Unusual Scholarships

Juniors and seniors might be interested in these (sophomores too).

I don't even like Catcher in the Rye, but I'd sort of like to live in Salinger's old dorm room (#27).

http://mentalfloss.com/article/58451/30-unusual-scholarships

Citizen Science

I'd like to direct your attention, if I may to a concept known as citizen science.

As my chemistry students know, contributions to science may be made by anyone.  You don't have to be a "scientist".  Some projects are so complex that scientists enlist the help of average Joes (and Sallys) to collect or analyze data.  This is known as citizen science.

These projects can be as simple as collecting weather information or counting pieces of trash or bird species.  These observations are then sent in through the internet where the data is looked at by computers.

Some projects have large amounts of data collected already, but for some reason or another, the information is not suited to computer analysis.  Regular people are asked to join in to plow though and make identifications.

My favorite site for this is Zooniverse.  It started with simple identifications of galaxies from pictures taken by telescopes, but has grown into a wide variety of projects that need assistance.  Here are some of my favorites:

Operation War Diary - Copying over WWI soldiers diaries and letters (very topical)

Old Weather - Searching through old log books from sailing ships to record weather from hundreds of years ago

Notes from Nature - Go through old museum collections of plants and insects and add searchable tags

These are fun just in themselves.  Also, extra credit.  Keep a log of your time spent on these projects.  If you do a total of 4 hours in a quarter, you can claim extra credit!

LEGO Research Institute

Check these out!  They're currently sold out unfortunately.

http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Research-Institute-21110

Everything is awesome!

Antikythera Mechansim

So, I'm a nerd, clearly, but I think that you guys should watch this great documentary about the Antikythera mechanism.  Basically, it's the world's oldest computer.  What does it do?  Watch and find out.  As you do, consider the following questions:

1. What did the Greeks need to know to build such a device?
2. Why was it over a thousand years later that Europeans were able to recreate this type of tool?
3. Could you cut 235 gears into a small wheel?

NOVA: Ancient Computer

Using Science Terms Correctly

Here's an interesting article from Mental Floss as I try to get back into the habit of sharing interesting science facts again.

13 Scientific Terms You Might Be Using Wrong

#7 is a pet peeve of mine.

Abundance of Elements

Found this cool infographic online.  What are you made of?

by jonathanorjack.
Explore more infographics like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.

Spot the Safety Violations

Fire isn't for everyone.