Citizen Science: A Break through in the break down of plastic bags!

We, as consumers, use A LOT of plastic bags! They were invented specifically for the convenience of a busy shopper and as the amount of things we purchase grows...so does the amount of plastic bags in the environment. I found this statistic on another blog called "The Rage Diaries."

"According to the Food Marketing Institute, the average American makes 2.1 grocery shopping trips weekly, and picks up $28 worth of food each time -- six to ten bags' worth, depending on how they pack. That's twelve to twenty plastic bags weekly, per person. According to Retail Traffic, there's an estimated 20,000 visits per week per grocery store, on national average.
20,000 * 12 = 24,000 plastic bags used weekly per average grocery store in the U.S. There are about 34,000 grocery stores in the U.S. 24,000 * 34,000 = 816,000,000 bags used weekly nationwide."

Thats a really scary number; and thats exactly why Daniel Burd picked this topic for his science fair project! Daniel is a 16 year old who conducted this experiment as a science fair project, and ended up with a revolutionary solution to the plastic bag plague that has laid waste to ecosystems around the world. Burd isolated two strains of bacteria (Sphingomonas and Pseudomonas) that work together to consume polyethelene plastic! Daniel discovered that this bacteria combination broke down a plastic bag 43% in 6 weeks.

Daniel, and many others, feel that this could be the answer that we are looking for. It is efficient, cheap and could be used on an industrial scale! “All you need is a fermenter . . . your growth medium, your microbes and your plastic bags,” says the top prize winner of the Canada-Wide Science Fair.

Good work Daniel! It just shows that great science fair projects can pave a path for the future!

Cool Tools: Julmarknad!

Hi everyone, Nancy here.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of representing the Museum at the annual North Carolina Scandinavian Christmas Fair or "Julmarknad" which means Christmas Fair in Sweden. One of our beloved staff members here is very actively involved in the event through SWEA, the Swedish Women's Educational Association. Each December 13, many people celebrate the feast day of Saint Lucia in homes throughout Sweden and other Nordic countries. Known as the festival of light, Lucia Day marks the return of daylight and longer days to Scandinavians and officially ushers in the Christmas season.

I spent the day talking with folks about the night sky and creating "constellation cans" with them. We explored star maps and guides and used them as inspiration to design the cans so we could "see the stars" inside. This is a great activity to do at home with your budding astronomer:

You can use an empty oatmeal box (save the lid), some black construction paper, a pushpin, scissors, transparent tape and some star stickers to decorate the box. First, wrap the outside of the box with black paper and tape down. Trim any excess paper. Use the star stickers (we like the small metallic ones teachers usually use as reward stickers;you can find them at most office supply stores) Next, remove the lid of the box. Place another sheet of black paper over the opening of the box and lay flat. You won't need a full sheet, just enough to cover the opening with about an inch and a half leeway all the way around. Next, take the lid and push down over the paper until the lid locks in place. Now you are ready for your "constellations". Take the pushpin and poke holes through the lid/black paper. You can recreate a constellation like the Big Dipper or Orion or just create your own. When you're finished, turn the box over, take your scissors (adults should do this part to help keep kids safe) and use one blade to saw out the entire bottom of the oatmeal box.

Your constellation can is ready! Just hold up, aim the lid towards a light source above you, look through the bottom and you will see the stars!

Here are some good resources on the night sky: Google Sky, NASA and Astronomy for Beginners

The SERC also has a lot of great resources that you can check out on star gazing.

Stay tuned and stay curious,


-Nancy

Citizen Science: Recycling Symbols...broken down!

As we are quickly approaching the holiday season I find myself thinking about the amount of trash and recyclables that we are going accumulate- everything from the containers that our food is coming in all the way to the wrapping paper from opening gifts...and the list goes on.  I hate having to guess if something can actually be recycled or not...and what if I pitch it and it actually could have been recycled!?! Then what?

It has me thinking about what the recycling symbols actually stand for?  I have been searching for the correct explanation of the plastic protocol, and I have finally found a great explanation!!  This site does a wonderful job of explaining what each symbol stands for and what types of products it represents!

Here is another great site about recycling.  It has lots of options and ideas about recycling, reuseing, upcycling and where to discard the item if you truely have no use for it!  

And here is a nice way to recycle your old wine corks! 

"Championship" workout for the Holidays

While checking out this year's upcoming ACC basketball season, I stumbled across a great article about a simple workout, just in time for the holidays. I know a lot of people don't have time to exercise, especially during the holiday season, but a couple minutes during commercials or halftime while you follow your favorite team can be good for anyone. And hey, isn't that what DVR is for?

The Never Fail Lid Remover

If you have ever tried to unscrew a tight metal lid on a jar, and you can't, you know what happens. Either someone else does it for you, or you tap it against the counter trying to loosen it up. Well, no more having to ask for help! If you just hold the lid of the jar under hot water for one minute, it should twist right off!

How is works: Most things expand as they get warmer. When the jar is heated up, the molecules inside it expand, causing lid to loosen. Since metal is a better conductor of heat than the glass jar, it heats up much faster , giving you the upper hand on removing that stubborn lid!

Let me know if you have any other tricks of your own!

Cool Tools: Kiss Your Brain!

Hi everyone,

Nancy Here.

With all of the research out there about Alzheimer's Disease, people are eager to learn more about the onset of the disease and what they can do to help slow it down or protect against it.

My son's great grandmother is living with Alzheimer's. Her doctors firmly believe that had she not been active her whole life, that the effects of the disease would be much more prevalent and would limit her daily activity. She is an active senior and is thriving in an assisted living community where she still has latitude to socialize with friends and family and keep busy and healthy.

Researchers claim that there is growing evidence that lifestyle and environment play a big role in Alzheimer's prevention in some people. Here are some things researchers recommend to help prevent or slow down the onset :

• 
  Avoid jarring your brain - this is easy, wear a helmet when doing physical activity like bike riding, skate boarding, equestrian sports and skiing and when you're in a car, don't forget to buckle up!


• Staying in touch with your friends and participating in social activities have numerous health benefits. Volunteer or join a club or civic group as another way to network socially. ( and help your community)


• Eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise.


• Exercise your mind to keep your brain active and sharp. You can learn a new language, play an instrument, start a hobby ( I've started crafting, it's not pretty. Hey, it's the process not the product, right?), read, do puzzles like crosswords or sudoku or play games.

Check out this site. On fitbrains.com you can subscribe for a small fee to enjoy all the features or play as a guest like I do. My favorite is "Welcome to the Busy Bistro". It's harder than it looks but it's a fun engaging way to keep your brain active.

My former office mate Kay's mom is a retired teacher. Her trademark saying to her students when they got a question right or connected with something was "Kiss your brain!" Indeed. Give your brain some love.

Stay tuned and stay curious,

-Nancy

Cool Tools: And, we're back....

Hi everyone, Nancy here.

We want to thank all the staff and volunteers here at the Museum as well as some terrific friends that came in to help us get the next round of science kits ready for Durham Public Schools.

Last month, we had the pleasure of being asked to be community partners with our friends at WTVD Channel 11 Eyewtitness News and spent an entire day with them in their booth at the North Carolina State Fair. We got to meet some of the on air personalities like Glenn Willey and Amanda Fitzpatrick and spend time with fairgoers talking about the Museum and doing weather activities with some of the children.

I have to admit I was a little intimidated talking about weather around Glenn, who is the Meterologist on the morning team, but it was pretty cool seeing the kids get into learning about the different weather instruments we brought (like thermometers and rain gauges) and examine cloud patterns on cloud charts.

If you have been out to visit our Museum and have "captained" a sailboat out at the pond in Catch the Wind, there is a station that describes the Beaufort (Wind Force) Scale which is an empircal measure for weather intensity based mostly on wind power. It tells us what to expect conditions on land and sea to be at certain wind speeds. Use of the scale is helpful as weather is often forecasted using this scale globally.

An instrument that meterologists use to measure wind force and velocity is something called an anemometer. We helped the kids make pocket anemometers with a pattern on heavy cardstock and a standard paperclip. Most of the kids at the fair were registering about a "4" on the Beaufort Scale which meant that there was a moderate breeze.

If you are interested in making an anemometer, contact us and we'll get you a pattern. Make sure you address your request to the SERC.

Many of the folks that stopped by the booth were intrigued by the rain gauges and asked where to get them. You can find them in the garden departments of most retailers and they are fairly inexpensive. There are some sophisticated ones that you can buy online but of course, we at the SERC are advocates for the DIY approach. You can make a child-friendly one with a clear cup and a wide craft stick. Just use clear tape to adhere the stick to the cup. Make sure the stick extends past the bottom of the cup enough so that it can be staked into the ground. Use a ruler and a black permanent marker or grease pencil to mark off increments in inches. We also found this version that might make a fun science project.

And now, back to you.

Stay tuned and stay curious,
-Nancy