The LCROSS satellite, launched on June 18th, is slowly making itself ready to smack into the moon in late October. A plume of dust 37 miles high will be produced, which may be visible from Earth (most likely Hawaii). The envy of the Mythbusters, this explosion is designed to find water in permanently shadowed areas of the moon. Much has been written on LCROSS, from historical perspectives to cost containment.

As the impact grows closer, NASA is making an effort to talk about the locally driven mission. Many of the upcoming talks are suitable for any audience, from kids to adults.

Luna Philosophie: Hitch-hiking to the Moon

Where: Scribd, 539 Bryant St. (2nd Floor), San Francisco

When: Wednesday, 9/23 6-8 PM

Cost: Free, RSVP to Delia.L.Santiago@nasa.gov

Details: Dr. Kim Ennico, LCROSS Payload Scientist and the LCROSS Payload Integration & Test Manager, will provide an overview of the NASA LCROSS mission and discuss how NASA has been expanding the concept of “participatory exploration” with LCROSS as an example. This will be a lively discussion.

Andrew Chaikin on LCROSS

Where: Chabot Space & Science Center

When: Saturday, 9/26 3-430 PM

Cost: Free with Museum Admission

Details: Author, speaker, and space journalist Andrew Chaikin joins Chabot visitors for a night of moon conversation and exploration. Using the detailed program Google Moon, which he helped to develop, Chaikin takes the visitor on a guided tour of the moon’s surface. Chaikin will also discuss the recent LCROSS mission and his extensive knowledge of the Apollo missions.

To the Moon: A Look at NASA’s Upcoming Lunar Impact Mission and the History of Moon Exploration

Where: Exploratorium

When: Sunday, 9/27 2-4 PM

Cost: Free with Museum Admission

Details: Take a trip to our nearest neighbor in space with renowned science journalist and space historian Andrew Chaikin. Relive the achievements of Apollo lunar astronauts and learn about the ambitious LCROSS mission, which will send a rocket crashing into the moon’s permanently shadowed regions to kick up huge plumes of debris in the hopes of uncovering deposits of ice. In addition, Exploratorium educators will give an entertaining and interactive overview of moon science.

QUEST on KQED Public Media.

Water and cornstarch make a non-Newtonian fluid when mixed: messy but great fun!Sixth grade was a big year for science fair projects in my hometown. I was fascinated by sound and decided to test whether high or low pitches traveled more easily. In principle this could have been a great idea, but I soon discovered that having family members lie down on the living room floor trying to listen while a beige plastic Fisher Price cassette player honked various toots and tweets from the adjacent room just wasn't going to work out as well as I had hoped.

Fast-forward fifteen years to the beginning of the present school year and the Internet has given us all a huge leg-up in finding hands-on ways to learn science. These are demonstrations rather than experiments–an important difference for those entering a fair. Nevertheless, I have included two of my favorites below.

Homemade Oobleck:

Pay tribute to Dr. Seuss's book Bartholomew and the Oobleck by whipping up this mixture that is both solid and liquid at the same time! The simplest version is listed below, but adding a few more bells and whistles can increase the demonstration's awe-factor a bunch.

What to do: You need a mixing bowl, water, and cornstarch. Fill the mixing bowl with about 1 cup of cornstarch, and add roughly an equal volume of water. Mix, incrementally adding cornstarch or water until the mixture attains an appropriate blend of goopiness and firmness. Enjoy the fluid's bizarre properties by squishing and kneading it with your hands.

What's going on? Nearly all fluids have some intrinsic flow resistance. This property, called viscosity, is the reason water flows more easily than honey and at least partly why Usain Bolt can run 100 meters in under 10 seconds while it takes Michael Phelps well over a minute to swim the same distance. Our water/cornstarch mixture has a very special viscosity, making it easy to dip your hand into the mixture slowly, but quite hard to push it in quickly. (Technically, this is an example of a non-Newtonian fluid.) Science class will teach you that almost all matter can be classified into either a solid, liquid, or gas, but this is at least one example where the distinctions blur.

Bernoulli's Hair Dryer:

In 1738 the mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (pronounced Ber-NEW-lee) published a theory of fluids that has influenced the designs of airplane wings and sailboats ever since. Exploit this concept to suspend a balloon or ping-pong ball precariously in mid-air with a hair dryer.

What to do: You need a hair dryer and a small round balloon (or a ping-pong ball, depending on the hair dryer's strength). Turn the hair dryer on, point it upward, and place the balloon in the vertical column of air. If the ceiling is not too high, you should be able to balance the balloon in mid-air this way. Now begin to tilt the hair dryer and watch the balloon stay suspended almost magically.

What's going on? Everyday experience helps us understand why the balloon or ball stays suspended when the hair dryer is pointed vertically: air blowing upward pushes on the balloon, and this in turn counteracts gravity. But why doesn't the balloon fall off to the side when we begin to tilt the hair dryer? The answer lies in Bernoulli's principle, which states that, all other things being equal, a fluid loses pressure as it picks up speed. The air coming out of the hair dryer is moving faster than the room's air so its pressure is lower. This pressure difference helps keep the balloon suspended, even when you tilt the hair dryer.

Water and cornstarch make a non-Newtonian fluid when mixed: messy but great fun!

"For every five hours of cable news, less than a minute is devoted to science" – Chris Mooney, Author of Unscientific America

Chris has been a lightning rod for controversy ever since he released the bestseller, The Republican War on Science, in 2006. Chris cites some famous stats that scientific illiteracy is increasing: 46 percent of Americans reject evolution and think the Earth is less than 10,000 years old. In his new book, he points the finger at a profit driven media, science phobic politicians, and the arrogance of scientists themselves. (Chris' recent showdown with famous science blogger PZ Myers is widely documented). His main point: this gap hinders productivity and has us falling behind in global innovation.

Then there was the recent Pew survey showing a widening gap between scientists and the public on key issues of global warming, evolution, and use of animals in research. The survey also looked at scientific illiteracy using a 12 question quiz (Take the quiz yourself!) with some surprising results:

• 54% incorrectly identified electrons as bigger than atoms
• 46% thought antibiotics kills viruses as well as bacteria
• 24% failed to correctly a basic question on plate tectonics

But it isn't all doom and gloom, Chris outlines his strategy for closing that gap including sexing up science and training a new generation of science ambassadors in society at large.

Chris Mooney: Unscientific America

When: Monday, August 3^rd 630 PM – 830 PM

Where: Kellogg Auditorium, Silicon Valley Bank, 3005 Tasman Dr., Santa Clara, CA

Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing

Cost: $15 members and non-members advance. $20 members and non-members at the door, Tickets

Hard economic times and changing social trends have some museums undergoing a 21st century re-design. The focus is on creating more visitor-centered exhibits using new media tools and more input from the public. Some technology and history museums in the Bay Area are helping to lead the way, as you will hear in our radio piece.

When the public is invited in to help design exhibits, it can create faster turnover and more affordable exhibits. The Tech Museum in San Jose, for example, held a competition in Second Life. The public was asked to design exhibits on the theme of art, music and film. Entries came from as far away as England and China. Winners were awarded five thousand dollars each and asked to translate their designs into a real life gallery space. That exhibit is now on display at the Tech.  According to the Tech's Director, Peter Friess, the exhibit could have taken three years to design. Instead, it took six months. Museum directors are hoping that asking the public to help generate, share and update content will also create more loyalty and drive up ticket sales.

Some people cringe at the idea of asking the public to design museum exhibits. They point to the unlimited number of cat videos on You Tube and ask, "is this really what we want to do to museums?" The museum directors I spoke with say that there is still a role for the curator in this new model, but as more of an educated facilitator than an autocratic, removed taste-setter. Nina Simon, a participatory exhibit designer who writes a blog called Museum 2.0 thinks about this question a lot and has some interesting ideas.

While the participatory, hands-on movement has been around for awhile, these museums are picking up on a cultural shift – and it's not just Bay Area history and technology museums. The Smithsonian American Art Museum was the first to offer an alternate-reality game. The director of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore thinks the mission of museums may be expanding to include social services. The Brooklyn Museum created a temporary exhibit, "Click," using crowd sourcing and the Museum of Minnesota created a permanent exhibition based on nominations from the public. I wonder what Web 3.0 will bring?

Listen to the Museum 2.0 radio report online.

Searching for tadpoles in Arroyo Viejo Creek at the Oakland Zoo.

It Day #2 of Nature Play, a new Oakland Zoo ZooCamp program that I have been assigned to teach. I know all about “Nature Deficit Disorder” and “No Child Left Inside”. I have read “Last Child in the Woods” and even blogged about the issues, but now I find myself out in nature with 12 curious and excited children, and I have no idea what will happen.

Nature Play was created in response to childrens’ desire to experience true nature – to look up at trees, observe tadpoles and connect with wildlife in their own backyard. The idea behind Nature Play is to offer the campers supervised and loosely facilitated exploration outdoors that is self directed.

Parents were so game to give these simple pleasures to their children, this program sold out.

Now, here we are. Our afternoon agenda is creek time and fort building. It is a beautiful afternoon at Arroyo Viejo Creek, a small tributary that runs through the zoo grounds. Though there are tigers, lions and elephants close by, this is where the campers are most excited to be. I have given minimal direction: look, listen, smell and feel, and record something in your nature journal. They have nets, jars, binoculars and wildlife guides, and one hour.

Immediately the group swarms to their favorite spot that they discovered yesterday. It is near one of the outdoor classrooms and features a giant, ground-leaning willow tree to crawl under, two logs that rest across the creek to climb over and water loaded with tadpoles and water gliders. I watch and listen myself.

“There are 1000 water striders here! They are riding on top of each other.” “No, that is a shadow”. “I am crossing the log by scootching” “I will help you”. “I found a secret trail!” “I am putting this leaf in my journal”. “I can write with a rock.” “I heard a frog!” I am a frog!” “The sun makes me silly and happy.” “I see tadpoles!” “Let’s call this place Willow Cove.” “I don’t want to go home.”

A few things amazed me about this hour. One, they were never bored. They went on and on with their play and exploration in this small area with gusto the entire time. They were imaginative, inventive and stimulated. Two, they learned. They learned that frogs are quiet when they are noisy. They learned that they could balance better holding their arms out. They did not need my fascinating animal facts to gain knowledge. Three, they truly and intuitively cared about the habitat. They picked up a couple of pieces of garbage, told each other not to handle amphibians and put rocks back where they found them without being told. Four, and most interestingly, they got along fantastically. Earlier in the day there were a few squabbles over this or that, but out here, they helped each other, supported each other and shared the nets like pros. They seemed to be at peace.

A little later at Fort Building, the group divided into two as they followed two natural leaders and their fort visions. As we debriefed about the two forts, they came to the conclusion (themselves) that tomorrow they should build one fort with all the materials, then sit in it and tell stories about animals.

I saw it all with my own eyes. This nature stuff works. Now this explorer is going to sleep. I am exhausted!

What is it about new beginnings that gets people all stirred up? We're not sure, but we’re definitely feeling the excitement as we launched our shiny, new 2009-2010 QUEST Science Education Institute on Saturday, May 30 at the Oakland Zoo.

For those of you who just tuned in, the QUEST Science Education Institute is KQED Education Network's year-long professional development program for Bay Area school districts. The QUEST Institute was created to provide an accessible, hands-on approach to understanding new media and technology and how it can be used in classroom teaching. Over the course of the year-long Institute, we work with teams of science educators and educational technologists from school districts to provide training and resources on using QUEST multimedia to enhance science education. The Institute is part of our commitment to enhancing 21st century skills in the science classroom and enables us to work directly with Bay Area school districts to support learning plans and align our resources with district technology integration goals.

Of course, none of these lofty goals could be achieved without a corresponding amount of enthusiasm and commitment from the Institute participants. This year's participating teams come from the Acalanes UHSD, Antioch USD, San Ramon Valley USD, Mt. Diablo USD, and Fairfield-Suisun USD. Over the course of the next year, they will be attending workshops on technology tools and resources such as Google Maps, podcasts, and Flickr. The teams will also have the opportunity to design a media and technology implementation plan that works for their district and receive ongoing support with implementing their plans.

This year's participants begin the Institute with a keen awareness of the pervasiveness of technology and the need to connect with students in new and surprising ways. As learners change the way they receive information, they must learn to communicate what they have learned more effectively in order to succeed. As QUEST Series Producer, Amy Miller, a guest speaker at the launch event described it, "We find ourselves confronted with scientific and technological changes every day, and, as media professionals, we struggle to make sense of it and present it to our audience in relevant ways. Science teachers, therefore, have a pivotal role to play in nurturing future scientists who understand the importance of communicating with audiences both within and outside their field – a skill that is just as important in the scientific profession as in any other."

Cal Poly's CP-4 mini-satellite in orbit. Credit: The Aerospace
Corporation.

It's a classic engineering story – a garage inventor spends years working in isolation, only to produce something that gets the attention of the world. Ok, the CubeSat story may not be quite as romantic, but it does have a lot of the same ingredients.

Professors at Stanford University and Cal Poly created CubeSats – 10 by 10 by 10 centimeter mini-satellites – as enginneering projects to give their students hands-on experience. Compared to standard satellite missions, which can run hundreds of millions of dollars and take years to complete, CubeSat missions are mean to be done cheaply and quickly.

CubeSat is also a standard – a basic blueprint that any university program can use. CubeSats are actually known as "FedEx satellites," since universities can mail them to Cal Poly to arrange a ride into space. They've created launching devices called P-Pods (a box that fits the CubeSats perfectly) so they can piggyback on larger rocket launches. Once the main cargo is deployed, the P-Pod releases the CubeSats into orbit. Depending how high they are, CubeSats can orbit for more than a decade before they burn up in the atmosphere.

What started at universities has spread – NASA, Boeing and other aerospace companies all have mini-satellite programs. Despite the small size, CubeSats are actually able to do valuable research. They can space test new technology, submitting it to all the rigors of space travel like solar radiation and launch stress. Recreating those conditions on the ground can be very expensive.

CubeSats can also gather scientific data. On Tuesday, NASA will be launching Pharmasat, which they hope will be their second nano-satellite in orbit. It will carry yeast samples, and once in orbit will hit them with an anti-fungal to see if their resistance is increased in space. NASA has previously observed that some bacteria are more resistant to antibiotics in space, something that could be dangerous for future human space travel.

You can tune in on Tuesday evening for the Pharmasat launch. Three other CubeSats from Cal Poly and other organizations will also be getting a lift into space.

Listen to the Do-It-Yourself Mini-Satellites radio report online, and see our Web Extra: Mini-Satellites Slideshow.

Go Bears! is more than a cheer, but a mantra to live life by…as long as you're a Berkeley alum like myself. On Saturday April 18^th, the University opens up to the public…lectures, interactive events, tours, all of the campus museums (most of which aren't usually open to the public)… and it's all free.

Many programs are geared for incoming students and their families. However, there are a few gems designed for everyone. This year's highlights feature hands on physics, discussions on energy & environmental issues, with the search for extra terrestrial life sprinkled in. For a complete listing of events, check out the Cal Day website. Here are my picks:

Darwin, Dover, and Intelligent Design: What's Next for Anti-Evolutionists?

10-11 am, 2050 Valley Life Sciences Building

Hear a national expert on evolution discuss the conflicts between evolution and creationism, and where this debate is headed.

Mobile Millennium: The System That Keeps Traffic Moving

10-11 am, Sibley Auditorium

This traffic-monitoring system collects data and sends it to your cell phone to help you take the best routes. Be an early adopter of this developing technology; learn how following the lecture or from 1:30 to 3 pm outside McCone Hall.

Are We Wired for Good?

11 am-noon, 145 Dwinelle Hall

Is the capacity for compassion, gratitude, and other positive emotions built into our nervous systems? Are such emotions the path to happiness? The founder of Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center has some answers.

What Is the Large Hadron Collider?

11 am-noon, 4 LeConte Hall

It's the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator. Hear how it works and discover the exciting things it might reveal about our amazing universe.

Will Water Be the Oil of the 21st Century? A Quest for Sustainable Water Management

11 am-noon, 502 Davis Hall

Water is a limited natural resource, and its importance can be compared to that of oil. Examine the parallels between these two resources, and the future of water sustainability.

How Global Climate Change Will Affect the Oceans

Noon-1 pm, 141 McCone Hall

Warmer surface waters, rising sea levels, more storms, and increased carbon dioxide – all will have an impact on marine ecosystems, coasts, islands, estuaries, and wetlands.

The Dark Side of the Universe

Noon-1 pm, 100 Genetics & Plant Biology Building

The universe is mostly made up of "dark matter" – what evidence do we have that it exists? Hear how we're searching for this mysterious component of the universe.

Genes in a Bottle

Noon-2 pm, Latimer Hall

Learn how DNA is chemically extracted from organisms for research applications. Then extract DNA from your own cheek cells, and take it home in a fashionable necklace!

How Do Cars Fit Into a Clean-Energy Future?

1-2 pm, 105 Stanley Hall

Can car lovers also be planet lovers? How will our favorite vehicle evolve as the need to manage global warming intensifies? Energy and Resources Group Professor Dan Kammen

Is Anybody Out There?

1-2 pm, 3 LeConte Hall

Hear about Berkeley's SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) program at the world's largest telescope, the Allen array. Volunteers have a small but captivating chance that their computer will detect the first signal from a civilization beyond Earth.

Last year, QUEST visited the largest laser beam in world: The National Ignition Facility in Livermore. The goal is to create fusion energy, a potentially clean & sustainable source of energy. After $3.5 billion and a decade of work, that facility is now ready to fire up. Experiments are expected to begin in April as the laser continues to "warm up". The fusion experiment will most likely not happen until 2010, when the laser has achieved enough power.

In celebration of the operational launch of the NIF, engineers & scientists from the facility are presenting a series of talks and discussions geared for the general public.

Monday 4/20

Ed Moses, Principal Associate Director, NIF at Down to a Science in San Francisco

Tuesday 5/12

Ed Moses, Principal Associate Director, NIF at Café Scientifique Silicon Valley

Thursday 6/4

Richard Boyd, Science Director, NIF at Science Buzz Café in Sebastopol

Tuesday 6/9

Jeffery F. Latkowski, Chief Engineer for the Laser Inertial Fusion-Fission Energy (LIFE) program at Ask a Scientist in San Francisco

This field photo of a California Newt (Taricha torosa)
egg cluster and more are free for educational use
What does the metamorphosis of a butterfly look like? What kinds of creatures live in a tidal pool? And just how big is a shark’s tooth? When questions like these come up in science classrooms, some educators are now using digital images to help students frame responses and connect their classrooms with the real world. And, with advances in digital technologies that enable effortless access to digital images, integrating digital pictures into the curriculum has never been easier.

These are some of the reasons Bay Area science educators like Aaron Vanderwerff are using photo-sharing websites such as Flickr to develop innovative image-based activities for their classrooms. Vanderwerff, a teacher and Science Department Chair at San Lorenzo High School, uploaded sets of pictures to Flickr and asked groups of students to select an image and comment on it. Students’ comments focused on observations about the photos as well as inferences they made about the situation. And more and more educators are using digital photos to change the way their students see science. Other examples of Flickr-based educational activities include encouraging students to create collaborative photo sets, facilitating discussions by writing notes and comments, teaching categories and classifications using tags, and geotagging images to connect them with physical locations on a map.

Flickr also houses an extensive collection of community-contributed digital images, including a large number of photos made available by QUEST through the QUEST Collections and the QUEST Pool. The QUEST Collections contain photos related to QUEST stories and the photos in the QUEST Pool are contributed by people who sign up to join the QUEST Flickr Photo Group. All photos in the QUEST Collections are available for use in educational projects and can be downloaded and modified for free under Creative Commons licensing.