The Newsletter for Science in Motion at Susquehanna University

Volume VII Issue 3 November 2007

 

Director's Column

On Monday, October 15, 2007, SU-SIM hosted a session for the CSIU Common In-Service Day at Susquehanna University. Mike McDevitt lead sessions on nuclear chemistry, energy in foods, as well as endothermic and exothermic reactions. Eighteen teachers from Benton, Bloomsburg, Central Columbia, Danville, Line Mountain, Millville, Selinsgrove, Shikellamy, and Southern Columbia High School attended the workshop.

The SIM Mole Day Dinner was held on Tuesday, October 23rd at Susquehanna University. Twelve teachers attended the dinner representing Central Columbia, Danville, Jersey Shore, Juniata, and Williamsport High School. George Santos attended representing Merck and Gerald Cohen, Executive Director of Communications at SU, was also present. SIM equipment on display included the Mastercycler for Crime Scene PCR, Virtual Electrophoresis Analysis, the UV-vis spectrophotometer for the Beet Red lab, Starry Night, SIM-SRBC Water Quality Project equipment and Physics Olympics. The winner of the drawing for the $100 certificate for Vernier products ordered through SIM was Susan Repasky from Central Columbia High School. Congratulations, Susan!

Mike McDevitt, SIM, works with teachers at the CSIU in-Service day at Susquehanna University.	Courtney Thomas, SIM, speaks with George Santos from Merck.

Remember to mark your calendars for the SIM Winter Workshop to be held on Thursday, January 3, 2008, here at Susquehanna University. Registration forms will be included with the December newsletter.

This past summer, several anatomical models disappeared from Susquehanna University. If you have any information regarding the missing models, please contact me at thomasc@susqu.edu.

Please note that on Monday, November 19, 2007, SIM will begin accepting reservations for spring semester visits and drops. On this day, you can begin to submit your reservation forms on-line for visits/drops during January through June 2008. Biology teachers know Madge’s schedule fills up fast, please note that you can also sign up for Biology visits/drops from Greg Stout. When the reservations are sorted out, the remaining ME available dates will be posted on the SIM Web site.

Madge Schworer, Biology Mobile Educator Says…

The extended summer that we have been enjoying in the Susquehanna Valley has made life quite pleasant as I drive from place to place in the Bio van. The end of September found me at Tri-Valley Junior-Senior High School working with 7th grade Life Science students taught by Pam Ulicny. This enthusiastic group investigated Energy in Foods using the Vernier temperature probes and laptop computers. Students collected temperature change data and calculated calories contained within a variety of familiar foods. They were quite successful as they learned the use of the computer program as well as skills needed to follow many steps involved in the lab itself. Milton High School students from Jocelyn Bailey and Kathy Bower’s classes explored Neuromuscular Reflexes and Grip Strength and Muscle Fatigue. In the Neuromuscular Reflex lab students use the EKG sensors to monitor skeletal muscle action as they locate the patellar reflex. In the Grip Strength lab they use the hand dynamometer to determine the force with which they are gripping the sensor as they undergo fatiguing of the muscles. This lab particularly lends itself to the competitive nature of the high school crowd. It was back to the 7th graders on my next visit to Hughesville Junior/Senior High School with Trish Edson. The classes investigated Limitations on Cell Size as they collected data using the conductivity probes and laptops to demonstrate the effect of changes in surface to volume ratio on the rate of diffusion in model cells (agar cubes). Fall is the season for Energy in Foods as I took this lab to Mary Dahlmann’s classes at Shikellamy High School, to Danville High School and Donna Wood’s classes, and to Berwick High School and Biology classes taught by Gary Stair in October. Another popular topic for October was cellular respiration. AP Biology classes at Montoursville High School under the guidance of Kindra Brelsford used the oxygen and carbon dioxide sensors to collect respiration data in germinating and nongerminating peas under different temperature conditions. Students at Selinsgrove High School taught by Paulette Armbruster and her student teacher Shelby Seibert and AP Biology students at Berwick High School lead by Allison Spencer used the carbon dioxide sensors to determine the effect of temperature on respiration rates of crickets. At Milton High School, Karen Avery’s AP Biology class combined the two labs and determined respiration in peas and crickets using both oxygen and carbon dioxide sensors. Investigating Enzyme Activity was also a lab used by several schools this month. Angela Farronato and her AP Biology students at Mt Carmel High School used the Vernier gas pressure sensors and laptops to look at the effect of pH, temperature, salt concentration, substrate concentration, and enzyme concentration on the activity of catalase. Students at Shamokin High School taught by Bob Hartman focused on pH and temperature in their study of enzyme activity. Kelly Boyer at North Schuylkill High School introduced the cardiovascular unit for her Anatomy and Physiology classes with the labs Monitoring EKG and Exercise and Heart Rate. Students used the Vernier EKG sensors to visualize their own EKG tracings and then performed a series of activities designed to demonstrate changes in heart rate which students tracked using the hand grip heart rate monitors and the laptop computers. Not all labs this month were computer labs. Trish Edson at Hughesville Junior/Senior High School used the light microscopes to view slides of “splatted” HeLa cells made and stained by her students in the Human Chromosome Spread lab. Dan Smith from Juniata High School committed several days to the GMO Investigator. His students extracted DNA from a variety of grocery store foods, subjected this DNA to PCR using the SIM Mastercyclers, and analyzed results using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This lab worked to point out to the students the complexity of scientific research and exposed them to a number of current techniques.

Milton High School students explore neuromuscular reflexes.	Mary Dahlmann's students at Shikellamy High School perform the Energy in Foods lab.

A number of teachers borrowed equipment this month. Angela Farronato from Mt. Carmel High School borrowed agarose gel electrophoresis equipment to do DNA Fingerprinting with her classes. Bo Meyer from Williamsport High School borrowed computers and CO2 sensors to do Photosynthesis and Respiration and Yeast Respiration. Al Zelnick from Line Mountain High School borrowed the lab Limitations on Cell Size. Kirk Seesholtz at Millville High School is using the Vernier equipment for Investigating Enzyme Activity. The digital microscopes have been out in classrooms all month. Kathy Bower at Milton High School used them in her Anatomy classes, Jeremy Lauver and Brandi Catherman at Lewisburg High School used a lab designed by former Lewisburg teacher Geoff Goodenow in their introduction to microscopy, and Arnie Betts at Williamsport High School used them in his Anatomy and Physiology classes in their study of Histology and in his Biology classes as well.

It is hard to believe the first semester is half complete! Look ahead at your calendars to plan SIM visits for the second semester. I will begin working on that calendar November 19th. Hope to see many of you in this second round of scheduling!

 

Jaclyn Basgil, Chemistry/Physics Mobile Educator Says…

Hello everyone. I was recently married and have subsequently changed my name to Jaclyn Todd. Please note the change as you try to contact me. My new e-mail address is toddjm@susqu.edu. Also, please be advised that we are holding our first SIM Physics Olympics this January. Any interested physics teachers should contact me as soon as possible to be entered. Prizes will be awarded. Thanks!

Millville High School students attempt to determine who stole the Bucknell Bison mascot uniform.	Milton High School students utilize a Vernier pH probe to determine the pH value of a baking soda solution.

I began this month by taking a trip up to Hughesville High School to visit John Tamblin. His chemistry classes utilized our Fourier Transform infrared spectrophotometers to analyze organic liquids and our ultraviolet and visible light spectrophotometers to do an array of experiments. I was then off to see Dan Tucker of Montoursville High School. His students used our gas chromatographs to test nitrates and phosphates in an experiment he designed. That reminds me to tell you to please feel free to utilize our equipment in ways that would better suit your classroom needs. John Hernandez brought SIM into his classes this month to show his Sunbury Christian High School students the wonders of our Starry Night software. This stunningly realistic software makes it easy to bring the universe into your very own classroom. The software is accompanied by a guide that offers step-by-step exercises, activities, extensions and resources to cover any astronomy lesson. Next, I was off to Millville High School to visit the classes of Susan Steiner. She invited SIM into her classrooms to perform the 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. I also visited the Milton High School classrooms of Jocelyn Bailey and Kathy Bower this month. Their students performed the lab Household Acids and Bases. The students perform a variety of investigations on ordinary household solutions such as ammonia, vinegar and drain cleaner to determine whether they are acids or bases. Clark Sarge’s physics students at Williamsport High School experimented with our Vernier motion detectors and our newly purchased digital camera’s to perform the lab Ball Toss with Video Analysis. Students analyze the graphs produced as a ball is tossed in the air and they can capture live footage as they perform the Vernier experiment.

Don’t forget to check out our Web site to find available days as well as the equipment list and available labs.

 

Greg Stout, Mobile Educator Says...

Since the last newsletter, I have facilitated eight additional CBC funded Water Quality surveys. In late September I worked with both Milton High School (Karen Avery) and North Schuylkill High School (John Slotterback) students involved in this program. The weather was beautiful and the students quickly learned how to conduct temperature, dissolved oxygen, flow rate, pH and conductivity measurements of Limestone Run and the Little Mahanoy Creek, respectively.

Darryl Sittlinger, SRBC, demonstrates flow rate methods to teach John Slotterback and his North Schuylkill High School students at Little Mahanoy Creek.	Teacher Dana Hock and his Central Columbia High School students at Ten Mile Run.

Additional stream visits in October included trips to Hemlock Creek (Bloomsburg High School, Doug VanBrunt), Shamokin Creek (Shikellamy High School, Sheila Furr), Ten Mile Run (Central Columbia High School, Dana Hock), Lithia Springs Creek (Sunbury Christian Academy, John Hernandez), Little Shamokin Creek (Shikellamy High School, Mary Dahlmann) and Little Mahanoy Creek (North Schuylkill High School, John Slotterback). In addition to the analyses mentioned above, students collected stream water using a depth integrated sampler. These samples were shipped overnight on ice to the PA DEP and analyzed by their laboratory for 10 additional inorganic analyses. To view the results of analyses performed this year, to date, please visit http://www.susqu.edu/sim/WaterQualityData.htm. Please be advised that DEP results are often not available for 3-4 weeks after sampling.

Greg Stout, SIM, joined the presenters at the environmental fair held at the Northumberland County Area Vo-Tech School.

On Monday, October 15, 2007, SU-SIM participated in the CSIU Common In-Service Day. I was privileged to join other presenters at the environmental fair held at the Northumberland County Area Vo-Tech School. Attending were many of the science and environmental science teachers from the 17 school districts in Northumberland, Montour, Columbia, Union and Snyder counties. Additionally, I was able to spend time networking with individuals from other agencies such as the DEP, DCNR, SCRA, and the PA Department of Agriculture.

In addition to facilitating SIM Environmental or Ecology labs, I am also available to conduct Biology Labs. Please submit a reservation form if I can help you in any of these areas.

 

Experiment of the Month

Beet Red

The November experiment of the month is titled Beet Red. The lab utilizes our Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometers. The spectrophotometers are used in this experiment to determine under which pH conditions betalain from a red beet can be used as a red-purple dye. It will also demonstrate that a single dye can be used to make different colors. Students will determine the effect of pH on the absorption properties of the natural food dye.

UV-Vis Spectrophotometer

The UV/Vis spectrophotometer consists of a light source, a sample compartment, a detector, and a data acquisition computer. The sample compartment is between the light source and the detector. The spectrophotometer measures the amount of ultraviolet and visible light transmitted by a sample that is placed in the sample compartment. The samples are contained in transparent cuvettes.

This experiment demonstrates the idea that a molecule can have different absorption properties under different conditions. Betalain’s red color comes from the alternating single and double bonds in the molecule which is called conjugation. If the conjugation is changed within a molecule, the color that the molecule absorbs will shift. The betalain in red beet is used as a red-purple dye for food, but will it work under all pH conditions? Let’s experiment!

 

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.  

Courtney Thomas
Director, Science in Motion
570-372-4778
thomasc@susqu.edu