Physics for Rock Stars, or How The Periodic Table Can Help You Find You BFF

Women in science and engineering: a rare occurrence. Listen to this interview and learn how one young girl was introduced to the wonders of science and engineering and never gave a thought to being the only girl in the engineering class. It’s an interview with a female engineer and she speaks about her entry into the field and how being a B and C student is good enough because what you do on the job matters more. 

 

Interviewer: Brianna McGurran

Physics Lessons From The Science Teacher You Wish You’d Had

OPB | Aug. 19, 2014 12:30 p.m.

 

Portland’s Christine McKinley wears many hats: she’s a mechanical engineer, a musician, a composer, an author and a former TV personality. She’s also on a mission to make math and science more fun. Her book Physics for Rock Stars is part memoir, part science lesson, and part advice column. It reads like a practical guide to the world from a clever, nerdy friend. Physics Lessons From The Science Teacher You Wish You’d Had … 

 

6 Things We Learned from Christine McKinley’s Physics for Rock Stars — an interview back in June.

 

Kids LOVE Robots! What a 12 year did with a box of computer parts…. and his imagination

Kids LOVE Robots! What a 12 year did with a box of computer parts…. and his imagination

 

Related articles

• Show Us Your Pile of Old Electronics (lifehacker.com)

High School Senior Invents Simple Solution to Water Pollution

High School Senior Invents Simple Solution to Water Pollution

Amazing what young minds can create… with a process and research.

 

 

Check out the Intel Science Talent Search (not to be confused with the ISEF which my EDD students must enter)

Related articles

• 15 year old invents New Method of Diagnosing Cancer (social-consciousness.com)
• Find Scholarship Competitions for Technology Enthusiasts (usnews.com)
• College Scholarships Ending in November 2013 (mycollegeguide.org)

Email Dos and Don’ts

Email Dos and Don’ts

For my seniors, here is some great advice on using a medium for professional communication with industry folk.

7 Email Etiquette Rules Every Professional Should Know

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Who knew? Sand Dams Can Save Water in Arid Lands!

Who knew? Sand Dams Can Save Water in Arid Lands!

Fresh potable water for drinking and irrigation are going to be one of the 21st century’s great challenges. This sounds counterintuitive, but, hey! That’s why we need to be open to new ideas! check this out:

Sand dam technology may date to Roman times. But it has been perfected in the 21st century by a combination of talent including a British NGO called Excellent Development, a Kenyan farmer named Joshua Mukusya, and Mennonites from North America.

Read about sand dams.

We need to use the write stuff

We need to use the write stuff

Many of my students don’t like to sketch because they feel they aren’t good at it. I tell them, this isn’t an art class, it’s a class in learning to solve problems using a structured process and to communicate the results using a technical vocabulary and tool kit (e.g., computer software like Autodesk Inventor and Microsoft Excel). Sketching, like writing by hand, engages the mind integrate vision with the tactile expression of ideas via words, or in class, via sketches: it’s all about communicating what’s in our head so others can understand.

I found this article by a local business writer about writing by hand in this age of ubiquitous digital technology to reinforce my instructional philosophy. The author cites some research that also supports this belief.

(A)n MRI brain scan showed subjects in the handwriting group had activated their brain’s visual and motor systems, as well as their brain’s emotional centers. Chen not only called writing by hand a creative activity, but a visual-spacial process, which could explain why we remember written appointments better than those typed into a smartphone.

There’s also this from the “Reviving the Lost Art of Manliness”

By scanning the brain, researchers have found that writing by hand improves memory, cognitive activity, and the expression of ideas.

Write on!

Making The Grade Online

Making the grade online

My anecdotal research (see below) affirms my belief that there a different skill set required for optimal success in the “blended” classroom of today. I think we can be giving our students a leg up on the competition by developing our own (educator) skills in this new world.

I found this other article to be pretty informative about this trend a towards a new learning environment and skills:

• Clark College is now using Canvas and Edmodo as I learned from a couple of our Running Start students.
• And some of our recent alumni have also shared their online classroom experiences with me because I started introducing online learning skills in my classes when I started teaching high school eight years ago.
• My son who taught at WSU-Pullman last year (now at Cal State) also taught online courses.

Related articles

• How Online Classes Level the Playing Field for Minorities and At-Risk Students (brighthub.com)
• Trends in Education for the 2013-2014 School Year (engagetheirminds.wordpress.com)

Competitive advantage!

Competitive advantage!

I really like this article written by a consultant coaching companies what to look for in job applicants. Take the reverse angle and you have a great primer on how to set yourself apart from the dozens of other engineering students competing for internships and jobs.

Engineering Design and Inspiration

Here are links to two engineering design firms.

• The first-–IDEO/Palo Alto– –is perhaps best known due to CBS “60 Minutes” coverage of their work. Here’s a link to a video interview and 2012 update to the original 1999 show done by the producers at CBS 60 Minutes.
• The second–Beyond Design/Chicago I recommend you look at their design process and the cool stuff they do with kids Dig8

Check out the cool student desk IDEO designed! Wish we had them here at Skyview!

Related articles

• Why Designers and Engineers is a Match Made in Heaven (huffingtonpost.com)

Get a jump on the college game!

Get a jump on the college game!

It’s that time of year to start the college game! Several news organizations publish lists if “top party schools, engineering schools, etc.” at this time of year. This link offers some valuable advice about getting started now!

And for you freshman check this out: Use All 4 Years of High School to Prep for College