We are off to a great start!

Area school districts are back in session and Science in Motion has been busy. Mike McDevitt has already made several visits to area high schools including some repeat visits. You can see his comments below. We have hired a Biology Mobile Educator, Birgit Musheno. She starts September 30th. Both Birgit and Mike will be at the “Mole Day” Dinner. Please plan on attending so you can meet them and see some of our awesome equipment. We have also submitted a grant proposal to Merck for some additional equipment. Ed Clarke from Susquehanna University is shepherding that through the system. We will let you know as soon as we hear anything definite.

Birgit Musheno – Biology Mobile Educator

We had the equipment. We had the van. Now we have the teacher! Birgit Musheno, formerly of Phoenix, Arizona and currently from Williamsport, will be our new Biology Mobile Educator. Birgit comes to us with five years teaching experience in Arizona. She taught sophomore Biology, Honors Biology and a second year biology course for upperclassmen. In addition, outreach education is not new to Birgit. She was a participant in a long-term ecology outreach program, Ecology Explorers, while in Arizona. Birgit has an interest in teaching science using investigative techniques and has helped to pilot some programs in Arizona. Birgit’s accomplishments have been recognized by both her peers and students. She has been the recipient of several teaching awards during her career in Arizona. We are thrilled and excited to have Birgit as part of our Science in Motion team. We know you will be pleased with the biology experiments and equipment we will now be able to offer.

Mike McDevitt, Chemistry Mobile Educator, Says…

The month of September has been very busy. Science in Motion has been visiting many schools in the Central Susquehanna Valley, however, there are many more to contact and visit. We have made equipment drop-offs and formal presentations. Experiments involving the HPLC’s and GC’s have been the most popular. Mention of SIM has appeared in the News-Item, Danville News and Press Enterprise during the month of September.

SIM has visited Mt. Carmel Area, Danville Area, Southern Columbia Area, Milton Senior High and Central Columbia High Schools. We certainly want to revisit these schools but also want to take care that the list of schools and teachers continues to grow. In the near future, SIM will be doing a teacher in-service for Shikellamy teachers, completing a 3-day visit to Williamsport High School and will be at Columbia Montour Vo-Tech for two days.

When you are ready to contact SIM, consider the time frame of the visit. Most experiments require at least a 1-hour setup period and two class periods to complete. As a former classroom teacher, I know this is a considerable time commitment in your busy schedule, but it should ensure a quality experience for your students. Also, the more information the better. Input such as to daily schedule, period start and finish times, number of students, etc., would be very helpful. There is no such thing as too much information when scheduling a visit. Hope to see you soon!

Mike McDevitt - Chemistry Mobile Educator

Chemistry Experiment of the Month

“Alcohol Determination Using Gas Chromatography”

One of the more popular SIM experiments has been using the Science in Motion Gas Chromatographs. SIM possesses eight Buck Scientific Gas Chromatographs, and we are very willing to share our good fortune with area schools.

Gas Chromatography involves separation, identification, and quantification of components of a mixture in the liquid state. Our experiment involves three alcohols; methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol. Basically, the experiment involves running a KNOWN sample on the GC. This allows the student to become familiar with its operation and allows a check on the instrument’s calibration. This is then followed by several UNKOWNS. The students inject various samples of familiar commercial products which act as unknowns. What alcohols are present and how much of each? Several brands of mouthwash, artificial flavorings (vanilla or strawberry extracts), or windshield washing liquid are tested. Also available are some “McDevious” unknowns with varying amounts of the test alcohols. The GC will then separate, identify, and quantify (%) the components of the mixtures.

It has been very gratifying to see the reaction of the students to this experiment. They have been very interested, motivated, and diligent in conducting the GC #1 Alcohols experiment. Keep this experiment in mind as the school year progresses.

The First Annual (we hope) Mole Day Dinner - 6:02 on 10-23

Science in Motion at Susquehanna University together with the Susquehanna Valley Association of Chemistry Teachers is sponsoring a “Mole Day” Dinner. Come meet Birgit Musheno and Mike McDevitt. See displays of the equipment we have available. Talk with the Mobile Educators about your specific classroom needs and sign-up to have a van visit at your school. There will be an informal get acquainted session starting at 6:02, with a cash bar. A buffet dinner provided by Science in Motion will start at 6:30 p.m. Following dinner, there will be more time provided to talk with the Science in Motion staff while the Chemistry Teacher’s Association holds their business meeting. All secondary science teachers are invited for dinner so come and bring a colleague. The dinner is free but the caterers need to know how many people are coming. Please sign-up by the deadline. There is a registration form attached to this newsletter.

Are the vans only for students in the classroom?

You may schedule a van visit as part of a teacher in-service day. You may also schedule the use of the van and/or equipment for part of a special program or Science Day. Remember, this program is at no cost to the secondary schools. The more ways these resources are utilized the greater the benefit to the students in the valley. Our vans are also available for use by youth groups such as Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts. Some schools have even invited the vans to participate in parades and other “events.”

Is the van a road show? No

This program is totally teacher driven. There are no pre-scheduled van visits. When you are ready to use a particular piece of equipment or do a series of experiments, call Melanie at (570) 372-4779 to schedule the mobile science teacher and/or the use of the equipment.

What if I don’t know what I need or how to use the equipment? ( I don’t want to make a fool out of myself in front of my students)

Call us! There are several ways we can help you. We can send the Mobile Educator to your school to meet with you and help you design the experiments that would work best for you. You can choose something from the Web site and have the Mobile Educator do it with your classes with you helping. We can come during an in-service day and teach you how to use the equipment.

How do I find out more about the Science in Motion Program?

You have many options. You may phone us at Susquehanna University, 570-372-4779, e-mail us at sciencemotion@susqu.edu or check on the Web site at www.susqu.edu/sim. We have set-up a page in Susquehanna University’s Blackboard System for Science in Motion. We can post experiments or any other materials you require under course documents. Getting to blackboard is a little tricky but not bad. You can enter www.susqu.edu/blackboard on your web browser and it should take you there. If not, go to www.susqu.edu and look in the menu options under Academics. When you get to the blackboard log in page, log in as a guest and click on courses. You can then search for Science in Motion or we are listed under Biology and Chemistry. It is my idea that this site will be very teacher specific while the Web site will have information that may be of use to the general public.

Save a tree

If you wish to receive this newsletter in electronic format, please send us your e-mail address at sciencemotion@susqu.edu or phone us at 570-372-4779.

Jan Reichard-Brown

Director, Science in Motion

570-372-4778 or reichardbrown@susqu.edu