landed on Mars. To guide us in the conversation, we welcome Brandon Rodriguez […]
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As we continue to explore how science education has adapted to during the pandemic, a new science TV show out of Africa caught our eye. In part created to accommodate learning at home through broadcast television, N*Gen has grown into a Pan-African TV show that encourages science across borders and allows African children to see themselves as scientists. With a […]
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Our guest this week is Mallory Wills, a biology and earth science teacher at George Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In August 2020, Cedar Rapids and other parts of the Midwest were slammed by a derecho – an intense storm with straight line winds that damaged every school in the Cedar Rapids system. In the wake of the […]
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Our guest this week is India Carlson, a botany and environmental horticulture teacher at Ballard High School in Seattle, Washington. In a typical year, India’s students spend a significant portion of time working in the school garden and greenhouse. Faced with the unique challenges of learning science at home this year, India decided to clone a plant for every one […]
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Our guest this week is Dr. Stefania Kapsetaki, a postdoctoral research fellow at Arizona State University at the Arizona Cancer & Evolution Center. Joining us from Greece, where she is working remotely during the pandemic, Dr. Kapsetaki is studying chimerism across the tree of life and its potential impact in triggering cancer. Representing a relatively new field of research in […]
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This week we explore Meet The Lab, a new educational resource from PBS Wisconsin Education designed for middle school science classrooms. Similar to our #ScientistOutLoud series, Meet the Lab introduces students to real world issues, scientific practices and concepts, and also to the people that work together to research and solve problems using science. To guide us through this new […]
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Our guest this week is Dr. Rachel Hale. As a self-proclaimed invertebrate advocate, Rachel’s personal interests in worms and other invertebrates have grown into a career as a marine biologist. Working for the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand, part of her work includes research voyages where Rachel is able to study the biodiversity of invertebrates […]
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To conclude our segment on video in science education, we are joined this week by filmmakers Clayton Brown and Monica Long from 137 Films. This Chicago-based documentary production company promotes science through storytelling by exploring how its search for answers impacts our cultural, political, and personal lives. Directed by Clayton and Monica, We Believe in Dinosaurs follows the building of […]
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Our guest this week is Jared Lipworth, Executive Producer and head of Outreach and Impact at HHMI Tangled Bank Studios. Recent NSTA Conference attendees will recognize HHMI’s “Night at the Movies” hosted at the annual Conference. Without a physical conference to attend, we wanted to help share some of the media produced by the studio that harness the power of […]
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As we continue to explore the use of video in science education, we turn our attention to the use and creation of short format films. To guide us through that discussion, we are joined by Douglas Dicconson from Theorem Studios and Kim Birbrower from Big Picture Educational Consulting. Theorem Studios and Big Picture Educational Consulting recently paired up to create […]
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Continuing our exploration into science documentaries, we welcome environmental photographer James Balog to the show. For almost four decades, Balog has been building a visual time capsule documenting the complicated and intimate relationship between humanity and nature. In The Human Element, Balog exposes this relationship with vivid and often uncomfortable imagery illustrating the unmistakable human impact on water, air, fire […]
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Our guest this week is director, writer and producer Scott Hamilton Kennedy. We met Scott at the 2019 NSTA conference in St. Louis where he hosted a screening of his recent documentary “Food Evolution” (2016). Narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, “Food Evolution” investigates GMOs to showcase how misinformation and fear can drown out rational evidence and divide communities. Scott joins […]
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Our guest this week is Dave Bakker, co-founder and COO of PocketLab. In March, Dave and some of his colleagues were looking for a way to provide professional development to STEM teachers while #COVID-19 kept many of them at home. The result was a virtual conference called ScIC (Science is Cool) that has attracted tens of thousands of science teachers […]
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Our guest this week is GIS Specialist and author Tyler Danielson. As part of his work with civil engineering firm Bolton & Menk, Tyler has recently written a book geared towards helping children understand GIS in the world around them. In “Lindsey the GIS Professional – A GIS Mapping Story,” the title character Lindsey helps to explain what GIS is, […]
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As some schools are returning to in-person learning this fall, science teachers will need to address virus mitigation both in the traditional classroom and in lab environments. To discuss safety considerations while teaching science in the pandemic, we welcome Dr. Ken Roy back to the show. With health and safety always as the priority, Ken joins us to discuss important […]
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To wrap up season 13, we welcome Ainissa Ramirez back to the show. As science teachers are building their reading lists for the summer, they may want to check out Ainissa’s new book – The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another. In this collection of stories about eight inventions (from clocks to silicon chips), Ramirez unearths […]
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Our guest this week is Kris Brown from the Office of STEM Engagement at NASA. As a NASA engineer, Kris used to work with critical hardware used on numerous shuttle missions. Now, as Deputy Associate Administrator for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, Kris works towards creating unique opportunities for students and the public to contribute to NASA’s work in exploration […]
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Our guest this week is Dr. Alex Evans. From a young age, Alex developed a love for science that eventually led to a career as a research scientist in animal physiology, focusing on measuring the energetics of animal flight. Changing gears to science communication, Alex now works as a science educator, presenter, and writer. Alex joins us to discuss his […]
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Our guest this week is Dawn Fallik, reporter and associate professor at the University of Delaware. As a medical reporter, Dawn writes about loneliness and the medical consequences of loneliness in Millennials and Gen Z. At SXSW, Dawn recently presented as part of a panel about Generation Lonely: 10,000 Followers and No Friends, discussing what’s behind increasing feelings of social […]
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Our guest this week is Joanne O’Meara, a physics professor from the University of Guelph. In an effort to help educators right now, the Guelph physics department is creating videos to answer user generated science questions. Called AMASE (Ask Me Anything: Science Edition), these videos have been tackling concepts such as the rainbows, why we see stars, and Schrodinger’s Cat. […]
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