Science Rocks!

I found a blog article relevant to our Science Rocks Presentation! :o)))

The most beautiful types of quartz

via ZME Science

Why the MAS is important

So, there was a survey done by the American Museum of Natural History that is the perfect example of why the MAS is a necessary entity.

They passed out a survey to see what the public knew about water, and the results were insanely ridiculous:

"Fewer than half of those surveyed answered correctly when asked how much of the planet is covered in water (about three-fourths). Hardly anyone knew how much of that water is drinkable (about 1 percent)."

Sad, huh? I mean, it's water...the stuff of life (literally)....there could be no life on our planet without it. And the public doesn't know diddly-squat about it.

When I see stuff like this it fills me with purpose. Being involved with the MAS means that we'll be able to bridge these gaps for people, which is obviously something that is sorely missing. I hope you guys see this and feel the same!

Click here to read the full article.

~Sara

I found the following tip to be helpful if you want to set up an interview to look professional. Here's what was on the site we were reading about How to Set a Scene, "Set your F Stop or aperture like the pros. To make your interview look like a “60-Minutes” television show, set your video camera to your lowest (1.6) manual F stop to compress the depth of focus. Set up your camera about 15 feet from subject and zoom into the proper framing, which will further compress depth of focus. To focus, zoom in tight and manual focus on the eyes, then zoom back to the proper framing. The background should appear slightly blurry yet the subject’s eyes will appear crisp."

Film Making

There are many tricks you can use to make your film more interesting and exciting. Audio is just as important as the visual images are. One way to make use of audio is to record natural noise that can fill any gaps there might be during editing. It is also important to monitor your audio as you go with good headphones. When selecting your scene chose one that will be quiet enough for the audio to be undisturbed but still creates the right effect for your video. Sometimes to accomplish this it is necessary to use many settings and locations to create the illusion of one setting. This can be done by using a variety of shots and angles.

The Scene!

For all the people that want to do a video for their podcast, one of the most important parts of it is the Scene.Your setting is where scene occurs and is an essential part of telling your story on film. Using a variety of scenes will make your film more interesting. They can be as big as a shot from the space shuttle looking down on the entire planet to as small as a flea on someone’s fingertip.
A bad setting can make a video boring or confusing.Both selecting and taking control of your scene is crucial if you want to be able to successfully capture your actors or host.

In order to do this, first , you need to find an appropiate location for your podcast:

• Aerial views or shots from high places such as hilltop or tall building.
• Pans of countryside or city showing setting maybe include landmark
• Medium shot of building or site where action will take place
• Medium shot of room, or location with characters walking into
• Close shots of faces of characters in dialog from different angles
• Extreme close-ups of items characters are focused on – for example, if we only saw the close-up of the pipe discharging pollution while we listened to Rob’s and Suz’s dialog, that alone would give us the feeling we were looking for that something sinister was happening.
• Keep in mind that the real world also contains very small scenes within the larger scene. So don’t overlook things as small as insects, plant leaves, tadpoles, water droplets, and the other elements that together make the greater scene.

Once you have chosen an appropiate location, you need to take control of the shooting enviroment.

1. Minimize visual distractions

2. Remove personal distractions

3.Minimize audio distractions

Filmmaking Trickst

I thought that it was really great that this website posted a number of personal tricks to assist in filmmaking. A few of the points that I found interesting...

-A clear plastic bag is about as effective as an expansive camera 'raincoat'. All you have to do is cut a slit the size of your camera lens and wrap it tightly with rubber bands.

-Carry an empty nylon bag with you for a variety of reasons. If it is windy while you are filming, you can fill the bag with weights in order to stead your camera. You can also fill the bag with rice, beans, or sand to hold your camera steady if you do not have a tripod.

-If you like to move around while filming, use a shoulder stabilizing brace instead of a tripod. You can hold it in your arms while running or you can place it on your shoulder for slower scenes.

Production - Hosting

A lot of people in our group are going to be doing interviews where they may want to introduce people. This is similar to hosting, so I thought that the tips listed in the article were helpful. I think that the most important one is to make eye contact with the camera. You want to direct what you are saying to the people listening and make them stay focused and involved in the podcast. News reporters often do this as well as talk show hosts, and many other TV personalities. The following video is a good example of what not to do when reporting, yet you can still see that there is a lot of eye contact made with the camera when those who are physically with the reporter are not being addressed.

Film Production

Audio is the difference between a good film and an exceptional film. Filmmakers should choose a location which is quite. A shotgun mic or lavaliere mic should be used to pick up sound close to the camera and block background sound. The scene your shot is taken in is also a huge contribution to film making. It is used to capture your audience and keep them focused. Controlling the elements of a scene is important because it will allow you to remove distractions and create a set which would appeal to the viewer. Filmmakers, like photographers, use the law of thirds to position the object to appeal to the viewer's eye. To create this effect, the object should always be looking towards the empty space on the frame. Instead of aligning the object's center with the middle of the frame, position it on the upper or 1/3 down area. The six basic camera shots are;

• extreme wide shot
• wide shot
• medium shot
• medium close up
• close up
• extreme close up

Adding an on camera host will create a more inviting production by interacting with the audience. Looking at the camera with confidence enthuses the viewer. You should be yourself but incorporate animation and excitement as well as knowledge about the subject you're filming. Tripods are used to stabilize the camera.

Producing

As far as audio is concerned it is important to scope out the scene in which you will be recording. The idea is to take note of the surroundings and the possible distractions that could ruin your recording. When it comes to picking the scene for visual purposes you want to make sure or at least try to pick a place that will allow you to be in control so you can have a wide range of choices with regard to the setting of your shoot. There are a number of shot types that can help you set up the scene, from extra wide shot to close up and even over the shoulder or point of view(from the main character's perspective). If you are on camera try to be animated but keep it natural, be yourself and always remember to make eye contact with the camera. If you are the one running the camera and you need some action shots, say you're chasing some predator during a hunt, you can use a shoulder stabilizer brace that will help with your run n' gun method and it can be used while standing still by just simply bringing it to rest on your shoulder, oh, and don't forget to turn the camera on!

Production

Audio is important in filming. A lavaliere mic is good to use for filming interviews because it picks up the vibration from the throat, so this could be used when doing our podcast (if accessible). Just like a story, our film should go in a chronological order... we are kinda telling a story. Therefore we should make it as interesting as possible. We can do this by using 'b rolls' or 'cover footage' to help portrait a point. Creative transitional pieces also enhances our film... The rule of third seems pretty cool and interesting, and since it is commonly used in framing interviews to make shots look more professional,we should be familar with it. Its basically dividing the shot into 9 parts, as seen in the pic. In an interview, the eyes of the interviewee should be in one of the upper 'power points' or frames and he or she should be looking in the empty space of the frame.

Assignment for tomorrow!

Hey guys!

Don St. John, the Web Editor for the Daily Hampshire Gazette is going to come talk to you guys about shooting for news tomorrow. I want you to bring 5 questions to ask him about filming, things you think might come up when you're shooting your footage or trying to piece it together in one cohesive story. I'm going to collect the questions after class, so be sure to have them written down and be ready to discuss filming!

Also, read about Production (the blue box) on The Wild Classroom's Website, and post a little paragraph about helpful information we could use along with a relevant picture....let's make the blog look more interesting!

See you tomorrow!

Sara

Learn from this great website.

Hi everyone,
This is Webster. I have been using this website to learn to master the art of webmastery. You can learn html,php,css,Mysql and actionscript 3 courses for totally free on this website below. Please if anyone wants to help with the devepment of the flash display on the MAS main website let me know. I will start this project this week. Also watch this cool video about how to make different flash objects display anytime one goes on your website. It's kind of cool. I think we could incorporate this into our flash for the MAS website.

This is the website for learning about the above mentioned courses- http://www.developphp.com/

This is the youtube video on how we could incorporate this changing flash object to make the MAS website cool looking when anyone goes on there. So it doesnt seem like one picture all the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olp-Hkx0CcA

There are other vids on how to make other flash displays with object/content.

Enjoy!!!!!

5 Legal Points

1. "If you interview someone for your podcast, you need to consider both copyright and publicity rights issues [...] In many interview scenarios, you may have an implied license to use the materials, but it safest to get your interviewee's written consent or (at minimum) record the interviewee's verbal consent before you use the interview in your podcasts".

2. "If you are interested in video podcasting, vlogging or otherwise including images or video with your podcast, you need to think about potential copyright issues and publicity issues [...] You need to isolate and think about each type of work that may be included in an image or video and identify whether you need to clear each of those works. For example, you will need to identify each piece of music you use and any still images or video footage created by other people and consider whether copyright applies and if so, whether your use requires the copyright owner's permission or whether your use falls within an exception to copyright".

3. "A claim of right to publicity generally arises if you use another person's image, likeness or voice in a podcast without their consent and for commercial purposes, which results in injury to the individual [...] This means that if you use another image, likeness or voice as a way of advertising or soliciting your podcast, you will need the individual's consent".

4. "Generally you do not need permission to make an informational use of a trademark [...] You will need permission if you're making a commercial use of the mark".

5."One method of marking your podcast before distribution is to use the “All Rights Reserved” model. Under this model, you would “reserve” all your copyright-related rights in your podcast by marking it with the © symbol".

5 Key Points in Copyrighting

5 points from the article:

1. You do not need permission to use work if material the is not covered by copyright.

2. You don’t need to have permission when you are making a “fair use” of the work and when you are using creative commons.

3. There are two kinds of copyright rights, the reproduction right and the public performance right. The reproduction right is when someone reproduces the copyright in a copy and public performance right is to perform the copyrighted work publicly in a play, movie or music.

4. You do not need permission if the material is U.S. Government work.

5. You do not need a permission to use an informational use of a trademark

Legal Information about Podcasting

5 points from the article that I find interesting are...

1. If you want to use a trademark, check the company's website that owns the trademark, and see if they post a trademark usage policy.

2. You must get consent from someone you interview. The consent should be in writing and it is good to record the person's verbal consent if you wish to publish the interview.

3. Several issues concerning podcast copyrights also apply to blog copyrights.

4. I think it is interesting that you do not need to copyright material if it is United States Government work.

5. It is always better to assume that something published is protected by copyright and therefor permission is needed in order to use it.

Possible copyright infringement...

Hey bloggers,

I wanted to show the class an example of using copyrighted material on a blog.

I stole the weather from http://www.weather.com and just copy and pasted it onto my blog, then I stated it was courtesy of them.

If you want, check it out.

Is it legal?

copyright

I found this lecture pretty boring, but I understood that all the information on it was very helpful, and it is a good tool for podcasting.
Five things that I found helpful , or that I did not really know were:
1. Written works don’t have to be very well done to qualify for copyright protection; if it is created by someone else, you need copyright permission.
2. You don’t need to use copyright permission when you are using a slogan , title of short phrase, when you are using works that are in the public domain, when you are using a US government work, when you are making a “fair use” of the work and when you are using creative commons –licensed or “podsafe” content
3. There are two kinds of copyright rights: the reproduction right and the public performance right.
4. All the licenses you need for every kind of work are: Licenses For Reproduction And Distribution Of Musical Works, Licenses For Public Performance Of Musical Works, Licenses For Reproduction, Distribution, And Public Performance), and Licenses For Use Of Music Together With Images (or Audiovisual Work), especially I did not know that each kind of work needed a different kind of license
5. You do not need a permission to use an informational use of a trademark

Podcasting Legalities

I thought that many parts of this reading were a little confusing so I'm not to clear on all of it, but here are some things I learned from it:

1. You do not need permission if:

• material is not covered by copyright
• text that was covered by copyright is now in public domain
• material is a U.S. Government work
• if you are making "fair use" of material
• if material is under a Creative Commons Licensee

2. Ideas and Facts are not copyrighted.

3. "Federal copyright protection of sound recordings only attaches for recordings created after 1971" (http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Podcasting_Legal_Guide).

4. Videos may include many pieces that are also copyrighted, such as music. All copyrighted pieces of the video need to be checked/credited.

5. Many of the copyright issues that apply to podcasts also apply to blogs!

Important Podcasting Info

* Copyright! it's important to copyright your work to prevent misuse. It is unfair to put in such hard work and creativity in your project to have someone else use or abuse it without your consent. This should also be taken in consideration when using other people's work... their permissions are required if the material is copyrighted.

*Consent from interviewee! If you including an interview in your podcast, be sure to have a written consent from the person you are interviewing, it is also good to record the person's verbal consent to publish his/her responses.

*Trademark! be careful in including trademarks in your podcast, considering the nature of your podcast to prevent dilution.

* CClicensed Materials! you can save time and protect yourself by google or yahoo searching creative commons licensed content for your podcast or you can even go on the website for a list.

*All Rights Reserved! this is a way to mark your podcats before aring it, be sure to include that you 'reserve all rights' also.

Podcasting

I think it is important to remember that by making your own content you will be the safest from copyright infringement laws.

However, if you do choose to use already made content from the internet or elsewhere, here are some tips to keep you out of hot water:

1.) If you want to use a trademark, check the company's website that owns the trademark, and see if they post a trademark usage policy.

2.) Using Creative Commons licensed material or CC-licensed material will ensure you have the rights to use copyrighted materials.

3.) According to the Podcasting Legal Guide in CC Wiki, "In the Google Advanced Search page (http://www.google.com/advanced_search), by limiting your search according to “Usage Rights”, this will restrict your searching to find CC-licensed materials only."

4.) It also states, "The Yahoo! Advanced search (http://search.yahoo.com/search/options) page clearly illustrates how you can limit your search results to Creative Commons-licensed works."

5.) According to the site (at http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Podcasting_Legal_Guide#Trademark_Issues), "There are also various content aggregator sites that offer a large amount of Creative Commons licensed works. These are listed at this page: http://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/Content_Curators."

il/legal things about podcasting.

1.Copyright concent is relevant to podcasts because it applies to creative and expressive works
2. You need publicity rights concern.
3.Need to be careful about trademark laws and make sure not to go against them.
4.be minful of labor laws
5.Privacy laws are important.

Legalities

1. The main legal issues for us podcasters are related to copyright, publicity rights and trademark issues. Always assume that something is protected by copyright, we should always get permission from the copyright owner unless an exception or exclusion applies.

2. Publicity rights allow individuals to control how any version of their likeness is used for commercial purposes in public. You may need consent from the individual before using their likeness. I’m not sure if what we’re are doing is considered commercial purposes in the public forum but we should still be cautious.

3. Trademark law protects consumers from being deceived as to the source of goods and services, or the endorsement, sponsorship or affiliation of one good or service with another. Be sure not to claim that your service is affiliated with an entity that is trademarked. Basically don’t lie about any affiliation and you should avoid any concerns relating trademark law’s.

4. When is Permission not required:
You Are Using; A Fact, An Idea, A Theory Or Slogan, Title Or Short Phrase or works That Are In The Public Domain. Also any US Government Work or anything that has a Creative Commons-License or is “Podsafe” Content.
Creative Commons' licensed content is usaully “podsafe”.

**Making “Fair Use.**
You may make a “fair use” of a copyrighted text without obtaining permission of the copyright owner. A “fair use” is copying any protected material (texts, sounds, images, etc.) for a limited and “transformative” purpose, like criticizing, commenting, parodying, news reporting, teaching the copyrighted work. You are not violating any copyright laws if you are using something within the criteria of “fair use”, transformative is a bit wishy-washy so I would recommend getting more information on "fair use" offered in the article.

5. Two Misconceptions About Fair Use.
(i) Acknowledgement Is Not Enough.
(ii) Disclaimers Are Not Enough Either.
If your use of some material falls outside of the criteria for fair use it may not be enough to simply acknowledge that fact, you may need to get consent.

I think the best option for our class is to use material that has a Creative Commons license since that material is pre-cleared and is almost always safe to use. For any material that is not Creative Commons it would be best to at least contact the owner of the rights of said material.

Cool Experiment!

A really cool thing (possible podcast topic!)

Hey Guys!
My mom called me to tell me about a couple of students from MIT, and I thought I'd share it with you! These two undergrads, Justin Lee and Oliver Yeh created a near-space launch by building a weather ballon, for $150! They bought a camera from eBay, a BoostMobile phone with GPS from radio shack, a beer cooler and a balloon from the grocery store and launched it 92,000 feet into the atmosphere in Boston! They programmed the camera to take pictures every 5 seconds, and the weather balloon touched down in Worcester about 5 hours later. What they're excited about doing is streamlining the process to make the project something that middle- and high-schoolers can do in the classroom. One of the coolest thing about this is that these kids aren't even studying rocket science...one is a computer science major and the other is a mechanical engineer!

I think this would make a really cool podcast if anyone is looking for a neat idea.

Here is their website!

Check out their interview with CNN here:


~Sara :o)

Podcasting Legalities

1. Get consent from people that you interview in your podcast.

2. Sometimes, citing your sources isn't enough. If it is a copyrighted work, in some cases you may need permission to use it.

3. If the music you are using in your podcast is not directly related to your content (ex: you are not specifically talking about the music being played) then it is probably not considered "fair use".

4. For our purposes we most likely won't need permission to use a trademark. This is because we will not be using it for commercial value.

5. It would probably be benificial to us to see if we can find "Creative Commons" material to include in our podcasts before using copyrighted works, because with a CC work you do not need special permission to use it.

Flash development

hey guys,
if you want to learn to create the flash display on the mas website. reply and let me know. We will have to meet up as a group and work together. Also talk to Sara for more info. You can download the tutorials from http://www.adobe.com/support/flash/action_scripts/actionscript_tutorial/
Start to practice anytime you're free.

Assignment for Monday, 10/19/09

Hello everyone!

Here is the reading for next Monday. It's about the legal stuff behind podcasting. It shouldn't be too difficult to understand, but it's not the funnest thing you'll get to do this semester.

http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Podcasting_Legal_Guide

I would like you to post to the blog 5 things to keep in mind about the legalities behind podcasting. What can we take away from the readings to use in our own podcasting process?

For those of you who aren't doing podcasts for your project, think of this homework assignment as helping your classmates :o)

We're going to be discussing the reading on Monday, and I will be hearing from everyone, so make sure you have something to say!

Also, by the beginning of class on Monday please have Steps 1-3 done on the handout that we gave out today. Send it to me in a Word document via email, and print out a copy to bring to class.

That's all for now. Let me know if there are any issues!

~Sara

Podcast!

My poadcast topic is going to be about global warming. We hear about this a lot, but if you ask people on the street what global warming is, they probably wouldn't know what to answer. I want to explain , in easy words, the science and the importance behind this phenomenom.
I would probably do some animation or a sketch, trying to make it funny but meaningful.

Podcast Idea

Adobe Flash Player sounds like a fun tool to use in order to put on an animated skit of some sort to spread the word of science. I feel like we could make a short YouTube clip that would have a central narrator or character finding out information about science that is not commonly known, but information that would be valuable and of great interest to the public. I also thought we could maybe use Facebook in order to make a site of some sort that people could follow, update and comment on in order to keep the talk going about science.

After reading through some of the great podcast ideas from my peers I have thought of a few of my own. I really liked the "student survey" idea of making a short "vod"-cast (sorry sara) with clips that are very brief but give off a common impression. Maybe having a few scientifically-focused questions asked to people around campus that are commonly misunderstood by the public. Pose the question in the beginning of the scene, then show what everyones' two second answer is, and then show the truth, whatever that may be, and then show some reactions. I thought this might be good because if there are misconceptions about science, health, the swine flu, whatever, we could set the record straight while at the same time put it all in a vodcast to spread the word about science. I think its important to find information that would be shocking to most so they will be tempted to spread the word. It could potentially spread depending on what information we could dig up. It would be best to have something that most people believe as common knowledge or what would produce common assumptions that we can then prove wrong.

Podcast idea

My podcast topic is going to be about stem cells and its importance and dangers. I also wanted to create a flash slide for our website. I already discussed it with Sara. I might need some extra help if someone is interested.

Outreach Ideas

I have a couple of podcast ideas that i shared with Sara already. First one was she suggested me make an introductory MAS slide with flash. Also, We could improve the website significantly. Thirdly I wanted to personally shoot a video on the importance of stem cells. I have an idea also for the kids in case we visited the schools. The idea was to basically take them on a trip into the forest to learn about cool trees(names and origin), animals and more. I bet they will be thrilled to see and learn about animals they hear about in class when the teacher is teaching. At least I had a good experience going to Six Flags to learn about how physics was involved when building the park.

Assignment for Tuesday!

Hello Everyone!

Since you've all been doing such an awesome job, I'm not giving you anything to do over Columbus Day Weekend. All I ask is that you have a podcast topic picked out for Tuesday (we DO have class Tuesday because it's a Monday schedule) that you can start working on when we get back.

I hope you all have an awesome, restful long weekend!

~Sara

Contact Info for Possible Podcast Locations

I figured I'd use the extra time to look up some contact info. and post it to the blog so that we'd all have access. Here are some places I thought would be interesting:

New England Aquarium
Press Inquiries
617-973-5213

Franklin Park Zoo
PR Contact:
marlo marketing/communications
617-375-9700
mfogelman@marlomc.com

Woods Hole Science Center
Communications
Sue Barton
(508) 548-8700 x2241

Museum of Science Boston
http://www.mos.org/visitor_info/press_room
Sofiya Cabalquinto
Email: scabalquinto@mos.org
Phone: 617-589-0251

Got One!

I have a few ideas, but i think what i would like to do the most is a fallow up with class room visits. I would love to develop a live feed web cam hat with a class that we have vised to talk about the things we went over and to see how they are using it in every day life and knowledge. I was thinking that we could use a skype like program to talk and at the end of the chat possibly leave them with a new idea to think about or a small demonstration cooked up that can be done on camera.

Outreach

I would like for us to do a cool and simple experiment in class, we could record the experiment, all contribute to the editing and post the link on our facebook pages to kinda advertise MAS on a whole. I’m sure not a lot of students know about this… I really want to do an experiment!
As far as the pod cast… I’m still not sure of what I want to do. I’m more prone to doing something regarding health, being a public/community health major. I’m pretty sure something will come to mind. I do well in group work so a collaborative approach is also an option.

Outreach Ideas

I would really like my project to be geared towards kids. I think that doing a kid friendly project would be more fun, and I also think it is most important to reach out to kids. I would really like to make a game for kids. I think that an online game on the MAS site would be really beneficial to the MAS and for getting kids in to science. If getting a game on the site is too difficult, I think that an educational game we could give to teachers to use in classes would be good too. My ideas for games follow:

1. A game of mixing chemicals to make certain potions that could be used for different things. Ex: Mixing hydrogen and oxygen to hydrate your player, making a drink containing protein for energy, calcium for strength... use helium to fill a balloon to travel... finding all the ingredients you need in the game.

2. A game where you have certain pets and have to take care of them. (Similar to Zoo Tycoon which I played as a kid.)

3. A game where you play doctor and diagnose and treat patients. (Ex: Use thermometer to read temperature, high temperature = flu)

4. A game where you explore different types of land (rainforest, desert, grassy plains, etc) and collect pants for points.

5. A game where you use vectors and velocity to aim for targets to get points.


I am also still completely open to making a podcast, maybe still going along with some of the ideas we have for games. (Using internet sources to simulate the scenarios listed for the games and go through them as a podcast.)

Podcast Project

I have a few basic ideas for my project. I am really interested in learning to use the programs offered through the course but also am very familiar with Window's Movie Maker. I made a project in my Relationships class in high school using this program and I was very pleased with it. I will most likely try to incorporate nature, maybe taking footage of a guided trail I'm attending with the Bio club. I also would like to capture some animal behavior in order to incorporate my interests with the science outreach idea.

Outreach creation ideas

I find that when thinking of good affective outreach programs and ideas there are some key things to keep in mind. I think it is extremely important to make sure that the audience we target is very broad, finding ways to target more than just one age group or groups with only one specific area of interest. I can see this being done through video podcasts with interesting pictures, sounds, facts and more. One thing in specific I learned in a communications course (COM287) I participated in here at the university, was the idea of shock value. No matter the topic, using shocking images, sounds and factual information in a video podcast, audio podcast or even through the use of Adobe Flash where we can create animated videos. Actually, the example video podcast on Global Warming that Cecilia posted, is a perfect example of what I mean when I say "shock value" outreach ideas. It is showing something real, something that a lot of us already know but have not really taken into consideration. But when it is portrayed in a shocking animated video, almost making it seem like a joke like this particular video did, it really affects you and leaves a mark in a sense, so that days later you are still thinking about what the message was in the video and its importance to you which then leads to your desire to act.

Outreach

I don't have any ideas for my podcast yet but I would like to do one geared towards children. I think that creating a podcast for kids would be the most fun for me and it would be a good way to get the attention of children or parents with children if they saw it on the website or something. I think that a good way to get the word around about the MAS would be to attend as many events as possible. Not only will the MAS get around to everyone at the event but if they enjoy what we do or say then they are likely to visit the website and tell other people about the MAS as well. Maybe we could also make fun, colorful, interesting, etc. posters advertising science with the MAS logo and website and hang them up at schools, grocery stores, libraries, etc. in the area. Posters that stand out might get not only kids more interested but especially parents and teachers also!

Outreach Ideas

I have to admit that I'm still scatterbrained about the outreach project.  Every time we discuss a new idea I think it sounds great.  I think it would be an interesting challenge to make an audio podcast that would catch and hold people's attention.  In terms of video podcasts, I like the 'busier' ones better than the 'boring' ones...more pictures, animations, and short clips to keep the viewer interested.

Some topic ideas that I've been thinking about are wild life, marine life, and disease awareness and prevention.  I'm very open to doing anything at this point.

I think that if I end up creating a video podcast, it would be fun to poll/question students on campus to see what they know.  

Outreach ideas

I'd really like to learn how to do a podcast with some of the animation software. I think there are some good opportunities to get out into the public and bring some attention to the MAS, farmer's markets, sporting events and the Amherst Common would be good places to set something up. Getting a hold of Heath Hatch would be great for a physics podcast. I have a friend who is a master's student at Umass Lowell and he works across the hall from the lab that tests baseball bats for college baseball, it would be cool to see how that works. I think we could do a podcast that focuses on the physics behind sports(any type), sort of a spinoff of the tv-shows ''sports science'' and ''time warp''. We could possibly do a podcast on how we use ideas in science in our everyday life even though we may not be aware of it. My project for this semester will hopefully be a consensus of where we(the university, the student body, the pioneer valley, the commonwealth) are with regard to our relationship with evolutionary biology and where it is we can go from here. I'd like to interview people about their opinions and knowledge of the field and maybe offer them some topics within evolutionary theory and see where that goes, perhaps I could interview some professors as well. I think it's important for people to understand the basics of Evolution since it is the unifying component within the study of life.

Outreach...

Some outreach ideas i had was mostly around pod casting. Such as awareness in either Language/learning disability or autism. I'm a communication disorder major and I've learned a lot about these subjects and wanted to do a podcast on one of them. Or maybe do a podcast of a science experiment for kids and adding adobe animation to it. I'm interested in the whole animation and how I could use that to explain the science experiment. Another idea was a podcast of a school visit. Could be posted to the website and hopefully get people to watch it and invite us to do demonstrations.

Outreach

1. Make the video more interesting by adding some comedy. Example: One time, my friends and I had to give a presentation about the fungi kingdom. We made a parody of the Tyra Banks show, my friend acted like Tyra, I was the guest and dressed up like a mushroom. Then my other friend was the musical guest, and she played a song about the fungi kingdom (by the way she didn’t know how to play guitar nor sing, but she knew how be loud and funny). Everybody remembered our song and by the time of the test everybody sang it.
2. Put on the blog more discussion topics. Talk about something that everyone wants to talk about.
3. Get involved in campaigns (like global warming or something related with science but that the people understand)
4. More publicity around campus and other areas(ex. Flyers)
5. Spreading the word through facebook and twitter, but not only in our site, but trying to get other people with more followers to talk about us.

Assignment for Wednesday, 10/7!

Helloooooo!

For Wednesday, here is what you should do!

Post to the blog:

• 5 ideas for possible outreach creation ideas and reasons why you chose them. They could be podcast topics, putting the MAS on social media sites, learning Adobe Flash and creating animations...what do you want to work on this semester?

Read:

• Journalism 2.0, Chapter 11 (it's short, don't worry)
• Watch iMovie '08 video tutorials here. Watching them all will take about an hour and a half. If you don't have that much time, then just focus on the ones under the headers Enjoy and Rediscover your Video, Making Movies, and Advanced Techniques. I just want you to have a basic idea of how to work around iMovie because we're going to be playing around with video on Wednesday. When you click the link, you'll have to scroll down a little bit to see the full listing of iMovie tutes. Make sure the tab is clicked on iMovie '08, because that's the version we'll have in the BCRC. We do have a copy of iMovie '09 in the lab, and I also have it on my computer, so if any of you decide that your podcast would not be complete without a feature from iMovie '09, then let me know. Other then a few cool features, iMovie '08 and '09 are pretty much the same.
  

I know I said in class to post to the blog your decisions of where to focus this semester, but just have them ready to share with me in class. I'll come around with a list that you'll just sign up.

See you Wednesday!

~Sara

Stem Cell Research in Missouri.

I picked this video because of the interest I have for stem cells. I liked the intro. with picture slides and music. Also the producers of this video were able to switch between interviewing scientists to showing diagrams with explainations about stem cells and their capabilities. This is a nice video and explains both what stem cells are and the benefits for humans. The video also explains the politics behind stem cell research in missouri. I couldnt upload the video but the websites url is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUb3dsrR8AA&feature=related
check it out

Science Podcast: Sixgill Shark

I liked this podcast because it was very professionally done. The makers are actually down in the sea up close to the sharks. The information they gave was very well presented, and the diagrams for explanation were helpful. I also liked when they showed other strange deep sea animals, which could make the viewer more interested in researching and finding out about the other animals that are not examined in this short podcast.

The video didn't upload correctly, so here's a link to it:
http://untamedscience.com/biodiversity/animals/chordates/sharks-skates-rays/primitive-sharks/cow-sharks/hexanchus/bluntnose-sixgill-shark

Global warming video

I choosed this video because I am personally interested in this topic. I think everyone should be aware of global warning, even when a lot of people don't really seem to care. This phenomenon involves a lot of complicated science,but this video explain it in a way that people would understand, and more important, that invites people to get involve.http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3pujlkSTqo

also this other one:http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHUnzPEy-nA

Science Vodcast

This kid's vodcast is cool because he is clearly interested and keeps the audience engaged with good cinematography while also demonstrating the chemical process of fire extracting oxygen from its environment.
There is even a surprise in the climax when the plate stays stuck to the rim of the glass when he picks it up. This kid is good!

Priority Africa - Science and Technology

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lKuOlvQBAs

I find this blog to be very interesting and well developed. It includes several interviewees who appear to be credible by their title and professions. The podcast talks about the importance of science and technology in the developing world and the need for establishing science and technology universities in African countries. It also provides a social aspect on women in the continent, as their roles are undermined. One of the female interviewee made a good point that food, water and energy are all related to women, therefore they need to be a part of this developing science and technology economy. I like the topic of this podcast, it seems to be professionally done so the audio and video are of good quality. The French also put a little umph to it.

Science Podcast- National Geographics' Sea Monsters Part 3

What I really liked about this podcast was that it used video and also slides to present the information. I thought that by being able to listen to the audio and then see in a brief summary slide the information just listened to made the podcast easy to follow and also easier to remember afterwards. I also liked the music and the graphics in the podcast a lot. I thought that they fit really well together and both made the podcast interesting.

In regards to the information in the podcast, my favorite sea monster was the Hesperornis. I thought it was pretty cool that there was a bird that swim with a beak full of teeth.

Science project podcast

Bad:
This would of been better if we had some sort of introduction to what we were going to see. Maybe had voice over to hear the kids having fun doing the experiment or telling us what was being added.

Good:
Having a link as a source.

Science Podcast

I thought that this podcast was well done for several reasons. Lakes and ponds are a normal part of New England life and activity, yet it is rare for one to think about the science aspects. I like the narrator of the podcast because she is personable...I feel like she could be my next door neighbor. I thought that the podcast did a great job of making the science facts interesting with the explanations, animations, and easy language. I spend my summers on a lake, so this video had cool personal meaning to me.

Cuttlefish Video Podcast (Vodcast)

I think that this podcast does a good job for a certain type of viewer. I think that if you are already interested in science and old enough to understand it, it does a great job of giving a lot of information in a little bit of time. It also gives enough information to make you want to find out more. It was well organized and a good lenth for it's purpose. However, I feel that podcasts for this class (if they are being directed to people who we are trying to get more involved in science, that may not be very involved already)should have more exciting visuals. I also think that explanations should be in more common language than in this podcast so that they would be more friendly to those without a lot of background information.

Terrible!!!

Ben Goldacre of Bad Science talks about Sensationalised Science Reporting from Conrad on Vimeo.

Turtle Podcast

I thought that this video was a decent example of a well-structured podcast. It was short yet very informational, had more than one interviewee, and also interesting material. The use of interviewing two people rather than one almost made it more official. I also liked the use of different camera shots and effects.

Podcast: The art and physics of pitching

I chose this podcast of Bill "the spaceman" Lee. I did an the evolutionary biology search and WGBH came up as a source at the bottom and his presentation was among a lot of other really cool science topics. I really enjoyed it because Bill Lee is quite the character, he's actually a pretty smart guy with strong opinions and great baseball knowledge. Also his stories are great, anyone who is a sox fan or a baseball fan should definitely check it out. I was hoping it would have been more science or physics related, he only mentions a few aspects of pitching that involve physics and I was a bit dissapointed by that but it was entertaining and informative nonetheless.

Assignment for Monday, 10/6

Helloooo Everyone!

Here's the stuff you'll need to do by Monday!

• Read Tony Vincent's Podcasting for Teachers and Students, from start to pg. 10 (this should be pretty quick, the pages are filled up with lots of pictures)
• Read Journalism 2.0 Chapter 7, Digital Audio and Podcasting
• Be prepared to discuss the readings on Monday...I want to hear from everyone! Jot down some notes or questions to bring up during the discussion.
  
• Using iTunes or some of the other podcast hosting sites, find what you think is a good or awful example of a science podcast, and post it to the blog along with your opinion of it. (If you can't figure out how to post the video, just post the title and remind me how to show you next class!)
• Recall Peg's lecture about the different areas of focus for the semester. You are all required to complete 3 out of the 4 activities, one of which being developing and outreach tool the MAS can use. The other two you can choose out of school visits, fundraising, or professional networking (conferences). Start thinking about what you would like to focus on this semester. We'll get these set in stone on Wednesday!

Also, we are going to have a guest lecturer come in to talk about blogging on Monday. Mary Carey teaches through the UMass journalism department. Please make a list of 5 questions to bring to class on Monday to ask her about blogging. Again, I want to hear from everyone, so please come prepared!

See you all Monday, and have an AWESOME weekend!

~Sara

Fun Ideas!

MAKING GLUE WITH KITCHEN MATERIAL

Materials:

• skim milk


• baking soda


• vinegar


• measuring cup


• measuring spoons


• paper towels


• rubber band

Procedure: Did you know you can make glue from vinegar and milk? Here's how.

1. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to 1/2 cup of skim milk. Stir them together and let the mixture sit for two minutes. The vinegar will make the protein in the milk stick together to form small white lumps called curds. The leftover liquid is called whey.
   


2. Next, you'll need to strain the curds since you won't need the whey to make glue. To make a strainer, put a folded paper towel over an empty cup. Push it down in the center so it forms a bowl shape. Put a rubber band around the top of the cup to hold the paper towel in place. Pour the curds and whey into the cup with the paper towel. The whey will go through the paper towel and the curds will stay on top. Wait about five minutes for the whey to drain through the paper towel.
   


3. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the curds. Put them between two dry paper towels and press down to get all the whey out.
   


4. Put the curds into another cup, stir in two teaspoons of water and then add one teaspoon of baking soda. The baking soda reacts with the vinegar that's in the curds, producing carbon dioxide. If you hold the mixture up to your ear, you can hear tiny bubbles popping. If this mixture doesn't look like glue, just add some water.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ICE CREAM FROM A PLASTIC BAG

Materials:

• 1/2 cups milk


• 1/2 tsp. vanilla


• 1 tbsp. sugar


• 4 cups crushed ice


• 4 tbsp. salt (preferably rock salt)


• 2 quart zipper bags


• 1 gallon zipper freezer bags

Procedure:

1. Seal 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 tsp. of vanilla and 1 tbsp. of sugar in a quart-size zipper bag, making sure to squeeze out as much of the air you can so the bag doesn't open when you shake it.


2. Double bag the mixture to avoid leakage. Place the first bag into a second quart-size zipper bag, releasing as much air as possible before sealing it tightly.


3. Fill a gallon-size zipper bag with crushed ice and nestle the double-bagged milk-sugar mixture in the ice.


4. Sprinkle 4 tbsp. of rock salt on top of the ice. Though regular salt will also work, youd ice cream won't be as solidly frozen. Rock salt is specifically designed to absord heat and and lower the freezing point of water.


5. Seal the gallon bag tightly after letting out as much air as you can.


6. Shake and gently squeeze the bag. You'll need to make sure that the inner bag is constantly surrounded by ice during this process.


7. Check the mixture about five minutes into shaking it. If it's not ice cream yet, it will be well on its way. Shake it a few minutes more if necessary, then open the bag over the sink.


8. Leave the bag with ice in the sink to finish melting and remove your ice cream.

Demo Idea: Density Spheres

Title: Steel Density Spheres
Source: http://www.teachersource.com/Density/DensityKits/SteelSphereDensityKit.aspx
Target Age: Grade 3+
Materials Required: Sphere Kit, Large glass bowl, Water
Prep Time Required: <5 minutes
Demo Time Required: <10 minutes
Description: The two spheres have approximately the same mass and appearance, but different densities and sizes. The smaller sphere sinks, but the larger floats. Before dropping the two in water, ask the class audience what they think will happen. Most likely is that the class will think that either they both sink, or only the large will sink. After you drop the balls into the water, ask the class what they think happened. Let them guess and experiment themselves by feeling the balls or dropping them in the water themselves. This experiment will help teach kids both the principle of density, and also that they should never take anything at face value, and should instead experiment to find out what's really true.

Demo Ideas

Title: Floating and Sinking Experiments
Source: http://www.sciencekidsathome.com
Target age: kindergarten scientists
Materials: Clear plastic or glass container, water, baking soda, food coloring, rice and raisons and any other small pieces of food items
Prep Time: less than 5 mins
Demo Time: 5 minutes or more

Description: Almost fill container with 3 parts water and one part viegar. Leave room at the top of the container.
Slowly add one teaspoon of baking soda very slowly, adding too much at one time will make it bubble over the top. When the bubbles settle down, slowly add another teaspoon of baking soda. When the bubbles settle, add a few drops of food coloring. notice the liquid is moving and quickly mixes in color. Now comes the fun part! Will the items float or sink? Drop in a few of the first item. usually they will sink to the bottom. Wait a few mins and they will rise to the surface, then sink again. Rice almost seem to dance! The itmes can be watched for hours. If movement seems to slow down, add another teaspoon of baking soda.

What is Happening?

The vinegar is an acid and the baking soda is a base. When you combine them, a chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide bubbles build up on the surface of the object, it floats to the surface and releases the gas. Then it sinks back to the bottom to start the process again.

Demo Idea - Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream

Title: Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream
Source: http://chemistry.about.com/od/demonstrationsexperiments/ht/n2icecream.htm
Target Age: PK - 12th grade
Materials Required:
5 or more liters of liquid nitrogen
gloves and goggles recommended
large plastic or stainless steel punch bowl or salad bowl
4 cups heavy cream (whipping cream)
1-1/2 cups half-and-half
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 quart mashed fresh strawberries or thawed frozen berries
additional half cup of sugar if you are using unsweetened berries
wooden spoon
wire whisk
Prep Time Required: 15 Min
Demo Time Required: 5 Min (pouring in liquid nitrogen and stirring)
Description:

This recipe makes a half gallon of strawberry ice cream. First, mix the cream, half-and-half, and sugar in the bowl using the wire whisk. Continue mixing until the sugar has dissolved.

If you are making vanilla or chocolate ice cream, whisk in vanilla or chocolate syrup now. Add any other liquid flavorings you might want.

Put on your gloves and goggles. Pour a small amount of liquid nitrogen directly into the bowl with the ice cream ingredients. Continue to stir the ice cream, while slowly adding more liquid nitrogen. As soon as the cream base starts to thicken, add the mashed strawberries. Stir vigorously.

When the ice cream becomes too thick for the whisk, switch to the wooden spoon. As it hardens more, remove the spoon and just pour the remaining liquid nitrogen onto the ice cream to fully harden it.

Allow the excess liquid nitrogen to boil off before serving the ice cream.

Experiment- Invisible Ink

Title: INVISIBLE INK

Source: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/invisibleink.html

Target Age: Elementary

What you'll need:

• Half a lemon
• Water
• Spoon
• Bowl
• Cotton bud
• White paper
• Lamp or other light bulb

Instructions:

1. Squeeze some lemon juice into the bowl and add a few drops of water.
2. Mix the water and lemon juice with the spoon.
3. Dip the cotton bud into the mixture and write a message onto the white paper.
4. Wait for the juice to dry so it becomes completely invisible.
5. When you are ready to read your secret message or show it to someone else, heat the paper by holding it close to a light bulb.

Why this Works?

Lemon juice is an organic substance that oxidizes and turns brown when heated. Diluting the lemon juice in water makes it very hard to notice when you apply it the paper, no one will be aware of its presence until it is heated and the secret message is revealed. Other substances which work in the same way include orange juice, honey, milk, onion juice, vinegar and wine. Invisible ink can also be made using chemical reactions or by viewing certain liquids under ultraviolet (UV) light.

Demo Ideas

All these experiments came from this website;
http://www.theteachersguide.com/Sciencedemos1.htm

Some offered sources, some didn't, and some information is slightly different but the concepts and experiments are straight forward. It did not offer any idea of how long each experiment would take to prep and perform but I think most of them are pretty cut and dry while the scientific method experiment might take a bit longer.


1.
Subject Area: Physics Concepts
-Volume
-Change of State
-Volume of Gases
-Atmospheric Pressure

Grade: Middle-High School

Title: THE COLLAPSING CAN

Materials:
One empty aluminum can (354 ml)
A Hot plate or burner
Large bowl of water
Tongs to hold pop can

Procedure:
Put about 5 ml of water in the pop can (just enough to cover the bottom).
Heat the can over the hot plate or burner.
Let the water boil vigorously.
In a single motion, remove the pop can from the burner and INVERT it in the bowl of water.
Submerge the opening to the pop can in to the water. The can will IMPLODE instantly.

Questions:
What was in the can besides water?
What happens when water is boiled?
What do you think will happen if the can is inverted in the bowl of water?
What happens to the air in the can as water vapor is formed?
What force is working on the outside of the can?

Rationale:
Before heating, the can was filled with water and air. By boiling the water, it changes states, from liquid to gas (water vapor). The water vapor (steam) pushes the air that was inside, out of the can. By inverting the can in water, we are cooling the vapor very quickly and constraining the potential for rapid flow of air back into the can. The cooling condenses the water vapor back to water. All of the vapor which took up the interior space of the can before is now turned into a few drops of water, which take up much less space. This causes the pressure to drop and the atmospheric pressure is therefore pushing on the can and crushing it.
The total force working on the outside of the can is the total of the can's surface area in cm. multiplied by 1 kg.

Application:
Production of vacuum containers
Home canning


2.
Subject Area: General Science

Grade: Middle School

Title:MAGIC LID

Objective: To show students that atmospheric pressure is not just a downward force, but is a force acting in all directions.

Materials:
1-one gallon jar
1-glass dish large enough to cover mouth of jar
Procedure: Fill jar completly full, so the meiniscus stands high. Place glass plate on top of the jar. making sure that no air is trapped between jar and glass plate. Then quickly turn the jar upside down. It may take a couple of times to get this right, so this should be done over a sink area.

Questions:
What will happen to the plate? Will it fall or stay in place?
What causes the plate to stick to the jar?
What conclusions can one draw from this?
Is atmospheric pressure greater than water pressure?
How tall would a cup have to be in order for the water pressure inside to overcome the atmospheric pressure outside?

Rationale: This is an application of atmospheric pressure. Most students think that atmospheric pressure and the force of gravity have only a downward effect, the latter is true, but atmospheric pressure exerts force in all directions. This is what allows the plate to stay attached to the jar.

3.
Title: B Squared (Burning Balloons)

Source: Robert Ruisinger

Grade: 7-12 (chemistry)

Materials: One balloon filled with water, one balloon filled with air to an equal volume, and matches.

Procedure: Hold the lit match to the balloon filled with air and it will pop immediately. Next, hold the lit match to the water balloon and notice that it will not pop. It is advisable not to hold the match in one place for too long, because it may eventually pop! You may want to one before the other one, depending on your application.

Concept: The air balloon explodes immediately because the heat from the lit match quickly burns through the rubber wall. The water balloon, does not explode because the water inside absorbs the heat and disperses it throughout the volume of water. It does not let the rubber wall get to it's melting point. You can tie this demo into a lesson on heat capacities, melting points, heat absorption, conduction, etc. . Credits: South Windsor High School, South Windsor, CT 06074

4.
Source:Toni Orso

Subject Area: General Science
Grade:(7-12)

Concepts Covered by Demonstration: Scientific Method

Title: The Black Whole

Materials:
A coffee can which is specially constructed (a slanted metal piece attached on the inside to keep water in.
A glass of water

Procedure:
Hold the coffee can above the observers to ensure that they can not view what is inside.
Pour a glass of water directly into the coffee can. Note: do not let observers see inside to coffee can.
Tip the can over on the side which will allow no water to spill out of the coffee can.

Questions:
Describe exactly what you observed.
Based on your observations, describe or draw what might be in the coffee can.
Are you making an educated guess about what occurred?
What is the scientific word for making and educated guess?
How might you collect further information to support your educated guess?
Write down some examples in which scientist have made educated guess about natural events that occur to try to explain what is happening in the world.

Rationale: This demonstration is an excellent way to introduce the Scientific Method because it deals with observing and recording those observations. Furthermore, the students can make an educated guess (hypothesis) about what might be occurring.
Students can also be introduced to the idea that in science there are many wonders that scientist can not fully explain. Scientist can only make observations and try to collect as much information as possible and based on the knowledge they gain from these observations they can hypothesize about what is happening. For example, scientist did not actually see the dinosaurs that lived during the Triassic Period; However, they can predict because of the evidence that was left behind in the fossil record.
It is important to inform the students that even though their educated guess about what was inside the coffee can was correct, that they would have to do millions of test to state that it was because in order for a hypothesis to become a fact or theory an enormous amount of data must be collected to support the hypothesis and millions of tests must have taken place.

Demo Idea

Title:  Diving Ketchup

Source:  http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000090

Target Age:  Elementary and Middle School aged students
Materials Required: 

• Plastic soda bottle (1-liter size works great)
• Ketchup packets from a restaurant
• Tall drinking glass
• Soda bottle cap
• Water

Prep Time Required:  10 minutes

Demo Time Required:   10 minutes (or however long you want to perform the experiment!)
Description:  

1. First, you'll need to perform a œfloat or sink test to see how the ketchup packet works. Fill the bowl with water and drop the packet into it. If it floats, great! If it sinks to the bottom, no sweat. This shows that atmospheric pressure in the packet is pressing hard enough on the air bubble inside the packet to sink it. If this happens, you get to make more trips to your favorite fast-food restaurant to find a ketchup packet that just barely floats!

2. Scrunch the packet in half lengthwise and carefully push it into the soda bottle. Fill the bottle full to the brim with water and screw on the cap. Squeeze the sides of the bottle and hold the squeeze to make the packet sink. Let go and it rises.

Demo Idea

Title: Outrageous Ooze

Source: http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/ooze.html

Target Age: young children

Materials Required:
-newspaper
-measuring cups
-1 cup of dry cornstarch
-large bowl or pan
-food coloring (if you want)
-1/2 cup of water

Prep Time Required: 10 minutes to prepare ooze

Demo Time Required: 5 minutes to explain and 5 minutes to play, or as long as kids want to play with their ooze for

Description (Preparing the Ooze):

1. Put newspaper down on your counter or table top.
2. Put the cornstarch into the bowl. Add a drop or two of food coloring. (Use whatever colors you like.) Add water slowly, mixing the cornstarch and water with your fingers until all the powder is wet.
3. Keep adding water until the Ooze feels like a liquid when you're mixing it slowly. Then try tapping on the surface with your finger or a spoon. When Ooze is just right, it won't splash--it will feel solid. If you Ooze is too powdery, add a little more water. If it's too wet, add more cornstarch.

Description (What's Going On):

Ooze is made up of tiny, solid particles of cornstarch suspended in water. Chemists call this type of mixture a colloid.

As you found out when you experimented with Ooze, this colloid behaves strangely. When you bang on it with a spoon or quickly squeeze a handful of Ooze, it freezes in place, acting like a solid. The harder you push, the thicker the Ooze becomes. But when you open your hand and let your Ooze ooze, it drips like a liquid. Try to stir the Ooze quickly with a finger, and it will resist your movement. Stir it slowly, and it will flow around your finger easily.
Your finger is applying what a physicist would call a sideways shearing force to the water. In response, the water shears, or moves out of the way. The behavior of Ooze relates to its viscosity, or resistance to flow. Water's viscosity doesn't change when you apply a shearing force--but the viscosity of your Ooze does.

Back in the 1700s, Isaac Newton identified the properties of an ideal liquid. Water and other liquids that have the properties that Newton identifies are call Newtonian fluids. Ooze doesn't act like Newton's ideal fluid. It's a non-Newtonian fluid.

There are many non-Newtonian fluids around. They don't all behave like Ooze, but each one is weird in its own way. Ketchup, for example, is a non-Newtonian fluid. (The scientific term for this type of non-Newtonian fluid is thixotropic. That comes from the Greek words thixis, which means "the act of handling" and trope, meaning "change".)

Quicksand is a non-Newtonian fluid that acts more like your Ooze--it gets more viscous when you apply a shearing force. If you ever find yourself sinking in a pool of quicksand (or a vat of cornstarch and water), try swimming toward the shore very slowly. The slower you move, the less the quicksand or cornstarch will resist your movement.

*I copied the directions and explanations directly from the website so for more details check out the website listed under sources.

Demo Ideas

Title: Chinese Spouting Bowl

Source:Educational Innovations

Target Age:All who are interested by what appears to be magic! (Young and Old!)

Materials Required: (1) Chinese Spouting Bowl ($179.95), (1) Spouting Bowl Pad ($14.95), Isopropyl Alcohol, Soap and Water

Prep Time Required: About five minutes to get everything ready to work.


Demo Time Required: The reaction happens very quickly. The more practice you have with the bowl the better you will be able to create the desired reaction.

Description: What you do is put the brass bowl onto a damp towel or Spouting Bowl Pad (something that will prevent it from slipping but allow it to still vibrate). Then after you wash your hands thoroughly to rid them of any and all oils, and after you have cleaned the bowl with isopropyl alcohol, you fill it up half way with clean water.











Then you dip your palms into the bowl to get them wet.
You place your hands on the handles of the bowl and rub them back and forth, from finger tips to the bottom of your palm.


Soon the vibrations will build so much that the water reacts by shooting out of the bowl, up to 20 inches!


More pictures and a more accurate description can be found here.

Demo Idea: Clear Spheres!

Title:
Clear Spheres aka Jelly Marbles aka Water balls
Source:
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/product/clear-spheres-kit
Target Age:
Kindergarten and up (while they can be enjoyed at any age, they might be dangerous to really young kids)
Materials Required:
flasks, water, clear sphere pellets, big bin with water, clear glass brownie pan, paper w/ MAS logo
Prep Time Required:
Need at least 3 hours in advance to let the balls grow
Demo Time Required:
the demo itself will probably take about 5 minutes with the reveal and explanation, but the people we are showing them to should be given ample time to play with them :o)
Description:
We have 2 identical flasks, one with plain water, one filled with water and water balls. We ask the viewers of our demo if they notice anything about either flask. We have a volunteer first stick his hand into the flask with just water, and then have them stick their hand in the flask with the water balls in them and be surprised. We explain that the water balls are made of this special polymer, or chain of molecules, that are super-absorbent. We show them a dry pellet, and a fully-grown water ball and tell them that the pellets absorb water up to 300x it's original size. We also say that they look invisible in water because they refract the same amount of light as water does, which means that our eye perceives these water balls to look the same as water does. We show them the clear glass brownie pan that has nothing but water balls in it. The brownie pan is sitting on top of a picture of the MAS logo, which looks jumbled. We ask a volunteer to pour water in and the crowd to unscramble the message. See the video below for more experiment ideas!

Assignment for Wednesday!

Hello again everyone!

For reading, please read Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive, Chapter 5 about Blogging. Please do this for class Wednesday so we can have a discussion! (w00t)
The link is to your right on the blog sidebar, under Internship Reading Material. When you click on the link and get to the actual website, you have to scroll down a little bit on the page that it takes you to. The reading is in the gray box on the left/centerish on the page....ugh, know what? I'll just post a picture...

Please note the spastic arrows. Double click for a closer look.


Here is the blog assignment due before Wednesday's class. Please have it posted to the blog by 9:00AM!

On Wednesday, I'm going to be doing a simulation of a typical school visit. I'll show you some of our tried-and-true demos that have been a hit so far with the youngins. Your task is to do a little background research and post a cool demo or experiment that you've found!

Some places you might want to check out:
Educational Innovations
Steve Spangler Science

Here is a format to post, to make your life a little easier...and if there is a video or pictures, post that too!

Title:
Source:
Target Age:
Materials Required:
Prep Time Required:
Demo Time Required:
Description:

+any pictures or videos

Use the label Demo Ideas for this assignment!

I'll post an example for this above!

See you Weds!

~Sara