The Newsletter for Science
in Motion at Susquehanna University
Volume VI Issue 7 March 2007
Director's Column
As many of you already know, funding for SIM was NOT included in Governor Rendell’s 2007-2008 state budget. By now, all teachers should have received a letter from SIM announcing the start of our annual letter writing campaign to support state funding of the program for another year. We ask that all teachers who use SIM write letters to your state legislators asking for 2007-2008 funding of the SIM program (AKA the Basic Education/Higher Education Science and Technology Partnership). We have posted a sample letter on the SIM Web site under “Links”. We also included a list of legislators by school and legislator addresses with the letter. You can also obtain address information for legislators on the SIM Web site under “Links” by selecting “Pennsylvania State Representatives” or “Pennsylvania State Senators”. In past years, letters from voters, specifically teachers and school administrators, have positively influenced legislators to include SIM funding in the state budget. We hope that you will help us once again let Harrisburg know that SIM is one program Pennsylvania cannot do without!
I’d like to thank all of
the teachers who have turned in SIM Mobile Lab Evaluations
after a SIM visit. These evaluations are critical to improving SIM service.
If you have yet to submit an evaluation for a SIM visit, please do so as soon
as possible. If you have misplaced your form, please contact the ME or Melanie
for a replacement.
Madge Schworer, Biology Mobile Educator Says…
Winter has truly arrived and the SIM Bio van has been very busy. The end of January saw a Crime Scene Investigation at Milton High School for Biology students taught by Debbie Kurtz. We put together pieces of fingerprint, hair, blood, fabric, and DNA fingerprinting evidence to solve the murder of teacher Edward Coli. Also at Milton the Honors Biology class, also taught by Debbie Kurtz, performed the Protein Electrophoresis: Something’s Fishy about Evolution lab. Students extracted fish and seafood samples for protein and then did polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to visualize the many proteins in their samples and then analyzed the gels for similarities and differences between species. My next visit stop was to Lewisburg High School for Geoff Goodenow’s Honors Biology classes. The students investigated Energy in Foods by learning the technique of calorimetry and applied it to their knowledge of sources of energy for living organisms. AP Biology students at Berwick High School taught by Allison Spencer did the Bacterial Transformation: pGLO lab which corresponds to half of AP lab #6. Also during my time at Berwick, the 9th grade biology classes taught by Allison Spencer investigated the Limitations on Cell Size. I had a first visit with the CP Biology classes taught by Paulette Armbruster at Selinsgrove High School looking at changes in Enzyme Activity from pH, salt concentration, substrate concentration, and temperature differences. Next at Shikellamy High School with Jen Gurski, the 9th grade biology students did the Human Chromosome Splat by preparing slides of HeLa cells, staining, and then observing the results under the microscopes looking for a spread of chromosomes. These classes used the digital microscopes to work in their lab groups to analyze their slides. Sheila Furr, also of Shikellamy High School, used the lab Diffusion through Membranes with her Organic and Biochemistry classes to consider the process of diffusion. And then the snow came. Cold and snow conditions caused school closings and delays and of course alterations in the SIM schedule. Jen Gurski’s Academic biology classes performed the Bacterial Transformation: pGLO lab as we got back on track. Luckily, I have been able to fit the snow day labs back into the schedule!
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| This Berwick biology student curefully cuts her agar cube to be used as a medium size model cell in the lab Limitations on Cell Size. |
Many teachers have taken advantage of SIM equipment loans. Bo Meyer of Williamsport High School borrowed the Mastercyclers and electrophoresis equipment to do the lab PCR of Chromosome PV92 with his honors biology classes. Geoff Goodenow of Lewisburg High School borrowed the Spec 20s as he did a photosynthesis lab with his Advanced Biology class. Donna Wood from Bloomsburg High School borrowed materials to do Gram Staining with a class project and also the computers and colorimeters to do the lab investigating effects of chemicals on Biological Membranes. Joshua Greene of Bloomsburg Christian School borrowed the Bacterial Transformation: pGLO lab and the Leica Stereomicroscopes for his students.
We have begun to pilot the pre-
and post-quizzes that we hope to use in assessing the effectiveness of SIM
labs with students. Thanks to the teachers and students for helping us with
this new project. Remember that my visit schedule is full, however, equipment
loans are an option and there is the occasional cancellation. Feel free to
email me if you would like to use SIM services this spring. I am looking forward
to improving weather and many interactions with teachers and students this
spring!
Jaclyn Basgil, Chemistry/Physics Mobile Educator Says…
February brought our first batch of enough snow to close our schools. I hope that you were all able to get back on track. This month I visited the students of Tracy Hepner at Selinsgrove High School. Her students performed the popular GC of alcohols experiment. Her students analyzed various compounds using the GC to determine their various components. I was then off to spend the week at Mt. Carmel while the chemistry students of Sue Steiner performed our Chemistry Crime Scene. The students performed a variety of crime scene investigations over the course of the week such as melting point analysis, fabric analysis, infrared spectroscopy and paper and gas chromatography using high-tech equipment in a forensic manner.
Danville High School’s Mike McDevitt used SIM this month to introduce radiation concepts to his chemistry classes. His students used our Vernier radiation counters to study how radiation emitted by a beta source is absorbed by increasing layers of cardboard in the lab Radiation Shielding. They also performed the lab Half-Life. Erica Merriett also of Danville High School borrowed SIM’s equipment for her physics classes. They performed the lab Newton’s Second Law. The students investigated the relationship between mass and acceleration using our Vernier Motion Detectors and dynamics carts.
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| Mount Carmel students try to figure out who stole the mascot uniform. |
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Jocelyn Bailey of Milton High School brought SIM into her physics classes to perform the lab Simple Machines. We experimented with inclined planes, pulley systems and first-class levers. I visited Joshua Greene’s physics classes at Bloomsburg Christian to perform the physics crime scene lab The Case of the Clumsy Construction Worker. The students used Vernier motion detectors to obtain acceleration data for the case. They then used the information together with ideas relative to projectile motion to solve the case. Joshua’s students also performed Projectile Motion where they measure the velocity of a ball using two photogates. They can attempt to predict the impact point of the ball from this data using projectile motion kinematics. They also performed Picket Fence Freefall and Pendulum Periods this month. His chemistry classes performed Beers Law this month which utilizes our Vernier colorimeters to measure the absorbance value of various solutions.
I then visited the students of Shikellamy High School’s Jodi Cramer. The students in her classes were asked to perform a pre-lab to determine any foot problems that they were experiencing. In the lab, we compared the pre-lab findings to the findings from the Pressures Underfoot lab. The students were able to calculate their foot pressure while standing and while walking. They calculated their individual foot area using our forensic ink and forensic developing paper. They were also able to watch a virtual step as they walked across our hi-tech Novel Foot Pressure Platforms. Tracy Hepner of Selinsgrove High School also utilized our Vernier radiation detectors and materials this month to perform the lab Radiation Shielding. Jim Perry’s Bloomsburg students invited SIM into class to perform experiments on the UV protection of various sunscreens. Feel free to e-mail me about any specific days or labs.
Greg Stout, Mobile Educator Says...
February’s weather proved to be problematic for staying on schedule with our Chesapeake Bay Commission funded water quality visits. Visits planned for the 6th, 13th, 14th and 15th had to be postponed due to snowfall or excessively cold temperatures.
Before the Valentine’s Day storm hit, though, we were able to complete a scheduled stream visit with John Slotterback’s North Schuylkill High School. On February the 12th we visited the Little Mahanoy Creek in Gordon, PA to perform water quality analyses and to take water samples to submit to the PA DEP laboratory in Harrisburg. Since portions of the stream were frozen, students brandished a sledge hammer to break enough ice to correctly perform a flow rate measurement. Other students performed pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and temperature measurements. Although some fingers and toes were numb, the students are to be commended for braving the elements and “getting the job done”.
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| North Schuylkill High School students use a sledgehammer to prepare for flow rate measurements and then collect stream water samples with a Depth Integrated Sampler. |
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On February the 20th and 21st I traveled to Milton to meet with Jim Terwilliger and his Meadowbrook Christian School students. We conducted a Bacterial Sensitivity lab in which students examined the effects of five antibiotics and five disinfectants on both gram positive (Bacillus subtilis) and gram negative (E. coli) organisms.
After pooling and comparing results, discussions then centered on how these bactericidal and bacteriostatic agents differ from each other, why disinfectants are used on inanimate objects and how antibiotics are used in clinical applications. We also touched upon the positive and negative aspects of bacterial growth and “real world” application of this knowledge. In addition to talking about commonly known strep and staph infections, we also discussed very recent food recalls due to Salmonella (peanut butter) and E. coli O157:H7 (mushrooms). But we also discussed beneficial applications of bacteria such as the manufacture of yogurt.
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| Bacterial sensitivity lab conducted by Meadowbrook Christian School Students. |
Please check our Web site for available dates that I have for visits or for drop-offs of equipment. I will be glad to work with you on any Environmental, Ecology or Biology labs that you are interested in.
Experiment of the Month
Determination of Trans-Fatty Acids by IR Spectroscopy
