The whole blogging once a week thing is a killer. There have been so many exciting things in science and education, and even some mildly blog-worthy things about me. As a super-speedy rewind with a promise to explain at length in other posts, here are some tasty morsels:
School
I gave out 4 lunch detentions the other day. Instead of feeling righteous and powerful, I felt like the ultimate scumbag (Lunch detention gets handed to you if you amass 3 tardies for a single class). I'm pretty sure the next time these kids walk in to class, I'll get a scowl in return to me saying "Good morning!" But hopefully the lesson in lunch detention will be received: get to class on time.
I got to teach a full lesson! My mentor teacher asks me (somewhat spontaneously) if I wanted to teach the class that was coming in (literally as we were speaking). I of course say "Yes!", after waiting ages to pull out and use the techniques loaded in my back pocket (as another point of imagery - there are so many, I'm surprised my pants haven't fallen down). The lesson went as well as what is to be expected with approximately 5 minutes of preparation, but the kids seemed attentive and my mentor teacher even took some of the things I did and used them when she taught the lesson the next period.
While teaching, two of my kiddos were one step away from getting into a huge fight. As in they were standing up, with looks of pure aggression, and I was at the front of the classroom trying to remain calm and hoping to talk them down. Turns out I didn't have to do anything, because this disruptive kid who spends more time out of his seat than in his seat gets in between the two of them and puts his hands up like Jesus and they both sit down. Sometimes I just don't question things...
Science
Apparently some scientists got neutrinos to go faster than the speed of light. This is worthy of a full blog post, but I'm not about to post this until I see some cold hard evidence that suggests the experiment was valid. I'm not one for salacious science gossip.
Ann Arbor
It's finally Fall! With that comes a bazillion apples at the Farmer's Market and gorgeous mums. So excited!
Football season never ceases to amaze me. While walking to the Farmer's Market this weekend, I got stopped by a police escort for the football players on their way to the field. The players all pile into the U of M commuter buses to travel to the stadium and each bus says something goofy on the screen at the top of the bus like "Go Wolverines" or "En route to the Big House." It's even better that people line the street like it's a parade. Thank goodness the woman next to me was as utterly confused by this as I was.
Common Occurrences: Ytterbium is primarily found in lasers, but is also used in stress gauges that monitor land deformation from earthquakes and explosions.
Fun Fact: The mineral xenotime can contain either ytterbium or yttrium.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Thulium
I hope in my absence this week, many of you have explored the new "Periodic Table" tab! There are a few interactive tables, a traditional table, and a song about the elements, so I encourage you all to check it out! (Thanks to Nick for giving me the inspiration and to Katherine for a fabulous periodic table!)
So in my busy week of being in the high school and university classes, it dawned on me in my hands-on-Physics-lab-teaching-class (I have no other way to describe this class) how much I truly missed rigorous science. I add in 'rigorous' because I have been bored half to death with the pace of my ninth grade class, where we haven't made it out of the scientific method yet. Understandably, high school - especially ninth grade - does not move at the lightning pace of college classes, but when students are given three worksheets about the scientific method and not a single question is related to actual science examples, it is mildly disheartening (if you're wondering, the worksheets are on Spongebob, The Simpsons, and Jersey Shore).
I miss digging into the sciences and really thinking about why things happen. No joke - my physics instructor at U of M ended the class by squirting out a mountain of shaving cream onto the desk and asking, "Is this a solid, liquid, or gas?" Seems simple in practice that you would choose one of the physical states, but being in a room of science nerds, we started to question the necessity of gas when squirting it out, if the cream was liquid in the can, etc. It turns out the answer is not so simple (d. none of the above). What we learn about states in elementary, middle, and high school is that they are static and have clear cut lines that define them. In real life, not so much. So in short, shaving cream is somewhere in between our ideas of solids, liquids, and gases.
Why do I expound so much time on this? In my need for science, I have been devouring the Science Times whenever humanly possible. I have even been going back into the archives to read stories that I may have missed because I need something scientifically stimulating right now. And in the archives, I found this gem of an article from August (clearly I didn't have to go back too far) talking about the isolation of scientists from politics and general society. A group of scientists who have had former political careers have formed a campaign called Ben Franklin's List (fitting name right - scientist and founding father) that encourages more scientists to run for political office. Think about this for a second - we are currently making decisions about science and math education, technology, ground-breaking research (i.e. stem cells), NASA, etc. and a mere 22 of 435 people in the House of Representatives have any science background. That's a bit scary, right? The saddest part about the article is that Ben Franklin's List suffered a setback when one of its founders decided to run again for office. Being that he wanted to create a nonpartisan organization, he had to pull himself out from being a part of what he had started. You don't see that very often in other political organizations...
Anyway, I encourage you all to read the article - it is pretty enlightening. And along with the article is a "Name that Scientist" quiz with current, living scientists. See how you do and I'll let you know how I faired.
Fun Fact: John Emsley, a British writer about chemistry, cited thulium as "the least significant element there is." His statement comes from the fact that thulium has few applications in our society, is extremely rare, and is difficult to purify. To exemplify this, in 1911, it took scientist Charles James 15,000 recrystallizations to purify thulium.
So in my busy week of being in the high school and university classes, it dawned on me in my hands-on-Physics-lab-teaching-class (I have no other way to describe this class) how much I truly missed rigorous science. I add in 'rigorous' because I have been bored half to death with the pace of my ninth grade class, where we haven't made it out of the scientific method yet. Understandably, high school - especially ninth grade - does not move at the lightning pace of college classes, but when students are given three worksheets about the scientific method and not a single question is related to actual science examples, it is mildly disheartening (if you're wondering, the worksheets are on Spongebob, The Simpsons, and Jersey Shore).
I miss digging into the sciences and really thinking about why things happen. No joke - my physics instructor at U of M ended the class by squirting out a mountain of shaving cream onto the desk and asking, "Is this a solid, liquid, or gas?" Seems simple in practice that you would choose one of the physical states, but being in a room of science nerds, we started to question the necessity of gas when squirting it out, if the cream was liquid in the can, etc. It turns out the answer is not so simple (d. none of the above). What we learn about states in elementary, middle, and high school is that they are static and have clear cut lines that define them. In real life, not so much. So in short, shaving cream is somewhere in between our ideas of solids, liquids, and gases.
Why do I expound so much time on this? In my need for science, I have been devouring the Science Times whenever humanly possible. I have even been going back into the archives to read stories that I may have missed because I need something scientifically stimulating right now. And in the archives, I found this gem of an article from August (clearly I didn't have to go back too far) talking about the isolation of scientists from politics and general society. A group of scientists who have had former political careers have formed a campaign called Ben Franklin's List (fitting name right - scientist and founding father) that encourages more scientists to run for political office. Think about this for a second - we are currently making decisions about science and math education, technology, ground-breaking research (i.e. stem cells), NASA, etc. and a mere 22 of 435 people in the House of Representatives have any science background. That's a bit scary, right? The saddest part about the article is that Ben Franklin's List suffered a setback when one of its founders decided to run again for office. Being that he wanted to create a nonpartisan organization, he had to pull himself out from being a part of what he had started. You don't see that very often in other political organizations...
Anyway, I encourage you all to read the article - it is pretty enlightening. And along with the article is a "Name that Scientist" quiz with current, living scientists. See how you do and I'll let you know how I faired.
Trivia Answer: Other cities that have elements are Berkeley, CA (berkelium), Dubna, Russian (dubnium), and Darmstadt, Germany (darmstadtium). Unlike the elements from Ytterby, Sweden, the aforementioned elements are all short-lived radioactive elements developed in a laboratory setting.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Erbium
Dearest Fellow Readers - I miss you. Terribly. Waking up at 4:30 a.m. and going to graduate classes after being in high school is rough...as you can tell from my pathetic attempt at blogging lately. To brighten your moods, here are some of the goofy things I do to survive hour and a half commutes, working with ninth graders who have egos bigger than the Michigan defensive line, and getting up at times that college students go to bed.
In the morning, I've found that picking out clothing before 5 a.m. leads to some horrifying outfits. I remember having a Spanish teacher who talked about getting dressed in the dark and for the most part she never looked that great (one time she was wearing a yellow and a purple sock with a skirt...yikes). So I literally lay out my clothes the night before, including shoes and accessories. It saves me at least 5 to 10 minutes that I can use to sleep. At the beginning of the week, I must look like I have OCD though because I have every outfit with a post-it note attached saying the day of the week hung up in my room.
Set two alarms. The other morning I questioned why my alarm went off so early and promptly went back to bed. Thank goodness the second alarm knocked some sense into me.
Leave a checklist at the door. If you think remembering your laptop (and charger), water bottle, lunch, phone, car keys, wallet, and school stuff is plausible in the morning, power to you. I'm lucky if I remember to consult my checklist, which is why it is directly above the lock for my door.
If you can't make dinner in a pair of shoes, there is no way that you can teach in them. End of story.
Always pack extra lunch. I pack enough for myself and then for myself again. Because you will be hungry at 7:30, 11:00, and 2:00. Teaching gives you a voracious appetite.
Fun Fact: Erbium, terbium, ytterbium, and yttrium are all named after Ytterby, Sweden where they were discovered in a single mine!
Trivia: What other cities have elements named after them?
In the morning, I've found that picking out clothing before 5 a.m. leads to some horrifying outfits. I remember having a Spanish teacher who talked about getting dressed in the dark and for the most part she never looked that great (one time she was wearing a yellow and a purple sock with a skirt...yikes). So I literally lay out my clothes the night before, including shoes and accessories. It saves me at least 5 to 10 minutes that I can use to sleep. At the beginning of the week, I must look like I have OCD though because I have every outfit with a post-it note attached saying the day of the week hung up in my room.
Set two alarms. The other morning I questioned why my alarm went off so early and promptly went back to bed. Thank goodness the second alarm knocked some sense into me.
Leave a checklist at the door. If you think remembering your laptop (and charger), water bottle, lunch, phone, car keys, wallet, and school stuff is plausible in the morning, power to you. I'm lucky if I remember to consult my checklist, which is why it is directly above the lock for my door.
If you can't make dinner in a pair of shoes, there is no way that you can teach in them. End of story.
Always pack extra lunch. I pack enough for myself and then for myself again. Because you will be hungry at 7:30, 11:00, and 2:00. Teaching gives you a voracious appetite.
Fun Fact: Erbium, terbium, ytterbium, and yttrium are all named after Ytterby, Sweden where they were discovered in a single mine!
Trivia: What other cities have elements named after them?
I recently got a "scientific inquiry" about where we are on the periodic table. Here is a blank table for reference, but I'll post a new page with just a periodic table in the near future!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Holmium
Michigan gets a new chancellor for improving public schools statewide
The one room schoolhouse could teach us a lesson about school community
An interesting look at "super teachers" and charter schools
Fun Fact: A slug of holmium, also called a pole piece, can be used to increase the intensity of a magnetic field. This is particularly useful for MRI scans, where a stronger magnet leads to better imaging.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Dysprosium
Happy Labor Day! Because most people are not laboring and are instead enjoying the Monday off, here are some funny videos with "science tricks." Watching these videos reminded me of a professor I had in college who shared "party trivia" with us, which was essentially fun facts about what we were learning. So in that spirit, enjoy these "party tricks!"
Fun Fact: Dysprosium is named from the Greek dysprositos, meaning "hard to get at." The element has few uses, but despite it's name, it is ubiquitous in commercial lighting. Fun(ny) story :)
Fun Fact: Dysprosium is named from the Greek dysprositos, meaning "hard to get at." The element has few uses, but despite it's name, it is ubiquitous in commercial lighting. Fun(ny) story :)
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Terbium
I never went to a high school with a football team. Though many people tried to get a team, the school was just too tiny and could never have filled a roster. In college, no football team again. The lack of football was due to the school's past as an all girls college - so yeah, no football. The Midwest - football country. Don't be fooled - Texas isn't the only state that loves football. Here is what I've learned from U of M's football game today (just to be clear, I didn't go - I'm still a hockey girl):
1) It's MAIZE and BLUE. Not yellow, not gold, maize.
2) People will pay ridiculous prices for parking. If you live a block away from the stadium, you can get $40 to $50 a space. Me? Saved an extra space in my parking lot for a cohort member for free. (You owe me Nick).
3) There is no reason why tailgating should not begin at 9 in the morning. When the marching band starts playing, you start drinking.
4) NEVER leave your home without wearing Michigan apparel. Despite wearing a Michigan shirt, "M" earrings, and a maize headband, I was underdressed.
5) As a fan, pull out the stops. That means decorating your car, your home, etc. That also means having a satellite dish at your tailgate, a giant 10 foot tall wolverine, and at least 5 Michigan flags.
6) If people ask you if you are going to the football game, lie and say yes. You are safe however in a jewelry store or a running store to say no.
7) Running errands in town on football days is ideal. I got a necklace fixed in under an hour because the jewelry store was quiet. I also had a rousing chat with the girls at the running shoe store. And of course, the farmer's market...where you are safe without a Michigan tee.
8) When they say you will be disrupted by living so close to the Stadium, that's a bunch of lies. You only get disrupted when somebody scores.
9) Hail to the Victors.
10) GO BLUE!
Fun Fact: Terfenol, an alloy of terbium, will change shape when placed in a magnetic field. This is useful for turning a solid surface into a loudspeaker (read: you can crank up the volume of your dining room table!).
1) It's MAIZE and BLUE. Not yellow, not gold, maize.
2) People will pay ridiculous prices for parking. If you live a block away from the stadium, you can get $40 to $50 a space. Me? Saved an extra space in my parking lot for a cohort member for free. (You owe me Nick).
3) There is no reason why tailgating should not begin at 9 in the morning. When the marching band starts playing, you start drinking.
4) NEVER leave your home without wearing Michigan apparel. Despite wearing a Michigan shirt, "M" earrings, and a maize headband, I was underdressed.
5) As a fan, pull out the stops. That means decorating your car, your home, etc. That also means having a satellite dish at your tailgate, a giant 10 foot tall wolverine, and at least 5 Michigan flags.
6) If people ask you if you are going to the football game, lie and say yes. You are safe however in a jewelry store or a running store to say no.
7) Running errands in town on football days is ideal. I got a necklace fixed in under an hour because the jewelry store was quiet. I also had a rousing chat with the girls at the running shoe store. And of course, the farmer's market...where you are safe without a Michigan tee.
8) When they say you will be disrupted by living so close to the Stadium, that's a bunch of lies. You only get disrupted when somebody scores.
9) Hail to the Victors.
10) GO BLUE!
Fun Fact: Terfenol, an alloy of terbium, will change shape when placed in a magnetic field. This is useful for turning a solid surface into a loudspeaker (read: you can crank up the volume of your dining room table!).
Friday, September 2, 2011
Gadolinium
I could use the excuse that I've been busy (because 5 a.m. wake-ups really put you down for the count), but the fact of the matter is, I've just been lazy. Here are some pictures from home that I should have uploaded eons ago aka less than a week ago, but who's counting?
Common Occurrences: If you've ever had an MRI, gadolinium is the main contrast agent (read: allows the images to have clear definition).
Fun Fact: Gadolinium has a "Curie point" at 66 degrees Fahrenheit. What that means is that at temperatures below 66, gadolinium will be attracted to a magnet, but at temperatures above 66, it is no longer magnetic. Cool, right?
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| Sunset on the Loj Road. |
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| There is quite the story that goes along with this rose bush about the Momma's brown thumb, but nevertheless, it gets beautiful blooms. |
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| I wish this could have been bigger, because trust me, it's my favorite from home right now. |
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| Do you see the rainbow? Because I totally pulled off the road and balanced on the guard rail like a fool to take this picture, so you better think the rainbow was worth it. |
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| Brodie's "adopted" collar. So cute. |
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| Brandy, the world's loudest and most persistent dog. |
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| Nothing better than s'mores with JUMBO sized marshmallows. |
Common Occurrences: If you've ever had an MRI, gadolinium is the main contrast agent (read: allows the images to have clear definition).
Fun Fact: Gadolinium has a "Curie point" at 66 degrees Fahrenheit. What that means is that at temperatures below 66, gadolinium will be attracted to a magnet, but at temperatures above 66, it is no longer magnetic. Cool, right?
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