Science Buddies Blog (Page 94)

Summer Science Reading

June 8, 2012 12:19 PM

Your students need to keep reading—all summer long. Reading helps fight summer brain drain, but if you encourage your students to read books with a science theme, the pages read do double duty. And you? If a popular science title isn't what you would typically grab for a vacation read, it might be time to shake up your summer reading. Science Buddies staff offers suggestions for engaging science-themed reads for tweens and up. As our… Read more

Beat Brain Drain with Summer Science

June 7, 2012 12:30 PM

Student "brain drain" during the summer is more than just media hype. Statistics on academic loss offer a cautionary tale, but taking steps to infuse summer fun with summer science can help keep critical skills in motion. Summer science might be just the synapse boost your student needs to bridge the days between school years! Summer is a great time for students to engage in big and small science projects at home—no grades required! Doing science in the summer can help keep… Read more

Family Dinner: Serving Up Science

June 5, 2012 8:04 AM

Families who gather around the table to eat turn off the electronics, put down their books, pass the salt, salad, or main course, and tune in to one another. With busy schedules carving out the hours of the days for both students and parents, the minutes shared over a meal give everyone a moment to slow down, regroup, and refocus. Working a bit of science into your dinner table talk can be easy—and rewarding for everyone involved. Compelling dinner discussion isn't always… Read more

Pinhole Viewer: Trying Again for the Transit

June 4, 2012 9:40 AM

The Venus Transit offers a wonderful opportunity for family summer science and an easy DIY science activity—making a pinhole viewer. From parallax to exoplanets, tomorrow's transit raises plenty of talking points for students and their families, but a safe viewing strategy is a must. During the Venus Transit, Venus will appear as a dark spot crossing the face of the Sun. Safe viewing is a must, but families can witness this event, which won't happen again until 2117, using a… Read more

Venus Transit: Last Chance of the Century

June 4, 2012 8:54 AM

By Kim Mullin Did you know that our moon is not the only heavenly body to pass between Earth and the Sun? The orbits of both Mercury and Venus infrequently take them on such a path, and on June 5th, you will have your last opportunity of the century to see Venus make this "transit." The next transit of Venus will not occur until 2117! We call this phenomenon a "transit" because from Earth we can see the planet moving across the face of the Sun. Unlike a solar eclipse, when the moon… Read more

Two Students Win Outstanding Mentor Awards

June 1, 2012 9:00 AM

Annual Science Buddies award recognizes outstanding student mentor contributions in the Ask an Expert forums. Two high school students from New York receive this year's honors. Reshma Mir (top) and Grace Kim (bottom) received first and second place Craig Sander Outstanding Mentor awards for their help in the Ask an Expert forums this year. Ask an Expert: A Community of Volunteers Helping with K-12 Science Questions Ask an Expert is a free online forum that enables students… Read more

Success Story: A Video Game for the Blind

May 24, 2012 10:00 AM

Dylan Viale's fifth-grade science project gave him a chance to share something he enjoys with his grandmother, who is blind. Designing his first video game ever, Dylan created Quacky's Quest, a maze game you don't have to see to play! For his fifth grade science project, Dylan Viale (pictured above) used GameMaker to create a sound-based video game to share with his grandmother, who is blind. The project gave Dylan a firsthand look at what's involved in video game design, and his classmates… Read more

Family Science: Pinholes and Safe Solar Viewing

May 21, 2012 12:13 PM

Creating a pinhole projector for the eclipse encourages hands-on family science—and offers a lesson in perseverance. Family science doesn't always turn out exactly as planned, but everyone learns something along the way. Tubes, tape, and a pinhole lead to unexpected reflections of the eclipse for this family. I am not a scientist. I am a writer who works for Science Buddies, and so I approached yesterday's eclipse not as one of my scientist colleagues might, but as a mom who tries… Read more

Intel ISEF Winners Named

May 18, 2012 9:21 AM

Winners of the 2012 Intel ISEF have been named and the confetti thrown! Science Buddies is proud to find some of our student success stories and student volunteers among the winners. 2012 Intel ISEF winners of the Gordon E. Moor Award and the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award. Source: Society for Science & the Public This year's top Intel ISEF winner and recipient of the Gordon E. Moore Award is Jack Andraka. The fifteen year old from Crownsville, MD, won first place for his… Read more

Gear Up for the Solar Eclipse

May 15, 2012 4:54 PM

By Kim Mullin Safely viewing a solar eclipse takes special equipment—ask an adult for help now so you are ready! Those who see the May 20 annular eclipse will see a ring of sun around a dark center. The above photo of the January 2011 annular eclipse was taken by the Hinode satellite. Image: NASA. Solar Eclipse to be Visible from Most of North America on May 20 As the Earth makes its rotation on May 20, many people around the world will be in for a treat—a view of a… Read more

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