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Iowa's Earliest Spring Flower, Roger M. Knutson

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

At a time when most wild flower fanciers have only memories of spring blooms, one of Iowa's less known plants is pushing up the earliest flowers of the season. The Eastern Skunk Cabbage can begin blooming in Northeast Iowa before mid-February, even when air temperatures are near -18°C.

Iowa Assist: Outreach Foci, Daniel S. Sheldon

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Iowa-ASSIST is a statewide program for improving science teaching in Iowa. ASSIST is an acronym for Alternative Strategies and Services for Improving Science Teaching. Iowa-ASSIST developed from several NSF-Supported Academic Year Institute programs for preparing science supervisors which were conducted in Iowa. It was established as a formal program in 1973. The program operated during 1973-76 with support of approximately $600,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

From The Editor's Desk

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

A recent study by the U.S. House-Senate Joint Economic Committee indicates that solar energy will be Iowa's cheapest way to warm homes and heat water by 1985, if Congress removes the federal price limits on natural gas.

The ISTJ Advisory Board is pleased to announce the selection of an Associate Editor in Chemistry Education. Don Murphy, of Hoover High School in Des Moines, has been selected and has accepted the position.

The Mole Hill Mnemonic, Mike Williams

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

The concept of a mole in chemistry is difficult for many introductory students to understand. I have discovered a crutch which seems to help some students become operational while improving their understanding of the abstraction called a mole.

The Heat Of Fusion Of Ice, Walter J. Gohman

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Students have learned that when heat energy is added to any substance the temperature of this substance increases and, conversely, when heat energy escapes from the substance the temperature decreases. Based upon this concept, the idea of the heat of fusion of ice does not make sense. The idea that each gram of ice a 0° C can absorb 80 calories of heat energy and become a gram of water with the temperature still 0°C does not seem logical. The student may accept the “if you say so" approach, but some meaningful laboratory data will be more convincing. The usual …

New Botany Text

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Dr. John D. Dodd, Professor of Botany and Plant Pathology at Iowa State University, has just published a new botany text suit able for a one term course in general botany. Course Book in General Botany, published by the Iowa State University Press, emphasizes descriptive rather than the physiological aspects of plants.

Cover - Front Matter - Table Of Contents

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

No abstract provided.

Cover - Front Matter - Table Of Contents

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

No abstract provided.

Drought: A Time To Teach, Owen Primavera

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Is there a pattern to weather? Can drought be predicted with any degree of accuracy? These questions have been pondered by climatologists for years and make interesting topics for classroom discussion.

A Negative Sodium Ion?

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Chemistry textbooks will have to be rewritten again because of a new discovery at Michigan State University.

A Noteworthy Physics Program: Is Individualization The Answer?, Walter J. Gohman

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

My career as a physics teacher began in 1938. This was the year that I was assigned to teach my first physics class. My undergraduate field was biology. I needed something to compensate for my very inadequate background in physics.

Milkweeds

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Recent studies indicate that seedlings of some plants, when subjected to aqueous extracts of milkweed leaves, have their growth inhibited.

An Inquiry Into Tides, Darrel Hoff

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Classic earth science textbooks present a rather generalized treatment of the topic of tides, but to the majority of mid-westerners the descriptions are largely without intrinsic meaning because of the lack of firsthand experience with marine tides. The suggestion contained herein provides a vicarious experience with tides for landlocked Iowans that will hopefully stimulate discussion resulting in an improved understanding of tidal phenomena.

Nature's Notebook

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

A new publication is now available to upper-elementary teachers desiring nature-centered materials and activities for classroom teaching.

Eastern Iowa Science And Engineering Fair

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

The 19th Eastern Iowa Science and Engineering Fair will be held March 18 and 19, 1978.

A Comparison Of The Reading Levels Of Children’S Books And The Age/Grade Levels Assigned To Them By Reviewers, Gail G. Graham

Graduate Research Papers

Media specialists of today face the challenging task of obtaining appropriate materials to meet the particular needs of the school. Numerous reviewing media are available for guidance in the selection of children's books. Along with evaluative comments, age or grade level ranges are provided for specific books. In an attempt to determine whether reading levels are included in the age/grade level ranges, the readability estimates of forty selected primary books were obtained using the Spache Readability Formula and compared to the age/grade levels assigned to them by Booklist and School Library Journal. Thirty-one or 77.7 percent of the books …

Error Analysis For Picard-Chebyshev Iterations, Dennis R. Steel

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

In this paper an iterative technique for solving initial value problems is presented. The technique is based on Picard iterations and the Chebyshev polynomials and has been referred to by this author as the Picard-Chebyshev iteration method for initial value problems, although no such name for it appears in the literature. Its basic strength lies in the fact that it ignores completely the standard distinction between the linear and nonlinear initial value problem and that it produces a Chebyshev series solution which is easily evaluated. Its basic weakness lies in the fact that one must assume a finite series before …

Iowa Academy Of Science Leadership Directory, 1977-78, Iowa Academy Of Science

Iowa Academy of Science Documents

Contents:

Officers and Directors ... 2
Section Chairpersons ... 3
Standing Committees ... 6
Special Committee ... 15

The 1977 Outstanding Service Award, Roy Unruh

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

The Iowa Science Teachers Section has selected Dr. Robert E. Yager, Professor of Science Education, and Head of the Science Education Department at the University of Iowa, as its recipient of this year's Outstanding Service Award.

Editorial Board

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Annual Report Of The Iowa Academy Of Science 1976-77, Robert W. Hanson

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

This report continues the practice of writing a running history of the Academy on a year-to-year basis, begun in 1975. The reports of committees are kept on file in the Academy office and are not published; however, this report includes all legal necessities such as constitution and bylaw revisions, election results, and financial statements. The rest of the report covers the essence of all Academy committee activity and Board action.

Try It

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Songbirds sometimes end it all by mistakenly dashing into picture windows or sliding doors.

Outstanding Iowa Jr. Academy Of Science Papers, Doug Farris, Renae Steinke, Steve Isaacson

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Listed are the abstracts and authors of the three top papers presented at the Iowa Jr. Academy of Science Meeting held at Drake University on April 23 and 24, 1977. The ISTJ Advisory Board wishes to congratulate the winners and their teachers for their outstanding efforts.

Large-Scale Industrial Applications Of Solar Energy, W. C. Dickinson

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Research on solar energy sponsored by the U.S. Research and Development Administration (ERDA), at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, has concentrated on finding and developing techniques that can be made economically competitive with fossil fuels and can be applied by industry on a large scale. The difficulty lies in making solar energy competitive, not in identifying large-scale application. Table 1 suggests the widespread need for large-scale applications.

A Solar Water Heater, John Bridgenell

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

The sketch (Fig. 1) and photograph (Fig. 2) show a very simple solar water heater made from readily available parts.

© Copyright 1977 By The Iowa Academy Of Science

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

The American Chemical Society and the National Science Teachers Association have been constructing, standardizing and disseminating examinations in high school chemistry since 1953.

The Metric System

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

An informational fact sheet, Metric Units for Everyday Use, is free upon request from the U.S. Metric Association.

New Istj Associate Editors

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Three Associate Editors have been selected by the Iowa Science Teachers Journal's Advisory Board. Gary Downs, of Ames, has agreed to serve as Associate Editor in Elementary Science Education. Tom Scott, of Des Moines, has agreed to serve as Associate Editor in Junior High Science Education. Darrel Hoff, of Cedar Falls, has agreed to serve as Associate Editor in Earth Science Education.

Iowa Plan For The Statewide Use Of The Computer For Education, Dean D. Crocker

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

The timely information now available in the application of high speed computer techniques to education may benefit students, school administrators, supervisors and other decision makers alike. Science teachers and students may find assistance through the use of instructional and career guidance applications. Education administrators, supervisors, teachers and other community and state planners can benefit by using the available data in projecting alternative solutions for critical planning issues.

Freedom!, W. T. Lippincott

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Just about the easiest thing we could do these days is to give in to student demands that they be taught according to their own standards, needs, and perceptions, and in ways that will least interfere with their life style.