Twenty to thirty seconds of “pure terror”! This is how many earthquake survivors describe their experience. Anyone who has ever experienced an earthquake or seen a volcanic eruption first hand knows the true power of nature. Modern technology enables us to study our planet in ways and visualize it in ways that were just not […]
Energy is not a new invention. It dates all the way back to the Stone Age when it was used to provide light and heat. Today, energy is the driving force at the center of almost everything. Students arrive home each day and flip switches to satisfy whatever need or desire they hold dear at […]
Many adults can recall as a child a strong sense of wonder as Project Gemini and soon after Project Apollo sent Americans to the moon. It was not only a triumph for America in the Cold War, but it was a triumph for all Americans. As Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon, […]
Most of the United States is now in the full-fledged change of seasons from the warmth of summer to the chill of winter. October saw the first snows in the “continental 48” in the Northern and Central Rockies and even farther east in the high plains and upper Midwest. Certainly there is much more to […]
The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious. And why shouldn’t it be? — it is the same the angels breathe. ~ Mark Twain, Roughing It, Chapter XXII, 1886. Throughout the years and around the world, men and women have been fascinated by the prospect of flight. Take […]
Autumn began on Sept 22 this year. 10:49 am EDT (Eastern Daylight Time) marked the moment the Sun “crossed the Equator”, however across much of the mid-latitudes, signs of autumn typically begin to appear from Labor Day on. These signs include noticeably shorter days, cooler air, less humidity, and perhaps the most obvious change of […]
A global celebration for our seas is about to take place! Mark your calendars on June 8th for World Oceans Day. This event is where people throughout the world pay tribute to the bodies of water on our planet that connect us. These waters are indeed our life support system. Water covers a vast majority […]
No matter what discipline you teach, turn students on to one or more ways they can contribute collaboratively with others on meaningful, real-world missions. It is not uncommon for young people, even those of today’s generations, to think that they just do not fit the stereotype of being a scientist. The truth is that all […]
Is it spring? To answer this question, step outside; what evidence of spring do you see, hear, or feel? Ask an astrophysicist when spring begins and she will likely consult the solar calendar. Accordingly, vernal equinox arrived at 12:57 pm EST on Thursday, March 20, 2014. That moment marked the point at which the sun […]
Much of our population lives along or near a coastline. This is typical of most of civilization for recorded history. Proximity to the ocean even today enables the trade of commerce from one land to another. Living near the ocean also tends to make one wonder. Oceans cover over 70% of Earth’s surface. But…what lies […]