Physics Commons^™

Agenda, Shubha Tewari

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

Abstracts for six Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars.

Arduino Microcontrollers In The Classroom: Teaching How To Phrase Effective Science Questions And How To Answer Them With Original Data, Tony Dinsmore

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

Arduino microcontrollers in the classroom: teaching how to phrase effective science questions and how to answer them with original data. Prof. Tony Dinsmore, UMass Physics This workshop will develop course modules that address a challenge in the science curriculum: how do we teach basic problem-solving and curiosity-based research skills in a classroom setting? The standard science curriculum teaches concepts and theory quite well but leaves rather little opportunity for students to take the lead in designing and implementing their own investigations. The workshop will use the Arduino, an inexpensive microcontroller that is simple to set up. A huge range of …

Agenda, Revised, Shubha Tewari

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

Materials from the seminars. The agenda was revised to include online sessions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

2019 Patterns Around Us Handout, Benjamin Davidovitch, Narayanan Menon, Wayne Kermenski, Jennifer Welborn

Patterns Around Us

This is a FREE two-day program designed for Middle and High School General Science, Biology, Physics, Technology/Engineering teachers. It is funded by the National Science Foundation.Space is limited, so apply soon! Some limited funding is available for overnight stay.

“Science may be described as the attempt to give good accounts of the patterns in nature. The result of scientific investigation is an understanding of natural processes.... Overall, the key criterion of science is that it provides a clear, rational, and succinct account of a pattern in nature....” Massachusetts State Frameworks for Science and Technology.

Participants will explore the processes of …

Solar Cells, D. Venkataraman

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

Solar cells convert the sun's energy into electrical energy. In this workshop, I will discuss the processes involved in solar cell and various types of solar cells that are being developed as an alternative to silicon solar cells. I will also demonstrate how students can build a solar cell from readily available materials.

Investigating Patterns Using Analyzing Digital Images (Adi) Software, Jennifer Welborn, Wayne Kermenski

Patterns Around Us

The mean and variation of a population are easily seen by graphing the number of individuals that have a trait of a given value. In this experiment, we will investigate color variation found in a mealworm population using ADI.

In this investigation, we will use digital images and ADI to measure the increased surface area created by villi located in the small intestines.

Wrinkling Of A Floating Sheet, Narayanan Menon

Patterns Around Us

The objective of today’s work will be to generate wrinkle patterns on very thin polymer films using the forces generated by the surface tension of a water drop. You’ll do a few sizes of water drop and we’ll give you a couple of thicknesses of film. Digital images of the pattern will allow us to make observations of the number and size of the wrinkles generated. We will try to develop an understanding of the dependence of the pattern on the materials used and the forces applied

Branching In Nature, Jennifer Welborn, Wayne Kermenski

Patterns Around Us

No abstract provided.

Wrinkling In Nature, Jennifer Welborn, Wayne Kermenski

Patterns Around Us

This lab experience is separated into four investigative segments:

1. Human saliva and enzymes

2. Osmosis and Dialysis Tubing

3. Analyzing dry and imbibed weights of wrinkled and smooth pea seeds

4. Putting it All Together, What makes Wrinkled Peas?

Overview, Benjamin Davidovitch, Narayanan Menon, Jennifer Welborn, Wayne Kermenski

Patterns Around Us

No abstract provided.

Superhero Robotics, Frank Sup, Brian Umberger, Nick Sawyer

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

No abstract provided.

Patterns Around Us Presentation, Benny Davidovitch

Patterns Around Us

No abstract provided.

Atomic Force Microscopes, Rob Snyder, Jennifer Welborn

Nanotechnology Teacher Summer Institutes

PowerPoint overview. A student activity that builds an atomic force microscope model.

Producing Electricity With Solar Cells, Chris Emery, Rob Snyder

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

No abstract provided.

Wrinkling In Buckling And A Thin Sheet, Narayanan Menon

Patterns Around Us

Module 1: Euler Buckling

Learning Objectives:

• What is an instability? A sudden change in behaviour in response to a small change in conditions.

• Instabilities usually involve a change in symmetry from a more symmetric situation to a less symmetric one

• The mechanism for an instability usually involves two competing forces (one force stabilizing the symmetric state, and the other one destabilizing it), with one suddenly winning the contest

• These competing forces in thin objects are often the forces of compression (destabilizing force - favors buckling or wrinkling) and of bending (stabilizing force).

Understanding by data collapse, the power of using …

Evaluation Report, Alan Peterfreund

STEM Digital

This evaluation report synthesizes the results of evaluation activities conducted by SageFox Consulting Group of the STEM DIGITAL project led by the UMass STEM Ed Institute for its no-cost extension year, covering the period September 2013 to August 2014. The goals of the program are to facilitate the participants’ abilities to stimulate student interest in STEM careers while engaging them in ways to think critically about their environment. Participating teachers incorporated digital cameras and Analyzing Digital Images (ADI) software into lab activities focusing on environmental science. STEM DIGITAL materials focused on three strands related to (1) ozone and air quality, …

2013-2014 Newsletter, Morton Sternheim

STEM Education Institute Newsletters

Patterns Workshop

iCons

New! MassBioEd Seminars

Arsenic: Citizen Science

STEM DIGITAL online

Nanotechnology

Everyday Particle Physics, Andrea Pocar

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

No abstract provided.

Wind Power, Susn Reyes

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

No abstract provided.

Colloids And Emulsions, Tony Dinsmore

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

Colloids and Emulsions.

These materials are very common and are amenable to some nice demonstrations, yet are not part of the usual curriculum. Topics include surface tension (and why droplets are spherical; why shaving cream acts like a solid even though it's made of liquid and gas); Brownian motion and the microscopic origin of heat; the behavior of many particles (phase transitions, how colloidal particles can spontaneously order themselves – an accurate demonstration of how water molecules form ice crystals); what is inside everyday materials.

2010 Newsletter, Morton Sternheim

STEM Education Institute Newsletters

Nanotechnology 2010 Institute p. 2

STEM IPY

Polar Connections Institute p. 4

Legacy Beyond Our Doors p. 5

Nanotechnology Educationp.10

Tuesday & Saturday Seminars p.12

GRANTS REPORTS

STEMRAYS: After four years p. 3

Noyce Scholars: where are they now? p. 9

CLIMATE LITERACY

Are You Climate Literate? p. 6

Far Reaches of the Climate Literacy Conference p. 7

Testing the Schools p. 8

Using Solar Energy, Peter Talmage

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

• Best energy source for the environment • It’s getting more economical every day • Easy to maintain • Cuts down on foreign oil imports

2007 Newsletter, Morton Sternheim

STEM Education Institute Newsletters

NANOTECHNOLOGY Summer 2007 Institute p. 3

EARTH CENTRAL 2007 Ending on a High Note p. 5

PV STEMNET Has a Very Productive Year p. 4

CONFERENCE ON ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION FOR SCIENCE TEACHERS: Lessons Learned p. 7

NOYCE SCHOLAR travels to Washington D.C. p. 6

NOYCE SCHOLARS p. 6

STEM RAYS Completes Pilot Phase, Goes Into Full Operation p. 2

IPY STEM Polar Connections p. 4

UMASS K12 ENDS DIALUP SERVICE p. 7

SMET OR STEM: WHAT’S IN A NAME? p. 7

2006 Newsletter, Morton Sternheim

STEM Education Institute Newsletters

Conference on Alternative Certification for Science Teachers

Nanotechnology p. 2

STEM Earth Central p. 3

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars p. 8

Nutrition and Health in the Science Classroom p. 10

Science Exhibit and Demo p. 11

STEM Adventures p. 5

Noyce Scholars p. 10

PV STEMNET Looks to Future Funding p. 5

Spring Semester Field Trips p. 6

STEM Connections Ends p. 7

STEMTEC Faculty Development Programs p. 9

Farewell to STEMTEC p. 9

Weather And Climate, Rob Snyder

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

No abstract provided.