Everything you didn’t want to know about Poison Ivy
Poison ivy, the plant we love to hate. How much do you know about it? Could you identify it? What makes it "poison"? What happens when you get the oil…
Free, Innovative Afterschool STEM Program with Stipends Available
Innovative STEM programming is a great way to start the new school year! Through My Window is free multimedia curriculum that combines engineering, technology, literacy, and arts for children and…
What’s the Eye Got to do with It???
So welcome back. It's been a very quiet summer. Recently I heard a program on NPR about pupil shape. You know, those dark holes in the center of your eyes. …
STEM Uncovered: Video Competition
ANNOUNCING: 2015 STEM Video Competition sponsored by the Noyce Foundation with support from the C.S. Mott Foundation
Kids are always told to dream BIG– afterschool programs allow them to do just that. Uncover the work of your program and students, and tell us what really happens in STEM afterschool.
Science and the Doubting Thomas
An article by Joel Achenbach for National Geographic asks, “Why Do Many Reasonable People Doubt Science?“. I wondered the same thing myself. I’ve found people who adamantly refuse to believe that something has happened or existed even if the proof was presented. The article is fairly long but absolutely answers this particular vexing question. (more…)
Origins of Chemotherapy
All of us know someone who has had cancer. We talk about radiation and chemotherapy but have you ever wondered where and how it all started?
I came across a post through a Facebook page called “Reactions” that intrigued me. It was called “How Chemistry Changed WWI”. After reading through it I would have titled it, “How Chemical Warfare Killed and Saved Millions”. It was a tiny article that talked about how WWI was called the chemists war.
Most people know that mustard gas killed so many soldiers, innocents and living things during WWI but too few also know that mustard gas changed how medicine treated cancer.
What’s a Fractal?
Jack Frost visited my car this week. Jack left me a particularly beautiful rendition of a fractal. So beautiful that I HAD to take a picture of it. Below is…
Using Chemistry Methods in the Kitchen
We use science everywhere, we just tend not to think about it. If you like to cook you may wonder why your cake, bread, casserole did not turn out as…
The Battle for Iron
You all know that iron is an essential nutrient in our body, it is also the most common nutritional deficiency in the United States. Iron is a very important part…