Final blog project

This will be the final blog project of the year. For this project you have two options:

1. You will discuss something that you found particularly interesting that you learned this year because of the class. This could be a fact you came across in class or something that you found through these blogs projects. You will can write about that here. If you like, you may link to some Internet pages that add to this information.
2. You can start some review. You should find a topic from the year and put together a review sheet. This must be an original work, and cannot simply be a copy of material that is already out there. You may set up a diagram or flow sheet for your information. If you cannot easily digitize it, hand it into your teacher and I will get it done. You can also organize the notes for a particular section. This should not simply be a collection of facts, but should be organized in a way to facilitate understanding the information.

Please write this in a word processor first, and then when the spelling and formatting is good you can cut and paste it. If you have a ppt or other document that you want to post, intact, hand it in and I will prepare it for you. The grading for this project is open ended, meaning you can earn considerable extra credit, but will be based on effort. IT is fairly easy to notice work that took some time from things that are dashed off with consideration only for completion.

This project must be completed by Sunday 6/6/2010. If you completed the previous May project it will earn extra credit. If you did not complete the previous project, but do a particularly noteworthy job on this it also may earn some extra credit.

???est

Science and scientists are always trying to expand their knowledge. While they are doing that they ofter also expand the boundaries of what might otherwise be called physical limits. These pages discuss some of these limits:

Hottest (click on #1)
coldest
densest
oldest living
most dangerous animal

For this project you should find an article about some physical extreme, limit or exploration that you find interesting, link to that article and write a well constructed(5 sentence minimum) paragraph about it. Do not use an encyclopedia resource, instead find the people that were doing the research or a news article about them.

Make sure you put your ID and class section on your work. This project is due by midnight Tuesday, 5/18. Remember that you need to do either this or the next project. If you do both projects one will count for extra credit.

Spelling counts. Please do your project in a word processor and then cut and paste it into the comment box. Sloppy work really doesn't save you time, and it there are glaring spelling errors you will lose credit.

If you have problems, email me at aphsbio at gmail.com. Please tell me exactly what your problem was including any error messages.

Element 117 discovered.

The last project explored whether certain scientific claims were, in fact, truthful. This project looks at the culmination of a long process to "create" element #117.

For this project, you should read the article. Write a paragraph about one of the aspects discussed: the process of the making of 117, magic numbers, radioactivity, or stability. Paragraphs should be at least three well constructed sentences. Feel free to ask for additional information from them or to call them and question them about their product.

Then you should find an additional article about the aspect that you discussed in the previous paragraph and link to that and write a well constructed 3 sentence paragraph about that information, and how it added to your understanding of the material.

Make sure you put your ID and class section on your work. This project is due by midnight Sunday, 5/2. Remember that you need to do either this or the previous project. If you do both projects one will count for extra credit.

Spelling counts. Please do your project in a word processor and then cut and paste it into the comment box. Sloppy work really doesn't save you time, and it there are glaring spelling errors you will lose credit.

If you have problems, email me at aphsbio at gmail.com. Please tell me exactly what your problem was including any error messages.

Link for JS.

Real or Hoax?

Many claims are made, that offer scientific evidence. But is this evidence valid? This project asks you to explore that question. I have chosen a product that offers scientific evidence for their product. And now I want you to see if that evidence makes sense, based on your understanding of the science involved, and your research.

Easy water makes the claim, "EasyWater is a water conditioner that physically changes the minerals in water to prevent them from forming scale". For this project, you should go to their site and take a look. Write a paragraph about how they say their product works. Paragraphs should be at least three well constructed sentences. Feel free to ask for additional information from them or to call them and question them about their product.

Next you should and write a well constructed 3 sentence paragraph about whether you think the science they explain is true and is this really an alternative to water softeners? To do this you should explain the true scientific facts about their claims vs the facts that you can verify independently.

Make sure you put your ID and class section on your work. This project is due by midnight Sunday, 4/18. Remember that you need to do either this or the next project. If you do both projects one will count for extra credit.

Spelling counts. Please do your project in a word processor and then cut and paste it into the comment box. Sloppy work really doesn't save you time, and it there are glaring spelling errors you will lose credit.

If you have problems, email me at aphsbio at gmail.com. Please tell me exactly what your problem was including any error messages.

Silk Structure Analysis Could Lead to Even Stronger Synthetic Materials

This article, titled, "Silk Structure Analysis Explains Paradox of Super-Strength; Could Lead to Even Stronger Synthetic Materials" discusses an aspect of research into materials science. In our quest to find new materials, it is interesting to find that nature often far exceeds our intellectual abilities.

For this project you are to read the article and write a paragraph about it. Paragraphs should be at least three well constructed sentences.

Next you should find another article about one of the following:
1. Other discoveries of materials in nature that we have found useful.
2. Ways we have imitated nature to develop materials.
3. Totally new materials we have made and their uses.
4. Polymers and/or polymer manufacture. (Silk is an organic polymer)

Finally link to that article and write a well constructed 3 sentence paragraph about your article.

Make sure you put your ID and class section on your work. This project is due by midnight Sunday, 4/3. Remember that you need to do either this or the next project. If you do both projects one will count for extra credit.

Spelling counts. Please do your project in a word processor and then cut and paste it into the comment box. Sloppy work really doesn't save you time, and it there are glaring spelling errors you will lose credit.

If you have problems, email me at aphsbio at gmail.com. Please tell me exactly what your problem was including any error messages.

New ways of fighting Drug-resistant bacteria

Drug-resistant bacteria kills, even in top hospitals. But now tough infections like staph and anthrax may be in for a surprise. Nobel-winning chemist Kary Mullis, who watched a friend die when powerful antibiotics failed, unveils a radical new cure that shows extraordinary promise.

In the early 1980s, Kary Mullis developed the polymerase chain reaction, an elegant way to make copies of a DNA strand using the enzyme polymerase and some basic DNA "building blocks." The process opened the door to more in-depth study of DNA -- like the Human Genome Project. Mullis shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing this technique.

If you cannot view the video directly, >click here<

For this project you are to view the video and write a paragraph about it. Paragraphs should be at least three well constructed sentences.

Next you should find any other video on TED.com and view it. Finally write a well constructed 3 sentence paragraph about your video.

TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

Make sure you put your ID and class section on your work. This project is due by midnight Sunday, 3/21. Remember that you need to do either this or the next project. If you do both projects one will count for extra credit.

Spelling counts. Please do your project in a word processor and then cut and paste it into the comment box. Sloppy work really doesn't save you time, and it there are glaring spelling errors you will lose credit.

If you have problems, email me at aphsbio at gmail.com. Please tell me exactly what your problem was including any error messages.

Compostable Plastics Have a Sweet Ending

This article titled, Compostable Plastics Have a Sweet Ending, discussed many topics that are important to chemistry and our concern for our environment.

First you should read the article and then, you should identify one aspect that you found interesting and write a paragraph describing that

Next find a link that shows one of the topics following and link to the article and then write a paragraph that summarizes the article. Paragraphs should be at least three well constructed sentences.
1. Where plastics come from.
2. Alternatives to plastics.
3. How materials science effects food production.
4. Any topic related to chemical "green" technology.

Make sure you put your ID and class section on your work. This project is due by midnight Sunday, 2/28. Remember that if you have not done the previous project you need to do this one for credit. You have until 2/21 to complete the previous project. If you do both projects one will count for extra credit.

Want to improve your work? Read the guidelines for effective work and remember that spelling counts. Please do your project in a word processor and then cut and paste it into the comment box. Sloppy work really doesn't save you time, and it there are glaring spelling errors you will lose credit.

If you have problems, email me at aphsbio at gmail.com. Make sure that you tell me what your problem was, and you can include your completed project.

Chemistry Bites

This article describes how materials scientists are searching for new materials to replace dental filling or teeth.

First you should read the article and then, you should define these terms: This must be in your own words, and you cannot simply cut and paste from other sites of previous students work.
acid
amalgam
monomers
polymerization
van der Waals forces

Finally you should take a sentence that contains scientific terminology and explain its meaning. You should link to other websites, as needed, to explain each of the words. You should select a sentence that has terminology that is suited for this assignment. At least one website must be linked.

Make sure you put your ID and class section on your work. This project is due by midnight Sunday, 2/21. Remember that you need at least one project out of every two. If you do both projects one will count for extra credit.

Want to improve your work? Read the guidelines for effective work and remember that spelling counts. Please do your project in a word processor and then cut and paste it into the comment box. Sloppy work really doesn't save you time, and it there are glaring spelling errors you will lose credit.

If you have problems, email me at aphsbio at gmail.com. Make sure that you tell me what your problem was, and you can include your completed project.

1/14/10 Technology advances science

The use of technology has created a huge advance in scientific understanding. This video shows scientists ability to examine "ordinary" occurrences and see what is really happening is extraordinary.

For this project first tell me what you think of the video. Did it give you an appreciation for the complex interactions that we usually miss?

Next find a link that shows one of the topics following and link to the article and then write a paragraph that summarizes the article. Paragraphs should be at least three well constructed sentences.
1. Some equipment that is used to advance science.
2. A way that water does not act typically like you would expect, if it were "just like other materials".

Make sure you put your ID and class section on your work. This project is due by midnight Sunday, 1/31. Remember that you need at least one project out of every two. If you do both projects one will count for extra credit. If you did not do the previous project, you must do this one.

If you have problems, email me at aphsbio at gmail.com. Make sure that you tell me what your problem was, and you can include your completed project.

Energy Salvation

Science is looking for solutions to the world energy crisis. Many different approaches are being considered. One approach, Lithium-Air Batteries Could Displace Gasoline in Future Cars.

For this project you should find some scientific work to ease the energy crunch, link to the article and then write a paragraph that summarizes the article. Paragraphs should be at least three well constructed sentences. You can look for research to actually provide alternate energy sources, reduce pollution, make vehicles more efficient, or any aspect where some advances are being made.

Next you should find one of the articles cited by one of your classmates for this project. You should then write a paragraph discussing the way both approaches are working toward a common goal.

If you are the first to enter an article, or you do not find particular interest in the other student articles, you may use the article cited above.

Make sure you put your ID and class section on your work. This project is due by midnight Sunday, 1/17. Remember that you need at least one project out of every two. If you do both projects one will count for extra credit.

If you have problems, email me at aphsbio at gmail.com. Make sure that you tell me what your problem was, and you can include your completed project.