The Newsletter for Science
in Motion at Susquehanna University
Volume V Issue 9 May 2006
Director's Column
Thursday March 23, 2006, I met with Representative Steve Cappelli, R-83, to discuss funding for Science in Motion. Representative Cappelli informed me that the house introduced HB2499 as their version of the 2006-2007 budget. This budget includes $2.1 million for SIM as well as an amendment by Representative Stairs for an additional $3 million. This much needed increase would allow the existing SIM sites to serve more schools as well as add a twelfth SIM site at St. Vincent’s College to serve Southwestern PA. Of course, the Senate and Governor Rendell must approve this funding level.
Thursday March 28th I met with Senator Jake Corman, R-34, and his legislative assistant Jennifer Hoffman. Senator Corman assured me he would try to acquire funding for SIM. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he explained the difficulties of ensuring funding for proven programs, such as SIM, and new initiatives, such as laptops in schools proposed by the Governor.
Thursday April 6th I met with Arnie Kriner, executive assistant to Senator Roger Madigan, R-23. Mr. Kriner encourages teachers, students and parents to write letters to Governor Rendell supporting SIM. He would also like to see a SIM site in Northcentral PA to serve Bradford, Sullivan and Susquehanna counties.
Later that day, I met with Todd Roup, legislative assistant to Senator John Gordner, R-27. Mr. Roup told me that funding SIM is a priority for Senator Gordner. He doesn’t know if the funding level for SIM put forth by the House will be in the final budget, but Senator Gordner will recommend continuing and possibly increasing funding.
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John Tamblin, Mt. Carmel Area Junior-Senior High School, was this month's winner of the T2 Palm. |
On April 4th, I accompanied Jaclyn Basgil on a visit to Deb Smeltzer’s classroom at Milton Senior High School. The students performed titrations of strong and weak acids and bases with the Vernier pH probes. Each group obtained perfect graphs of their data.
Also on April 4th, SU professor Dr. Michele DeMary and four SU political science majors visited legislators in Harrisburg as part of the AICUP Student Lobby Day. They met with Representatives Phillips and Fairchild as well as Senator Gordner to discuss funding for SIM. We greatly appreciate their efforts!
This month’s winner of the T2 Palm is John Tamblin from Mount Carmel Area Junior-Senior High. John was excited to win. Continue to submit your reservation form for your chance to win.
Madge Schworer, Biology Mobile Educator Says…
The school year is drawing to a close and the Biology SIM van has been quite busy! The month of April began with a visit to Milton High School and the AP biology class taught by Kathy Bower to do the Transpiration lab. Students did a great job with young broccoli plants making the “no leak” set-ups for this experiment. Next came a trip to Line Mountain High School for the pGLO Bacterial Transformation lab in Al Zelnick’s AP Biology class. Both these days included drop offs (to Bloomsburg Christian School and Joshua Greene’s classes borrowing equipment for Protein Electrophoresis) and pick-ups (to Tri-Valley where Pam Ulicny’s Academic Biology classes had done the DNA Fingerprinting lab as a part of their class crime scene). On the way from Line Mountain to Tri-Valley on a beautiful sunny day on Rt. 225, I was amazed to see a beautiful black bear amble across the road in front of me and then meander up the hill. I, of course, pulled over and watched – it was a great experience for a “city girl” like me and made my very busy day special! Moving from bright sunshine to a surprise snow my next visit was a trip made in almost snow squall conditions to Berwick High School with the Biology I classes taught by Allison Spencer. Students used the carbon dioxide gas sensors to visualize the results of Plant Respiration and Photosynthesis. Returning to Line Mountain High School for a Crime Scene Investigation took me up to the Spring Holiday break. Al Zelnick’s biology students worked to solve the murder of Mr. Edward Coli through analysis of fingerprints, hair, blood type, fabric, and DNA fingerprinting during the same time period that the chemistry students were solving a crime-the science hallway was a busy place!
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Line Mountain High
School students work on Crime Scene Investigation.
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Selinsgrove High
School biology students performing Photosynthesis lab. |
Jumping right back into the lab
from the spring break were Paulette Armbruster’s college
prep biology classes at Selinsgrove High School using computers
and colorimeters to follow the reactions of Photosynthesis in a spinach
leaf homogenate. Berwick was my next stop with Allison
Spencer and her Biology 1 classes investigating the Limits on
Cell Size using the agar cube model system with the Vernier conductivity
probes and the computers. During this week, drop offs were made to Tracy
Hepner at Selinsgrove High School for her Physical
Science classes, to Jocelyn Bailey at Milton High
School where students will investigate Factors Affecting Photosynthesis
and the Effect of Temperature on Cricket Respiration, and to Kathy
Bower also at Milton High School for AP Biology
students performing the Primary Productivity AP lab using the dissolved
oxygen probes. Thanks to these teachers for coordinating efficient use of
the equipment! A first visit to Deb Fern at Warrior
Run High School was made to the Anatomy classes to do the EKG
lab. Welcome to Science in Motion, Deb! Additional visits the last week in
April include Sheila Furr’s biochemistry classes at
Shikellamy High School working on Protein Fingerprinting-Something’s
Fishy About Evolution, a day at Tri-Valley Junior / Senior High
School with Pam Ulicny and her seventh graders investigating
Temperature, Light Intensity, and Biodiversity and her Academic Biology
students performing pGLO, and winding up at Shamokin High
School with Bob Hartman and the AP Biology students
doing the Primary Productivity lab. Thanks to all these teachers
for all your help in bringing Science in Motion to your students.
Jaclyn Basgil, Chemistry/Physics Mobile Educator Says…
The end of the school year is quickly approaching! Please send me an e-mail as soon as possible if I can be of any assistance to you before it’s too late. Although we may not have anymore available dates for visits, there is always the opportunity to borrow our high-tech lab materials.
It is crime scene season and I have been busy all month helping students as they attempt to solve forensic cases. I visited Deb Smeltzer’s chemistry classes at Milton High School once again this month. We spent two days investigating the titration curves of strong and weak acids as well as acid-base indicators. Mike McDevitt of Danville High School also introduced his students to cryogenics this month by borrowing liquid nitrogen from Susquehanna University. John Tamblin of Mt. Carmel High School used our radiation monitors, shielding and sources this month to do our Radiation Shielding lab with students. Danville High School’s Mike McDevitt borrowed our Vernier light sensors and UVB probes to do experiments on light concepts with his students. I spent a week with John Traver’s chemistry classes at Line Mountain High School where students attempted to solve the crime: Who stole the Bucknell Bison mascot uniform? Students performed a variety of crime scene investigations over the course of the week such as
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Line Mountain students determine the
melting point of their suspect |
John Traver and
students use our Spec 20's to determine the concentration and absorption of light for different samples of Kool-aid. |
melting point analysis, fabric analysis, infrared spectroscopy and paper and gas chromatography using high-tech equipment in a forensic manner. I also visited Shikellamy High School to perform the crime scene with the chemistry classes of Yvonne Monahan. In addition, Colleen Ruths’ chemistry classes at Shikellamy High School performed the crime scene investigations this month. Milton High School’s Deb Smeltzer used our melting temperature apparatus’ to analyze aspirin samples with her chemistry classes. Tracy Hepner of Selinsgrove High School put our HPLC to use to investigate the caffeine content in various soda samples. Danville High School’s Erica Merriett had Science in Motion in her physics classes this month to do a physics investigation of Ohm’s Law. The students were able to determine the mathematical relationship between circuit components through use of our adjustable DC power supply’s and Vernier circuit boards. I finished the month the way I started it. I visited Deb Smeltzer’s chemistry classes at Milton High School. This time we used our Vernier Colorimeter’s to experimentally determine the equilibrium constant, KC, for a chemical reaction.
Happy spring!
Greg Stout, Mobile Educator Says...
April was a busy month for Water Quality testing. In SIM’s joint venture with the Chesapeake Bay and Susquehanna River Basin Commissions, we were privileged to be able to work with all four of our participating High Schools this month.
In this program, students conduct pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, temperature and flow measurements on-site at their respective streams. They also collect stream samples that are sent overnight by express delivery to the PA Department of Environmental Protection Laboratory in Harrisburg. Scientists there perform additional water quality analyses and report those results back to SIM. These results are posted on our Web site for each participating school. To view data collected to date, 2005/2006 school year, go to http://www.susqu.edu/sim and click on the “Water Quality” tab.
Stream visits were made to Lost Creek, Juniata High School on 4/6/06, Bull Run, Lewisburg High School on 4/12/06, Muncy Creek, Montoursville High School on 4/20/06 and Shamokin Creek, Shikellamy High School on 4/27/06. As the months have gone by it is encouraging as an educator to see the expertise students develop as they collect, process and analyze the stream samples.
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Lewisburg High School students analyzing
stream samples |
Selinsgrove High
School students performing Vernier Water Quality testing at the Shikellamy State Park Marina. |
Another aspect of what SIM offers in the area of Water Quality testing was taken advantage of by Tracy Hepner’s Selinsgrove High School students on Friday, April 21st. Students collected water samples from Shamokin Creek (AMD stream), the west branch of the Susquehanna River in Northumberland, the north branch of the Susquehanna in Sunbury, and at a point further down the Susquehanna at Shady Nook which represented a mixture of the two branches.
At the Shikellamy Marina, we set up laptops and used Vernier Water Quality equipment and software to analyze these samples for temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, calcium and turbidity. The students used the software to calculate results which were combined and averaged for the class. This was a good opportunity to learn more about concepts and methods employed in measuring the Water Quality of local watersheds. On a broader scale, students were challenged to understand how our local watersheds impact the quality of downstream watersheds and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay.
Physics Experiment of the Month
Novel Pressure Plate Platform
The Physical Science experiment
of the month features our Novel Pressure Plate Platform.
This very sensitive measuring device allows students to monitor their individual
foot pressure while walking and while standing. The Novel Pressure Plate Platform
is used along with our Vernier force sensors and forensic ink to investigate
pressure concepts in the lab Pressures Underfoot. Students can also relate
foot physiology and foot problems to foot pressure.
Students compare their average plantar pressure using body weight and foot
area to more clearly demonstrate the pressure plate platform equipment. Students
can discover why they may have foot pain or certain foot problems. For example,
calluses have been shown to increase peak plantar pressures. They can relate
the underfoot pressures to the basic form and function of the foot. They can
also determine the roles of orthopedic shoes and the pressure differences
associated with wearing sneakers and high heels.
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A student demonstrates the |
A colored maximum
pressure picture is displayed on computer screen. |
The students are able to use several pieces of advanced technology to generate computerized displays of plantar distributions during walking and standing. The dynamic measurement starts automatically with the first contact of a foot on the platform and will last for 3 seconds. This mode is useful to assess the dynamic function of the foot as well as the peak pressure locations of the foot while walking. A colored maximum pressure picture can be displayed on a computer screen. Each sensor on the pressure platform can show its pressure value during data collection.
The static measurement mode samples
data at 2 Hz and can be simultaneously displayed on a computer screen. This
mode allows you to examine the static function of your foot while standing.
You can also examine your balance.
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
