Is there anything left to discover?

Posted on January 3, 2017 by pat

I remember reading an article several years ago in Time magazine (Monday, Apr. 10, 2000) about a debate between Paul Hoffman, former editor of Discover magazine & past president of the Encyclopedia Britannica and John Horgan, author of a controversial book, The End of Science.

In the debate, Horgan tried to convince Hoffman that “…we’ve discovered all we can realistically expect to discover and that anything we come up with in the future will be pretty much small-bore stuff.” If you buy this line of thinking, then there is no reason to have any more science fairs!

Astrophysicist John Bahcall, who helped to prove what makes the sun shine, said it best, “The most important discoveries will provide answers to questions that we do not yet know how to ask and will concern objects we have not yet imagined.”

Let’s look at the evidence of some of the biggest scientific breakthroughs and discoveries over the past 16 years…since the Discover article was released:

The human genome project was completed
Two teams of scientists, one in Wisconsin the other in Japan, announced their discovery of a way to make stem cells without using embryonic stem cells.
The evidence of gravitational waves was discovered.
The first self-replicating, synthetic bacterial cell was created.
An artificial liver was developed to be used as a bridge for the liver transplant, minimizing the chances of liver failure.
The discovery of a previously unknown human ancestor, homo nalendi, was found in a cave in South Africa.
The development of the first new antibiotic in 30 years – teixobactin – to fight growing drug-resistance.
The World Wildlife Foundation announced the discovery of 211 new species in the Eastern Himalayan region, including 133 plants, 39 invertebrates, 26 fish, 10 amphibians, one reptile, one bird, and one mammal.
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was built, a 17-mile-long looped track located an average of 300 feet beneath the Earth’s surface under the Swiss-French border, which accelerates two beams of particles to 1.2 trillion electron volts (TeV) and then smashes them together. The solving of the Higgs boson is said to be one of the greatest scientific mysteries of modern times.
Scientists at the Genome Sequencing Center report that they have sequenced all the DNA from the cancer cells of a woman who died of leukemia and compared it to her healthy cells. In doing so, the experts found mutations in the cancer cells that may have either caused the cancer or helped it progress. It is the first time scientists have completed such research.
Water was discovered on the surface of Mars
Scientists have created a vaccine that seems to reduce the risk of contracting the AIDS virus.
Scientists have published the first comprehensive analysis of the genetic code of the Y chromosome.
The Hubble telescope has detected the oldest known planet—and it appears to have been formed billions of years earlier than astronomers thought possible, 12.7 billion years ago.
Two new solar systems were discovered.
The world’s first vaccine was developed against the malaria parasite, which has been shown to be effective against even the most deadliest strains.
Jadarite was discovered; it is an essential component in the production of batteries for cellphones, computers, and electric or hybrid cars.
Exoplanets have been confirmed to exist revolving around distant stars similar to our sun. As a result, we may begin a rethinking of the universe and our place within it.
A vaccine preventing cervical cancer was developed.
Then, there were the inventions of the iPod, the iPhone, hybrid cars, the Segway transporter, 3-D printing, augmented reality, and using water as fuel.

While there may be a debate about which of these or other discoveries are the Top 10 of the past fifteen years or so, there should be no question that the above evidence illustrates how important it is to train and support the next generation of scientists.

Improving Science Project Understanding with Poetry

Posted on October 3, 2016 by pat

This summer, I had the pleasure of attending the final presentations by middle school students who attended a summer space science program organized by the Christa McAuliffe Center for Integrated Science Learning at Framingham State University. As I went around the room talking with each group of students, I was amazed by the detailed information the students knew about the subjects of their displays. I was fascinated by the range of subject matter, from detailed plans of a planetarium, through a model of the solar system to a recently discovered world made of water.

I figured that the students were space-fans before they participated, so asked each of them whether they had previous knowledge about their subject or had learned it from the summer program. To my surprise, all but one student responded that they had just learned the material as part of the program.

As I was driving home, I remembered each of the students enthusiastically asking me if I would like to hear the poem they had written about their project. Each poem, short or long, was packed with an amazing amount of rich and colorful imagery! At first it seemed strange to combine science and poetry, but then I read a 2015 NIH report that states, “Poetry hones critical skills in imagery, metaphor, analogy, analysis, observation, attentiveness, and clear communication. All of these are commonly useful in understanding, problem-solving, and decoding scientific and medical mysteries.”

It’s true what they say, “Poetry can make a topic memorable through the use of well-chosen words and vivid images.” Kudos to the staff at the Christa McAuliffe Center for Integrated Science Learning for guiding students in an unforgettable experience. Perhaps, those of us who assist students to get ready for their science fair presentations can incorporate this method to help them better understand their project.

A Hiaku about The Hercules Cluster

Poem about the “Freeze-Burn” planet

Poems about the Orion, Ring, Dumbbell and Crab Nebulae

Don’t Attack the Science Fair Project – Embrace It!

Posted on September 19, 2015 by pat

I was upset last year when I saw this photo, below, printed in the Huffington Post and circulate through social media. It seems like every year there is the angst that a science fair project assignment creates for many students and their families. It’s unfortunate that science fairs and independent research projects seem to get attacked this way. As a new school year kicks off, it’s a great time for parents to take a fresh look at what science fair is all about, the role parents should play, and what everyone involved can do to make the process less stressful for all involved and a success.

To start with, attitude plays a huge role in how students approach their science fair project. Maybe you had a bad experience with a science project as a child, but adults need to put that experience behind them and to understand the process so that if they encourage their child with a positive perspective, the end result may not be as traumatic.

For whatever reason you cringe at the thought of a science fair project, you are not alone. But instead of shying away from it you need to embrace it because even though your child may not grow up to be a scientist, the learning that happens by doing a hands-on science project is enormous. For starters, it integrates almost every skill children have been taught and 21^st Century skills your child needs to experience from reading, writing, research, math and critical thinking, to computer science, graphic arts, public speaking, gaining confidence and the thrill of discovery. As a parent, you should encourage all this blended learning rather than discourage it.

So before you groan, and before you allow your child to complain about his or her science fair project, realize that your response might have an impact on it being a positive experience and a great learning opportunity.

And, let’s not forget that if your child is selected to go on to local or national competition, it can pay off in cash or other prizes, and may open the doors to internships and scholarships.

What’s the best reaction you can have when you discover there’s a science project due? How about saying something like, “Wow, that’s great, maybe you can do a project about [insert your child’s favorite hobby, interests, subject, etc. here]. Then, help them get started right away.

Elsewhere on this website you’ll find information about how to get started, and how to choose a science fair topic if you don’t already have ideas. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us: info (at) MisterscienceFair.com or via our web contact form.

Make sure you also regularly check our Facebook page for on-going ideas and information about other competitions you can enter.

We know this is not a real science fair project (this never made it to a science fair – it stays permanently in the home of a very frustrated mom who made this project to show her frustrations - see Huffington Post article here). Don’t let this happen to your family. Don’t start your child’s science fair experience off on the wrong foot!