Great piece on NPR this morning... new research using old technology leading to advances that may drastically improve life for many people.
Most of you are probably too young to remember but there was a time before television, and even before movies. Yes, really! Back in those days adults routinely attended the theatre not only to view plays, operas, ballets and other high art, but also to view “low brow” entertainment in what were called vaudeville houses. An evening of vaudeville involved a running slate of different “acts” doing short on stage stints in succession and typically included a variety of entertainment from song and dance teams to comedy acts, jugglers, magicians and ventriloquists. Going to see a “show” was a hugely popular entertainment evening for generations.
Kids love animals! No escaping that one. A visit to the zoo is a beloved experience for all kids. And it's a great part of their education, too.
OK, now here is some great news! According to a recent report, (http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/transparent-photovoltaic-cells-turn-windows-into-solar-panels/?smid=tw-nytimesscience&seid=auto) scientists have now developed a way to create transparent photovoltaic cells! This means ordinary windows can now be turned into solar panels without losing the ability to allow visible light to pass into a building. So your the windows in own home will soon be able to help you reduce your electric bill! And think of all the windows in a large high rise office building!
I really love what we do! Bringing an excitement about science to kids through awesome science assemblies is exciting in itself! Seeing their faces filled with awe and knowing we had a part in creating that awe is a wonderfully fulfilling feeling!
Google recently awarded $12 million in grants to a group of science museums. (http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2011/04/google_commits_12_million_to_b.html)
Nature is a very cool thing! This was forwarded to me this morning and I thought I would share it.
Out in California in a Zoo a mother tiger gave birth to a rare set of triplet tiger cubs.
Sadly, due to difficulties in the pregnancy, the cubs were born prematurely and, being tiny, they died shortly after birth. But after recovering from the delivery, the mother cat suddenly began to decline in health. Physically she was fine, but the veterinarians felt that the loss of her litter had caused the tigress to fall into a depression.
The vets then embarked on a scientific experiment. They hypothesized that if given a new litter to nurse the mother might improve. To test the validity of this they began a search trying to locate a suitable litter. Unfortunately, tiger cubs are rare and there were none to be found. So the staff at the zoo determined to try something radical.
Sometimes a mother of one species will take on the care of a different species. The doctors located a litter of newly born baby pigs, wrapped the piglets in tiger skin and placed the babies around the mother tiger. Quite a lot to ask of the piglets in the name of science. Brave little piggies! They might have become dinner, right?
Wrong! Take a look:
Although our company office is located in Michigan, our school assembly performers spend the year traveling throughout not just Michigan but Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, across the middle of the country, into Texas and California or on the East Coast. So when they are performing their school shows in Michigan close by they usually drop into the office so we can all catch up. Yesterday we were treated to a visit from Dave Mitchell, our world class Ben Franklin presenter, who also carries our math and reading school assembly programs. But yesterday we were all excited to hear the updates on the new anti- bullying show - Stronger Than a Bully - that Dave is busy developing for next year. Boy, it is really exciting! Seeing some of the ingredients of the new program was a real treat and it looks as though Dave has really hit one out of the park this time. Schools seem to agree as Stronger Than a Bully is already experiencing stronger than normal sales for next year. We expect this program to sell out quickly! It was great to see Dave! Today he is back in the saddle performing his reading program - Reading: More Than Words! - at a school in Dearborn, Michigan. I am certain they are having a great time!
We have written before about the importance of science in the education of our children in order for the United States to remain a world leader in the future. We have also referenced before the interest and enthusiasm of President Obama for encouraging an interest in science among our youth. Yesterday, the President took time off from a busy schedule in New York to pay a visit to a New York City science fair.
