Obama vs. McCain...On Science

The date for the US election is quickly approaching. On Tuesday, November 4, 2008, many of us will head to the polls to select the next president of the United States. The decision we make will depend heavily on the candidates' positions on the important issues. As a science educator, I am very interested in the candidates' ideas regarding both science and education. I've been doing a bit of research and I have found some really interesting and informative websites floating in cyberspace. I thought I would take a moment and share them with you. After all, it is important that we all take part in the election process. However, it is even more important that we take part in the process as informed citizens.

• The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has a website devoted to the candidates' positions on science issues. You can find it here.

• The website, ScienceDebate2008, represents the work of 38,000 scientists and citizens interested in issues related to science. The project collected 3,400 science-related questions for the presidential candidates to answer. Working with various scientific organizations, project founders narrowed the submissions down to 14 questions about health, research, the environment, and science education.

• The writers of Popular Science Magazine review and analyze the candidates' answers to ScienceDebate2008 questions. The page, PoliticalScience, summarizes the major differences between the candidates' positions (if there are any) and allows readers to weigh in on the debate.

• Nature has an entire section of its website devoted to the 2008 election and issues related to science. The section outlines the candidates positions on global warming, energy, evolution, science education and other important issues. There are also news articles and editorials related to the role of science in the upcoming election.

• The Daily Green has published Green Elections Issues 101 on its website. The page list The Daily Green's seven key green issues facing our world. The site outlines each issue and provides a brief explanation of each candidate's position.

Pumpkin Science

Art by shirt.woot derby contestant, noisdois

Did you know...

• In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.
  
  
• Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.
  
  
• Pumpkin chunking is a competitive activity in which teams build various mechanical devices designed to throw a pumpkin as far as possible.
  
  
• The largest pumpkin ever grown was 1,689 pounds. It was grown by Joe Jutras of North Scituate, Rhode Island and weighed at the Topsfield Fair GPC weigh-off in Topsfield, MA on September 29, 2007.

Yes...the simple pumpkin. For most of the year, this simple fruit is largely ignored. However, every October, the unassuming pumpkin makes its way into the limelight! It takes its rightful place on porches, tables, and windowsills. Some might say that Halloween is the holiday of the pumpkin! Whatever your opinion, I am sure you agree...the pumpkin is a fantastic part of any Halloween celebration. More important, the pumpkin offers many opportunities to explore science with your children. Below are a couple of my favorite activities.

Estimating Pumpkin Seeds
It is rumored that if you multiply the number of fruiting sections in a field pumpkin (C. pepo variety) by 16 it is the number of seeds in the pumpkin, give or take 10 or so. Guessing the number of seeds in the pumpkin is a great activity to explore with your children.

Planting Pumpkin Seeds
After collecting and counting the pumpkin seeds, there are plenty of things to do with them. For example, you can grow pumpkin plants! eHow has a nice set of instructions for growing pumpkins. You can find them here.

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds
Many children have carved pumpkins. In the carving process, the seeds of the pumpkin are scooped out and discarded. Such a waste! Just think what your children will say when you explain to them that the seeds of the pumpkin can be roasted and eaten! You can find instructions for roasting pumpkin seeds here.

Glowing Pumpkins
Martha Stewart has created a great pumpkin craft project that incorporates some great science. She call them Glow-in-the-Dark Funkins and they are pretty simple to make. You can find the instructions for the project here.

Self Carving Pumpkins
Of course, if you want to really do something special with your pumpkins, you can visit Steve Spangler Science for his demonstration of the self carving pumpkin. You probably won't have the materials needed for to do the demonstation yourself, but you may want to show your kids what is possible with a pumpkin and a little science! Check out the self-carving pumpkin here. You may also want to read about some of of Steve's other favorite Halloween experiements here.

Escape From Berkeley...By Any Non-Petroleum Means Necessary

Escape From Berkeley (By Any Non-Petroleum Means Necessary) is an alternative-fueled road rally that starts October 10th and ends October 13th. Part engineering problem, part artistic opportunity, the rally challenges contestants to start their “engines” on something other than petroleum based fuel. The rally begins in Berkeley, California, and finishes in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Sahara. Contestants are required to use any fuel other than petroleum, and using only those fuels scavenged “for free” along the way. Fuel cannot be purchased. Judges will present awards for both artistic and technical achievements. Hanging somewhat in the balance, are bragging rights for saving the world. That, and a grand prize of $5,000.

Here are a some of the contenders:

Team Name: The Green Team


Team Name: The Blue Flame Club


Team Name: Neverwas Haul Crew


Team Name: Tom Kimmel

Team Name: Two Cats

Go Green For Halloween

Halloween is right around the corner. Teachers, parents, and children are all preparing for an evening filled with thrills, chills, and lots of lots of candy. Like many of you, I love Halloween! Of course, many of us don't think about the ecological consequenses of the holiday. For example, what happens to the millions of plastic candy wrappers, decorations, and costumes after Halloween? According to The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 4.6 million tons of plastic bags and wrappers are disposed of each year (only 8% of which is recycled). A lot of these wrappers and bags are the result of successful trick-or-treaters around the country! Add in garbage from Halloween parties and the energy used by the talking skeletons and other decorations and it can make for very scary eco-nightmare. Of course, there are some things that you and your children can do to help. Duke Energy offers the following suggestions for putting a little green in your scream.

Make your own costumes. Don't buy ready-made costumes from a store. Make your own using old clothes and things around the house. It is great way to recycle and you can save money. You might also benefit from a little more "quality time" with family members planning and making costumes.

Send your little munchkins out with reusable candy bags. Children trick-or-treating should carry reusable canvas tote bags or even old pillow-cases instead of plastic throw-aways that will end up in a landfill.

Walk. Don’t drive your kids around for trick-or-treat. Stay in your local neighborhood and walk. You can save on gas, reduce carbon emissions, get some exercise, and maybe even meet some nice people.

Give away eco-friendly treats. A growing variety of organic candies is available at local health food stores or organic groceries. Also, consider searching out goodies made and sold by local vendors. This can help to avoid “food miles” that add to energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Give non-candy trick-or-treat items. Consider giving non-candy items, such as organic juice boxes or apple sauce snack packs. Packages of dried fruits, such as raisins or cherries, is another option. You may get a few long faces from disappointed trick-or-treaters, but it may help to promote a healthier lifestyle.

Recycle and reuse. If you are holding a Halloween monster bash, make sure and use reusable plates and utensils instead of disposable ones that may end up in a land fill. Also, purchase candy and other goodies in bulk to limit the amount of packaging.

Don’t buy plastic decorations. Purchase pumpkins at a local farm market and carve them up to use as jack-o-lanterns for your front porch. Old bed-sheets can be made into great ghosts to hang from the front porch.