Scrapyard Adventures

by magdissimo, This post originally appeared at Future Science Leaders.

This Monday I went on an adventure to my local junkyard, so I thought for this week’s post I’d tell you a little bit about it.

Maybe I should explain how I found myself in this junkyard in the first place.  In FSL we are encouraged to play around with projects on our own, do our own building, read up on subjects ourselves, and I’m always keen on building things.  Very often I will spend a good afternoon scrolling and hacking my way through the deep forest that is Instructables in hopes that I find something awesome and fairly easy to do.  As it stands there are THOUSANDS of cool projects, many of which I’ve bookmarked into my “Do This Someday” favourites folder, but they often require materials that I don’t have kicking around, can’t afford to have kicking around, or have no idea where to find them so that they could kick around.  And so I started thinking, “Where can I get some of these weird ingredients?  Can you really just go into a store and buy a set of old leather car seats?  Can you even order steel drums online?”

And in a moment of clarity, it hit me: The junkyard!  This oasis of scrap metal and car parts and whosits all waiting for the builder within us all to spring to life and re-make them into something wonderful.

After driving across train tracks to the wharf where I live, getting lost for a while, getting unlost and ultimately coming out with a greater knowledge of the industrial area, I found the junkyward.  Below are some photos of items I would like to refurbish eventually.

This old bed header is screaming to be used in something.

Nestled somewhere in the back, to my utter surprise, were these really old computers including the original vectroscopes.

Everything including the kitchen sink.

The mountain of steel drums.

There were stacks of barely old Macs, all imported from far-off school districts.

This adventure was so inspiring, I recommend that all builders reading this go and find a scrap/junk/wreckyard closest to them and walk around.  Even if you don’t find anything you end up using, it’s a thought-provoking experience.

About this Contributor: M is a high school student in BC, Canada. She can usually be found playing the accordion or working on one of her many building projects and hopes to one day become an inventor. 

Blood Plasma Resembles Ketchup!

by AliceY, This post originally appeared at Future Science Leaders.

Plasma may usually flow like a liquid, but on a small-scale, has the consistency of ketchup.

A recent study reveals that plasma behaves like a solid on small scales. Blood delivers vital oxygen, and nutrients to all parts of the body. Blood plasma is made of water that transports red and white blood cells, proteins, salts, platelets and fats. To understand plasma, more knowledge must be gained about the motion of blood within the human body. On a small scale, blood acts elastic. To illustrate this picture, an analogy to ketchup can be made. Have you ever shaken a bottle of ketchup, only to have the solid mass of ketchup refuse to budge, and finally, in the end, ketchup squeezes through all at once? Ketchup may behave as blood cells floating in the plasma, and not to plasma itself. These tests suggest that plasma is not a normal fluid, but rather a side-to-side elasticity.

This may be a controversial issue as not all scientists agree that plasma is normal. Researchers at Saarland University in Saarbrucken, Germany slowly pulled apart two plates with plasma in-between them and stretched out the fluid. High-speed camera images revealed a thin filament connecting two plates. The narrow thread supports the fact that plasma is viscoelastic. Viscoelasticity shows properties of both liquids and solids. Blood plasma has a combination of viscosity and elasticity. The plasma flows in  a direction, and the chains stretch out and change the orientation of the blood plasma.This behaviour of plasma is related to the elongation of flow which is significant as the blood must slide through a narrowing blood vessel and squeeze past a clot.

To test this type of situation, Wagner and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania ran the plasma through microfluidics device. Once the small channel which is tens of microns wide is built, the plasma flows through a small canal. At one point in the channel, the channel narrows and the plasma is forced to elongate in order to fit through The flow lengthened, and showed characteristics of complex viscous fluids, not normal ones. The blood plasma’s stretchy behaviour only becomes significant on a small scale, but is a vital part of the prediction of the blood’s motion similar to how blood plasma works in small capillaries. Learning more about the characteristics of blood plasma can help doctors give more accurate information about their patients’ blood behaviours and body conditions. Scientists can create a 3-dimensional model to imitate the flow of blood in a model heart.

About this Contributor: An optimistic high school student, Alice enjoys expressing her thoughts and opinions through writing. She plays field hockey in her spare time.

Development of Critical Thinking outside of School

by Valzaby, This post originally appeared at Future Science Leaders.

According to an article published in the last issue of Scientific American, in order for our society to function properly, meaning function as a proper democracy, it must consist of critical thinkers.  Unfortunately though, critical thinking is not being properly taught in the classroom, where tests and marks have become the sole way to exhibit progress and which don’t require the necessary skills that will be later important in life.

Let’s face it, when was the last time any of us was asked a truly difficult question on a test, where solely the extension of recall and application was not enough? I’m guessing that not many of us get these types of questions a lot. A few days ago, my AP Chemistry teacher asked a difficult question, which required thinking outside the box. I was stumped and did not know what to answer. Eventually after examining all possibilities, I came to right conclusion. This however took a lot of thinking and stress. So what can we do to improve the 21^st century average student’s critical thinking ability so that they can make better informed decision?

The article talked about a study done more than 10 years ago by scientists at Vanderbilt University, who asked 5^th graders and college students what they would to protect bald eagles from extinction. Both groups came up with similar ideas, showing that more education was not a factor in thinking outside the box and complex problem solving.  Nonetheless when asked to come up with questions about important issues regarding eagles, the college students came up with more critical ones, such as how are they dependent on their environment, versus 5^thgraders who asked simple questions about individual eagles. This proved that older students have learned how to learn, but have not learned how to think critically.

The Exploratorium in San Francisco Dennis M. Bartels (the writer of article) studied how asking good questions can affect the quality of scientific inquiry. They began by teaching participants to ask “What if? And How Can? “Questions that could not be answered right away. This led to further research and to the development of even better and more extensive questions that included cause and effect. Thus by beginning to ask simple questions, they were able to teach the students to be set on solving more complex issues. Notice how this practice happened outside of the classroom, a theme which is very popular amongst scientists right now.

Future Science Leaders is one such program as well. Here we are taught to ask questions, explore them, reword them and do experiments to prove and disprove our theories. We are taught to look beyond the simple and beyond the available, and to formulate our own research and ideas. As the article mentions “informal learning environments tolerate failure better than schools”. I feel that that is exactly the case at FSL. Unlike school, we are not graded here. We are not stressed about getting good marks and pleasing the teacher, but we learn for the sake of learning and for our own personal development….and that is how learning should be.  Thus these types of programs, that sponsor learning without grading and pressure, are best for developing the younger generation into critical thinking adults.

This idea is starting to become an important one in our society. It is essential that the younger generation be taught to ask their own questions and do their own research. We don’t want to have a world full of robots, unable to think for themselves…we want wise individuals who are able to make critical decisions and solve problems.

Original Article : March 2013 issue of Scientific American “ What Is Your Question? “ by Dennis M.Bartels

About this contributor: Valzaby is currently a grade 12 high school student who is both ambitious and motivated, but loves to have fun. Interested in human biology, psychology, dramatic soap opera TV shows and fitness through dance, she is in general a very social and open person.

The Mystery of Salmon Migration and Magnetism

by KellyC, This post originally appeared at the Future Science Leaders blog.

During spawning season, salmon somehow swim thousands of kilometers from the sea to the rivers where they were born. It has long been a mystery as to how they are able to navigate such an enormous distance, and with startling accuracy, yet a new study indicates that magnetism may play a role in guiding salmon home.

This study, published recently in Current Biology, finds that salmon sense rivers’ magnetic signature to help guide them. The researchers in the study used data spanning 56 in order to identify the migration routes taken by the salmon, and comparing them to the intensity of the Earth’s magnetic fields at important points in their migratory route. The intensity of the Earth’s magnetosphere differs at every point, and changes over time. Researchers observed how migratory patterns could be predicted based on the strength of the magnetic signature of the routes, and found that in all 56 years, salmon were more inclined to take the path that had the magnetic signature that most closely resembled that of the Fraser River when they first swam out from that river into the Pacific Ocean. Surprisingly, the researchers found that the migratory routes taken by salmon relied entirely on the magnetism of the routes, not on the distance of the route.

“These results are consistent with the idea that juvenile salmon imprint on (i.e. learn and remember) the magnetic signature of their home river, and then seek that same magnetic signature during their spawning migration,” said Nathan Putman, a post-doctoral researcher at Oregon State University and the lead author of the study.

Researchers say that they still don’t know exactly when, how early or how often salmon are able to check the Earth’s magnetic field in order to situate them during their migration home. However, Putman says,
“For the salmon to be able to go from some location out in the middle of the Pacific 4,000 miles away, they need to make a correct migratory choice early–and they need to know which direction to start going in. For that, they would presumably use the magnetic field,” which implies that salmon must use magnetism early in their journey home. 

He also says, “As the salmon travel that route, ocean currents and other forces might blow them off course. So they would probably need to check their magnetic position several times during this migration to stay on track. Once they get close to the coastline, they would need to hone in on their target, and so would presumably check in more continuously during this stage of their migration.”

Previous studies suggest that salmon use their sense of smell to find the tributary in which they were born, and Putman agrees with this. However, he points out that over long distances, magnetism would be more beneficial than odors because unlike odors, it can be continuously detected over great distances.

This study is ground-breaking because scientists have never before shown an animal’s ability to learn the magnetic field through individual observation, like when the salmon somehow remembered the magnetic signature of the Fraser River as they left it to swim to the sea, and how they used this information to guide them back to their home river. This is the first study that shows evidence of magnetic imprinting in animals, and reveals valuable new concepts in the field of behavioral biology.

Also, this study suggests that the migratory patterns of salmon could be predicted using geomagnetic models, which has major implications for conservation and management.

Sources:

http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/02/study-first-evidence-magnetism-helps-salmon-find-home

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/02/07/171384063/animal-magnetism-how-salmon-find-their-way-back-home

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130207131713.htm

About this contributor: Kelly is an ocean lover and high school student, and is particularly fascinated by whales. She enjoys being outdoors, writing, traveling and meeting new people.

Bon Voyage NEOSSat!

by MeganN, This post originally appeared at The Future Science Leaders Blog.

This posted has also been posted to my personal blog! 

Introducing NEOSSat, a proud Canadian satellite. Photo Credit: Canadian Space Agency

February 25th 2013, the Canadian Space Agency proudly lauched NEOSSat- the Near-Earth Object Surveillance Satellite.  If that isn’t cool enough, NEOSSat also holds the title of being the first space telescope designed to detect and track asteroids as well as satellites! Canada launched NEOSSat as part of their dedication towards keeping the outer space a safe place for everyone.  Kudos to Canada, eh!

A simulation of the launch has been produced courtesy of the Canadian Space Agency!

NEOSSat about to undergo vibration testing in Ottawa! Photo Credit: Canadian Space Agency

How much work can you get done in a mere 100 minutes? Well, NEOSSat circles the entire globe in that time!  It isn’t even close to being comparable! This satellites goal is to hopefully discover asteroids within Earth’s orbit that measure 1km across (or larger) that could possibly pose a threat to Earth in the future.  It will focus on the day side of the sky because this side is not visible from ground based observatories.

Another function of NEOSSat will be to monitor orbiting space debris which includes things likes used rocket stages, old satellites, and anything else that may interfere with new spacecraft. The more and more we progress in the field of astronomy and are able to venture out into space and experiment, means more waste will be accumulating in space.  This accumulation poses a risk for collisions with future launches.  Unfortunately, there have already been a few close calls when is comes to these sort of collisions.  Currently, there are no rules mandating the proper behavior when it comes to managing space debris but the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) has published guidelines.

Photo Credit: Canadian Space Agency

NEOSSat is an amazing piece of technology and amazingly is is only about the size of a suitcase!  Orbiting about 800 kilometers above the Earth, it is able to operate 24/7 and generate hundreds of pictures that will be analyzed by the NEOSSat team at the University of Calgary.  By taking all of the photos and learning more about the asteroids near Earth, NEOSSat will be able to provide vital information for future space missions.

One of the coolest things about NEOSSat is that due to it’s location in space, it will be able to give us a lot of new information that ground based equipment could not. Alan Hildebrand of the University of Calgary said ““Its [NEOSSat's] most exciting result, however, will probably be discovering new targets for exploration by both manned and unmanned space missions.”

NEOSSat could really change the way space exploration is planned and I’m so proud of Canada for being the ones to take this big step! I feel kind of sentimental towards this hunk of metal, kind of like how I felt watching wall-e! My fingers are crossed in hopes that all things continue to go well!

Sincerely, Megan

About this Contributor: MeganN is an 18 year old health nut from Vancouver, BC. She loves running, volunteering, leadership, and of course, science! She hopes to one day go into a career in medicine.

Namaqua Rain Frog

by Claudia, This post originally appeared at Radioactive Lab Rats.

Over the past week [Ed note: post originally appeared February 19] this frog has been gaining a lot of attention. More and more videos of this unique frog are uploaded to the internet for many to see.
The Namaqua Rain Frog is part of the frog family and lives mostly underground in dry tropical areas. It has a petite short body that can be vunerable to predators. In order for it to defend itself it has adapted an unsual trait for protection. Similar to a blowfish it’s body inflates, making it bigger than its normal size. Not only does the appearance of this cute frog puffing itself up like a marshmellow adorable, the sound it makes really makes you want to take it home (not that I telling you to actually take it home, cause you probably shouldn’t take it away from its natural habitat). The frog is able to make a sound that comes out of a dog squeaky toy. Yes take that predators. I know for us humans it may not make it look scary, but the act of cuteness does make sure we don’t harm it. Unfortunately the animal is threatened but we can work towards protecting its habitat. This great frog is just another example of one of mother ature’s precious species.

About this contributor: Claudia is a high school student with interests in biology, physics, TV  and enjoys discovering new fun facts. 

Math! Week One

by annieenergy, This post originally appeared at Dear World... Sincerely, Science

On February 19th, our first day of FSL Math sessions, David Kohler and Natascia Tamburello joined us once again (familiar faces from our quantitative reasoning weeks in September!) Christina Koch, a Master’s student from UBC, also took the time to break several stereotypes surrounding “the mathematician” and to share her versatile version of the profession.

We started off our math sessions last Tuesday by exploring codes. From switching letters and numbers to shiftingletters up or down, we looked at a few simple ways that codes have been used and created. Using David’s spreadsheets, we encrypted and decoded messages in which the letters were shifted up or down 1 to 25 times. This method, called Caesar’s Code – popularized by, you guessed it, Julius Caesar – was used as a basis for German codes in WW2 (for the Enigma machine).

I was most intrigued by the different methods used to guess the key (number to shift the letters) for another group’s message. For example, our messages didn’t have spaces, but if they had, we could have assumed that double letters were vowels often found together (fool, feet) or double consonants (add, guess.) Single letters are also helpful as they are almost always the vowels i or a (as long as there are no numbers.)

Here’s an example:

sghr hr z rdbqds ldrrzfd

Now if you haven’t felt the urge to run away, you can ask…

- Is Z near any vowel that stands alone?

Z is near A

- Is R near any vowel or consonant that is frequently doubled?

R is near S

This method, called frequency analysis, happens to help us with this message. It turns out that Z is shifted 25 times from A (or -1 times) and R is shifted 25 times from S (or -1 times.) We can try shifting the rest of the message back up 25 letters and we get…

this is a secret message

If you decoded the message, congratulations! You would have been quite the asset for Caesar’s army, and it seems many others since.

However creating codes is far from a military-only task. As we explored last Tuesday, the “strength” of your password is entirely based on the how long it takes for a computer to “decipher” the code, if you will, that you have created. If you have few characters and only letters or numbers, your password requires fewer “bits” (small 1s and 0s, on and off switches that hold information.) This means that a computer can find which numbers or letters used quite easily.

The 7 character “password”:

1928374

for example, uses just numbers (only 10 possible characters) and requires only 23 bits – a measly sum that most computers would take just over a minute to crack!

Despite the wealth of facts and figures however, the most fulfilling part for me came last and left me with such a valuable wealth of unknown. Not unlike Caesar’s opponents, we were cast into a fray of age old math problems, some with answers just as famous and others famously unanswerable. Yet the wonder of these questions does not lie in how long they have lasted or how long they will endure; instead it lies in the fluttering at the back of my mind as I explore them for the first time. Their value can be found in my abandon at the thought of a possibility and my excited exasperation when that possibility leads no closer to a solution. Our fascination with these enigmas is rooted so deeply in not knowing – in crunched up balls of paper, furrowed brows and sleepless nights when our minds wander just beyond their borders.

David did not give us the answers this week, but it feels as if we were given so much more. We got to jump up and down in frustration and delight, and for one week, we could wonder at all we do not know –  without the inconvenience of an answer.

http://www.codesandciphers.org.uk/enigma/enigma1.htm

Photo credit: secretcodebreaker.com

About the contributor: AnnieEnergy loves to wonder and ponder, explore and rejoice in finding that she barely understands the tiniest smidgin of what happens in the world and of what is possible. She also enjoys writing, playing and sharing music, laughing in the sun and dancing in the rain.