As I said last week, it has been quite a summer. The biggest adventure of the season was my trip to Antofagasta, Chile to meet with the wonderful teachers of the Tarpuq project. I thoroughly enjoyed my meetings there—including the chance to speak to an audience listening to a translation through headphones, and working with … Continue reading
When I look out my office window, there’s a pretty limited selection of wildlife. But always, even in a Michigan winter, there are birds. Birds are part of virtually every global ecosystem, and in urban landscapes they are one of the most visible evidences that even amidst concrete, the cycles of life continue. They also … Continue reading
Do you teach high school science? Do you like a capella music? Do your students? How about parodies? Amazingly clever lyrics? If you like any of these you really need to see the YouTube channel A Cappella Science. Like so many things, I was introduced to A Cappella Science via social media. Here’s one of … Continue reading
Do you know a young person who likes to build things? To help young builders move to the next level of thinking without the demand for high-tech gizmos or expensive materials, you might explore Engineer This! 10 Amazing Projects for Young Mechanical Engineers. In Engineer This!, Carole McBride and Francisco Gonzales have compiled projects including … Continue reading
Two of the key things creative scientists do are 1) Ask questions and 2) Gather data to try to answer the questions. This month, your students can gather with data-seekers around the world to help answer the question, “Is the earth flat?” Now, for those of you in globe-filled classrooms, that may seem a silly … Continue reading
Sometimes the creativity in the world just makes me chuckle. It happened this week as I reviewed the materials for the 2017 Dance Your Dissertation Contest. Yes, dance. For most of us who managed the dissertation process, any dancing that occurred was at a post-defense party at which we celebrated our academic survival. But the … Continue reading
Every significant creative project comes with struggles—at least mine certainly do. I’m in the midst of a large mosaic project, or, to be more accurate, I’m stalled. I only have one evening a week in the mosaic studio, and those have been rare lately. Other life circumstances have made even one day a week difficult … Continue reading
This week I saw two very different musicals. Well, to be honest, I saw all of one and parts of another. I was one of millions who have had the opportunity to see the PBS documentary on Hamilton, the Broadway smash musical that combines hip hop and history to tell the story of Alexander Hamilton, … Continue reading
You know how easy it is to get lost in online searches for something interesting—one thing leads to another and before you know it, it’s time for dinner—or bed. While writing the last post on integrating math and art, I discovered the beauty of the Vizzie Awards. The Vizzies, sponsored by the National Science Foundation … Continue reading
Not long ago, one of my favorite very bright young people gave up the opportunity to go to a prestigious math/science high school because they didn’t have an orchestra. Or much of a music program. While I suspect this young man will one day make a career in the sciences, life without music was just … Continue reading
