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STEM is everywhere. Whenever I travel somewhere new or visit an attraction, I try to see where I can spy science, technology, engineering, and math. It is amazing what you can find when you are looking. Last week I traveled with my husband, sons, parents, and in-laws to the nations capitol to see the sights. I found some really great examples of STEM in action in a city that is more famous for it's history and culture. ScienceOne example of amazing science that I saw on our trip was the use of Forensics to create lifelike models of George Washington during our visit to Mt. Vernon. Scientists undertook a study from 2003 to 2005 to create scientifically and historically accurate models of what Washington would have looked like throughout his lifetime. The first model represents Washington at age 19 when he was a surveyor working on creating maps of Virginia. The second represents General Washington during the revolution (age 45) when he lead the citizen army to victory against the British. The final model represents the day he became our first president at age 57. Historians at Mt. Vernon thought this project was important because most people had a vision of the president as "old" and "boring rather than as a young, adventurer or a brave leader. Want to learn more? Visit the Mt. Vernon website here. TechnologyTechnology is ever changing and boy does it change quickly. There is no better evidence of this than a day spent at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. We spent the day exploring the early origins of flight with the Wright brothers and stood in awe of early pioneers such as Amelia Earhart. Then we learned about the space program and how it progressed from crude capsules like this one from the Mercury program to the amazing new Orion Capsule that will take astronauts to Mars and beyond. Want to learn more? Me too! Just kidding, visit the website here. Next time we visit we will have to go to the larger one outside the city to continue our adventure! EngineeringThe National Mall provided a unique look at engineering in action during our visit. Known as our nations front yard, the mall is used for events year round by a huge number of visitors. While we were there we saw the Smithsonian's Folk Life Festival (Link), Preparations for the Huge 4th of July Festival (Link) and a variety of tourists taking advantage of the grass to play sports, have picnics, or relax in the sun. With all of this use, the grass on the mall takes quite a beating. In order for the park service to preserve the Turf on the National Mall, it has undergone a multiphase renovation to improve it's durability. It uses civil engineering principles to collect water (link) as well as ecosystem engineering in choosing the best grass varieties. They have even hired a Turf manager to ensure the changes are managed (link). MathWashington, D.C. is a beautiful example of math in action. The 100 square mile area for the capital city was surveyed by Andrew Ellicot andBenjamin Banneker who used celestial calculations to lay boundary students. The city was planned by Pierre L'Enfant in 1791 using a grid system built to radiate from the capital and the white house. While we were visiting, we saw the marker about near the Washington Monument. We learned that it was the vertex of the 90 degree angle between the two buildings. Read more here.
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Clean water is something that we take for granted in the United States. Each day, we turn on our faucets and assume that the water coming out is safe for us to drink. But is it? For the community of Flint, MI this assumption was rocked when they faced high lead levels after there was a change in the source of their water. Click the video below to learn about it: This problem was the basis for our Summer STEM Ignition PBL. During the week of June 6th, new students to STEM Lab and STEM Launch engaged with many learning opportunities to answer the question "How do we ensure our water is safe to drink?" During the week, we had guest speakers, conducted science experiments, went on a field experience to a waste water and drinking water facility and then created solutions to answer the problem. Click on THIS LINK to see what we did! On Friday, students presented to a panel of water quality experts. They introduced their solutions with a sales pitch and then showed an iMovie introduction to the solution. They then gave a detailed description of their prototype. Curious about other solutions? Check out our full playlist of iMovies HERE.
How would you solve this problem? Leave some ideas in the comments below! |
AuthorMrs. Noffsinger is the 8th Grade Science and Engineering educator. Archives
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Howdy, I'm H. Michael Karshis, r.nial.bradshaw