A tip of the hat goes to my friend Cricket B for pointing me toward this week's website, TryScience. This site primarily acts as a "gateway to experience the excitement of contemporary science and technology [by interacting with over 400] science and technology centers worldwide." You can view a number of Live Cams!, including the seascape cam at the Carnegie Science Center and the butterfly cam at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science. There's information to help you plan your next Field Trip to a science center along with Experiements for you to try at home.
Unfortunately, some of the links are outdated and the site is rather graphic-intense, requiring plug-ins for several activities. Nonetheless, TryScience is a great starting point if you want to locate and get a feel for the science centers near you. There's also an option on the website to view it in different languages, including French, Chinese, and Portuguese.
Showing posts with label museum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label museum. Show all posts
Friday, December 26, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Beautiful Science
If you live in or near San Marino, California, stop by the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens to see their new permanent exhibit -- opening today! -- entitled "Beautiful Science: Ideas that Changed the World". This exhibit examines how scientific knowledge has advanced over time -- sometimes with great leaps of insight -- by focusing on four areas of scientific study: astronomy, natural history, medicine, and light. Look for manuscripts, letters, and books highlighting great achievements by Ptolemy, Copernicus, Newton, Darwin, and Einstein. There is also a companion educational program available for middle and high school students. Key features of this exhibit are neatly described in Dibner Highlights (this is a .pdf file).
For more information about the Huntington, you can visit Admission, Hours, and General Information or contact: publicinformation [at] huntington [dot] org.
For more information about the Huntington, you can visit Admission, Hours, and General Information or contact: publicinformation [at] huntington [dot] org.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Website of the Week: Dig It! The Secrets of Soil
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is currently featuring a new exhibit called Dig It! The Secrets of Soil.
What is Soil? Here's a handy definition I learned in graduate school -- Dirt is dead. Soil is alive. Soils are dynamic ecosystems filled with living things like insects, worms, bacteria, and fungi.
How do soils form? Check out this handy chart to learn more about the five soil formation factors: Climate (Is the surrounding area rainy or dry? Salty or devoid of minerals?) , Biota (Which plants and animals live and use the soil?), Slope (Did the soil form on a mountainside or in a valley?), Bedrock (What kind of rock has contributed to the soil?) and Time.
How many different types of soil are there? "Scientists recognize about 70,000 soil types in the United States alone ..." according to Paul Reich of the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the USDA, as quoted in this exhibit. His Global Soil Regions Map is shown on the NRCS Soils Website.
Check out the Educators Activity Page for fun ways to learn about soils both at the museum and at home. Learn More about soils by visiting these websites recommended in the exhibit.
(My thanks to Soils Professor Dan Richter for letting me know about this exhibit!)
What is Soil? Here's a handy definition I learned in graduate school -- Dirt is dead. Soil is alive. Soils are dynamic ecosystems filled with living things like insects, worms, bacteria, and fungi.
How do soils form? Check out this handy chart to learn more about the five soil formation factors: Climate (Is the surrounding area rainy or dry? Salty or devoid of minerals?) , Biota (Which plants and animals live and use the soil?), Slope (Did the soil form on a mountainside or in a valley?), Bedrock (What kind of rock has contributed to the soil?) and Time.
How many different types of soil are there? "Scientists recognize about 70,000 soil types in the United States alone ..." according to Paul Reich of the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the USDA, as quoted in this exhibit. His Global Soil Regions Map is shown on the NRCS Soils Website.
Check out the Educators Activity Page for fun ways to learn about soils both at the museum and at home. Learn More about soils by visiting these websites recommended in the exhibit.
(My thanks to Soils Professor Dan Richter for letting me know about this exhibit!)
Friday, November 2, 2007
Website of the Week: Ology
Check out the American Museum of Natural History's
The suffix "ology" means "the study of." And you can study lots of cool science topics on this website, including ornithology (the study of birds) and ichthyology (the study of fish). Meet a volcanologist (a scientist who studies volcanoes), design a model coral reef, or cook your very own set of "cosmic cookies."
The suffix "ology" means "the study of." And you can study lots of cool science topics on this website, including ornithology (the study of birds) and ichthyology (the study of fish). Meet a volcanologist (a scientist who studies volcanoes), design a model coral reef, or cook your very own set of "cosmic cookies."
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