Science for the classroom and beyond
Nathan Schreiber returns to the show to talk about his newest project using a series of graphic novels designed to teach chemistry concepts. Building off of the popular game, Valence uses science ninjas in an action packed adventure that teaches foundational chemistry about what makes up the universe, how it’s measured, and how it’s transformed. Nathan joins us to discuss […]
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In an attempt to help students make visible connections between science and sound, Dr. Victor Minces and his team have created Listening to Waves – a suite of online tools that allow students to easily view, manipulate and generate sound. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Listening to Waves freely provides an online oscilloscope, signal generator, and spectrogram. Dr. Minces […]
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With a shift to online learning during the pandemic, students have relied on watching and creating more videos. But how has that impacted science education? To help answer that question, we invited Rhett Allain back to Lab Out Loud. Rhett shares some tips and suggestions for online learning – especially dealing with online math. Spoiler alert! He suggests that students […]
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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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This week we welcome Randall Munroe to the show. As creator of the webcomic XKCD, Munroe often features aspects of technology, math, computer science and physics in his drawings. These topics have also had prominence in his books, including his newest book called How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems. To hear more about How To, Randall joins […]
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As we prepare for the summer months ahead, we welcome Griff Jones back to the show to close out season 12. Working with Griff, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has developed engaging, interactive resources that can be found within their new IIHS in the Classroom website. Designed for grades 5-12, IIHS in the Classroom uses the results of […]
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Nathan Schreiber returns this week to talk about his newest project using a graphic novel to teach physics concepts. In Big Trouble with Simple Machines, Schreiber’s characters solve problems using their knowledge of simple machines, with each chapter providing a new challenge with ramps, wedges, screws, levers, pulleys, wheels, and axles. There is even an illustrated appendix guiding readers to […]
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Continuing with a theme of teacher created content, we are proud to share Matt Blackman’s physics games and apps. As physics teacher and adjunct instructor at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education, Matt founded The Universe & More where he creates educational games and apps such as Crack the Circuit and Action Graphing. Matt joins us to talk about his games, […]
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Have you ever relied upon a lab or resource so much that you don’t know what you would do without it? This mini-lab episode discusses such a tool that was lost and then found again – Mihara Naoki’s Ramp and Roll. Originally developed in 1995 to assist introductory physics students understand the simple motion of ball rolling on a ramp, […]
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We had so much fun talking movies with Andy Howell, so we continued talking with him about his work as scientist at Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) and Adjunct Faculty in physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Andy joins us (again) to talk about studying supernovae, his work with robotic telescopes, and how science really happens. Links: Andy […]
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Our guest this week is Andy Howell, scientist at Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) and Adjunct Faculty in physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Besides studying supernovae and working with robotic telescopes, Andy (with James Darling) has been working on a podcast to evaluate the scientific content in movies and the portrayal of scientists in media. Called […]
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We love collecting data. That’s why we are happy to welcome Chrystian and Rebecca Vieyra to the show. Working as an app developer and high school physics teacher, this husband and wife team developed Physics Toolbox – a suite of apps that use the built-in sensors inside smartphones to complement the current probeware used in classrooms. Listen to the show […]
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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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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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http://traffic.libsyn.com/wsst/LOL79.mp3 Our guest this week is the co-founder of Vernier Software & Technology, David Vernier. David talks to us about the history of the company, his popular software and data collection hardware, and the release of two new products that are part of Vernier’s Connected Science System – the LabQuest2 and Graphical Analysis iOS app. Links: Vernier Software & Technology About […]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/wsst/LOL68.mp3 This week we talk with Mark Schober about using Modeling Instruction in the science classroom. As president of the American Modeling Teacher’s Association, Mark shares with us a history of modeling, how it can be used in the classroom and that it is for more than just physics courses. Links Schober’s Physics: ModelingPhysics.org Contact Mark Schober Modeling Instruction in […]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/wsst/LOL66.mp3 This week we discuss teaching techniques with Frank Noschese. Frank is a high school physics teacher at John Jay High School in Cross River, N.Y. and an active blogger. We talk with Frank about blogging, active student engagement, flipped classrooms, psuedoteaching, and the Khan Academy. Join the conversation and leave your comments. Preview from the Show: There’s a lot of […]
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I was flipping through my most recent copy of Wired magazine when I noticed this Farmer’s Insurance ad. At first glance, I was happy to see that they were using the metric system until I noticed that middle flight. Wait, the cow went a distance of 185 m/s? Yes, this is just a silly ad. I should relax and let […]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/wsst/LOL62.mp3 Bill Prady, Executive Producer and co-creator of the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, joins us to talk about one of our favorite science shows. Links: The Big Bang Theory on CBS The Big Bang Theory (IMDB) Follow Bill Prady on Twitter Bill Prady on Facebook The Biog Blog Theory (David Saltsberg) David Saltzberg (UCLA Physics) Interview with […]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/wsst/LOL56.mp3 To kick off the International Year of Chemistry, we talk with Dr. Martyn Poliakoff and Dr. Samantha Tang from The Periodic Table of Videos. Having completed all videos for all 118 elements, the team is working on updating every element video, while adding other videos such as molecular videos and chemical definition videos. Drs. Poliakoff and Tang talk […]
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