Name that fossil: Two participants in the Minnesota Science Olympiad search for answers in the Fossils event.
Courtesy Mark RyanThe Minnesota Science Olympiad State Competition for Division-B (junior high and middle school) students was held this past weekend at the University of St. Thomas campus in St. Paul, MN. The annual competition gives burgeoning scientists a chance to show off the knowledge, compete against each other and win some medals, too. Categories span across various disciplines, including ornithology, ecology, meteorology, paleontology, astronomy, anatomy, robotics, geology, and aeronautics.
Rocket science: Minnesota Science Olympiad team members express their views on their shirts.
Courtesy Mark RyanParticipants demonstrated scientific principles in several competitions. Team-constructed catapults launched projectiles in the Trajectory contest. The Wright Stuff gave future aeronautical engineers a chance to test their theories of flight dynamics using airplanes built of wood, paper, glue and rubber bands. The Shock Value category dealt with aspects of electricity, and precision built electrical cars were run through their courses in the Battery Buggy meet. But actually I never saw any of it. I was busy elsewhere.
Science competition: Students test their knowledge against that of their peers in the Minnesota Science Olympiad.
Courtesy Mark RyanMrs. R (my wife) knows Brandi Hansmeyer, one of the division directors for the Science Olympiad in Minnesota, and I was enlisted to be the substitute coordinator/judge for the Fossils event on Saturday morning. What this entailed was setting up a classroom with fossil specimens and such, collecting tickets, distributing answer sheets to the teams, and timing their sessions (3 minutes) at each of the 15 stations. Most stations involved 3 or 4 questions that kids had to answer about a particular fossil, such as its classification, origins, etc. Participants were allowed to refer to binder notes or reference books they brought with them, which was a good thing, because to tell you the truth it was by no means an easy test. But as one of the organizers told me, the difficulty helps bring the cream to the top. Even so, most if not all of kids I saw showed lots of enthusiasm and a serious interest in science regardless of their level of knowledge.
Minnesota Science Olympiad winners: Students from Lakeville's Kenwood Trail Middle School celebrate their victory as overall winners of the Minnesota Science Olympiad state tournament.
Courtesy Mark RyanAfterwards, Mrs. R and I quickly graded the tests and ranked them by score then rushed them to the main tabulator for the award ceremony that afternoon. Bronze, silver, and gold medals are presented to each of the winning team members for individual events, and plaques and trophies are presented to the school teams with the most overall points. This coming weekend the senior high division will hold its Science Olympiads Competition, also at St. Thomas. Winners from both divisions get to compete in the national competition held later this spring at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. It’s a nice prize for all their dedication and hard work in the previous year.
Tags : Not according to sci-fi author John Scalzi
Ever since the movie JULIE & JULIA came out, I've noticed this video has been showing up on science blogs and social networks. The video played for several years in the Universe Gallery of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. It's actually very informative and I especially like how she uses a large carving knife as a pointer during the early part of her demonstration.
The Minnesota State Fair is in full swing this week, and lest you think it's just a band of hucksters pandering to a bunch of yokels, you couldn't be more wrong. Science is evident all over the fair, no matter where you look. I didn't capture everything but in my short amble around the fairgrounds I came across all sorts of examples of science and science in action, as the photographs illustrate. Of course, it's just a small sample of what's out there. The fair runs through Labor Day so there's still time to get there and discover for yourself all the fun science that can be found at the Great Minnesota Get Together.
Geology: The Geological Society of Minnesota booth in the Education Building.
Courtesy Mark Ryan
Biology and nature: The Department of Natural Resources building is a great place to experience the call of nature.
Courtesy Mark Ryan
Paleontology: Dinosaur World is a new exhibit at the fair this year. Inside are skeletons, fossils, and information about dinosaurs and other prehistoric life.
Courtesy Mark Ryan
Population and habitat studies: Determine the time it takes a species to fill its range.
Courtesy Mark Ryan
Winds of change: If you're into controversial ideas like climate change, head over to the Eco building where you can see new innovations in sustainability. They've got electric cars, solar cells, and other new eco-friendly stuff. It used to be called the Technology building. What's up with that?
Courtesy Mark Ryan
Gravitation: Fair-goers can experience the persistent tug of gravity for just three bucks.
Courtesy Mark Ryan
Food science: Sometimes experiments go awry, but it's all just part of the scientific process.
Courtesy Mark Ryan
Evolution: Transitional fossils? Sure, there are plenty to see in museums around the world, but who needs them? Fair-goers can witness for themselves one species evolving into another.
Courtesy Mark Ryan
Space exploration: To boldly go where a lot of people have gone before.
Courtesy Mark Ryan
Electromagnetism: The wonder of it all!
Courtesy Mark Ryan
Angular momentum: P = mv. Oh boy!
Courtesy Mark Ryan
Orogeny: Mountain building at its finest.
Courtesy Mark Ryan
Immunology: It was reported today that 120 4-H'ers were sent home from the fair as a precaution because 4 members tested positive for the H1N1 flu virus. But assistant state health commissioner John Stine said "it is perfectly safe for people to come to the State Fair."
Courtesy Mark Ryan
Probability: See if you can scientifically calculate if this guy's girlfriend goes home with a giant Sponge Bob Squarepants.
Courtesy Mark Ryan
Evolution opponents keep hammering away
in Life Science, Diversity of Organisms, Heredity, Biological Populations Change Over Time, and Human Organism
Evolution: Under attack again.
Courtesy Mark RyanDespite recent defeats in the courts, opponents of evolution continue to resort to some of their old tricks, namely attempting to add controversy to the theory where there really is none. It’s an old tactic used by the creationism movement since before the Scopes trial in the 1920’s.
Fortunately, not everyone is falling for it, and progress in the fight is being made. Last week in Texas, the state school board there eliminated restoration of a long-standing rule requiring high school science teachers to teach both “the weaknesses and strengths” of evolution to their pupils. This is good news for evolution, which despite some efforts to discredit it is a strong and well-documented scientific theory with - to date - no viable scientific alternatives.
Many people in Texas, including 800 scientists who signed a petition
against the wording’s inclusion, saw the rule as an attack against a well-founded scientific theory that would open the door for creationism to be taught in the public schools. The vote to restore the rule failed by a narrow 7-7 tie.
"Its removal is a huge step forward," said Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education in Oakland, California, Scott leads the fight for teaching evolution in schools, and was present at the board meetings last week in Austin.
Proponents of the “weakness” language tried to make the best of its defeat by pointing to other amendments passed by the board later in the day. The creationist faction again hoped to stir up controversy where there was none by tacking on language that added doubt and debate to such subjects as transitional fossils and common descent, both of which have been well-documented in the fossil record and scientific literature. Hopefully, the additional amendments can be removed when the board meets to finalize the draft text in late March.
Next door, in Louisiana, the legislature enacted a new law for the state Board of Education to “assist teachers, principals, and other school administrators to create and foster an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that promotes critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of scientific theories.” The language hints that it covers many scientific theories, but pointedly specifies evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning. Known as the Science Education Act, the measure was signed into law by Governor Bobby Jindal - a creationism supporter - last October.
Another state over, in Mississippi, new legislation introduced by representative Gary Chism uses a larger hammer to pound his anti-evolution point home. It would require textbooks that mention evolution to carry a 200-word disclaimer about the theory being controversial. Here’s some of the text:
"Scientific theories are based on both observations of the natural world and assumptions about the natural world. They are always subject to change in view of new and confirmed observations."
It also states:
"The word ‘theory’ has many meanings, including: systematically organized knowledge; abstract reasoning; a speculative idea or plan; or a systematic statement of principles,” the opening paragraph of the bill states.”
(Of course, Chism fails to point out which meaning is actually being used.)
"This textbook discusses evolution, a controversial theory some scientists present as a scientific explanation for the origin of living things. No one was present when life first appeared on earth. Therefore, any statement about life’s origins should be considered a theory,"
Again, it’s the same old “add controversy where none exists” tactic. Presently, the bill is heading through two committees, and it’d be a shame if such an anti-science law gets passed, because it will only be detrimental to the development of any students who want to make science their career choice.
Back in 1973, evolutionary biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky titled an essay “Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution.”
I think he hit the nail right on the head.
LINKS
21st Century Science Coalition
”Eroding Evolution” in Louisiana at NCSE website
Mississippi legislation in Dispatches from the Culture Wars
Creationism defeated in Texas
Is your village missing both idiots?
Courtesy Chubby BatI don't know if these are even true, and I have no one to attribute them to other than my uncle who emailed them to me. But I thought they were worth posting.
CHILDREN'S SCIENCE EXAM ANSWERS
Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.
Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink.
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large
pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.
Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.
Q: How can you delay milk turning sour?
A: Keep it in the cow.
Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon,
And nature hates a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.
Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.
Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old,so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.
Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery.
Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.
A: Premature death.
Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? (e.g., abdomen.)
A: The body is consisted into three parts - the brainium, the borax, and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the Five bowels A, E, I, O, and U.
Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie
Q: What does 'varicose' mean?
A: Nearby.
Q: Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarean Section.'
A: The Caesarean Section is a district in Rome .
Q: What does the word 'benign' mean?'
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight
USA Today has an interesting story today about the role museums can play in increasing science literacy in the country. You can read it right here.
Isaac Newton: Public domain image.Do you consider yourself well-versed in scientific thought? Can you recite all three of Newton’s Laws of Motion? In Latin? Are you one of those people who can prove a direct link between Albert Einstein’s hairdo and the Chaos theory? Oh, yeah? Well, how about you try to figure out these problems smart guy:
1) You fall into a swiftly moving river and are in need of a floatation device. You see a life preserver bobbing three yards downstream of you and another one three yards behind you. Which preserver should you swim toward?
2) A bullet is fired into one end of a spiral tube. When it comes out of the other end (forgetting here about the effects of gravity) will the bullet follow a trajectory that
(a) is a straight line.
(b) begins as a slight curve in the same direction as the spiral tube before gradually straightening out.
(c) begins as a slight curve in the opposite direction of the tube before straightening out?
3) A plane flying into a headwind will have a lower speed, relative to the ground, than it would if it were flying through still air, while a plane traveling with the benefit of a brisk tailwind will have a comparatively greater ground speed. But what about a plane flying through a 90-degree crosswind, a breeze that is buffeting its body side-on? Will its ground speed be higher, lower, or no different than it would be in calm skies?
Okay, how do you think you did? Do you think you did better than a ninth-grader? Probably not if he or she attends the Academy of Science in Loudoun County, Virginia. These are exactly the kinds of questions that Faye Cascio’s physics class has to tackle there.
And not only can her ninth-grade students solve these kinds of problems in Newtonian mechanics with flying colors, but they can explain the reasoning behind their solutions. If you’re like me, you guessed on one or two of them, but in Ms. Cascio’s class no one gets away with such nonsense. She insists that her students understand what they’re explaining.
“It’s called dipsticking,” Cascio said. “It’s really important to make sure the kids are picking this information up, and so I ask, Is this clear to you? Do you really understand it? and I won’t go on until I get a positive, satisfying answer.”
Cascio’s students are expected to learn to think like scientists and start doing experiments from the get-go. And they are required to design the experiments themselves, and even wear cool, white lab coats while doing so.
This could be good news for the perceived state of science education in our country, which for various reasons has been rather dismal. American students have not fared well in international science and math competitions as of late.
But the trend seems to be swinging in the opposite direction, according to the American Institute of Physics. Special programs in math and science for “gifted and talented” students are increasing. This year the percentage of high school students enrolled in physics classes is at an all-time high, and bachelor’s degrees in the subject have increased more than 30 percent in the last seven years.
This is really good news for science education, and it will be interesting to see how things pan out in future competitions.
But in the meantime, how about those three physics problem? How well do you think you did? Post your answers as a comment, and we'll see how everyone does before I post the correct answers. By the way, I missed them all. I’m so ashamed.
The title of this YouTube video may be a little demeaning toward the French in general, but when I watched this, I couldn't believe it. It really shows a disturbing lack of regard for science and science education in the world. Are we destined for another Dark Ages?
Former Astronaut Sally Ride: Photo courtesy NASA (Columbia Accident Investigation Board photo by Rick Stiles 2003).I listened to astronaut Sally Ride on the radio this morning talking about the importance of science, and science in education, particularly for girls. You can find information about it on her website Sally Ride Science.
The site has links to science festivals, books, science camps and toys for young people, along with information for educators. It also includes a blog with teacher Barbara Morgan, the 1st Educator Astronaut, who launched into space on the space shuttle Endeavour just two days ago on August 8.
Links
Sally Ride Biography
Barbara Morgan info
Space Shuttle Endeavour
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