The upcoming mission of the space shuttle will focus heavily on robotics and NASA is using that opportunity to bring additional educational outreach to teachers and students. In an education briefing today, NASA detailed some of the resources and events related to STS-131. The robotics section of the NASA web site includes lesson plans, multimedia, information about robotics competitions, and career profiles of ways students can use math, science and engineering in various robotics jobs. STS-131 Mission Specialist, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, is a teacher-turned-astronaut and will be recording an educational video about the space shuttle and space station robotics operations while on-orbit and crew members will participate in two live educational downlinked events during the mission. You can follow the STS-131 mission on the NASA web site and check the NASA TV schedule for all televised mission events.
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Flickr user fotogra4er replaced the fluorescent tubes lighting his aquarium with LEDs. Which, of course, make way more light and way less heat for the same amount of energy. Then he upped the ante by cooling the LED lighting bank with circulated tank water, exploiting what waste heat the LEDs do generate to warm it, and thus saving even more power that would otherwise go to the tank heater.
[via Hack a Day]
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Physics professor Kieran Mullen of OU apparently has a hard-and-fast rule against laptops in class. To drive the point home, he staged a public execution of one by freezing it in liquid nitrogen and smashing it against the floor, where its broken remains were left as a warning to others. Of course the whole thing is staged and the laptop in question was old and worthless, but hey, any excuse to freeze stuff with LN2…
[via Engadget]
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Here is some video footage of kids making Bristlebots and Blinkybugs at the recent Open MAKE day at the Exploratorium.
Learning Studio: videos from Open MAKE!
Mark your calendars: The next Open MAKE program at the Exploratorium will be on February 27, 2010.
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The 18th of February has been designated as Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, an offshoot of National Engineers Week.
A few days ago we asked Dr. AnnMarie Thomas, a professor of engineering at the University of St. Thomas, to share her thoughts on the occasion. If you haven’t read her guest editorial, please do check it out. However, the gist was that it’s our responsibility to let girls — and everyone else! — know that engineering and other technical vocations are options.
The IAGTED page lists activities going on nationwide. But there are things we can do as individuals to encourage girls to pursue technical careers. As AnnMarie wrote in her editorial,
I challenge all of you makers out there to introduce a girl to engineering- pick up a soldering iron, go on a factory tour, visit a windmill, or share the beauty of Bernoulli’s equation. And feel free to include her little brother, father or mother!
So, readers, what are you going to do? Leave a comment.
[Image: Argonne National Laboratory]
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Brian Cohen is co-director of Beam Camp, a residential summer camp that meets for four weeks each summer in New Hampshire. Beam Campers hone their maker skills with hands-on, minds-on activities throughout the day. The campers’ time is organized through a collection of domains, and each summer there’s a large-scale Beam Project that involves everyone in actively thinking and building around the themes of the project.
Read on for an interview with Brian about Beam Camp and its place in the maker community.
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Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (February 18th) carries a special importance. Somehow, we’re failing our girls when it comes to engineering. A recent study showed that while women earned 58% of all bachelor’s degrees, only 21% of engineering bachelor’s were awarded to women. Furthermore, women make up only 26% of the science and math workforce. What can we do? We asked Dr. AnnMarie Thomas, a professor of engineering at the University of St. Thomas, to give her thoughts. — John
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MAKE subscriber Matt writs in to share this comprehensive electronics tutorial site, Learning Objects for Electronics:
This is a site developed by my good friend Pat Hoppe and his colleagues at Gateway Technical College in Racine, WI. He made these flash animations to help his students practice the basics of electronics; Everything from units, resistor color code, logic gates, filters, op amps, transistors, and even how to use your Ti-86. As a HS electronics teacher, I am very grateful to Pat for the hours he spent mentoring me, and I use this site quite regularly with my students. He’s a great man, and this is a great site for our Make: comrades. Enjoy!
There are 277 different modules in total, covering all of the things mentioned above and more. It was developed for educators to use in their curriculum, but it looks like it could be a good resource to learn something new, or even get an extra bit of review in before that upcoming test.
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For the next few months, in concert with our “Your Desktop Factory” themed issue of MAKE (Volume 21), we’re going to be exploring the world of “maker business,” turning your passion for making things into a means of making money. We’ll look at everything from casual commerce, selling small numbers of goods online, at places like Etsy and the upcoming Makers Market, to the running of a more serious and sustainable small business. We’ll be talking to, and have guest articles by, maker businessfolk across this spectrum, from those just starting out, to those who are making a comfortable living as self-employed makers. We’ll also be touching on everything from the most philosophical questions of why to the more pragmatic nuts and bolts of how.
Do you run a small “maker business?” If so, we’d love to hear from you. If creating such a business is something you’ve thought about, what questions/concerns do you have? What would you like to see us cover in this series? Let us know in the comments, or email me (gareth at makezine). We’d love for this series to be a useful service to you, especially if going into such a business is a fantasy, but you have nagging questions or reservations that hold you back, or just need a little encouragement from those who’ve made this sort of career change work for them.
From MAKE magazine:
MAKE Volume 21 is the Desktop Manufacturing issue, with how-to articles on making three-dimensional parts using inexpensive computer-controlled manufacturing equipment. Both additive (RepRap, CandyFab) and subtractive (Lumenlab Micro CNC) systems are covered. Also in this issue: instructions for making a cigar box guitar, building your own CNC for under $800, running a mini electric bike with a cordless drill, making a magic photo cube, and tons more. If you’re a subscriber, you may have your issue in hand already, and can access the Digital Edition. Otherwise, you can pick up MAKE 21 in the Maker Shed or look for it on newsstands near you!
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Skewer hyperboloid
By George Hart for the Museum of Mathematics
Thirty two shish kabob skewers and 176 small rubber bands are all it takes to make a beautiful hyperbolid of revolution. This is an example of what is called a “ruled surface,” meaning even though it is curved, it is made of straight lines.
Below is the same object seen from the top. Make one of your own following the instructions here, but be careful not to skewer yourself!
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