President Obama on Back-to-School: "Set Your Sights High"

This afternoon, students from across the country tuned in as President Obama addressed them directly in his third annual Back-to-School speech . The President encouraged America's students to use their time in school to try new things, discover new passions and hone their skills to prepare themselves for the kind of profession they want in the future:

It starts, obviously, with being the best student that you can be. Now, that doesn’t always mean that you have to have a perfect score on every assignment. It doesn’t mean that you’ve got to get straight As all the time -- although that’s not a bad goal to have. It means that you have to stay at it. You have to be determined and you have to persevere. It means you’ve got to work as hard as you know how to work. And it means that you’ve got to take some risks once in a while. You can’t avoid the class that you think might be hard because you’re worried about getting the best grade if that’s a subject that you think you need to prepare you for your future. You’ve got to wonder. You’ve got to question. You’ve got to explore. And every once in a while, you need to color outside of the lines.

It starts, obviously, with being the best student that you can be. Now, that doesn’t always mean that you have to have a perfect score on every assignment. It doesn’t mean that you’ve got to get straight As all the time -- although that’s not a bad goal to have. It means that you have to stay at it. You have to be determined and you have to persevere. It means you’ve got to work as hard as you know how to work. And it means that you’ve got to take some risks once in a while. You can’t avoid the class that you think might be hard because you’re worried about getting the best grade if that’s a subject that you think you need to prepare you for your future. You’ve got to wonder. You’ve got to question. You’ve got to explore. And every once in a while, you need to color outside of the lines.

That’s what school is for: discovering new passions, acquiring new skills, making use of this incredible time that you have to prepare yourself and give yourself the skills that you’re going to need to pursue the kind of careers that you want. And that’s why when you’re still a student you can explore a wide range of possibilities. One hour you can be an artist; the next, an author; the next, a scientist, or a historian, or a carpenter. This is the time where you can try out new interests and test new ideas. And the more you do, the sooner you’ll figure out what makes you come alive, what stirs you, what makes you excited -- the career that you want to pursue.

The President explained that being engaged in school is not just for the students themselves, but for the country as a whole. He acknowledged that young people today are growing up fast and students have a lot of responsibility to take on, "because you’re not just kids. You’re this country’s future. You’re young leaders. And whether we fall behind or race ahead as a nation is going to depend in large part on you."

Robotics exhibit at South Florida Science Museum

Tomorrow's Leaders STEM from Today's Learners

The SECME Solution: How do we get more students interested in STEM?

Microsoft Corp. announced the findings of two national surveys in September, conducted online by Harris Interactive, of college students currently pursuing STEM degrees and of parents of K–12 students. The goal of the surveys was to gain insight about what can better prepare and inspire students to pursue post-secondary education in STEM subjects.

Nearly four in five STEM college students said they decided to study STEM in high school or earlier (78 %). But only one in five felt that their K–12 education prepared them extremely well for their college courses in STEM.

Parents of K–12 students (93 %) believe that STEM education should be a priority in the U.S. But only 24 percent are extremely willing to spend extra money helping their children be successful in their math and science classes.

More than half (57 %) of STEM college students said that before going to college, a teacher or class got them interested in STEM (20 %). This is especially true of female students (68 % versus 51 % of males) who chose “a teacher or class” as the top factor that sparked their interest. But male students (51 % ) were more likely to pursue STEM because they have always enjoyed playing with games and toys, and participating in clubs focused on their chosen subject areas (like SECME).

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2011/sep11/09-07MSSTEMSurveyPR.mspx and here’s an eye-catching infographic that summarizes it
http://mashable.com/2011/09/07/stem-microsoft-infographic/

$37 million West Palm Beach water plant doomed by costly chemicals, city failures

WEST PALM BEACH — Twenty years ago, the city conceived a visionary approach to drought relief that would turn the runoff from sewage treatment into drinkable water.

Now, after spending $37 million on a plant that has been shut down half the time since 2009, administrators are ready to give up. Plagued by design flaws and operator error, the Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant breaks down too often and is too costly to run when it's working, they say.

A Palm Beach Post analysis of plant records shows it has produced no water at all on 49 percent of the days since 2009.

Other findings:

Replacing just one bulb on the plant's balky and dated ultraviolet disinfection system costs $250. And the plant's 256 ultraviolet bulbs go out so often that it cost $130,000 to keep the system running last year.

Five years after the plant opened, lengthy shutdowns are blamed on poor design. For instance, a methanol tank can't be replaced because it is right under a roof that would cost $500,000 to remove. Instead, purging the tank for repairs takes days, during which time the entire plant must be shut down.

Four giant pumps costing hundreds of thousands of dollars failed years ago because city workers with no expertise on pumps tried to cool them with swamp water, which gummed up the works, causing them to burn out.

Ferric, a chemical needed to meet the plant's stringent treatment requirements, cost $250,000 last year. Typical sewage reuse plants don't need ferric.

Plant production averaged 14 percent of promised levels, an important factor because the city is permitted to draw only as much water from its well field, its drought backup, as the plant sends to the well field.

For Utilities Director David Hanks, who came to the city in 2008 excited to work with the cutting-edge plant, the costs outweigh the benefits. "You've got to look at return on investment," Hanks said. "It's certainly not there at this point.

" Every day I was like, 'What now?' " Hanks said. "It makes you want to knock your head against the wall."

"Why an engineer would recommend something like that is beyond me," Hanks said. "All we can do now is try to fix it and we're doing that."

Read the full article at $37 million West Palm Beach water plant doomed by costly chemicals, city failures

Symphony of Science - The Quantum World

A musical investigation into the nature of atoms and subatomic particles, the jiggly things that make up everything we see. Featuring Morgan Freeman, Frank Close, Michio Kaku, Brian Cox, Richard Feynman, and Stephen Hawking.

"The Quantum World" is the eleventh installment in the ongoing Symphony of Science music video series. Materials used in the creation of this video are from:

Richard Feynman - Fun to Imagine

BBC Visions of the Future - the Quantum Revolution

Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman

Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking

Brian Cox TED Talk

BBC What Time is it

BBC Wonders of the Universe

BBC Horizon - What Is Reality

President Obama to Address Students Sept. 28, 2011

As SECME students start another year of engineering excellence, President Barack Obama will deliver his third annual Back-to-School Speech at 1:30PM EDT on Wednesday, September 28, 2011.

The President’s Back-to-School Speech is an opportunity to speak directly to students across the country. In past years, President Obama has encouraged students to study hard and take responsibility for their education, urging students to set goals, to believe in themselves, and to be the authors of their own destinies.

The speech will be live streamed so that classrooms across the country may listen to or watch the remarks. For more information about watching the speech, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/back-to-school/

Related Post:
President Obama 1st Address to Students 2009

President Obama 2nd Address to Students 2010

Heard Any Good STEM lately?

Heard Any Good STEM lately?

I’ve recently discovered the “Engineering Works” podcast from Texas A&M University. The weekly look at the whimsical, unusually or just little- known sides to engineering, is now a favorite on my iPod. It’s smart, it’s short (around 2 minutes), and it’s silly enough that its seriousness isn’t lost. For example, the first podcast I listened to was “Golfing with Lobsters.” It is about how when dumping plastic in the ocean was banned, cruise ships turned to engineers. Turns out golfers can hit biodegradable balls made of crustaceans’ shells from the mid-deck driving range. And the next episode was “Easing your Aching Back,” so you know I was all ears. You can sample the podcast at http://engineeringworks.tamu.edu/ and “Engineering Works” is available for subscription through iTunes

Truss us - we know what we're doing!

20110921 Bridge Breaking

(Click on the first picture to flip through the photostream)

We tested by placing the dowel halfway along the bridge so it runs across the center span. We used chain to hang the bucket off the dowel, and slowly add more and more sand to the bucket until the bridge breaks. The bucket is then weighed, and structural efficiency determined. Divide the load the bridge held by the weight of the bridge. The higher the load/weight ratio, the stronger the bridge! A good design spreads the force over a greater area, or moves the force from an area of weakness to an area of strength. Triangles are a strong shape that transfer the load from just one point to a much wider area. A bridge will buckle when the force of compression is greater than its ability to handle being shortened. A bridge will snap when the force of tension overcomes its ability to handle stretching.

Adopt A Classroom

Dear Seminole SECME supporter,

Did you know that teachers’ access to and use of hands-on learning resources in the classroom is the single most important teacher input factor toward student success?

Did you know that teachers spend an average of $1,200 of their own money each year purchasing resources and materials for the classroom?

Attached please find information about Adopt-A-Classroom. The program enables individuals and businesses like you to help teachers like me succeed in the classroom.

- 100% of the donation is provided to the teacher in an online account.
- Adopt-A-Classroom takes $0 for administration.
- All donations are tax-deductible.
- No donation is too small. Any amount helps.
- You receive Impact Reports that show exactly how the teacher spends the money, so it’s fully accountable and transparent.
- You receive direct feedback from the teacher so you can experience first hand the impact you have made.

You can learn more about our Adopt-A-Classroom program by visiting its website at www.adoptaclassroom.org.

This is a great opportunity to get involved. As we all know, children learn best when the community works together toward helping students reach their highest potential.

Sincerely,
Erich Landstrom
2010 SECME National Teacher of the Year

Spirit Night To Support The Very Special Science Fair

A Spirit Night to support the Very Special Science Fair for students in grades K-12 with significant disabilities will be held Thursday, October 6th. Chick-fil-A is sponsoring the Spirit Night to raise funds to transport students, many of whom are in wheelchairs, to the Very Special Science Fair at the Palm Beach Zoo in April.

Over 500 students with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder participate in the Fair and the cost to transport these students is over $10,000.

On October 6th go to the Chick-fil-A restaurants below and order anything on the menu. Mention the Very Special Science Fair and a portion of the sale will be donated to the Fair.

Locations and Times:
Wellington Mall 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Okeechobee & Turnpike 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Palm Beach Lakes 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Northlake 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Boynton Beach Blvd. 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Boca Towne Center 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The purpose of the Very Special Science Fair is to enable students with significant disabilities the opportunity to participate in scientific inquiry and discovery. Each classroom develops a science project which is displayed at the Palm Beach Zoo’s facility.

Since its inception four years ago, the Very Special Science Fair has tripled in the number of classrooms participating in this event. Students are proud of the hard work they’ve generated in developing their science projects and thrilled at seeing them displayed at the Zoo’s Pavilion.

Linda Laverty with the Department of Exceptional Student Education says, “Bring your family and friends and join us in a random act of kindness by going to Chick-fil-A on October 6th and support the Very Special Science Fair.”

For more information contact Linda Laverty at (561) 434-8181 or via e-mail at linda.laverty@palmbeachschools.org .

Edventure Alert: Egg Drop Challenge

September: Egg Drop Challenge

Use a variety of recyclable materials to design and build a raw egg protector. We will test the designs by dropping them from heights of 6,12, and 20 feet.

Date & Time: Saturday, Sept. 17, 10:30am - 12:00pm

Ages: 5+ with parent/guardian

Cost: $15.00 adult/child pair, $5.00 each additional person

See more family programs here:

http://www.scienceexplorium.org/family-programs

SAE AWIM JetToy Challenge

View the photos and videos of the Seminole SECME student solutions to the SAE AWIM JetToy Challenge on September 7th. Students make balloon-powered toy cars that meet specific performance criteria (like travels far). Propulsion, friction, air resistance and design are the core scientific concepts students explore in this challenge.

20110907 SAE AWIM JetToy Challenge

(Click on the first picture to flip through the photostream)

The Holy Grail? Exploring the space ‘essential’ to world leadership

This article was reprinted from BizPac Review. The original article can be found here.

As a science teacher and coach of my school’s engineering club, I have helped students launch plenty of model rockets. And I’ve gotten to see a few real rocket launches live from the Kennedy Space Center. Now NASA has invited me to be its guest for the liftoff of two moon-bound spacecraft aboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, spacecraft will fly in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to provide in-depth data for scientists to analyze in order to better understand the moon's gravitational characteristics, structure, thermal evolution and history of collisions with asteroids. There are two instantaneous (one-second) launch windows open at 8:37 a.m. and 9:16 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, Sept. 8. The launch period extends through Oct. 19.

I’m excited that GRAIL can provide a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky worlds in our solar system formed. A moonquake isn’t an earthquake. The structure of the lunar interior, from crust to core, is different. And the thermal evolution of the moon, like how molten its mantle is, has long been a mystery. In Earth science, we can study the world’s layers by how seismic waves travel. What makes GRAIL a great mission is that it can study layers without ever landing. As one satellite passes through an area of greater gravity due to moon mass concentration, the distance between the two will shrink slightly, and these measurements will be beamed to Earth.

Also aboard the spacecraft will be a camera assembly for the benefit of students that will be used to capture images and video of the moon's surface. “MoonKAM” stands for Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students. Students can request that special cameras on the satellites take photos of specific areas of the lunar surface.

2011 is one of the busiest ever in planetary exploration: GRAIL's liftoff is the third of four space missions launching this year under the management of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Aquarius launched June 10 to study ocean salinity, Juno launched Aug. 5 to study the origins and interior of Jupiter, and the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity rover heads to the red planet no earlier than Nov. 25.

Studies show the American public supports such ambitions. In a June 2011 survey reported by the Pew Research Center, nearly six in 10 Americans, or 58 percent, said it is essential that the United States continue to be a world leader in space exploration. Two-thirds of Republicans (67 percent) said the nation must continue to play an international leadership role in space exploration, while smaller majorities of Democrats (54 percent) and independents (57 percent) said this. Large majorities (39 percent) of the 1,500 people polled said space exploration has contributed greatly in encouraging interest in science, and 35 percent said it has contributed some. Nearly as many (38 percent) said the space program has contributed significantly to scientific advances that all Americans can use, while 34 percent think it has had a major impact on feelings of pride and patriotism. A vibrant space exploration program engages the public, encourages students and helps develop the high-tech workforce that will be required to address the challenges of tomorrow. GRAIL promises to play a significant role in those efforts.

GRAIL's mapping, along with high-resolution pictures of the moon's surface sent back by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, represents an important step in planning the next push outwards of human space exploration. Of particular importance will be GRAIL's discoveries about potential sites for lunar colonies at the polar regions. The aim is to map the moon's gravity field so completely that future moon vehicles can safely navigate anywhere on the moon’s surface. For more information about GRAIL, visit: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/grail and http://moon.mit.edu/.

NASA Science News for Sept. 7, 2011
Did our planet once have two moons? Some researchers say so. Moreover, the missing satellite might still be up there--splattered against the far side of the Moon. NASA's GRAIL mission, due to launch in September, could help confirm or refute the "two moon" hypothesis.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/07sep_twomoons/

Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk' newsletter Autumn 2011

In the Autumn 2011 issue of the Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk' newsletter

- Live at the Liftoff: Landstrom guest of GRAIL launch team

- Science is Rock and Roll: The Black Eyed PEas recruit for robotics during "i.am.FIRST"

- Figure This! A melting math challenge to keep ice cool

- SECME Spotlight on Principal James Campbell

- NEW formula for the Mousetrap Vehicle competition

Click here to download the attached PDF copy of our Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk' newsletter Autumn 2011 issue

From 2011Autumn Hawk Talk