I signed up for the Adopt-a-Physicist program run by the APS, and I’ve been “adopted” by three high school classes. The program pairs professional physicists with high school classes, and provides a web forum both groups can access. The students ask questions, and I answer them. I’d love to be able to link directly to… Continue reading Adopted Physicist
Author: Chad Orzel
Fixing Education: DonorsChoose Fundraiser 2008
As we have the past few years, the folks here at ScienceBlogs will be running a fundraiser for the educational charity DonorsChoose. If you haven’t been around for the past versions, the way it works is you go to their site via my challenge page, and review proposals submitted by teachers asking for funds to… Continue reading Fixing Education: DonorsChoose Fundraiser 2008
links for 2008-10-01
Dr. Rivka – How many US Supreme Court decisions can you name off the top of your head? (tags: law US politics) Tor.com / Science fiction and fantasy / Blog posts / Bloat: threat or menace? A defense of long books. (tags: books writing literature SF blogs) Dynamics of Cats : why are grades confidential?… Continue reading links for 2008-10-01
Marketing Science
Via FriendFeed, I came across an article by Deepak Singh on attention and science, which spins off a long rant by Kevin Kelly on the idea that Where ever attention flows, money will follow. Deepak writes: Attention can be driven by many mechanisms, marketing being the most effective one. The key is gaining sufficient mindshare,… Continue reading Marketing Science
Go, Barney Frank
The House Republicans blame their failure to pass the bailout bill on Mean Nancy Pelosi, and Barney Frank lets them have it: The key bit, for those who don’t want to watch YouTube: “[T]hink about this. ‘Somebody hurt my feelings, so I will punish the country.’ That’s hardly plausible. And there are 12 Republican members… Continue reading Go, Barney Frank
Why So Many Words?
Sometime last week, I was directed to Chris Wilson’s article in Slate, which comes with the provocative subtitle “Why can’t science journalists just tell it like it is when it comes to particle physics?” I flagged this as a good jumping-off point for a blog post about how hard it is to communicate science to… Continue reading Why So Many Words?
Unintentional Irony in “Alternative” Medicine
The New York Times today has an article on scientific studies of “alternative” medicine. Quack-bashing isn’t my usual line, but it seemed to me like there was a good bit of stuff that will torque Orac off. I couldn’t help laughing at the final paragraph, though: “In tight funding times, that’s going to get worse,”… Continue reading Unintentional Irony in “Alternative” Medicine
links for 2008-09-30
A Tribute to Paul Newman | Popdose "What the world will miss most about Paul Newman isn’t his artistry as an actor and a director, both of stage and film, but it is his kindness and all-around stature as a good man." (tags: movies society culture) Study of Standardized Admissions Tests Is Big Draw at… Continue reading links for 2008-09-30
Fixing Science Education
In the comments to last week’s science majors follow-up post, commenter Jim G calls me out: OK, I agree with that 100%, and I’m sure everyone who reads this post has observed the phenomena you mention dozens of times or more. But I wonder whether you have a proposal, or if you’re just pointing out… Continue reading Fixing Science Education
Guess the Nobels, Win a Prize
October is almost upon us, which means that the winners of the 2008 Nobel Prizes will be announced soon. Very soon– the first announcement (for Medicine) is next Monday. The most important announcement– the Nobel in Physics– is next Tuesday, October 7. This is a good excuse for a contest, so: Leave a comment on… Continue reading Guess the Nobels, Win a Prize