The Newsletter for Science in Motion at Susquehanna University

Volume V Issue 5 January 2006

 

Director's Column

Science in Motion enjoyed participating in the PSTA Conference in Hershey, PA, November 30 through December 2, 2005. This year, the SIM consortium had a booth in the exhibition hall. If you attended the PSTA Conference and enjoyed visiting the SIM booth, please let us know so that we will continue our presence in the exhibition hall.

Trish Edson, Hughesville High School, and Dan Smith, Juniata High School, using digital microscopes.

The SIM Winter Workshop was held at Susquehanna University Fisher Science Hall on Thursday January 5, 2006. We were pleased to have thirteen teachers representing eight school districts attend the workshop. Dan Smith from Juniata High School gave a wonderful session using the digital microscopes. Biology teachers performed a PCR crime scene experiment with Madge Schworer, as well as examined the new physiology sensors. Mike McDevitt helped chemistry teachers analyze various samples with the FTIR, used the UV-VIS to compare sunscreens, and examined alcohol mixtures with the GCs. Physics teachers performed many experiments including sound waves, Ohm’s law, force plates, and circuit boards with Jaclyn Basgil. Greg Stout also helped teachers with water quality experiments. Overall, the workshop was a wonderful success!

December's lucky winner of the T2 Palm was Jen Gurski, Shikellamy High School.

This month’s winner of the T2 Palm was Jen Gurski from Shikellamy High School. Jen was happy to be a winner. Continue to submit your reservation forms for your chance to win.

 

Jaclyn Basgil, Chemistry/Physics Mobile Educator Says…

I hope everyone had a great holiday and a relaxing break. Happy New Year!!

December was a busy month for everyone. Andrew Trgovac at Juniata High School started off December using our Vernier probes in his chemistry classes to monitor changes in pH as sodium hydroxide solution is added to a hydrochloric acid solution. The acid-base titration allowed students to calculate the concentration of the hydrochloric acid solution. Shikellamy High School put our nuclear chemistry equipment into action under the supervision of Colleen Ruths. Science In Motion’s own Mike McDevitt put our FTIR’s to work over at Danville High School. His students demonstrated the procedure to collect an infrared spectrum and obtained spectra of liquid samples. This enabled them to identify the unknown compounds they were given. Martha Kanaskie utilized SIM’s services once again to teach her Southern Columbia High School chemistry students through use of our GC’s. Her students analyzed various compounds using the GC to determine their components. Brett Criswell of Central Columbia High School made use of our program with back-to-back equipment loans. First, Brett taught his Chemistry students the ins and outs of the FTIR’s. The next week, he borrowed our radiation equipment including monitors, sources and shielding materials. Mike McDevitt ended the month off with a little physics. His Danville High School students explored motion and Isaac Newton’s famous laws using our dynamics tracks, carts and weights.

Erica Merriett, Danville High School and Jaclyn Basgil trying out the sound lab, "Tones, Vowels and Telephones."	Jaclyn Basgil and Tracy Hepner, Selinsgrove High School, doing the Pressure Underfood Lab.

I had a great time working with some of you at the annual Winter Workshop in early January. We had a great deal of time to run through and play around with the five Physics labs that were set up. Erica Merriett of Danville High School tried the sound lab, “Tones, Vowels and Telephones” featuring our Vernier microphones. She was able to figure out how the telephone company knows what numbers we’re dialing when we make a call. Jodi Cramer of Shikellamy High School toyed with the circuit lab “Ohm’s Law” and verified which resistors obeyed the law. Tracy Hepner of Selinsgrove High School, Erica, Jodi and I spent part of the afternoon playing with the Novel pressure platform to determine peak foot pressure with the lab “Pressure Underfoot.” I’d like to thank the teachers that I worked with in the Physics classroom as well as all of those who participated in the Winter Workshop. I had a very fun and enlightening time thanks to you! Thanks again to all for a great month at SIM!

 

Greg Stout, Mobile Educator Says…

On December 8th, Elizabeth Sterling’s Lewisburg High School students conducted their second stream survey in SIM’s cooperative pilot program with the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission. Students performed five Water Quality analyses onsite and collected water to send to the PA DEP lab for 14 additional tests. Students perform a Dissolved Oxygen analysis in the Bull Run Creek.

Lewisburg High School students in Bull Run Creek.	Mt. Carmel students in Penns Creek.

John Tamblin from Mount Carmel High School brought his students to the Selinsgrove area on December 21st for a day of Water Quality testing. Students used Vernier equipment and performed labs from Vernier’s Water Quality with Computers Manual, 3rd edition. Fieldwork was conducted in the Susquehanna River Isle of Que and Penns Creek.

Greg Stout and Trish Edson, Hughesville Jr./Sr. High School, at SIM Winter Workshop.

At the SIM Winter Workshop held on January 5, 2006, I presented labs 13 and 14 from Vernier’s WQ Manual. Trish Edson of Hughesville Jr./Sr. High School analyzed tap water for Calcium (lab 13) using Vernier’s Ion Specific Electrode. Lab 14’s titration method determined Total Water Hardness which includes both Calcium and Magnesium concentrations in the water.

Madge Schworer, Biology Mobile Educator Says…

December was a very busy month. The Science in Motion Mobile educators began the month at the PSTA Conference in Hershey by staffing an information booth for the Pennsylvania Science in Motion consortium and by participating in many informative sessions. It was soon back on the road with a trip to Elizabeth Sterling’s Biology classes at Lewisburg High School. We adapted one of Elizabeth’s labs to use the Vernier heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and temperature sensors to correlate body changes in exercise with measurements of heart and respiration rate, blood pressure and body temperature. A trip to Line Mountain High School was next to work on Respiration in Crickets with the Al Zelnick’s Biology classes. Jocelyn Bailey and Kathy Bower’s classes at Milton High School searched for the perfect chromosome week ended a bit early for us all with the first snow day of the year, however, the Milton classes were able to run the DNA Fingerprinting on their own upon the return to school the next week. Thanks Jocelyn and Kathy! December ended on a Crime Scene Investigation note at Shikellamy High School with Jen Gurski’s Biology classes and at Berwick High School with Gary Stair’s Biology classes. Both groups did an outstanding job at sleuthing as they worked through a number of evidence stations learning many new techniques.

Berwick High School Students perform a crime scene investigation.

Following a great holiday break, I returned to Bob Hartman’s AP Biology class at Shamokin High School with the pGLO Bacterial Transformation and then with Electrophoresis of Lambda DNA which comprise AP lab #6. These labs demonstrate core concepts of molecular biology.

Jim Toohey, Hughesville Jr./Sr. High School, using Thermocycler for PCR Crime Scene at SIM Winter Workshop.

Our Winter Workshop was a great success! The biology group gave a trial run to the PCR Crime scene using the new thermal cycler equipment purchased with our Merck grant with clear results. Dan Smith from Juniata High School presented a session using SIM’s digital microscopes provoking lots of excitement from the group. Thanks Dan for all your work with this equipment and for sharing your expertise and enthusiasm with us! We ended the day trying a variety of Human Physiology Probes used in the new Vernier curriculum. The workshop was a good day for teachers and mobile educators.

 

Water Quality Experiment of the Month

Turbidity Sensor

The Experiment of the Month highlights the Vernier Turbidity Sensor. The turbidity sensor may be used to measure the turbidity of freshwater or seawater samples. The turbidity sensor measures turbidity in Nephelometric Turbidity Units, or NTU’s (the standard unit used by most water collection agencies and organizations). Calibration can be done in about one minute using a high quality Hach StablCal® 100 NTU standard (included). Also included is a high-grade glass cuvette to hold the water sample.

Turbidity is a measure of water’s lack of clarity. Highly turbid water will have reduced light penetration affecting levels of photosynthesis, increased warming due to absorption of sunlight, and is generally aesthetically unpleasing. Sources of turbidity can be soil erosion, urban runoff, industrial waste, and organics such as microorganisms, decaying plants/animals or gasoline/oil from roads. The turbidity of surface water is usually between 1 and 50 NTU’s and water is visibly turbid at 5 NTU. The standard for drinking water is 0.5 NTU to 1.0 NTU. It is not correct, however, to assume that clear water is always healthy. Slightly turbid water can be perfectly healthy, while clear water could contain unseen toxins or unhealthy levels of nutrients.

The highlighted lab, Turbidity (Test #3), involves calibrating the sensor using both distilled water (zero NTU’s) and the provided Turbidity Standard (100 NTU’s). The water sample is measured by placing it into the cuvette, wiping the outside of the cuvette with lint-free tissue, placing it into the sensor and recording the turbidity value. Since particles will settle over time, it is important to take your readings soon after placing the cuvette in the sensor. A class period the day before to cover background information will set the stage for the SIM visit with the Vernier turbidity sensor.

 

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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