Science Buddies Blog (Page 76)

Static Electricity Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

January 23, 2014 8:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: an electricity project and family activity that takes the zap out of static electricity. What causes the buildup of static electricity and may cause you to get "shocked" when wearing, rubbing up against, or touching certain materials or objects? What does what the object is made of have to do with static electricity? In this project, you and your family can build a cool tool, an electroscope, to detect electric charges and test to see how different materials… Read more

Puppy Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

January 16, 2014 9:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: a mammalian biology project and family activity that encourages families to talk about and explore why puppies and other animals huddle together for warmth. Does cuddling up really increase warmth? Put it to the test in this hands-on science experiment! Huddle & Cuddle: How Puppies Keep Warm (full Science Buddies Project Idea) Snuggly Science: How Puppies Keep Warm (science activity at Scientific American) Read more

The New CEO of General Motors Inspires Students about Engineering

January 14, 2014 10:27 AM

Stories about Mary Barra have the potential to empower, encourage, and inspire students of all ages as she takes on a very visible and important leadership role in the automotive industry. As Barra shows, even something as simple as making paper boats can make a difference in how students (or adults) perceive science and engineering—and maybe in how a company performs! Mary Barra, new CEO of GM, leads the GM "A World in Motion" skimmer boat in Bates Academy student competition last… Read more

Cellphone Spectrophotometry: Turn a Phone Into a Functional Piece of Science Equipment (Science-hack Your Phone: Part 2)

January 9, 2014 12:00 PM

Cellphone cameras do a great job of helping us capture funny and memorable moments that we can share through our favorite social media sites, text messages, or email. That same imaging technology can be used as the basis for useful medical and scientific tools—or just for fun at home-exploration. Image: Based on a figure from Martin Silberberg's Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change; McGraw-Hill, 2011.In our last installment, we covered a DIY project for the… Read more

Sweaty Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

January 3, 2014 11:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: a sports science project and family activity that lets you experiment to find out how different activities affect your heart rate. Exercise is important, but do all forms of exercise make your heart work the same? Does your heart work as hard when you are walking as it does when you are jumping on a trampoline or playing a game of basketball? Which activities and exercises really get your heart going? What does it feel like when your heart starts working harder?… Read more

Women in Engineering: Mary Barra Takes Keys to Car Manufacturing Company

January 2, 2014 8:00 AM

The story of the next General Motors CEO may help change ideas about car engineering and gender and inspire future generations of female engineers. Photo: John F. Martin for General MotorsWhat happens when a girl grows up loving to build, design, engineer, tinker, solve, create, and improve upon what's "out there"? What happens when a girl who loves those things gets encouragement, opportunity, and education that supports her interests? She might just take over as chief executive officer of a… Read more

Help Support Science Buddies

December 30, 2013 10:16 AM

Read the Science Buddies 2013 Annual Update. For more information about donations, see the Donations FAQ. Follow Science Buddies at Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Google+. Read more

Cellphone Microscope: Turn a Phone Into a Functional Piece of Scientific Medical Equipment (Science-hack Your Phone: Part 1)

December 30, 2013 7:13 AM

Cellphones do a great job of helping us capture funny and memorable moments that we can share through our favorite social media sites, text messages, and email. That same imaging technology can be used as a tool for medical and scientific field work—or just for fun at home or in the classroom with a stack of science slides. A homemade cellphone microscope brings small things into new focus! (Plus, it's super cool to say you turned a phone into a functional microscope!) One more week of… Read more

Cornbread Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

December 30, 2013 7:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: a food science project and family activity that explores the role of baking powder in baking. In this pair of projects, experiment to see the affect of baking powder on corn bread muffins for a clear visual look at what happens when you use more or less in your recipe. Does a light and airy muffin indicate one with or without baking powder? How does the density or weight of a muffin change in relation to the amount of baking powder used? What happens if you use… Read more

Student Video Contest: Making Movies About Movies

December 23, 2013 10:00 AM

Are you the parent of a budding filmmaker, writer, or scientist? Maybe your child loves Star Wars or X-Men. Are you looking for a creative learning enrichment activity that helps spark your child's imagination while fueling his or her interest in STEM subjects? The USA Science & Engineering Festival, in partnership with the Kavli Foundation, has launched a science video contest that is designed to challenge your child while providing a unique outlet for creative expression. Not only does… Read more

Science Buddies Blog (1,178 results)

Explore Our Science Videos