This is a tutorial for making repurposed journals out of a few pretty common household materials.
Click the “Read More” link to see the full tutorial.
The Amazing Home Dome!
Here is a great story about turning trash into something really valuable. This 12-year-old inventor devised an award-winning way to turn packing peanuts, plastic bags, and wire into shelter to help homeless people.
Watch the following video and write a reaction to Max’s story. Your reaction must be a minimum of two paragraphs and refer to specific elements in the video.
Bonus: Discuss any other ways that trash could be used to help others, similar to the way that Max did.
The Life of an Aluminum Can
- Image from: http://www.wpneighbors.com/images/Three%20Cans.jpg
Aluminum cans are very common, but we don’t often think about where they come from. We will compare how an aluminum can is made from raw materials versus how one is recycled and made into a new can. Answer the questions at the bottom of the page, and bring in your answers for next class.
Read the article linked below to learn about how a new can is made.
Then, read this article about how aluminum is recycled.
After reading both articles, please answer the following questions:
1) An aluminum soda can is constructed from how many pieces?
2) Where does raw aluminum come from?
3) What is the energy equivalent of recycling one aluminum can?
4) How much gasoline is saved if each person recycles one aluminum can per month?
5) How long does it take for an aluminum can to break down if not properly recycled?
6) Write three questions or thoughtful comments in relation to these two articles.
Industrial Pollution and the Story of Love Canal
Image from: http://www.emagazine.com/images/0703curr_besafe.jpg
Read this article about how industrial waste was literally covered up, but eventually found its way into a community with tragic results.
EPA.gov – The Love Canal Tragedy
Your assignment for next class is to write a reaction or reflection on this article. Your reflection must be a minimum of three paragraphs and cite specific elements of the article.
The Ethics of Dumpster-Diving
Image from http://usversusthem.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/2007_06_arts_dumpster.jpg?w=500&h=332
Dumpster-diving is yet another way to divert waste from landfills, but this practice is not without controversy.
This practice is pretty self-explanatory, but does not necessarily involve diving headlong into a trash bin. Usually it involves a person standing outside a bin and looking through the trash for something in particular. Sometimes people are looking for food or discarded yet usable items. However, there are those that look for materials with personal details, to be used for various purposes.
For example, journalists have been known to “take the plunge” and Dumpster-dive to get information about a particular story. Law enforcement officials can pick through trash to uncover incriminating evidence. Still others have found documents with sensitive personal information and have used that information to steal another person’s identity.
Still others use Dumpster-diving as a way to get food or supplies, especially if they do not have the financial means to buy all that they need. A staggering amount of food is thrown away from grocery stores and supermarkets every day, and lots of it is still perfectly edible–if not entirely appealing. Keep in mind that getting your food from a Dumpster is quite risky business and I personally do not advocate this practice, but it does provide a food source for some people.
Dumpster-diving has a dubious legal status. In most places, taking someone else’s waste is not considered illegal. However, if a person is caught picking through a Dumpster on private property, they can generally be threatened with a trespassing charge.
Answer two of the following questions:
What are your personal feelings about dumpster-diving? Is it ethical, unethical, or are you unsure?
If you saw a Dumpster filled with usable items in good condition, would you be tempted to take anything?
Do you think a person’s waste should be considered their personal property, even if they don’t want it anymore? What kind of consequences could this have?
Survey: What are your recycling habits?
The following “Quiz” is a survey that I would like everyone to participate in. There are no right or wrong answers, and it is very short. The results will provide us with an interesting perspective on how we view and contribute to our own waste and recycling.
Ethical Dilemma – Audio Podcast
Listen to the audio podcast below. What is your reaction to this ethical dilemma?
Audio podcast transcript under the cut.
Ethical Issues and the Scientific Method
Image from: http://www.thejabberwock.org/blog/2/weird.png
The scientific method is used as a tool to gain real knowledge about our world, and it is meant to be as trustworthy and reliable as possible.
Although scientific research is meant to be as objective as possible, the ideal of completely objective research is sometimes difficult to fully attain depending on the nature of the research being conducted. While many researchers try to maintain a high level of objectivity in their research, that is not always the case. The sad reality is that scientific research can and has been compromised, manipulated or even falsified for various reasons.
A few of the biggest ethical offenses committed by scientific research include the following:
- Manipulation, falsification or misrepresentation of data
- Incorrectly designed study
- Incorrect collection of data
- Allowing personal bias to influence the result or interpretation of data
- Coming to premature or inappropriate conclusions
- Biased study sponsorship
Another area of ethical concern is conducting experiments on human beings. It is unethical to conduct experiments on humans that can have a significant impact on their lives, health or well-being without their full knowledge of the risks and consent.
Assignment:
Read each of the articles below. State the ethical violation(s) that are present in each story, along with a short (1 or 2 sentence) personal reaction to each piece.
Some of these reports may contain bias on the part of the author or reporter, so take that into consideration when reading these articles.
Water Lead Levels in Washington DC
After reading the articles and writing your responses, choose one of the following:
Come up with your own scientific and ethical dilemma for the class to discuss.
Find another article that addresses an ethical concern in regard to scientific research.
Take one of the above articles and write a two-paragraph reaction to the article.
Write a two-paragraph statement exploring the possible implications of scientific misconduct or fraud.
Analyzing Data and Evaluating Hypotheses
Image from http://apiclongisland.web.aplus.net/data%20analysis%20cartoon%201.gif
There are many ways to analyze data, but we will be doing rather simple experiments in this class that will usually only require observing visual changes and taking measurements. Measurements generally do not need to be exact, but precision always helps ensure more accurate results.
Although a perfectly controlled experiment is the ideal, many times experiments are subject to other challenges. A study design may sound great on paper, but sometimes experiments do not go according to plan. A study design may be flawed, the scientist could make mistakes during the experiment or other, unforseen variables may influence the outcome of the experiment.
For this reason, it is very important for the experiment to be repeated several times. Each experiment provides a valuable learning experience and an opportunity to refine the study design so that the scientist can perform the most effective experiment for the study.
Repetition of the study also helps provide consistent, reliable data, and it gives the scientist the confidence that she can accurately evaluate her hypothesis, and others could replicate her experiment and produce similar results. When an experiment is completed and the results of each test recorded, it is time to evaluate the hypotheses in terms of what actually happened during the experiment.
If the hypothesis is able to be supported, the pattern shown in the data must match up with the initial hypothesis statement. If that does not occur, the hypothesis must be rejected.
Please note that rejecting a hypothesis or obtaining unexpected results is NOT intended to be any indication of failure on the part of the scientist. Many times, data obtained from an experiment will raise more questions and lead to further experiments and starts the process of scientific inquiry over again. “Unsuccessful” experiments have a valuable place in the world of science because they promote further exploration into the world’s mysteries, and sometimes they prompt unusual discoveries in the process.
Assignment:
Watch the video clip below.
Answer the following questions:
- State 3 hypotheses that are generated before the experiment.
- State 5 changes or modifications that the three hosts made to their cars
- What unexpected variables do the trio encounter?
- In the end, are the hypotheses that you listed supported or rejected?
Video: Amphibious Cars
A little background on this clip..
This is a clip from a British car show called Top Gear. The three hosts are challenged to build and test their own amphibious cars, with various results. In a previous show, they had all built amphibious cars that exhibited various problems, so they applied the results of their previous experiment to modify their cars appropriately.
If you can’t watch it on this page, click the link here to go to the YouTube page.
Study Design and Experimentation
allan_sanders_2006-science-strip2-724519.jpg "Experiment")
Image from: http://www.loopland.net/uploaded_images/(c)allan_sanders_2006-science-strip2-724519.jpg
In order to accurately evaluate a hypothesis, some sort of study or experiment must be designed to observe and analyze any repeatable pattern or relationship. The purpose of the study is to generate reliable data that can be used to support or reject a hypothesis.
The study design is a plan that outlines what the experiment or study will entail, and how the results from the study will be used to evaluate the hypothesis.
Sometimes a study simply involves analyzing existing data to observe correlations between two variables. Other times, a study will involve an actual experiment that tests one or more variables to gather data.
A study must be carefully designed to be objective and account for all variables present. This is very important to consider, because although you are testing a hypothesis, your primary goal as a scientist is to present results that can be trusted, not to prove that your hypothesis was correct.
In an experiment, there can be many different factors that impact the outcome of an experiment. The variables that are being tested as a potential “cause” of something are called independent variables. The measured “effect” or change that is observed as a result of the variation of the independent variable is called the dependent variable.
Throughout the rest of this article, the word “variable” will used to mean independent variables unless otherwise stated.
Sometimes all variables are known and can all be controlled, but sometimes the outcome of an experiment will indicate that additional variables exist that need to be accounted for in some way.
When all independent variables are known and can be controlled, one variable is chosen to be an experimental variable. This means that this variable will be intentionally changed to observe any change in the dependent variable, and all other variables will be standardized, or controlled.
In many experiments, a control experiment is also performed. A control experiment contains an experimental variable that is known to cause no change in the dependent variable. A control is useful for comparing the amount of change that each independent variable causes in the dependent variable.
Assignment:
Watch the video.
Answer the following questions.
- What do you think is the purpose of this experiment?
- What is the purpose of the stunt man doing practice jumps?
- What are the safety concerns presented in this video?
- Specifically, what components of this prototype are they testing?
Video: Personal Airbag
If you can’t view the video from this page, click here.
