My sourdough microbial community has lost its novelty, and my lichen dye's status hasn't changed in a while, so I'm looking for a new at-home science project that takes minimal effort and next to no money. Any suggestions? My favorites are projects that I can excitedly check in on every day to note their progress. I'm not interested in growing mushrooms from scratch - maybe something a little easier that doesn't take up too much space.
This week I tagged my backyard monarchs. A group I volunteer with trains folks to tag, and I received my tags from them. The tags don't hurt the butterflies and they can be recovered and recorded once they arrive at their final destination after migration. Some make it all the way to Mexico!
If you are interested in being part of this citizen science project, you can learn all about it at monarchwatch.org/tagging. You can even buy some cool swag to show your support for environmental stewardship and pollinator power!
The website is a great resource and describe the process, with helpful pictures! Below is one of my tagged monarchs happily chillin' in my backyard.
I feel like Tech is the only dad who would be MORE than happy to go get supplies for a science fair project 10pm the day before it's due
😍The ONLY.
He absolutely would. And he would stay up the rest of the night finishing it.
Tech comes back, supplies in hand, to find his mini-me fast asleep at the table. They tried to stay awake, they really did. Tech does the logical thing and carries them to bed, because their little body needs proper sleep to fully function for tomorrow, before he gets to work on the finishing touches. He works away quietly, a sense of pride swelling in him because his child is so smart and they really didn’t need his help at all, he realizes as he reads over their notes that are characteristically elementary but strong in concept. Tech recognizes his child’s strengths, and helps them reinforce the things that are not. He might reword a sentence or two to make the delivery stronger; but when his child wins first place at the science fair, he reminds them acutely that this was all them, and they can apply themself anywhere, anyhow. They go on to be bold and innovative, just like their father.
Over the past year I’ve written about the making of pine tar and the drinking of pine needle tea. But why stop there? Pines are a fascinating group of plants, worthy of myriad more posts, and so my exploration into the genus continues with pine cones and the seeds they bear.
Pines are conifers and, more broadly, gymnosperms. They are distinct from angiosperms (i.e.flowering plants), with the most…
Alaina Gassler took home the $25,000 top prize at the Broadcom MASTERS teen science competition. Her qualifying project could boost vehicle safety by eliminating blind spots for car drivers.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On a weekend where the nation’s capital was focused on hosting its first World Series games in seven decades, 30 young researchers from across the nation were on deck for a hard-hitting competition of their own. In a sense, all were winners already. Each had, after all, beat out hundreds of others for the chance to face off in team play. But only one contestant — Alaina Gassler, 14 — would take home the top prize: an educational award worth $25,000. Her award was one of more than a dozen announced at an evening gala on October 29.
Alaina was one of 30 finalists from 13 states who competed in the ninth annual Broadcom MASTERS competition. MASTERS stands for Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars. The program was created by Society for Science & the Public, which publishes Science News for Students.
Alaina and the other finalists had to be in sixth, seventh or eighth grade when they competed in a local or regional science fair. To qualify for Broadcom MASTERS, their research had to have been judged within the top 10 percent of all projects at that fair. Those projects all fell within the fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). Alaina had developed a novel system aimed at boosting auto safety.
But those qualifying projects would only account for 20 percent or so of a finalist’s score at this week’s event. The rest of the score would come from how an individual was judged while working within one of the six teams to solve a spectrum of assigned, on-the-spot science and engineering challenges.
“Congratulations to Alaina, whose project has the potential to decrease the number of automobile accidents by reducing blind spots,” says Maya Ajmera. She is president of Society for Science and the Public.
Alaina goes to school in West Grove, Penn. “I didn’t think I’d win an award this big,” she enthused at the gala. “I was happy just getting the small medal that everyone got at the beginning of the night!” she added.
The Samueli Foundation provided Alaina’s winnings. This non-profit organization was created by Broadcom founder Henry Samueli and is based in Newport Beach, Calif.
Fifteen of the finalists took home major awards or the funds to attend a science camp of their choice. For the first time, this year, 60 percent of the finalists were female.
