Lab Out Loud

Lab Out Loud's guest this week is Neal Manegold, director of Minecraft Education. Many listeners are probably familiar with Minecraft, and a few might even know about Minecraft Education Edition, which builds on the open-world game while promoting creativity, collaboration and problem solving in a teacher supervised environment. Now students can learn some science in the Minecraft world with the recent Chemistry update of Minecraft Education Edition. Join co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to hear Neal explain Minecraft Education Edition and discuss how the new chemistry update can allow students to combine and reduce materials within the Minecraft world to explore states of matter, the structure of atoms, chemical reactions and more. show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2018/03/minecraft-education-chemistry/

How do you address controversial science issues in your classroom instruction? This week Lab Out Loud welcomes the co-authors of a recent Phi Delta Kappan publication that might give you some insight in how to help prepare students to become scientifically literate citizens by incorporating socioscientific issues in the classroom. David Owens (College of Education, University of Missouri), Troy Sadler (professor of education, University of North Carolina at Greensboro) and Dana Zeidler (university professor of science education, University of South Florida) join co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about their article, discuss an instructional framework for successfully implementing socioscientific issues as learning experiences, and highlight the importance of evaluating scientific evidence when tackling these issues in the science classroom.  Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2018/02/episode-181-socioscientific-issues/

Lab Out Loud's guest this week is Sabari Raja, co-Founder & CEO of Nepris. Acting as matchmaker for classrooms to scientists (and other professionals), Nepris tackles the heavy lifting of finding professionals eager to provide educational outreach in their field of expertise. Sabari joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about the history of Nepris, its goal of creating equity of access, and how you can start connecting with science professionals in your classroom! Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2018/02/episode-180-nepris/

A few years ago, Lab Out Loud showcased Clifton Roozeboom’s PocketLab - a small, rugged wireless sensor platform that could easily collect a suite of common measurements while simultaneously reporting to a device for data visualization and analysis. A few years later, with newer and less expensive sensors, PocketLab has developed a novel product that can now measure air quality. Called PocketLab Air, this wireless device contains six built-in sensors for measuring Carbon Dioxide, Ozone, Particulate Matter, Temperature, Barometric Pressure, Humidity, Dew Point, and Heat Index. Listen to the Lab Out Loud to learn how your students can use the family of PocketLab sensors to build science experiments for exploring even more of the world around them. Show Notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2018/01/episode-179-pocketlab-air/

With the growing implementation of engineering principles and Makerspaces in our schools, Lab Out Loud decided to reach out to science fiction writer Cory Doctorow to chat about his most recent novel Walkaway. Set in a near future ruined by ecological and technological catastrophe, Walkaway is a story about scarcity and surviving outside the default limits of societal norms. But Walkaway also offers a glimpse into a future where today's emerging technologies (think 3D printers and drones) are used routinely in collaborative problem solving. Doctorow talks to co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler about Walkaway, the maker movement and bunch of other stuff. Show Notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2018/01/episode-178-walkaway/

This week on Lab Out Loud, Hakhamanesh Mostafavi, PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University and co-author of a recent paper, Identifying genetic variants that affect viability in large cohorts, joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about the evidence for and examples of continuing human evolution. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2017/12/episode-177-human-evolution/

This week we're proud to introduce their youngest guest ever on the show. Ten year old Elaina Garg and her younger sister Kaylie wrote The Organic Coloring Book with the help of their father Neil, a professor at UCLA. Designed to help kids learn about common chemicals around them, the Organic Coloring Book features over 25 pages of chemicals to draw, complete with Cheesy the Mouse as a guide for the reader. Elaina and Neil join Lab Out Loud to talk about why they made this coloring book, how they chose the chemical structures to feature, and how this experience made Neil a better teacher. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2017/11/episode-176-organic-coloring-book/

Making his third appearance on Lab Out Loud, we welcome science storyteller Sam Kean back to the show.  As author of The Disappearing Spoon and The Violinist's Thumb, Sam has a new book out called Caesar's Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us.  Sam joins us to talk about how a chemistry thought problem lead to the title of his new book, why we should care about the air around us, and also shares some insights on science writing.   Show notes at:  https://laboutloud.com/2017/11/episode-175-caesars-last-breath/

It's Mole Day! Celebrated on October 23, Mole Day recognizes Avogadro's number (6.02 x 10^23), which is a basic unit of measurement in chemistry. Lab Out Loud co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler discuss mole day, reminisce on how they have celebrated it, and celebrate Maurice Oehler, the founder of the National Mole Day Foundation. How do you celebrate Mole Day? Leave a comment at laboutloud.com, tweet a picture to @laboutloud or leave a message at facebook.com/LabOutLoud/. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2017/10/episode-174-mole-day/  

Science degrees can be found in the most intriguing careers. This week Lab Out Loud talks with Becca Ransohoff, an analytical chemist for MadTree Brewing in Cincinnati, Ohio. In June, MadTree released Entropic Theory (a hoppy, juicy IPA) with a special can launch party whereby a portion of the proceeds were donated to iSPACE, a local non-profit that promotes education of science, engineering, technology and math for kids. Also a product of science and research, MadTree invested over two years of planning and testing to develop Entropic Theory. Becca joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about Entropic Theory and the science behind its creation, while describing her job as an analytical chemist at MadTree Brewing.   Show notes at:  http://laboutloud.com/2017/10/episode-173-entropic-theory/

Continuing with a theme of teacher created content, Lab Out Loud is proud to share Matt Blackman's physics games and apps. As physics teacher and adjunct instructor at Rutgers Graduate School of Education, Matt founded The Universe & More where he creates educational games and apps such as Crack the Circuit and Action Graphing. Matt joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about his games, how they might supplement and enhance (but not replace) good teaching, and how you can use them with the companion worksheets in your science classroom. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/09/episode-172-crack-the-circuit/

As the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) takes full effect this fall, educators might be curious to know how this new legislation affects STEM education. To help us navigate through ESSA, Lab Out Loud welcomes James Brown to the show. As executive director of the STEM Education Coalition, James works with the Coalition to raise awareness in Congress, the Administration, and other organizations about the critical role that STEM education plays in enabling the U.S. to remain the economic and technological leader of the global marketplace of the 21st century. James joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about ESSA, how it impacts states and STEM education, and how teachers can get more involved as this law rolls out.   Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/09/episode-170-essa/

From Math for America, Lab Out Loud welcomes John Ewing (President) and Megan Roberts (Executive Director) to the show. With a goal of making teaching a viable, rewarding and respected career, MƒA provides a mechanism that encourages professional STEM educators to engage in their subject matter while working in a collaborative and supportive environment. In practice, MƒA's fellowship program engages New York City teachers to engage in professional growth within a professional community that receives professional recognition. John and Megan join co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to discuss the success of the Math for America model, how it can be replicated across the nation, and emphasize the importance of teaching as a true profession. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/09/episode-170-math-for-america/

To kickoff season 11, Lab Out Loud welcomes Christopher Preece to the show.  As a high school chemistry teacher, Chris recently created Che[M]ystery - a graphic novel that teaches chemistry concepts. Written by Preece and illustrated by Josh Reynolds, Che[M]ystery follows the adventures of two kids as they gain superpowers, fight a radioactive monster and learn some science along the way. Chris joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to discuss how he created Che[M]ystery, and shares how he uses it to capture student imaginations in his chemistry classes. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/08/episode-169-chemystery

To close season 10, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome back Dr. Sean B. Carroll - award-winning scientist, writer, and educator. Dr. Carroll's new book, The Serengeti Rules, examines the fundamental question of how life works as he uncovers the rules that determine the number of species in an environment and the diversity within that community. What this molecular biologist learns in the field provides insights into evolution, conservation and functional environmentalism that affect us all on the local and global level. Listen to the show to hear how Dr. Carroll shares compelling stories of science that include exploration with epic adventures, surprise, and even a little detective work in The Serengeti Rules. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/05/episode-168-serengeti-rules/

This week, Lab Out Loud welcomes Darlene Cavalier to the show. In addition to her position as Professor of Practice at Arizona State University's Center for Engagement and Training, Darlene is the founder of SciStarter - an online community to designed to help people find, join and contribute to science through both formal and informal research projects and events. Darlene joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to help promote Citizen Science Day - a month-long challenge (through May 20, 2017) that seeks to celebrate and engage citizen scientists throughout the world. Listen to the show to learn how you, your students and your family can be citizen scientists by catching clouds with an app, documenting road kill, or fighting Alzheimer's with an online game! Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/05/episode-167-scistarter/

This week, Lab Out Loud welcomes Matt Brady to the show. Along with wife Shari, these two high school science teachers have been working to bring pop culture into the classroom to increase student engagement and understanding of science. Their website The Science Of helps broadcast these ideas and strategies with the goal of providing a place for popular culture to act as a springboard to science education, discussion and information. Matt joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about teaching science with pop culture, discuss how this approach can help connect teachers to their students, and share his favorite pop culture references used in his science classroom. Brian and Dale also talk about the March for Science on Earth Day, 2017.   Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/04/episode-166-pop-culture-science-education

Fredi Lavjardi teaches marine science at Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix, where he is also coach of Falcon Robotics - an extracurricular high school STEM program that won the 2004 MATE National Underwater ROV championships with their robot "Stinky," besting juggernaut teams such as MIT.  This inspiring story was originally covered by Wired Magazine, expanded by the same author into a book, and graced the silver screen in 2015 as the movie Spare Parts.  Along with other engaging stories, the success of Falcon Robotics is now being featured in the IMAX documentary Dream Big: Engineering Our World.  Using human stories to expose the hidden world behind exciting inventions and structures across the world, Dream Big aims to at bring engineering into the forefront of our culture while inspiring kids of all backgrounds to become the innovators, educators and leaders of the 21st century and beyond.  Fredi joins Lab Out Loud to share more about Falcon Robotics, how STEM education is addressed in his classroom and r

Co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler recently discovered EO Kids - a web publication that brings engaging science stories from NASA's Earth Observatory to a younger audience. Published with support from NASA's Landsat, Terra, and Aqua missions, EO Kids provides kid-friendly content in a PDF that can be easily downloaded or printed. Each issue of EO Kids also features hands-on activities, experiments and opportunities for students to interact with real data. To learn more about EO Kids, listen to Lab Out Loud as they welcome Editor-in-Chief Ginger Butcher and Managing Editor Tassia Owen to the show. Show notes: http://laboutloud.com/2017/03/episode-164-eo-kids/

Valerie Bayes joins Lab Out Loud this week to talk about modern agriculture. As the K-12 STEM Outreach Lead for Monsanto, Valerie is busy engaging educators in modern agriculture where cross-cutting concepts like engineering, math, and biology are used to solve important problems in our world today. Through Monsanto's STEM page, Valerie assists educators in finding powerful classroom resources and even helps teachers in obtaining GM seeds for use in the classroom. Valerie joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to share how she got into science outreach, describe Monsanto's educational collaborations, and discuss the connections between STEM and modern agriculture (including drones!). Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/03/episode-163-monsanto/