Students acquire a basic understanding of the science and engineering of space …
Students acquire a basic understanding of the science and engineering of space travel as well as a brief history of space exploration. They learn about the scientists and engineers who made space travel possible and briefly examine some famous space missions. Finally, they learn the basics of rocket science (Newton's third law of motion), the main components of rockets and the U.S. space shuttle, and how engineers are involved in creating and launching spacecraft.
Students are introduced to detail drawings and the importance of clearly documenting …
Students are introduced to detail drawings and the importance of clearly documenting and communicating their designs. They are introduced to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Y14.5 standard, which controls how engineers communicate and archive design information. They are introduced to standard paper sizes and drawing view conventions, which are major components of the Y14.5 standard.
Students are introduced to the unit challenge: To develop a painless means …
Students are introduced to the unit challenge: To develop a painless means of identifying cancerous tumors. Solving the challenge depends on an understanding of the properties of stress and strain. After learning the challenge question, students generate ideas and consider the knowledge required to solve the challenge. Then they read an expert's opinion on ultrasound imaging and the potentials for detecting cancerous tumors. This interview helps to direct student research and learning towards finding a solution.
A vital aspect of a forensic investigation may be to detect and …
A vital aspect of a forensic investigation may be to detect and locate specific people or substances of interest, ranging from illegal drugs to missing people to clandestine graves. Sophisticated detection equipment does exist, however this technology can often be expensive, have unsuitable portability, and may even prove useless when searching vast areas. Fortunately for investigators, there is an ideal tool available. Dogs, sometimes known as K9s or sniffer dogs by law enforcement professionals, have played an important role in legal investigations for decades, with their keen sense of smell being harnessed to aid investigations. The average human being has roughly five million sensitive cells within the nose to aid in scent detection. This appears to be a large number, until compared with the 200 million cells in the average dog’s nose. Further increasing the canine’s sense of smell is an organ in the roof of the mouth that is not present in humans. This organ essentially allows the dog to ‘taste’ a smell, thus strengthening its ability to detect odours. Canines detect odours directly from the source or residual scents; odours which persist in an area after the original source is no longer present. Obviously the air is full of a vast variety of different odours, many of which will be powerfully clear to the dog. Fortunately they are able to distinguish between different odours, even if one smell overpowers another, and trace a specific scent to its source.
Students use two different methods to determine the densities of a variety …
Students use two different methods to determine the densities of a variety of materials and objects. The first method involves direct measurement of the volumes of objects that have simple geometric shapes. The second is the water displacement method, used to determine the volumes of irregularly shaped objects. After the densities are determined, students create x-y scatter graphs of mass versus volume, which reveal that objects with densities less than water (floaters) lie above the graph's diagonal (representing the density of water), and those with densities greater than water (sinkers) lie below the diagonal.
In this problem-based learning (PBL) activity, students take on the role of …
In this problem-based learning (PBL) activity, students take on the role of a student research scientist and explore the role of solar energy in determining climate, focusing on the urban heat island effect. Students conduct research and compare temperatures between two cities, and determine the factors that are responsible for the difference exhibited between them. The lesson is supported by teacher notes, answer key, glossary and an appendix with information about using PBL in the classroom. This is the third of three activities in Investigating the Climate System: Energy, a Balancing Act, and serves as an authentic assessment for all three modules.
In this deterministic cellular automata model, interactions between neighboring automata are described …
In this deterministic cellular automata model, interactions between neighboring automata are described using a prisoner's dilemma. Limiting dispersal of seeds of annual plants can permit heterogeneous co-existence, whereas thorough mixing instead allows one subpopulation to dominate quickly.
Coastal habitats and archeological sites in western Alaska are at risk from …
Coastal habitats and archeological sites in western Alaska are at risk from coastal erosion. Researchers are documenting current assets and vulnerabilities so managers can make informed decisions.
It's not easy to keep faucets flowing year-round in southwest Florida. To …
It's not easy to keep faucets flowing year-round in southwest Florida. To make sure their customers can get ample clean water at a good priceeven through dry seasonswater utility managers crafted a useful index to help them decide which water sources to use.
This 2011 report provides the most recent diabetes statistics in Canada. It …
This 2011 report provides the most recent diabetes statistics in Canada. It presents rates of the disease (type 1 and type 2 combined) by age group, sex, province and over time, its consequences on the health of affected individuals, and health care utilisation related with diabetes. The report offers statistics on risk factors for developing diabetes and its complications, including obesity/overweight, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and smoking. Information on diabetes among children and youth and Aboriginal populations is also presented.
This is an activity about creating impacts on sandy surfaces. Learners will …
This is an activity about creating impacts on sandy surfaces. Learners will use trays of sand and a variety of solid objects to model the effects of "impactors" on the surface. This is activity 6 of 9 in Mars and Earth: Science Learning Activities for After School.
Learners will use trays of sand and cups of water to recreate …
Learners will use trays of sand and cups of water to recreate surface features seen in images of Mars. This is activity 5 of 9 in Mars and Earth: Science Learning Activities for After School.
This is an activity about modeling the effect of wind on a …
This is an activity about modeling the effect of wind on a sandy surface. Learners will use trays of sand and straws to recreate surface features of images of Mars. Participants test their ideas about how some of the features on Mars might have been produced. This is activity 4 of 9 in Mars and Earth: Science Learning Activities for After School.
In the first video, we present a biological circuit topology from Ma, …
In the first video, we present a biological circuit topology from Ma, Trusina, El-Samad, Lim, and Tang, "Defining network topologies that can achieve biochemical adaptation," Cell, 138: 760-773 (2009). This topology supports adaptation, which is not the absence of change in response to stimulation/stress, but, instead, the ability to produce delayed compensation for those changes. In the second video, we summarize the method of almost linear stability analysis used to solve for the dynamics of this example system.
To describe how oscillations are supported in systems of differential equations, we …
To describe how oscillations are supported in systems of differential equations, we present a classic "Romeo and Juliet" picture of two-dimensional oscillations, and we analyze how trajectories change as nullclines are arranged at different angles in the phase plane. In addition to models based on traditional systems of differential equations, dynamical systems with time delays and dynamical systems with stochastic fluctuation (i.e. stochastic resonance) can also support oscillations.
The first video segment presents a canonical mathematical example from quantitative biology, …
The first video segment presents a canonical mathematical example from quantitative biology, in which mRNA is transcribed from a gene sequence, and protein is translated from mRNA. The second segment uses eigenvector-eigenvalue analysis to sketch the trajectories of the system in a phase portrait. Finally, the third segment generalizes the linear stability analysis used to study this example.
In a multi-week experiment, student teams gather biogas data from the mini-anaerobic …
In a multi-week experiment, student teams gather biogas data from the mini-anaerobic digesters that they build to break down different types of food waste with microbes. Using plastic soda bottles for the mini-anaerobic digesters and gas measurement devices, they compare methane gas production from decomposing hot dogs, diced vs. whole. They monitor and measure the gas production, then graph and analyze the collected data. Students learn how anaerobic digestion can be used to biorecycle waste (food, poop or yard waste) into valuable resources (nutrients, biogas, energy).
To reinforce students' understanding of the human digestion process, the functions of …
To reinforce students' understanding of the human digestion process, the functions of several stomach and small intestine fluids are analyzed, and the concept of simulation is introduced through a short, introductory demonstration of how these fluids work. Students learn what simulation means and how it relates to the engineering process, particularly in biomedical engineering. The teacher demo requires vinegar, baking soda, water and aspirin.
The digestive system is amazing: it takes the foods we eat and …
The digestive system is amazing: it takes the foods we eat and breaks them into smaller components that our body can use for energy, cell repair and growth. This lesson introduces students to the main parts of the digestive system and how they interact. In addition, students learn about some of the challenges astronauts face when trying to eat in outer space.
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