Radium

Thank you all so much for checking out my post from yesterday! It was certainly a fun one to write and it's hard to come up with another post so soon that even comes close...

I was pondering doing a Christmas wishlist of science things, but obviously that never got done. So in an attempt to make a list that only slightly resembles a belated Christmas list, here are some sweet reads for the holiday break!

The Poisoner's Handbook. A friend of mine recommended this one to me and one of today's fun facts actually comes from the book. During the Jazz Age in New York, a medical examiner explores the world of toxicology and poisoning, which at the time was the perfect crime.

Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America. I would be lying if I said I haven't drooled about getting the chance to read this book. This book has a similar feeling to yesterday's post. Here's a tidbit from it:

Will the media save us?  Don't count on it.  In early 2008, of the 2,975 questions asked the candidates for president just six mentioned the words "global warming" or "climate change," the greatest policy challenge facing America.  To put that in perspective, three questions mentioned UFOs.

A Short History of Nearly Everything. Let's be honest, Bill Bryson is the man. I'm pretty sure when this book came out in 2004, science had a short stint as a popular subject.


Fun Fact: Radium was once believed to have health benefits, so people included this radioactive element in medicines, facial creams, and health drinks. Turns out radium is not so healthy, as it stores itself in bone and wreaks havoc in the body.

Geneva's Fun Fact (!!): A friend of mine sent me this one the other day after reading The Poisoner's Handbook. People who suffer from radium poisoning exhale radon gas!

Francium

I've talked about writing this post for awhile, so I'm happy to finally get some time to sit down and type! I saw this article back in November while perusing the NY Times and have read it what seems like a billion times since. The article delves into President Obama's recent announcement that he would like to see higher education produce 10,000 more engineers and 100,000 new STEM (science-technology-engineering-math) teachers in the very near future. It's certainly a great proposal, but here are some speed bumps:

College attrition rates. For students who are interested in the sciences, approximately 40% switch their major. Toss in pre-med students and that 40% dropout rate rises to 60%. Some of this can certainly be attributed to a lack of preparation in high school, but much of it comes from the stress of pursuing a science degree, especially at schools where science majors see their social science and humanities friends' grades inflated. Math and science majors are known for having the lowest grade point averages and it's not because we're stupid/lazy - it's because most science and math questions have a clear-cut answer. Blowing up a lab is not an art form - it's a problematic error.

With science comes math. It seems like a very simple statement, doesn't it? And to most science majors, it's pretty obvious. But what is scary is that people still don't seem to understand science and math's inherent coupling. Without Newton and calculus, there would be no physics. Without physics, no chemistry. Without chemistry, no biology. The cycle continues, but the most important part is that science boils down to being applied mathematics. People like numbers (for the most part), so when seemingly  interesting phenomenon arise, we seek to answer those questions with numbers. And with those numbers, explanations are needed, thus the quantitative and qualitative nature of science.

(NY Times multimedia image)

To paint a picture of why this article has been so alluring to me for some time, look at the graphic above. If we are in the "technology era" how is it that only 2.4% of bachelor's degrees are computer science related? And why has this number been declining since the early 2000s?

I recently asked my students if they knew how much science affected them and they scoffed at me...it took me a lot of mental persuading to not start on a diatribe about how their smart phones and iPods and computers are all related to science. We chalk these things up to "advances in technology" but what that really means is scientific experimentation and discovery (sorry if that comes as a surprise). The next time a pair of ear buds for your iPod breaks, take some time to cut those puppies apart - there is a reason why copper is the wire of choice for transmitting sound from the iPod to your ears, but could you explain why that is? (Guess what - some of my students can.)


Fun Fact: If a solid block of francium could be produced (nearly impossible if you were wondering), it would evaporate itself in a violent radioactive reaction.

Radon

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday!

I got spoiled by the snow pixies the day after complaining about no snow with a small but solid amount of snow that is skiable (explains my blogging absence despite being on break I hope!). Needless to say, my fish scales and the golf course have spent some quality time together!

Not too much else from the home front - my days consist of sleeping in front of the fireplace and/or skiing. Enjoy today's video - it combines my love of skiing (though it's the wrong discipline) and Christmas!

I'll get back to science/education blogging soon and if the weather continues to be gorgeous, expect some winter pics!

Fun Fact: Grand Central Station, made of granite, is famous for being radioactive! Granite contains both uranium and thorium (radioactive elements) which decay to produce radioactive radon, adding to Grand Central's radioactive qualities.

Astatine

If there was any bumper sticker that defined me (besides one spelling my name with periodic table elements - impossible if you were wondering) it would say "I'd rather be nordic skiing." (I add nordic because we all know that people think of the worst type of skiing ;) ) While most people relish the warm sunny days in December that bring 40 degree weather and gives high school boys a reason to wear shorts in the winter, the warmth (and rain) that leaves brown lawns and an iced over driveway makes me cringe.

And cringing certainly happened yesterday, as any and all snow on the ground melted. Normally I would not be too downtrodden by this, but after traveling across borders with a ski bag (quite the story if anyone is wondering), I was really hoping to hit some pow pow if not even some glazed tracks. As it stands, the only thing I'm asking Santa Claus for Christmas is some snow...just enough to even ski at a golf course...but please, the white stuff????

An homage to Peggy is built every year. Sadly, I think Peggy might have to go without :(

Fun Fact: At any given time, there are only about 28 grams of astatine on Earth.

P.S. In case you haven't figured it out, the purple words are links. And in skiing fashion, today's are slightly hilarious.

Polonium

I officially survived another semester at grad school...papers are handed in and I'm cuddled up with my favorite dog in front of the fireplace. It feels so nice to be home :)

I also have been so excited for this element (yes...I am a dork). The first of two elements discovered by Marie Curie, I thought I would share her story about her rise to success. Curie was fortunate to have a supportive husband who aided her with her research and fought for her to teach at the Sorbonne. While these videos are slightly hilarious with the phony French accents, it is still a great story.

Look for more posts in the coming weeks, now that I have some time to actually write things that aren't papers :) I have a lot to catch up on with some great posts about science and hopefully some winter pictures, so I'm excited!!

Fun Fact: Polonium's most common isotope, polonium-210, is so radioactive that a single gram of it in air produces 140 watts of power continuously.

Combined Fun Fact: If a coin was made of polonium and radium, the elements discovered by Marie Curie, it would kill everyone in the same room.

Bismuth

Awhile back, a friend of mine from college posted about how teaching stifles a stylish wardrobe in a means to remain modest. Thinking about most of my teachers from high school, this really fit the mark. The teacher "uniform" for men was always dress pants or khakis with a button down or polo (with the occasional tie thrown in). For women teachers, there was a bit more variety, but it dribbled down to longer skirts or pants, sweaters, and button-downs.

From posts about my tights, you are safe to assume that I am not one to perpetuate the stereotype that teachers' wardrobes must blend in with the chalkboard. While my outfits are certainly not provocative, I always try to include a little bit of stylish flair. My personal favorites are ankle boots with dresses and skirts, layering patterns/textures, and well you guessed it...the infamous tights.

So when I set out to write this post, I wanted to find some style savvy student teachers that are at the School of Education at U of M with me. During my photo shoot of friends from class, it was brought to my attention that teachers are known for having the largest collections of cardigans. It was also at that point that I noticed that each person I was shooting was wearing a sweater.

Anyway enjoy this twist on my teacher wardrobe post because apparently I have yet to debunk the frump that is the "teacher sweater."

Take 1: The classic v-neck with the current stripe trend.

Take 2: Adding some flair with jewelry.

Take 3: Button-up + cardigan.

Thanks to my lovely models for not being afraid to rock the "teacher sweater."

Fun Fact: When artificial bismuth is crystallized, it forms a rainbow colored step pattern. Cool, right?

 

Lead

I'll admit, November was a terrible month for blogging. Whoops. I can't promise things will get too much better in these next few weeks as I am finishing up the semester at U of M and at the middle and high schools.

There is certainly much to tell so I'll try and extend it over a few posts so I don't look like a complete slacker. Look for posts about "Midnight Madness," my delayed teacher wardrobe post, and my super delayed science majors in college post. There is also some exciting news about the periodic table, so look for that as well!

In the mean time, warm and fuzzy news from the school front. Because my middle school mentor teacher is on medical leave, I get the chance to go back to the high school next week and rock some teaching. I made a surprise visit yesterday and I am pretty sure I am still on Cloud 9 from getting to see my kids again.

When I first walked in, I tried to be unassuming, as to cause the least amount of distraction but of course I got stopped at the metal detector where the security guards asked me all about being at the middle school. I got laughed at for trying to get a visitor's pass as the secretary looked at me and goes, "We've missed you." Word of the wise - make friends with these people because they will tell you ALL about what goes on and will always help you out :)

On walking in to the 9th grade wing, my heart started to pump and my fingers were quaking - it was so weird, but I think I was just so excited to see some of my kids. I walked past the English class where I got a little wave, a bigger wave, and then a giant wave from one of my students. I chuckled when kids were asking what this student was doing and he said "I saw Ms. Labbate!" The best part was one of the kids saying back to him "You couldn't have - she's not here anymore." Yup, that's me, a mirage. Two more classrooms and smaller waves and twinkling eyes from kids not paying attention.

When I hit the science door I stayed outside because there were 15 minutes left of class and I didn't want to interrupt my mentor teacher if she was in the middle of a lesson. Have it my luck that no less than 2 minutes standing outside the door, but one of the students pops out and squeals in delight. She tries to drag me into the classroom, but I explain that I'm not going to go in as Ms. Stine-King was teaching. Her reply? "It's not that important, pleaaaaaaaaaaase come in." She eventually goes back in and Ms. Stine-King walks out 2 seconds later, smiles, and says "Let's see what happens when you come in."

CHAOS. Studious faces to looks like Christmas came 23 days early. Screams of delight. "Ms. Labbate's BACK!!" Hugs. "Ms. Labbate, now that you're here, come help me." (still in my coat and carrying my backpack at that point...never really got to put my stuff down) "Ms. Labbate, I failed my quiz because you left." (yeah...okay)

After the class ended, the "Ms. Labbate's back!" rumor mill was flying down the hall and kids were traveling by the science room to see if it was true. More hugs. More smiles. More love. Man it feels good to be back at the high school.


Fun Fact: Lead's symbol on the periodic table is Pb, which comes from its Latin name plum bum. Because lead was originally used for water pipes, the name plumber is also derived from plum bum.