Science Buddies Blog (Page 98)

Staff Wish List

December 16, 2011 6:20 AM

Last year, I asked the Science Buddies staff what science, engineering, or technology tools were on their wish lists. The compilation of responses turned out to be an interesting roundup of most-wanted gadgets, a list that reflects the wide-range of personal interests that make up the small group of us at Science Buddies. Despite the size of our site and the depth of our resources, there are only a handful of us. We are a small and busy team. We keep our "plates" full (agar and non-agar ones),… Read more

The "Science" of Giving

December 15, 2011 1:06 PM

(Editorial note: the following fun science giving suggestions and selections are from one Science Buddies science mom and do not represent official endorsements by Science Buddies, with the exception of the Science Buddies Kits. Many of these gift ideas are related to Project Idesas in the Science Buddies library, however, and we've provided links to those projects where possible.) With a bit of creative thinking, you can inject your holiday gift giving with a bit of extra science energy.… Read more

Mom of Two Emerging Video Game Designers

December 12, 2011 9:35 AM

Got students who are interested in video games? There's science and engineering to be discovered and leveraged—even as they rack up points and level up! The December 2011 issue of the Science Buddies newsletter focused on video and computer game design projects. The National STEM Video Game Challenge is underway! Deadline for entries: March 12, 2012. More information and guidelines... I remember when one of my boys wanted to be a firefighter. That may well be a rite of passage for… Read more

Meet Kathy Hooper, Design Verification Engineer

December 6, 2011 12:21 PM

Kathy Hooper is a Design Verification Engineer at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). If you played a video game or enjoyed a streaming video on your smart phone today, and everything worked as it should, you might have someone like Kathy Hooper to thank. Kathy is a design verification engineer at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). At AMD, Kathy's work focuses on the design verification of new computer chips being designed for use in 3D graphics and multimedia products. Day to day, Kathy… Read more

Pumpkin Seed Puzzle

November 23, 2011 8:25 AM

By Kim Mullin With Thanksgiving this week, you might even be counting on pumpkin pie after dinner, at least once! If the baker in your house is using fresh pumpkin, it's a perfect time for young scientists to turn pumpkin guts into a scientific investigation. Image: Wikipedia Pumpkins seem to be everywhere in the fall, and with good reason. Fall is when pumpkins turn ripe, so we eat them (mmm, pie!) and use them for decorations. If you've ever opened up a pumpkin, you know… Read more

Can You Harvest the Moon?

November 18, 2011 8:32 AM

By Kim Mullin The large Harvest Moon is a full moon different from all others in the year. It is followed each year by another "different" moon, the Hunter's Moon. Source: Wikiepedia. Although most of us don't live on farms, harvest is something we think about in the fall. We decorate with pumpkins, gourds, and multi-colored corn when we celebrate fall holidays. And, in the United States, many of us eat a hearty meal on Thanksgiving Day to commemorate the Pilgrims' first… Read more

The Goo on Gluten

November 17, 2011 12:28 PM

The above ball of dough has been kneaded. Students can explore kneading as one variable that influences the strength of the gluten in a food. For many of us, Thanksgiving brings with it the feast mentality and ushers in a season full of special treats and baked items. From familiar pecan and pumpkin pies on Turkey day to dozens and dozens of cookies throughout December, 'tis the season of homemade goodies. Clever bakers can turn the extra time in the kitchen into a scientific… Read more

Good Hand Washing? Turn on the Black Light!

November 1, 2011 10:17 AM

"Glowing" germs let students test their hand washing techniques, evaluate areas of the hand, and investigate germ transmission! Image source: Glo Germ, used with permission. With its emphasis on creepy, crawly, nighttime fun, Halloween is a perfect time for things that glow, from the flickering lights inside carved pumpkins to neon sticks. Last week, we took a look at the chemical reaction that happens when you snap open a glow stick—and a great chemistry project that lets… Read more

Candy Chromatography

October 31, 2011 4:12 PM

Brightly colored candies in your Halloween bag might be the key to your next science investigation! Image: Wikipedia. Trick or treat! Today's the day! But what will you do with all the candy you accumulate going door to door in this year's costume? Can you really eat that much candy? After the initial excitement of dumping your bag of sweet loot in the floor, sorting it out, exclaiming over favorites, maybe making some sibling trades, and eating a few more than usual pieces of candy… Read more

Vampire Bats and a Bat Detector

October 28, 2011 10:54 AM

Only a small percentage of bats are blood-drinking vampire bats, like the one shown here, but all bats in the sub-order Microchiroptera use echolocation to help them navigate and locate prey. Image: Wikipedia, Ltshears. By Kim Mullin Predators in the Night What's that whooshing and swooping through the night? What gets its nutrition from bird and mammal blood? What species' animal kingdom name means "hand-wing"? Vampire bats, of course! The idea of blood-thirsty bats may… Read more

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