On MLK day we get a new bear cub!!!

Welcome to your new home Yona!!! Yona will be arriving at the museum on January 15 and we are very excited for Yona to live here with our other 4 bears.

Yona was rescued from Townsend, TN and found weighing around four pounds: still a defenseless cub. She was found on the side of the road and picked up by a good hearted woman, who later named her Yona meaning 'bear' in Cherokee. The woman later called the Appalachian Bear Rescue for help in raising the cub...and they are sending Yona to live with us!

Unfortunately, Yona was imprinted by all of her human interaction and can not return to the wild. Imprinting is defined as a permanent visual socialization that will occur as soon as the animal or bird is able to focus. How does this affect Yona in particular? Yona was found at a very early age; she was then totally dependent on people for her food, shelter, warmth, skills, interactions and love. This seems like a good idea in the beginning, but as she grew older she bonded to people not bears. ABR tried to place Yona with their other bears; to re-introduce her to her own species & have her learn to be a BEAR... but she was too imprinted for the wild.

Yona will serve as a shining example of why we do not take in wild animals. It is not only very dangerous, but also selfish on the humans' part. A life in captivity is nothing compared to a life in the wild. I am glad Yona found such a great place to spend the rest of her life!

It costs the Museum more than $25,000 a year to care for its rescued bears. If you would like to help you can adopt a bear or make a contribution by calling the Museum at 919-220-5429 ext. 352.

Kit Tidbit: Native American Supermarket kit

Are you going to have a full house for Thanksgiving? Trying to find fun and educational things to occupy the children? Well, I have the answer!!!!

We are promoting our Native American Supermarket kit for the Thanksgiving holiday season! You can reserve one by calling the SERC at 919.220.5429 * 356. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Cheers to Jimmy!

This is just a quick shout out to Jimmy, my manager! He has officially been working at the museum for 10 years! He has transfered from a few different departments- but he now calls the Science Education Resource Center home, and we are lucky to have him.

Congratulations!!!!!

Now Introducing....Lacy!

We have gone through many changes in the SERC lately...but the most exciting is gaining a new colleague...Lacy! She has been volunteering with us for about 6 months; refurbishing DPS science kits, SIAS kits and helping clean up our building. She was in need of a career change and we were in need of a new addition to our team.

Welcome to the museum Lacy!

Citizen Science: Wish upon a Star....

If you have any great wishes to make, tonight and tomorrow night are going to be the two best nights to view the Perseids Meteor Shower .

Each year in August stargazers get a chance to view meteors from the comet Swift-Tuttle that create 'shooting star' effects in earth's atmosphere.

A great article on Nasa's website about the meteor shower can be found here as well as the best times and locations in the sky to view it.

The meteor shower can be seen from July 17th 2009 to August 24th 2009, but peaks on August 12th.

Some superstitions say that wishing upon the first star you see will grant that wish, so make the first one a good one!

Happy Stargazing,
~Kristen

Wow! We have been busy

It feels like forever since I have posted, and I apologize to all of our loyal readers. The SERC has been extremely busy with DPS science kits, museum events, volunteers, vacations and thankfully renting lots of Science in a Suitcase kits. I can't believe that our summer is almost over! But the museum still has a few things up our sleeves before Fall.

I am really excited for our latest exhibit, Dinosaur Trail! So many people have worked very hard for this; fundraising, research, labor, ideas, meetings, trainings and creating activities & events! Opening day is fast approaching, July 25, and the museum is ready! We have lots of volunteers helping out this weekend, activities planned for our visitors, off site parking, face painting and much more!

Next time you come here, bring your camera. We have a flickr page devoted to 'Durham Dinosaur Sightings.' You can upload your pictures, share your experiences with the rest of the museum community and see what others are doing on the trail!

Hopefully, I will see you this weekend!!!

Citizen Science: Cheers to the Bald Eagle!

As many of you know, the Bald Eagle is our national symbol. It stands for freedom, strength and power. The eagle, as well we several other species of birds, suffered an unfortunate decline with the use of an insecticide named DDT. DDT was first used in WWII to stop the spread of malaria and to kill mosquitoes. As DDT was killing the mosquitoes it was also damaging the environment.

In 1962 Silent Spring by Rachel Carson was published. This book drew lots of attention to the rise of DDT and decline of bird populations. Silent Spring was one of the main reasons for the environmental movement, which gave rise to the Endangered Species Act of 1973. DDT was banned on a world wide level in 1972, just 10 years after Rachel Carson's book was released.

The main effect of DDT on bald eagles was a thinner egg shell. This caused the egg's to break under the weight of the parent eagles, causing a rapid decline in the species. The eagle has come a long way since 1962 (and before) and is now removed from the endangered species list. The bird will be continue to be monitored for the next 5 years, to ensure that the species is on the rise!

Cool Tools: Identifying common snakes of NC!

Yesterday I had a personal encounter with a snake that I was unfamiliar with; so this morning I was searching to find out what species it was and I found a really helpful website.

This site is great for identifying all of North Carolina's reptiles/amphibians. It is easy to use and has lots of pictures to help narrow down the search. It even has maps to show the range of where the species can be found. It is always a good idea to carry a field guide with you any time you are exploring in NC; my favorite is Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia.
by Bernard S. Martof, William M. Palmer, et al. You can pick one up at most book stores.

The snake that was in my backyard was a Black Rat Snake, it was really cool because we actually found him climbing a tree! It was a huge snake, 5ft. This is why I am a firm believer that we should never approach (especially touch) wildlife, certainly not snakes!

Found anything interesting in your backyard? Let me know!

Cool Tools: Bat Day

Are bugs bugging you? If so, put a bat house in your backyard! Bats can eat up to half their weight in food in a single night, one little brown bat can eat more than 600 mosquitoes in one hour! Thats a lot of insects! Now imagine a whole colony of bats...you won't have any problems eating outside this summer!

You can get bat houses in many ways; you can order a pre-cut house and just assemble, paint and put in your yard or you can order the plans off-line and build it yourself. There are certain tips (or guidelines) for your bat house. The paint color, location and height are all dependent on the region that you live in - but you can find all that information right here!

Let us know about your bat success stories!

Piedmont Wildlife Festival

As many of you know, the spring is the busiest time for museum outreach. We travel all over the triangle, go to all types of events, educate people about the museum as well as cool science, and much more.

Last weekend we went to the Piedmont Wildlife Festival, in Durham. There were lots of solid education venues there; SEEDS, the Eno River, the Falconers Guild, Piedmont Wildlife Center and many more. It is always nice to see what our counter-parts are doing and its great to chat with them about whats going on at our museum!

We focused on NC wildlife this time out; so we took a few of our animal friends, skulls, animal track identification, did a little bit of promoting bat day and bear awareness week and a few freebies. As far as animals go - we took Ed the alligator and Optimus Prime the pine snake.

We always have fun when we are given the chance to go out into the community.  We will be hosting our own events and going out in the triangle all summer long, so come visit us!  

Citizen Science: Butterfly Bash- Dare Cafe!

This year was our 10th Anniversary of the Magic Wings Butterfly House, so we celebrated it with Butterfly Bash this year!  There were many new exhibitors and some veteran ones too!  If you remember from my last BFB post, I told you about Dare Cafe!  We talked about Entomophagy, different types of insects to try, the nutritional value and we got it all on video!  

Brad (he is in charge of our Nanoscale Science programs and research at MLS!!) and I made this awesome video of Dare Cafe!  It highlights some unforgettable moments from the program and shows off many of our members and visitors loving bugs! It will make you want to come to our bash NEXT year and experience this!

A big thanks to everyone who participated in Dare Cafe, to Brad for the help with this video and to Nancy and Uli for making the bash possible!  The amount of hard work that goes into these events is mind blowing, it really makes me appreciate my fellow life and sciencers! 

Here are pictures taken by a member.  Her whole family really dug into this program and raised the bar for everyone (young and old) to give it a try! Thanks Maya!! 

Did you make it on the video?  If so, tell us how it turned out!  We are very proud of our productions here and we love feedback! 

The Guest List: Making Paper

Papermaking is for everyone!

 

So, I am part of a group of moms who get together one night a month to craft and socialize.  During April, it was my turn to organize the activity.  But what to do?  I remembered loving the Science in a Suitcase Papermaking Kit from my years as a Kindergarten teacher, so I decided to give it a try again, but this time with adults.  It was a success!  I also made several batches of paper with my two little boys, ages 5 and 2, and they loved it as well.

 The procedure for making recycled paper is fairly simple:

1. Tear paper into small pieces.  (You can use copy paper, construction paper, paper towels, etc.)
2. Blend the paper pieces into a “slurry” with water and starch.
3. Add in decorative items (glitter, wildflower seeds, bits of thread, etc.) as desired.
4. Pour the “slurry” through a screened frame and press out the water.

The moms enjoyed experimenting with colors, textures, and shapes.  (Fresh rosemary was a beautiful addition.)  Tearing the paper (a great fine motor activity for young children) was a bit difficult for my 2-year-old, but the rest of the process was very kid-friendly.  My boys especially enjoyed watching the slurry change color as the papers mixed together in the blender.  (This is a good opportunity for a color wheel lesson, such as “What happens when we mix blue and red paper?”)  I found that making individual batches of paper (one full blender equaled one sheet of paper) worked best, because each person could then really customize the paper.  (The kit calls for making large batches of paper – several sheets of the same color- at a time.  This is ideal for large groups.)

 The Science in a Suitcase Kits are great because all of the materials and supplies are provided for you.  How easy is that?  The Papermaking Kit in particular lends itself to lots of experimentation and variation.  (I think next time we are going to use cookie cutters to shape the paper!)  This is a super home schooling, birthday party, or rainy day activity -- It’s the perfect mix of science and art.   

          -Heather Nottingham, Member of the Museum of Life and Science

Thanks Heather for being part of our Guest List and for being a member!  If you would like to rent this kit or another one, please contact me at kristenw@ncmls.org or 919.220.5429 X 356.

Arbor Day! 4/24/2009 :o)

Arbor Day is a holiday that is celebrated by planting or caring for trees. Arbor Day was established in Nebraska and was first proposed in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton. Morton was very passionate about nature and trees. His love for trees was spread to others when he became the editor of Nebraska's first newspaper. He wrote and explained how beneficial trees would be to Nebraska's people and agriculture, and soon others caught on.

It is said that on the first Arbor Day, more than one million trees were planted!

"Arbor Day was officially proclaimed by the state's Gov. Robert W. Furnas on March 12, 1874, and the day itself was observed April 10, 1874. In 1885, Arbor Day was named a legal holiday in Nebraska and April 22, Morton's birthday, was selected as the date for its permanent observance."

Today, Arbor Day is celebrated all over the US and is a great excuse to get outside and participate in nature! There are many organizations that will send you trees for free, all you have to do is add the elbow grease!!

Happy planting!

Citizen Science: The BASH of the year....

Come celebrate our 10th Anniversary of the Magic Wings Butterfly House at Butterfly Bash!  We are going to have a great time because there is so much to do!  

I am going to be hosting a one hour program on Entomophagy called Dare Cafe.  I will be cooking insects and talking a bit about the history and culture of Entomophagy.  We will be giving away stickers and asking people to join our honorary "I ATE A BUG CLUB!"  This is very exciting because there aren't very many of us who enjoy munching on meal worms....so when someone wants to join us we get very excited!  I will also have my video camera out there, so if you want to show off your  best bug eating expression - bring it on!  

The collection of shots and clips I get will go up on our website, so get ready to be famous:)  I will be under the big tent next to the Butterfly House.  There will also be crafts and an EPA speaker under the tent with me!  The Dare Cafe is from 12-1...so come hungry!!!

See you there!!!

Plant natives this year!

Spring is the time when everyone is weeding, digging and planting to make their yards and gardens beautiful...but how many native plants do you have in your garden? There are many benefits to planting natives; more wildlife, low maintenance, fewer invasive species (of plants and insects) and they are just as beautiful and desirable as all of the exotic plants!

NC State has a great website explaining why going native is the right choice for your garden and what plants are best for your area and lifestyle! They even have a helpful video to watch!  

The book "Bringing Nature Home", is a great example of why planting natives really does improve an ecosystem.  Any doubt that one has about all of the benefits of planting natives will quickly be earsed after reading this book.  

Every person who plants natives is truly helping the environment! Just think, if a whole neighborhood planted the right plants in the proper areas, they can help connect small blocks of habitat and allow animals to more easily move across an urbanized region. Now that's something to be proud of!!!

Cool Tools: Hey Kool Aid! Oh Yeah!

Hi everyone, Nancy here.

I am a bit of a vintage TV commercial connoisseur and thought the old Kool Aid ads were hilarious. You'd see these children out playing sports or games in the hot sun. The one thing they know that can bring them relief is a nice, ice-cold pitcher of their favorite flavored drink mix. So they beckon for the giant mascot represented as said ice-cold pitcher and he breaks through a brick wall bringing the children something cool and fruity to drink. I have been calling for him myself when I am outside walking in Explore the Wild on hot summer days and he has yet to surface. Oh well...

So, I promised in this episode that I'd provide a food-based activity for you all to try. It is one I created for our Summer Science Camp, "Snack Science". One of the days, we focus on food that contains crystals. We examine sugar and salt crystals and look at the crystalline structure. We put a teaspoon of each in some bug boxes with a lid that acts as a magnifier. It is a great way for children to really get a good look at the individual crystals.

We also look at powdered drink mixes like Kool Aid and use it in activities from everything like chromatography to making a textured and scented modeling dough. Making dough is a great activity. Not only does it introduce science process skills like measuring, comparing and observation, but it also teaches children to follow directions in order to perform an experiment and create something they can use for fun sensory enrichment.

To make scented modeling dough, you'll need:


1 cup flour
1/2 cup of salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp unsweetened powdered drink mix
1tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup of water
food coloring to your liking

Put dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Stir together .
Add oil and water. Stir until dough is formed. Add food coloring to create hues.
Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is the same color and all of the drink mix crystals have dissolved.
Have fun playing with the dough, rolling it flat, making a ball and whatever else you try!
NOTE: Keep your play-dough in a plastic resealable bag to keep it fresh so it will last a long time.

Incorporate kitchen tools like crust crimpers, garlic presses, cookie cutters and rolling pins to create new shapes. Enjoy!

You can do some online research yourself or contact us for more ideas on how to incorporate Kool Aid in your hands-on activity. Check out this link about how you can use it to dye wool!

Stay tuned and stay curious,
-Nancy

Citizen Science: Have a Slice of Pi!

Greetings friends!

If you read the subject line then I am sure you are conjuring up some ideas of Boston Creme, Lemon Meringue or Strawberry Rhubarb...

Well, it's not that kind of Pi. Tomorrow, March, 14th, marks two momentous occasion in math and science culture: The birthday of Albert Einstein and Pi Day!

Pi Day is traditionally celebrated by Math enthusiasts and educators alike each year on March 14th. 3.14 or Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to the diameter. It began as a Museum-based celebration at the Exploratorium in San Francisco in 1988, and has become a day to celebrate math.

"Pi says to e: Get real!
e says to Pi: Get rational!"

If you would like some math resources - we have lots of great activities, math kits and posters that you can check out! Let us know if we can make your pi day any sweeter!

Stay tuned and stay curious,

-Nancy

Citizen Science: YoS!

I know you have waited a few weeks for this, so here it is- February's topic for the 2009 Year of Science is....Evolution.  Now, the word "evolution" is pretty scary to many people and institutions.  Many people, for many reasons, choose not to use this word-they might use a word like adaptation or progression.

So, whatever one chooses to acknowledge it as, it is what it is...a small change, in an organism,  over time that eventually becomes part of the makeup of that organism.  There are many ways in which we can teach this topic; we can have an open engaged discussion about it, we can do activities, we can visit museum and places that might have exhibits about evolution or you can encourage the students to do a book report or project on their idea of evolution, but whatever you do...make sure it is age appropriate.  There is nothing worse than to be stuck in a "over your head" science topic, it makes the whole experience tough.

There is one scientist that goes hand in hand with the study of evolution, and that's Charles Darwin.  There are great resources out there, you just have to find the best one that fits your style of teaching or learning!  Next month's YoS topic is: Physics and Technology! 

Ask your questions about evolution to biologist PZ Myers over at Science Buzz. 

Citizen Science: What to do with all those batteries?

So, how many items do we all have in our homes that are battery operated. I stopped counting at 25 (of course I think most of my daughter's toys consume batteries to make some noise ). Batteries are everywhere, and are of many different types. The other day while replacing a few I started wondering how to properly dispose of these things and came to a few realizations... Not all batteries are created equal!!

Most of the batteries that we purchase are alkaline batteries and unfortunately there aren't many recycling options for these. Fortunately legislation was passed to rid these disposable batteries of mercury and other harmful materials which previously was leaching out of landfills. The trouble is billions of the batteries are purchased by Americans every year and there are being used once and then discarded.

What can I do (or should I do) you may ask. Well think about using a rechargeable battery when possible. Yes, they do cost more money upfront but, you get many more uses out of them so the payback period is short. It would cost a ridiculous amount to operate my digital camera for instance if I kept putting disposable batteries in it. Additionally the main types of rechargeable batteries can be recycled at many easily accessible locations. So really it can be a win-win decision to buy rechargeable batteries for many of your devices.

We use A LOT of batteries in our DPS science kits too, Elecrticity and Magnetism uses 60 batteries per kit!  That adds up pretty fast when you are sending out 14-20 kits every rotation! 

As for how batteries work, here is a link to some great information. And, for those that are really curious and want to do some hands on experiments with making a battery or electrical energy source out of household items, the SERC has a Science in a Suitcase kit that will allow you to do just that!  

Citizen Science: Groundhog Day!

Happy Groundhog Day!  Today has me wondering...(thought cloud)... When did Groundhog Day come around and why the groundhog?  

We will start with the second part of my thought...why the groundhog?  Well - groundhogs, also known as woodchucks and marmots, are naturally shy animals.  So, the weather lore is that their so shy that IF they see their shadow it will frighten them and they will retreat to their burrow to hide.   

This is a picture of our woodchuck Wendy!  You can come visit her anytime in Carolina Wildlife! 

This is a great time to stop and talk about why the groundhog is 'hiding' in the first place! 

Groundhogs are among the large amount of mammals that hibernate during the winter months, and they are usually starting to come out of their hibernation around the week of February 2nd. So, if they see their shadow they will retreat to their burrow and continue their hibernation for another 6 weeks until spring.  There are plenty of parent/teacher crafts or other activities that can be done with children to help make the day fun! 

And to answer the first part of my question: When did Groundhog Day first come into play?  The earliest American reference came in 1841, when a store keeper recorded the day in his diary.  

"Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate."

And the tradition was born!  Does your family have any traditions + activities that you would like to share?  Leave them in the comment section for everyone to read!