Blogs, YouTube, Facebook, and wikis are just a few of so-called Web 2.0 technologies that are transforming the look and feel of science on the Web. Last week a group of leading science educators met at CHF during the annual Leadership in Science Education Conference to discuss how these new media technologies are affecting science education. To find out more about how students are using the internet, we spoke with John Horrigan, an expert on broadband and associate director for research at the Pew Internet and American Life Project. We also take a look at popular internet science videos, like the oscillating reaction shown above. Finally, Abigail Paske, a science teacher in Oakland, California, shares her experiences dealing with No Child Left Behind. Element of the Week: Iodine.

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Show Clock

00:00 Opening Credits
00:32 Introduction
01:04 Conversation with John Horrigan
05:00 Element of the Week
08:01 Science Education in the Era of No Child Left Behind
10:58 Quote: Mary Shelley
11:16 Closing Credits

Resources and References

On the Riggs Brauscher reaction: Instructions and an explanation from the University of Leeds Chemistry Department.
For surveys of internet users, analysis of current Web trends, and more: The Pew Internet and American Life Project.
White papers summarizing LISE 5 and LISE 4 are available online.

Credits

Special thanks to Audra Wolfe for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. The music at the end of the interview is “Upbeat for Cable TV,” by Andrew Chalfen. In the Element of the Week, you’re hearing “Stopped Time,” by 37Hz. The music at the end of the show is “The Land of Candy,” by Chris Resu.

Sound is often thought to be a science of physics, but on today’s show we consider its chemistry. When we hear sounds, we’re really encountering waves. The frequency and amplitude of these waves are largely determined by the kinds of materials that produce them, or that they encounter on the way to our ears. And when you’re talking about materials science, you’re talking about chemistry. Modern stereo speakers, for example, depend on magnetic alloys based on an ironically abundant rare earth metal. We also get behind the truth underneath the myriad urban legends surrounding Pop Rocks, a candy that sizzles when you eat it. Finally, producer Catherine Girardeau takes us to the studios of Bart Hopkin and Oliver DiCicco, two artists who make experimental sonic art. Element of the Week: Neodymium.

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Show Clock

00:00     Opening Credits
00:31     Introduction
01:11     Element of the Week: Neodymium
03:03     Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Pop Rocks
05:43     Sonic Art: Experimental Musical Instruments 
10:43     Quote: Ludiwg van Beethoven
11:08     Closing Credits

Resources and References

On neodymium: Information on neodymium was taken from The CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 85th Edition (Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2005).
On Pop Rocks: Marvin Rudolph, Pop Rocks: The Inside Story of America’s Revolutionary Candy (Specialty Publishers, 2006). 
 

Credits

Special thanks to Chi Chan for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. The music for the Element of the Week is “Cracked Smiles,” by Chaos Device. At the beginning of Chemistry in Your Cupboard, you’re hearing “Candycane Pain,” by B.I. The music at the show ID is “How Blue,” by The Last Call Brawlers. The feature includes a number of pieces by Bart Hopkin and Oliver DiCicco/Mobius Operandi. In order, these are: “Now Only” (Mobius Operandi); “Embert, Rumel, and Frumentus,” “Robinson,” and “Plousch” (all Hopkin);  ”Oovulation” (Mobius Operandi); “Aquavina and Cowbells,” and “Baby Please Don’t Go” (Hopkin).

The image of Savart’s Wheel is taken from Bart Hopkin’s Web site, Experimental Musical Instruments.

Tuesday, April 22 was Earth Day. Amid all the hubbub about “going green,” it’s a fair question to ask how much power individual consumers have to reduce their environmental impact. Today’s show looks at a range of environmental issues at three different points on the individual/collective responsibility spectrum. Producer Jori Lewis takes a closer look at the European Union’s new approach to chemical regulation, the REACH agreement. CHF’s Jody Roberts interviews John Mullins, president and CEO of Sun and Earth, a company that makes non-toxic cleaning products. Element of the Week: Fluorine.

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Show Clock

00:00     Opening Credits
00:32     Introduction
01:18     Element of the Week: Fluorine
02:48     REACH: A New Approach to Chemical Regulation
07:44     A Conversation with John Mullins, Sun and Earth
10:38     Quote: Francis Bacon
10:54     Closing Credits

Resources and References

On new scientific concerns about fluoridation: A summary version of a 2006 National Research Council report on the dangers of flouridation may be downloaded free of charge. You can also purchase the entire report from the NAS.
On REACH, including links to many official EU documents: this helpful introduction from the EU. 

Credits

Special thanks to Jody Roberts for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. The music for the Element of the Week is “Mexico,” by The King of France. At the show ID, you’re hearing “No Words,” by Jason Steele Ensemble. The music underneath the quotation is “Paradise on Earth,” by Satya.

The image, “Toothpaste,” was uploaded to stock.xchange by festland.

Jamestown celebrated its 400th anniversary last year. Many people may know that it was the first permanent English settlement in North America, but less commonly known is that Jamestown was also the birthplace of the American chemical enterprise. Today we learn why the settlers of Jamestown purposely packed copper waste products to bring to the New World with them. Also explore a centuries-old murder mystery and how strontium can help solve it. Finally, producer Amy Mayer takes us into the modern-day glassblowing studio of Josh Simpson—the art of which has not changed much since the first settlers at Jamestown set up their own glassblowing works. Element of the Week: Strontium.

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Show Clock

00:00     Opening Credits
00:32     Introduction
01:16     Mystery Solved
04:00     Element of the Week: Strontium
06:24     Visiting Josh Simpson’s Glassblowing Studio
10:13     Quote: Captain John Smith
10:23     Closing Credits

Resources and References

On JR, the mystery man: the Jamestown Rediscovery Web site.
On strontium: this helpful entry on Wikipedia.
For more about Josh Simpson’s work, visit his Web site. 

Credits

Special thanks to Robert Hicks for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by Jon Sayles. The music underneath the monologue is “Fly not so fast my dear,” by John Wilbye. The music for the Mystery Solved segment is “My Lady Carey’s Dompe,” by Anonymous. The music for the Element of the Week is “You that wont to my pipes sound,” by Thomas Morley. Underneath the quote of the week is “The Witches’ Dance,” by Anonymous.

The image at the top of the page, of Josh Simpson working in his studio, is courtesy of Lewis Legbreaker. Both images of Simpson’s platters are courtesy of Tommy Olof Elder.