A former SMILE student who now works at the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory has proposed the creation of a new Lego set dedicated to female geological scientists! The set would include both male and female geologists, a scanning electron microscope, minerals, and an “obligatory geology dog”. Though women are represented in geoscience departments, a recent study done by the American Geological Institute stated that women’s representation in geoscience and environmental occupations has not exceeded 30% since 2003.
In order to get the proposed set into production she needs to get 10,000 votes! If you are interested in supporting this project go to Lego’s website here!
You can also view the article published in the Oregonian here!
The Earth is estimated to be 4.6 billion years old, but what does that mean? To students this can be difficult to put in perspective. How does this compare to their own lifetime? TED-Ed puts it all in perspective in the following video:
Are you a fan of TED Talks? TED-Ed has put together an interactive periodic table comprised of their videos; this can be seen here. This could be a great resource for your students. Not only does TED-Ed talk about the properties of multiple elements, they also run experiments in several of their videos. Check it out!
There is only one wildlife forensics lab in the world and its located in Ashland, Oregon. This forensics lab is just like any other, except the victims are animals. This could be a great oppurtunity to talk with your students about how a wildlife forensics lab might differ from a human one (this link might be helpful). If you are nearby you might want to consider taking a lab tour.
Food shortage is not the only issue anymore. Wasting food is having a dramatic effect on the environment, economy and society. An estimated $162 billion is being lost because of unused food, as seen in this New York Times article. This is an interesting topic to pose to your students. What solutions can you come up with to solve the food waste problem in your club, school, community, state, country or world? How does this solution work? Share with us!
In our most recent post, the ME team used a 3D printer for one of their parts. What is 3D printing? There are different ways to print three dimensional objects, which are detailed in this link. Our ME team used the fused deposition process for their part which can be seen below. These printers are not only used for small parts and projects, they are also used to make everything from medical supplies to an entire car (see below). Companies like Protolabs and Solid Concepts specialize in making molds and parts. These links will help your students understand the things mentioned in the previous ME video. For the future, the hope is that 3D printers will make manufacturing of tools and products faster without compromising on strength and durability. Check it out!
The ME team is at it again. This time they hit some roadblocks while making their three modules. The team was able to persevere and their project is nearly complete. Check out the progress and process:
Amazing right? But how does it work? In a basic sense, the magnetized putty is trying to evenly distribute itself around the magnet. This article explains it all. You may want to share this with your students!
