While smaller US earthquakes made recent news, like the 6.5 magnitude shake in Northern California that was felt up into central Oregon, the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck near Port-au-Prince, Haiti yesterday, has brought earthquakes into the foreground of national news and media reports - and thus in the awareness of students.

According to reports, the quake in Haiti, an area where earthquakes are not common, was the strongest in 200 years. The world map of earthquakes in the last 7 days on the USGS site shows four earthquakes in the Haiti area, including a 5.3 magnitude shake this morning. While the extent of the damage has not yet been determined, the immediate and visible effects indicate that the quakes were devastating to the small Caribbean country.

The following Science Buddies Project Ideas can help students and classes talk about both the geology of earthquakes as well as civil engineering and the kinds of considerations that go into designing stronger and more earthquake-resistant structures.

Geology of Earthquakes:

• Locating the Epicenter of an Earthquake (Science Buddies' Difficulty Level: 6-8)


• Ring of Fire 2: What Earthquakes Tell us About Plate Tectonics (Science Buddies' Difficulty Level: 5-6)


• How Fast do Seismic Waves Travel? (Science Buddies' Difficulty Level: 5-8)


• Is There a Whole Lot of Shaking Going On? Make Your Own Seismograph and Find Out. (Science Buddies' Difficulty Level: 6-7)

Structural Engineering:

• Building the Tallest Towers (Science Buddies' Difficulty Level: 1)


• Bridges That Can Take a Shake (Science Buddies' Difficulty Level: 2-3)


• Set Your Table for a Sweet and Sticky Shake (Science Buddies' Difficulty Level: 4)

Note: The "Set Your Table for a Sweet and Sticky Shake" project contains a video clip of Courtney Corda, Science Buddies Vice President and "Science Mom" performing the experiment on an episode of "View from the Bay."

For other projects in these areas, please browse our Civil Engineering and Geology interest areas. Our Geology Area of Interest is sponsored by a grant from Chevron.

The November 15 deadline for the 2010 NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing is approaching.

All US high school girls in grades 9-12 (excluding previous winners) are invited to apply. Awardees receive both cash and technology prizes.

For more information and complete application details, visit http://www.ncwit.org/award.

The annual NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing is organized by the National Center for Women & Information Technology and is sponsored by Bank of America. Thanks to support from the Motorola Foundation, applicants in Texas, Illinois, and Florida will also be considered for Affiliate Awards.

To find out more about NCWIT and the Aspirations in Computing award, watch the 2009 NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing ceremony video.

Science Buddies offers a number of high-tech science fair project ideas. Check out our list of projects in computer science, sponsored by Symantec, and our list of projects in video and computer gaming, sponsored by the AMD Foundation.

The above video is from NASA's coverage of the LCROSS impact the morning of October 9, 2009.

This week, we'll be looking skyward as we await the impact of the LCROSS satellite and hope for sight of the plume on the morning of October 9. But next week, our attentions will spiral back to Earth for "Earth Science Week 2009," October 11-17. Organized by the American Geological Institute and sponsored by a range of geoscience organizations, including the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, the National Park Service, and the AAPG Foundation, the annual "Earth Science Week" aims to promote geosciences and to educate students, teachers, and families about the importance of being stewards of the Earth.

The theme for "Earth Science Week 2009" is "Understanding Climate." From daily NASA videos to a webcast in which oceanographers talk about their careers, "Earth Science Week 2009" promises a diverse array of Earth-centered activities and information.

The following Science Buddies' short-term science fair project ideas may prove useful as cornerstones for climate-related discussions and in-class projects with your students that tie in with Earth Science Week:

• How Does a Wind Meter Work? (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 2)
• Home Sweet Biome: How Do Plants Grow in Different Environments? (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 3)
• The Reasons for Seasons (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 4-5)
• Do Warmer Seas Make Stronger Hurricanes? (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 7-9)

There are three contests students can enter as part of Earth Science Week 2009: a photography contest, a visual arts contest for K-5, and an essay contest for grades 6-9. For more information and specific contest rules and deadlines, please visit the Earth Science Week website.

10 Days and Counting! The countdown is on! LCROSS' projected lunar impact will occur on October 9, 2009 at 11:30 UT (7:30 a.m. EDT, 4:30 a.m. PDT), +/- 30 minutes.

If you've been tracking the LCROSS Mission, you know that the craft entered its third and final orbit of the Earth several weeks ago. Despite an unexpected fuel consumption problem in August that resulted in round-the-clock monitoring by the LCROSS Earth-based team, LCROSS has remained on track and stable. NASA recently formally announced that Cabeus A, the permanently shadowed polar crater, is the target site for impact in this search and discovery mission. The mission is now in its final days before the much-anticipated lunar impact on October 9.

According to NASA, "LCROSS will search for water ice by sending its spent upper-stage Centaur rocket to impact the permanently shadowed polar crater. The satellite will fly into the plume of dust left by the impact and measure the properties before also colliding with the lunar surface."

The plume generated by the impact is expected to be visible for only 2-5 minutes, but because it will be visible with mid-range telescopes, 10-to-12 inches and larger, NASA expects many backyard astronomers will be training scopes on the Moon on October 9. For those without the necessary equipment, there are LCROSS "Impact Parties" being organized around the country, and many observatories are holding special viewing sessions.

Viewing a scheduled and planned "crash" into the moon is (most likely) a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Today's K-12 students weren't around for the last appearance of Halley's Comet (visible only once every 75-76 years), but they're in range for LCROSS. To see if there is an event near you, check this list of LCROSS Public Events.

If you are planning to watch with your own equipment or have questions about what equipment is required, be sure and check out NASA's guide for "Amateur Observations," a compilation of information designed for the casual observer.

For those involved in organizing an Impact Party or for those planning to talk about LCROSS and the coming impact with students, NASA has put together an Impact Party Toolkit that contains background information as well as resources related to each stage of the mission.

Resources for educators, include the following:

• On the Moon Educator Guide (PDF)
• NASA eClips^TM list of short educational videos designed for K-12 students
• Finding Water on the Moon --Launchpad Music Video
• LCROSS Storybook (full-color PDF)
• Future of Exploration (video)
• Moon Math Craters! Supplemental Educator Guide (PDF)

If you are talking with K-1 students about LCROSS, craters, and the Moon, don't miss Science Buddies' "Craters and Meteorites" project idea which gives students an immediate and hands-on look at the concept of impact craters and the relationship between the size and mass of a meteor and the resulting crater.

For more information on LCROSS and suggested materials for fourth grade and beyond, check our initial entry on the LCROSS mission.

"Earth" as photographed by Project Icarus' weather-balloon-toted camera at 93000 feet. (Photo used with permission. http://space.1337arts.com/)

A recent CNN story highlights the spirit of ingenuity and determination that pushes the envelope of science and, in this case, the financial realities of space photography. Oliver Yeh, an MIT student, has a reputation among friends for being a "free thinker," but as Project Icarus proved, he's also got the science to put behind his big concept (and low budget) ideas.

With past scientific escapades like floating down-river on a raft of plastic bottles to his credit, Yeh reportedly didn't get a lot of support when he first sought out a partner to help with his newest project. But he didn't turn back. His idea was to launch a low-cost camera into near-space using bare-bones equipment: a weather balloon, a digital camera, a cell phone (for GPS tracking), hand warmers (to keep the phone battery from freezing), and a Styrofoam cooler (to protect the camera). Add in a small parachute for the drift back to Earth and a note taped to the outside of the cooler offering a reward for return of the assemblage if found, and Project Icarus was ready for near-space. After much planning, much calculating, and many "what if's," the team launched their balloon-toting camera on September 2, on a barebones budget that rang in at $148.

The story of the project reads like a good episode of a storm-chasers' program as the duo camped out the night before the launch and then waited... and waited... hoping for a signal that would let them know the camera had landed in one piece and not in a body of water. It's good reading. It's good science. And, as Project Icarus makes clear - space photography isn't solely in the purview of NASA.

The summary of the project in CNN's report makes the team's objectives and methods sound fairly straightforward. They planned to float a helium-filled weather balloon into the atmosphere. They predicted air pressure would cause the balloon to pop at approximately 17 miles up, and then the apparatus would parachute back to the ground. Throughout the flight, the cooler-encased and open-source programmed camera would snap photos every five seconds, recording the journey into "near-space." And, of course, the phone's GPS would let them track the launch and then find the gear once it touched down again.

Though it sounds like there were moments of doubt as the hours after the launch passed, things worked out as planned. The equipment was successfully located via GPS and retrieved, and the camera was full of striking photos. (The beauty of the near-space photos led them to set up the 1337arts website, which focuses on the intersection between art and science.)

In their own documentation of the project, the successful flight, and the surprisingly high-quality photographs from near-space, Yeh talks about the importance of a project like this as a touchstone for revitalizing interest in science among high school students. By demonstrating that it's possible to turn ordinary equipment into something out of this world, Yeh hopes to inspire a younger audience and their teachers.

Not surprisingly, reports of their successful flight spread quickly through Internet streams, and the team has been quick to warn that launching things into the atmosphere requires FAA approval.

While your students may not be launching to near-space anytime soon, Science Buddies has several relevant science fair project ideas which can let students begin to explore the kinds of concepts and parameters Yeh and his teammate thought through, strategized, and hypothesized in the months before the launch.

• Rocket Aerodynamics
(Science Buddies' difficulty level: 5-9 )
• Using Weather Balloon Data to Map Atmospheric Temperature
(Science Buddies' difficulty level: 6)
• Altitude and Elevation
(Science Buddies' difficulty level: 4-5)

Last spring, Science Buddies announced in a teacher newsletter that applications were being accepted for Northrop Grumman Foundation's Weightless Flights of Discovery Program. Last week, the 30 teachers selected for the "zero-gravity" flight, a flight that normally runs around 5K per person, were announced. We were excited to see Erin Moore among the teachers listed. Erin, an eighth grade teacher at Lincoln Avenue School in Illinois, says she applied after hearing about the program from Science Buddies.

The flight, operated by Zero Gravity Corp., will take place later this week. Science Buddies asked Erin if she would be willing to share her experience with teachers around the country via the Science Buddies' blog. These flights are designed to provide teachers with cutting-edge science and an experience that can change their lives -- and the lives of their students. We expected to get a post-flight summary, but Erin has already found that news of the flight has had an impact on her teaching -- and taken hold of her students' imaginations.

Here's what Erin has to say as she navigates the "buzz" of excitement -- and misunderstanding -- that has surrounded her since the announcement of the upcoming flight.

Erin Moore, eighth grade science teacher, will soon have a "weightless" experience of a lifetime to share with her students.

So there was a media blitz this week. Last Friday, out of nowhere, reporters were asking to interview me... several. I entertained reporter after reporter. Thank goodness it was a half day. I drew diagrams on my board, taught about how weightlessness happens, demoed Newton's laws. In general, I was being a teacher.

By Monday, the papers were running the story. I was third page news. Then something strange happened. By Monday evening, my story was in the Tribune and the Sun Times. There was a blurb on ABC 7 and in two local papers. Mothers of the staff were calling their daughters asking if the reports were talking about my school, "is this one of yours?"

Tuesday, the principal made a nice speech over the intercom and asked the school to congratulate me. It was touching. By the afternoon, someone had taped the newspaper stories and clippings onto my door.

In a matter of days, I have entered this strange land of minor celebrity. I am not the science teacher any more. Now I am the astronaut.

4th graders are walking by me and breaking into huge smiles. Their eyes light up with wonder. "Mrs. Moore, congratulations. Will you tell us what it is like to go into outer space?"

This stirs a conflict inside of me between allowing the kids to think something that inspires them but is wrong, or to teach.

As a science teacher it is important to me that kids understand, really important. I teach about how computers work. I teach spectrometry. I am always explaining that science is not just about making this stuff up. I believe when we can show them, they can understand! Every year I promise my students they will leave my classroom understanding how the power makes the power and how it travels. I promise they will learn and understand every part of what happens when they turn on a light switch.

But now I am conflicted about the line between inspiration and truth.

I tried to explain to two of my former students that I am not going into space. Instead, I am going to be weightless. "Oh." The light in their eyes went out.

Too many times my students are disappointed by life. They feel let down and lied to. So do I smile and nod my head, passing along inspiration messages... knowing that I am not going into space but that I serve as a hope. Or do I try to sit down and draw parabolas to get students to understand. Do I take the magic away but return the power of knowledge to them?

For now, my solution is based on time. The flight is coming quickly. When possible I will explain. Until then, it's a thumbs up, a big smile, and my best effort to remind students that the world IS wonderful, and so is life.

A cooperative effort between Northrop Grumman, sponsor of Science Buddies' Aerodynamics Interest Area, and ZERO-G, the Weightless Flights of Discovery program began in 2006. Almost 250 teachers participated that first year, a number that almost doubled in 2007.

The 25th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day is this Saturday, September 19, 2009. Part of the California Coastal Commission's Adopt-a-Beach initiative, California Coastal Cleanup Day encourages volunteers of all ages to head to the beach to help protect the marine environment. Last year, more than 70,000 people joined together on Coastal Cleanup Day to gather more than 1,600,000 pounds of trash and recyclable materials strewn along beaches and waterways throughout California.

Group efforts like California Coastal Cleanup Day or International Coastal Cleanup Day (organized by the Ocean Conservancy and also on September 19 this year) underscore the importance of social responsibility and foster awareness of the fragile nature of marine habitats. When families and classes join together to take a stand in protecting our natural resources, student experience firsthand the value of volunteerism -- and the realities of coastal trash. According to the California Coastal Commission, "over 800,000 Californians have removed more than 13 million pounds of debris" from the state's coast since the first cleanup day in 1985.

The following Science Buddies' science fair project ideas explore trash-related concepts, from biodegradability and composting to recycling and the use of trash as an energy source.

• The Big Dig (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 1)
• From Trash to Gas: Biomass Energy (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 4-6)
• Landfills (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 6-9)
• "Carly M's Science Fair Project", a student journal as she worked on a recycling-based science fair project idea

To learn more about the dangers of plastic ocean debris, watch "Synthetic Sea," a video produced by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.

For today's students, the leap from playing video games to programming video games isn't necessarily a big one. Even elementary school students who enjoy filling some down-time with a favorite game can begin exploring the logic and sequencing involved in designing a video game.

Before sitting down at a computer, encourage your students to work on mapping out a storyboard as they think through the premise (or plot) of their game. Who are the main characters? What is the goal? What kinds of problems will be encountered? What skills do you need to win?

Answering these questions is an important first step and gives the game designer a chance to think about the concept of game levels or stages and the need to develop traps, challenges, and objectives for each level -- as well as the need to build in ways for main characters to successfully handle each situation. This stage in the development also encourages solid grounding in "process-oriented thinking." It's easy to envision A, D, and Z, but what steps happen in between? If a storyboard for a video game ends up looking like a massive flow-chart filled with conditional if-then statements (if this happens, then this will happen), chances are they are on the right path - and they are demonstrating the kinds of detail-oriented and conditions-based thinking necessary for computer programming.

Storyboarding gets the ball rolling, but the magic lies in working with software that enables the designer to begin bringing the story (and the game) to life.

As a parent or teacher watching a student's first steps in game design, it can be eye-opening to see the cycle of development as it unfolds. Having grown up with first-wave Atari systems and having spent time learning to program on a Commodore 64 system in my own pre-teen days, my history with video games is one steeped in games like Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Asteroids, Centipede, and other "vintage" games.

When I saw the game my 8-year-old designed as part of a week-long LEGO camp this summer, I was amazed to see familiar principles from those early games peeking through, as well as features and concepts he's absorbed from games he's played on the LEGO site (e.g. JunkBot and WorldBuilders) and from his own experience with hand-held games.

With computers already an established part of the routine for many students and in many classrooms and learning environments, working with video game programming software can be viewed as an extension of computer literacy efforts and can increase a student's familiarity with technology as well as result in a project (and product) that she enjoys, is invested in, and is proud of. When it comes to introducing students to computers, there is room to do more than simply have them cut and paste digital stickers or use a "paint bucket" in a graphics program or learn to type a report in word processing software. For some, the grasp of digital storytelling and the programming that lies beneath it is innate, and with GUI-based game design software like Scratch from MIT, there's ample room for students to experiment.

For those interested in programming but not in gaming, working with LEGO Mindstorms can provide introductory grounding in principles of programming, circuitry, timing, and robotics. Maybe your class will end up with a small bot that can help clean pencils up from the tables and floors!

The following Science Buddies Project Ideas can get you and your students started:

• Want To Make a Video Game? Here's How! (Science Buddies difficulty rating: 5-7)




• Go, Gadget, Go! Building Robots with LEGO® Mindstorms® (Science Buddies difficulty rating: 6)

If you have high-school-aged girls interested in computer programming, video game design, digital design, or another computer-related field, be sure and check out the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing. National winners will receive a $500 cash award, a laptop, and a trip to the awards ceremony.

The application period runs from September 15 to November 1, 2009. For more information on the award or the NCWIT, please visit: www.ncwit.org.

When you're an element - even a "super-heavy" one - getting an official name and spot on the Periodic Table isn't easy. A chemical element, Element 112 was first fusion-created more than a decade ago but only recently found a spot on the table. It was originally known as eka-mercury but has since been going by the temporary name "Ununbium" with a symbol of UuB. The scientists who discovered Unumbium have proposed to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) that it be officially named Copernicium, after Nicolaus Copernicus, with a symbol of Cp.

(Copernicus, of course, first developed a heliocentric view of the universe, positing the sun at the center rather than the Earth and thus changing the face of astronomy.)

Final approval of the name will take approximately six months, which gives you plenty of time to peruse the system of naming the IUAPC follows when assigning temporary names which they refer to as " Systematic element names."

For more on the history of Element 112 and its 107-111 precursors, see this article from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8093374.stm