Science for the classroom and beyond
We recently listened to the One Year, which covered 1986: The Ultimate Field Trip, describing the Teacher in Space program. Announced in 1984 by President Reagan as a way to boost science education, the Teacher in Space program invited teachers to apply to become the first citizen into space. Realizing that two teachers from Wisconsin were selected, we reached out […]
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“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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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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This week we talk STEM gifts with Monica Cardella and Elizabeth Gajdzik from Purdue’s INSPIRE Research Institute. Each year, the INSPIRE lab evaluates toys, games, and books that engage girls and boys in engineering thinking and design. Monica and Elizabeth join us to talk about some gifts on the list, how they are evaluated and share some advice for educators who would […]
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Science degrees can be found in the most intriguing careers. This week we talk with Becca Ransohoff, an analytical chemist for MadTree Brewing in Cincinnati, Ohio. In June, MadTree released Entropic Theory (a hoppy, juicy IPA) with a special can launch party whereby a portion of the proceeds were donated to iSPACE, a local non-profit that promotes education of science, engineering, technology […]
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We recently discovered EO Kids – a web publication that brings engaging science stories from NASA’s Earth Observatory to a younger audience. Published with support from NASA’s Landsat, Terra, and Aqua missions, EO Kids provides kid-friendly content in a PDF that can be easily downloaded or printed. Each issue of EO Kids also features hands-on activities, experiments and opportunities for students to […]
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Our guest this week is former astronaut Stephen Frick, Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Advanced Technology Center. Lockheed Martin and Discovery Education have partnered to launch the next phase of Generation Beyond – an initiative to use science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to prepare today’s middle school students for deep space […]
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Sponsored by Lockheed Martin and Discovery Education, middle school students from around the World are are invited to explore STEM Careers in Deep Space Exploration with this Inaugural Virtual Event on October 4, 2016. WHAT: Global Virtual Field Trip for Middle School Classrooms, which features unique access to: Orion crew module and the test lab team simulating and testing Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) […]
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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 Shaun Whitehead, space engineer and founder of Thumbsat. Dreaming of once becoming an astronaut, Shaun now provides the engineering reality to put experiments in space with Thumbsat – a thumbsize platform for space exploration complete with microcontroller, camera, radio, GPS and temperature sensors. Thumbsat data can be harvested through Thumbnet, a global network of monitoring stations (which can even be […]
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As science educators, we are likely to recognize Sputnik as the first satellite in space. But what has happened with satellites since Sputnik? How many satellites are even out there, and how do we rely upon them? To help answer some of these questions, we welcome Dr. James Clay Moltz to the show. As author of Crowded Orbits, Dr. Moltz […]
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To prepare for this episode, we had to do a little homework: see the movie Interstellar. As we were walking out of the theater, we knew we had to invite Kip Thorne back to the show. As Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, Emeritus, at the California Institute of Technology, Kip Thorne is the scientific advisor and executive producer of Interstellar. Listen to the […]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/wsst/LOL85.mp3 This week we learn about a new digital resource called NASA Wavelength. Organized by topic and audience level, NASA Wavelength delivers a powerful search of Earth and space science resources funded through NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. We were able to chat about NASA Wavelength with Theresa Schwerin (Vice President, Education; Lead, NASA Earth Science Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) Forum; Institute for […]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/wsst/LOL81.mp3 In this bonus episode, we talk with Dr. Kip Thorne (world renowned physicist and longtime friend and colleague of Stephen Hawking) about the wonders of modern physics. Plus, we’re giving away our tickets to see Stephen Hawking! An Evening with Dr. Stephen Hawking and Friends Stephen Hawking has agreed to present his newest discussion “Out of a Black Hole” […]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/wsst/LOL72.mp3 To kick off the new year, we invited Pamela Hines , senior editor at Science, to talk with us about science in 2011. From the farthest reaches of the universe to the deepest mysteries of the cell, Hines highlights the major science breakthroughs of 2011. Listen to the episode to hear about these discoveries, and what we might expect […]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/wsst/LOL58.mp3 This week we talk with Dr. Natalie Batalha, co-investigator of NASA’s Kepler Team. Dr. Batalha talks to us about her love of science (especially physics), the Kepler mission, and the discovery of planet Kepler 10b. Links: Dr. Natalie Batalha, co-investigator of the Kepler Team Dr. Natalie Batalha, San Jose State University Bay Area Native Takes Road Less Traveled […]
Read morehttp://media.libsyn.com/media/wsst/LOL42.mp3 Dana Backman is the Outreach Director for SOFIA – The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. Essentially, SOFIA is a modified 747SP with telescope in its fuselage. A joint project between NASA and the German Aerospace Center (NASA supplied the aircraft and the telescope was built in Germany), SOFIA is the largest airborne astronomical observatory that will allow astronomers […]
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 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 […]
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