Room 322

A collection of interesting and educational items I share with my classes

[tetw]

In case anyone missed it, click through for our roundup of the best articles and essays from 2016 (plus a few from 2015 we discovered last year).

[tetw]

We’ve updated our list of outstanding science and tech writing from around the net, plus all 25 sub pages – click through for links to hundreds of amazing reads about everything from computers, the environment and health, to psychology, the natural sciences and technologies of the future

[tetw]

How Do We Fix It? by Robert Kunzig - Could germany be a model for how we’ll get power in the future

Power to the People by Bill McKibben - Why the rise of green energy makes utility companies nervous

The Compost King of New York by Elizabeth Royte - What happens to food scraps after the city takes them?

[compoundchem]

Blood is red, urine is yellow, and faeces are brown. Why? Chemistry*!  *Disclaimer: shout-outs to biology and physics too.

[scidotnews]

American Alligator’s Lineage is More Ancient than Previously Thought

http://www.sci-news.com/biology/american-alligators-lineage-04204.html

[mindblowingscience]

Beautiful new images of Mars from The Mars Curiosity Rover; September 9th, 2016.

[currentsinbiology]

Blue Rivers of Bioluminescent Shrimp Trickle Down Oceanside Rocks in Okayama, Japan

Photographed off the coast of Okayama, Japan, The Weeping Stones is a photo series by the creative duo Trevor Williams and Jonathan Galione of Tdub Photo that captures the eerie blue light emitted by a native species of bioluminescent shrimp. More commonly referred to as sea fireflies, these rare creatures live in the sand in shallow sea water, floating somewhere between the extremes of high and low tide. At just 3 mm in length the shrimp are extremely small light sources, but when grouped together they take on abstract patterns that light up the water around them.

[scidotnews]

Paleontologists Explain Evolution of Sauropod Dinosaurs

http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/evolution-sauropod-dinosaurs-03741.html

[end0skeletal]

The ten known species of chevrotain, or mouse deer, are found in South and Southeast Asia and West Africa. The smallest species weigh as little as 1.5 pounds (.7kg).

[ex0skeletal]

Here, have these very tiny deer to get you through the week.

[montereybayaquarium]

Thanks to a sharp, scalpel-like spine at the base of its tail, the yellowfin surgeonfish is armed and dangerous—able to fend off any predator that gets too close. See this beautiful fish for yourself in our newest special exhibition, ¡Viva Baja! Life on the Edge.

[cenchempics]

HOW LEAD ENDED UP IN FLINT’S WATER

(Get the whole story at http://cenm.ag/flintwater)

Lead contamination is the most troubling in a series of water problems that have plagued Flint, Mich.,  since the summer of 2014. All of them were caused by corrosion in the lead and iron pipes that distribute water to city residents. When the city stopped taking water from Detroit and started using the Flint River as its water source in April 2014, it didn’t adequately treat the river water to maintain a protective coating of mineral the inside of the city’s pipes. Without this layer, the water began to corrode the pipes. This led to high lead levels, rust-colored tap water, and possibly the growth of pathogenic microbes due to the loss of chlorine disinfectant in the water.

Credit: flintwaterstudy.org (sink)/C&EN (graphic)

[compoundchem]

What’s up with the water in Flint? Here’s a quick explainer.

[the-future-now-deactivated20170]

Flint poisoned Joe’s water, so he built a filtration system to make it drinkable

Joe and Shirley Love, both 60, have lived in Flint for years and felt the effects of the water crisis firsthand. “I started having trouble with this right eye,” Shirley Love told Mic. “When I get something in my eye, I splash it with a face bowl of water. I do that all the time. But now my eye itches, it hurts, it’s blurry.”

So Joe Love took matters into his own hands and built a DIY filtering system, using reverse osmosis to remove waste from the city’s water.

Follow @the-future-now​

[sciencediva]

What Sleep Deprivation Does to Your Brain, in One Stunning Infographic

[currentsinbiology]

Baby Tortoises Show Up In The Galapagos For The First Time In Over A Century

 There hadn’t been one single baby tortoise sighting in more than a century on the Galapagos Island of Pinzon, until a small group of the tiny, shelled youngsters were spotted this year.

The recent births are helping to pull the critically endangered animals back from the brink of extinction after they were nearly laid to waste as a result of human activity.

This is huge news for a species that has been struggling to survive for a century, relying on humans raising young tortoises bred in captivity until they are large enough to not fall prey to rats and predators.

[thegreenwolf]

Have some good news!

[sciencediva]

A curated January scholarship list

There are many scholarships with January deadlines. Use your winter break to submit as many applications as possible. I challenge every college-bound Community High School Student to submit 3 applications in January.

Scholarships Open to students in grades 9-12

1.    Are you a Community High School student with strong opinions about the global terrorist threat, government surveillance of citizens and the fourth amendment? Enter the Young Patriots Essay Scholarship Competition.

2.    Calling all Artists! The National Organization of Women is sponsoring a love your body poster contest. Visit the website and carefully examine the rules prior to starting your winning project.

3.    Let your Facebook addiction work in your favor. Apply for the Ten Words or Less Scholarship during one of your hourly visits. The application instructions can be found here.

4.    Community High School students let your opinions about digital addiction be heard.  More information can be found here.

5.    We are so focused on standards and testing at school there is no time for you to share your dreams. Describe your hopes and dreams in 250 words or less.

Scholarships for Seniors

1.    Do you have a parent or guardian who served in the military? Complete this scholarship application by January 1 to compete for $2500.

2.    Submit an amazing college application essay to EDIT/REVISE and then use social media to get recommendations/votes. The 500 essays with the most votes will be read by the judges. You have nothing to lose and $10000 to win!! Submit you best effort today.

3.    Create a visual poem illustrating a personal challenge for a chance to win $1000. Students with a cumulative average of 3.0 are eligible to participate in this competition.

4.    Submit a short film to the Girls Impact the World Film Festival. Your 5-minute video about issues affecting young women around the world or a solution to problems encountered by young women could earn you a spot in the festival and a scholarship. Visit the Festival website to get more information.

5.    Need money for books? Write an essay about a time you moved. The professional organization of movers is offering $500 to the most interesting account.

6.    If you have multiple sclerosis or have a parent or guardian with MS, the Multiple Sclerosis Society is offering a $1000 scholarship. Complete the online application to enter the competition.

7.    Students interested in cosmetology should apply for this $2500 award.

8.    How does a website give a company an advantage? If you can craft an impressive answer to this question, you could win $1000. There is also a scholarship for mothers who are enrolled in college. Visit the  site to get more information about both opportunities.

[sciencediva]

Apply Today

Video Scholarship Competition Students in grades 9-12 are invited to make a 3-minute video about five specified topics. Community High School students are uniquely qualified to create media about how to make a young person strong or the importance of disconnecting online to connect in real time. The admissions deadline is December 15!! Don’t delay. This could be the start of a scholarship avalanche. Enter the Empower Scholarship Challenge today.

Essay Competition 

Seniors can submit an essay describing a time you exhibited an exceptional amount of wisdom in order to achieve a goal to enter the Hidden TriForce of Wisdom scholarship essay competition.

Both scholarships have December 15 deadlines.