Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Mandatory!

Sheesh, I'm a little shocked that I haven't had any takers for the science fair.  Do you realize this will be a big part of your grade?  I know!

AND, there will be amazing prizes.  Possibly certificates with really cool fonts (has anyone seen the movie, "Helvetica", btw?  Me neither.)  Or a trip.  The winner could go with me to Home Depot to buy more rat traps, which might not sound like a very good prize, but trust me, it will be fun.  Second prize might involve circumnavigating something with me, like a small lake or a donut.  (Do you like how I worked myself into all the prizes?)

So, start thinking about questions you have that only science can answer.

Here are some things we're all wondering about, to get you thinking:

  1. What's the effect of one thing on another?  Like, add a household chemical to something else.  Watch, wait, create graphs.  Take pictures.  For example, you might put an egg in a vat of something.  And as a control, don't put another egg in that same something. 
  2. How can we accelerate growth?  Of trees, vegetables, hair (wanted hair), mold.
  3. How can we retard growth?  Of unwanted hair, mold, weeds.
  4. How can we improve the human brain in effortless ways that involve things like chewing gum, smelling something, or napping?
  5. What's going on with the tiny stuff we can't see in our kitchens, like atoms and bacteria?
  6. What are some home remedies that can be concocted by recombining DNA?   (See this post to get started.)
  7. And so on.  The list is endless. 

16 comments:

  1. The list is endless! I could do lots of experiments involving bacteria in my sink right now. I'm a little behind on the housework.

    Your post made me remember I haven't finished reading this article from Smithsonian about a guy who's putting his dna into petunias, fascinating stuff and the makings of a plausible horror movie plot...

    http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/artscience/2013/02/the-story-of-how-an-artist-created-a-strange-genetic-hybrid-of-himself-and-a-petunia/

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  2. Mel, you and I will be circumnavigating something soon enough, I can tell. I can hardly wait for your experiment. And wow, that's crazy. speaking of inserting one's self where you don't belong. I'm pretty sure I don't belong in a petunia.

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  3. Tell you what...I'll be your 'control subject. I'll have enough control not to enter the science fair and you can compare how sane I remain compared to those who compete lol. I volunteer my services in this capacity free of charge...no recognition required...come to think of it, this may be how I got through most of my subjects in school.

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    1. I think you may be sorry, D.... You just never know what kind of experiments people are up for. Like Ms. Moon for example...

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  4. Wow, you're right, I've already thought of a few of these questions, esp. the getting rid of unwanted hair and how to get smarter by napping. So. How do we get started?

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    1. P. S. Or am I supposed to come up with the how to get started idea? I told you, I'm not too good at this.

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    2. YAY. Okay, I think you should definitely pick the napping one. Pick some mental task, like playing timed sodoku, or memorizing a list of objects. Take the nap, measure how good you are on the activity. Another day, do it without the nap. Have others do this too. Measure, record. Submit your results. I have a feeling you might win a prize!

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  5. Helvetica - saw it back when it came out in 2007. I'm waiting for "Helvetica BOLD" to be released.

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  6. In a return to one of your quips that made me laugh most, and you very often make me laugh, why don't you go ahead and pee on the lettuce(or a control pe(e?)tunia)?

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    1. Oh, that's a good experiment, SR. You should totally do that! Or another one. I can hardly wait to see what you'll come up with. Remember, there will be awesome prizes!

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  7. Betsy, I think you should be writing the Science textbooks for the state of Texas. Wait a minute, I think we could come up with an experiment about retarding brain growth and the textbook standards of the Texas Board of Education...

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    1. Meg, what's your experiment going to be? Remember, this will be a large part of your grade...

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  8. One problem is you seem to think that science fairs are about science. In fact they are about middle school. For those out of middle school, you have to think: DIY. Check out this http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/feb/03/jon-ronson-diy-science-experiments

    I mean this is serious stuff, and all you really need is a kitchen...

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    1. Oh, that looks like a great idea! Splitting atoms at home! I was thinking of gene splicing, by maybe I'm aiming too low.

      What I think about science fairs is they're about curiousity and quirky interests all summed up into a little experiment. What could be better? I hope you're thinking about your experiment. I'm sure it will be amazing. :-)

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  9. teacher, teacher.... uh...sorry, I didn't notice the first time you said this was mandatory and will be part of my grade.
    Uh...so...when is the due date?

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