A Message from Your New State Science Consultant

This opportunity to introduce myself through the pages of the Iowa Science Teachers Journal causes me to feel a bit of nostalgia. Years ago, I was editor of this journal. Approximately one month ago, I filled the position of State Science Consultant, replacing Jack Gerlovich, who is now on the faculty at Drake University. For the past 12 years, I was on contract from the University of Iowa to the Iowa Energy Policy Council (now the Energy Bureau of the Department of Natural Resources)

Life and Times at the South Carolina College, 1805-1905

Visitors approaching the campus of the University of South Carolina will first see the tops of the modern high-rise buildings that attest to the dynamic growth of the institution in recent years. But as they enter the section of the campus known as the "Horseshoe" and look upon the graceful array of nineteenth-century buildings lining a brick drive, they will sense that this part of the campus has a history all its own. This catalog will tell some of that story and provide a glimpse of student life at the University during the period when it was known as the South Carolina College and its boundaries were the brick walls surrounding the Horseshoe area

UPSTEP Summer Conference Provides Means of Making Curriculum Improvements

The UPSTEP Summer Conference for Science Curriculum Innovation and Leadership is an opportunity for teachers to work with others to make their teaching environment more effective

Every Learner Inquires: A State Science Education Initiative

Learning, by its very nature, is an active mental process whereby learners work to make sense of experience in light of what they already know. Learning through inquiry encourages extensive mental engagement and, when implemented well, promotes a deep understanding of science concepts and the nature of science. For these reasons, having students learn science through inquiry has been at the heart of science education reform documents. However, teaching science through inquiry requires particular teaching skills that depart from time-honored practices. This article describes a new state science education initiative in Iowa titled “Every Learner Inquires” (ELI) that will begin prior to the 2006 school year. This article promotes National Science Education Content Standards A and G, and Iowa Teaching Standards 1, 2, 5, 7, and 8

Minimizing Ice Hockey Injuries through Improved Leg Adductor Muscle Strengthening

Previous research has indicated that a specific regimen of leg adductor muscle exercises targeting at risk National Hockey League players can significantly reduce in-season injuries. The overall adductor muscle strain injury incidence in the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 regular seasons was 17 players per 1000 players, which declined to 13.6 per 1000 players in the seasons following the strength exercise intervention (Tyler, 2002, p. 682). However, little is known about how these exercises actually target, activate, and strengthen these adductor muscles for use during a skating stride. In this sophomore Scholars research, I am using biomechanical kinematics data to compare activation and performance of the leg adductor muscles during stationary training exercises and a roller blading skating stride. To collect the kinematic data, individual reflective markers are placed on specific lower limb joints and body landmarks. The analysis software Tracker determines the angular acceleration of the leg during the exercises, which is used to model the moment of inertia of the legs during the exercises. This research will expand on the effectiveness of Tracker as a tool in biomechanical kinematics research through a comparison to the forces exerted in studies of similar exercises. The data will provide a physiological and biomechanical comparison between stationary training exercises and the actual muscle use during the skating stride. The research has implications in the injury prevention of adductor muscles in the leg by potentially editing and shortening the current training program while still producing similar or greater success rates. Tyler, Timothy F., et al. The Effectiveness of a Preseason Exercise Program to Prevent Adductor Muscle Strains in Professional Ice Hockey Players. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 30, no. 5, 2002, pp. 680-683., doi:10.1177/03635465020300050801

Synthesis of Ti02 (Rutile) by Vapor Transport

Titanium metal is used in many demanding applications, for example, titanium skin of high speed aircraft must withstand high temperature and mechanical stress. The demanding nature of applications for the metal has placed a high priority on the study of its oxide. The similarity between Ti02 of the Rutile structure and other semiconducting materials has also prompted studies of its electrical properties. These studies have generated a demand for single crystals of the material. The object of this investigation, supported by Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), is to produce large single crystals of Ti02 (Rutile) having low dislocation. density and high chemical purity. The choice of vapor transport as the growth technique was dictated by these requirements

Crítica social y esperanza para las próximas generaciones: Representaciones de seropositivos en Todo sobre mi madre (1999) y Positivo (2016)

This thesis criticizes the progression of the HIV/AIDS pandemic from post-Franco Spain to contemporary Venezuela through the analysis of a domestic film from each country. From Spain, the comedy-drama film Todo sobre mi madre (1999) by Pedro Almodóvar is a reflection of an earlier stage of the epidemic, when the country was challenged to recreate its political and social identities. Almodóvar’s film highlights the struggles of the LGBTQ community to transgress stereotypes (not limited to HIV) and find hope in future generations to solve the lingering social inequalities. From Venezuela, the short film Positivo (2016) from De Tovar Films is a contemporary student production about the daily lives of HIV-positive youth in unstable conditions. The work contrasts the experiences of the two generations regarding both HIV and a country with an underdeveloped healthcare system and reduced personal liberties. The two films suggest that the social change needed to correct the cycle of HIV spread (particularly in underrepresented groups) will stem from today’s youth. Although there are examples of significant medical and social progress between the events of Todo sobre mi madre and Positivo, the settings of both films are only a small representation of countries that have fallen behind in HIV education, prevention, and treatment. I argue that the “next generation” that Almodóvar believed could execute the necessary social and public health changes is the very same student group that refuses to let Venezuela’s need for improvement fade to the background

Hypoxia Decreases Jump Rate and Increases Lactate Production in Late-Stage Grasshoppers

Insects are the most evolutionarily successful animals in part due to their air-filled tracheal respiratory system. During intermolt periods, the American locust (Schistocerca americana) doubles their body mass, which may compress the tracheae and reduce both oxygen delivery and jump performance. We forced early-stage (day 2) and late-stage (day 8) 6th instar grasshoppers to jump in artificial oxygen atmospheres (5%, 10%, 21%, 40% oxygen: balance nitrogen). After jumping, grasshoppers were immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen for a fluorometric lactate assay. We predicted that if oxygen delivery is compromised during development, then late-stage grasshopper jump rate and lactate production would correlate with oxygen level. Within the first one to two minutes of jumping, there were no significant differences in jump rate between ages at any oxygen level. Previous work has also shown that the first two minutes of jumping is fueled primarily by anaerobic ATP production. At moderate hypoxia (10% O2) and normoxia (21% O2), there were no differences in jump rate by age. In extreme hypoxia (5% O2), late-stage grasshoppers had a 1.6-fold lower average jump rate in minutes three through five. In hyperoxia (40% O2), late-instar grasshoppers\u27 jump rates increased on average by 1.4-fold in minutes two through five. Late-instar grasshopper muscles produced significantly greater lactate regardless of oxygen level. Within each group, oxygen level did not significantly affect lactateproduction. Continued research will examine how age and oxygen level impact HIF-1 expression in grasshoppers. We predict late-stage grasshoppers will have elevated HIF-1 protein levels

A Metastable Helium Magnetometer for Earth Satellite Applications

During the late 1950\u27s and early 1960\u27s considerable effort has been devoted to development of instrumentation for earth-orbiting and interplanetary vehicles. One area of substantial interest in this regard has been the measurement of magnetic field strength in these environments. Notable among the experimenters is the group associated with Dr. J. P. Heppner of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Much of the work done by this group has been accomplished with relatively low altitude earth satellites where field strength is of the same order of magnitude as at the terrestial surface. The instruments used for measurement have employed as a standard the gyromagnetic ratio of various atoms. The rubidium vapor magnetometer produced by Varian Associates of Palo Alto, California is a recent embodiment of this principle, and has been used by Heppner. In view of this stature and contributions in this area of study the rubidium vapor instrument might be considered the or certainly a state of the art device. This magnetometer, however, exhibits several undesirable characteristics. The first of these is the relatively precise temperature control of the sensor required in order to sustain the optical pumping process with rubidium vapor. The second of these, a characteristic of the self oscillator mode of operation, is the existence of certain orientations with respect to the ambient field in which the instrument does not provide a recoverable output. A parallel development at Texas Instruments Incorporated has been the metastable helium magnetometer which also involves the optical pumping process and the gyromagnetic ratio of helium as a standard. The unlocked oscillator mode of operation of this device lends itself readily to elimination of dead zones by operation with three mutually perpendicular light axes in the sensor. Moreover, the temperature limitations which helium are not as severe as with rubidium vapor. The purpose of the work described herein was to produce an engineering model helium magnetometer to establish its feasibility for use in low altitude earth satellites..