Lab Out Loud

Lab Out Loud’s guest this week is Gary Weimberg, co-director of the PBS documentary “My Love Affair With The Brain: The Life and Science of Dr. Marian Diamond.” Produced and released in collaboration with AAAS and Scientific American, and narrated by The Big Bang Theory’s Mayim Bialik, this upcoming documentary showcases the life and work of engaging professor, inquisitive learner and YouTube sensation Dr. Marian Diamond. Gary joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to discuss the film, reveal how Dr. Diamond’s work challenged assumptions in science and society, and share his beliefs in telling human stories to illustrate how science actually happens. Listen to the show to be inspired by Dr. Diamond’s work and learn how you might use her story in your science classroom and participate in this public engagement in science. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/02/episode-161-my-love-affair-with-the-brain/

Lab Out Loud is proud to welcome David Pogue to the show. As tech critic for Yahoo Tech, correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning, and columnist for Scientific American, many listeners might recognize Pogue as host of many NOVA science specials. In 2012, he shared his exploration of the periodic table with the wildly popular NOVA special Hunting the Elements. Now he'd like to continue that story with Beyond the Elements, where he will explore and share the mysteries of the molecular world. But he needs your help. Together with NOVA, Pogue is working hard on a Kickstarter campaign to fund Beyond the Elements. The goals of the campaign start with producing the show and continue with adding classroom resources and possibly a VR experience. David joins Lab Out Loud to talk about science and tech, his work with NOVA, and the Kickstarter project Beyond the Elements. Listen now to learn how to help NOVA and David Pogue produce this new special for families and science classrooms across the nation! Show notes at: ht

Co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome Zach Kaplan to Lab Out Loud. As founder and CEO of Inventables, Kaplan hopes to inspire and enlist a new wave of makers with tools like Carvey (a desktop 3D carving machine) and Easel (a simple and free cloud-based app for 3D design to carving). In schools, with an increased focus on engineering and a push to include more STEAM classes and Makerspaces, these tools are also providing students with an opportunity to learn career and college ready skills in a hands-on and authentic manner. Zach joins Lab Out Loud to talk about Inventables, the growth of the maker movement, and the future of desktop fabrication and manufacturing. Show notes at:  http://laboutloud.com/2017/01/carving-into-stem-with-inventables/

Lab Out Loud co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome ecologist & author Caren Cooper to the show.  As an Associate Professor at North Carolina State university, Dr. Cooper also works with the Chancellor's Faculty Excellence Program on Leadership in Public Science.  She is an advocate of citizen science, believing that anyone, anywhere at any time, can help conduct genuine scientific research. In her new book, Citizen Science: How Ordinary People are Changing the Face of Discovery, Dr. Cooper tells the stories of citizen scientists who are challenging assumptions of how and where knowledge can be acquired.  Dr. Cooper joins Lab Out Loud to share some of these stories, along with ideas and resources on how educators might engage their students in creating new knowledge from the world around them. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/01/episode-159-citizen-science/

In this special On the Lookout installment of Lab Out Loud, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler explore another device in the world of desktop fabrication as they recently tested out Carvey - a tabletop 3D carving machine from Inventables. Right out of the box, they discovered Carvey to be a remarkably easy to use tool appropriate for younger learners. Solidly built, Carvey’s small footprint can easily sit on a tabletop, and features an enclosed frame that keeps the workspace relatively clean and safe. Of course, Carvey’s reach extends well beyond the science classroom, and will function as a savvy tool that any STEAM program or Makerspace could rely upon for hands-on student learning. Listen to Lab Out Loud (and watch their unbox video) to see how this new digital manufacturing tool can allow students to transform their digital creations into physical, everyday objects. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/12/episode-158-carvey/

This week, Lab Out Loud talks with Sonia Epstein, the Executive Editor of the Museum of the Moving Image's online publication Science & Film. Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Science & Film is devoted to exploring the intersection of science and film and enhancing the public's understanding of science and technology. Sonia joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about Sloan films and the recently released teacher’s guide that includes information on 46 short films that you can use with students. Listen to Lab Out Loud to see how you might use Sloan films to help engage students in STEAM learning. Show notes: http://laboutloud.com/2016/12/episode-157-sloan-science-and-film/ 

Making his third appearance on Lab Out Loud, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome Rhett Allain back to the show.  As an Associate Professor of physics at Southeastern Louisiana University, Rhett is also an avid blogger for Wired Science.  In addition to his consultant work for Mythbusters, Rhett has recently added another impressive accolade to his resume: Technical Consultant for the TV show MacGyver (2106).  Rhett joins Lab Out Loud to discuss Macgyver, his role in screen science, and the importance of critical thinking skills.   Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/11/episode-156-macgyver/

Two science teachers call the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line! To prepare for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, we decided to consult with a professionally trained expert who could answer all of our important turkey questions. Show Notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/11/episode-155-butterball-hotline/ 

Making his third appearance on Lab Out Loud, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome Dr. Ken Roy back to discuss safety in science classrooms and other potentially harmful areas (such as makerspaces). This fall, Ken launched the NSTA Safety Blog to share commentaries on the latest safety issues, legal standards and better professional practices. Ken reminds us about important science safety practices such as yearly safety training, our duty of care when working with students in foreseeable harmful situations, and the need to make sure your eye wash station works before you do labs that might require its use. Listen to the show to hear how you can learn important safety tips and how to submit your own questions to the NSTA Safety Blog. Show notes: http://laboutloud.com/2016/11/episode-154-nsta-safety-blog/

Have you ever relied upon a lab or resource so much that you don't know what you would do without it?  This mini-lab episode discusses such a tool that was lost and then found again - Mihara Naoki's Ramp and Roll. Originally developed to assist introductory physics students understand the simple motion of ball rolling on a ramp, Ramp and Roll's unique user-friendly interface calculates and graphs the position, velocity and acceleration of the ball all in real time while the ball is rolling. Listen to this mini-lab episode to hear more about Ramp and Roll as co-host Dale Basler takes a trip down memory lane to share how it was lost, found and eventually came to be hosted at Lab Out Loud. Show notes: http://laboutloud.com/2016/10/episode-153-ramp-and-roll/

Making his fourth appearance on Lab Out Loud, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome Fred Ende back to the show. As the Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instructional Services for a cooperative educational service in New York, Fred has sat through, observed, and delivered a lot of professional development. Most recently, Fred has written a book on professional development entitled Professional Development That Sticks, where he seeks to answer how to approach professional development in a thoughtful way, keep teachers motivated, and make the whole process worthwhile. In addition to being Lab Out Loud's "PD therapist", Fred joins Lab Out Loud to share some strategies in creating meaningful learning experiences and suggests how we might retain more of our learning after it's complete. Show notes: http://laboutloud.com/2016/10/episode-152-pd-that-sticks/  

Lab Out Loud welcomes former astronaut Stephen Frick, Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Advanced Technology Center. Lockheed Martin and Discovery Education have partnered to launch the next phase of Generation Beyond – an initiative to use science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to prepare today’s middle school students for deep space exploration. With engaging online curriculum, a virtual field trip, and a video challenge for students, Generation Beyond seeks to engage students in grades 6-8 in STEM careers and help them prepare to make these deep space missions a reality. Listen to Lab Out Loud to hear about Stephen recall his work as an astronaut and learn how you can help inspire today’s students to become the next generation of engineers and space explorers.   show notes at:  http://laboutloud.com/2016/10/episode-151-generation-beyond/

This week co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler talk sex with Dr. Carin Bondar (specifically, they discuss how science teachers can use sex to teach biological concepts).  As biologist, writer and presenter, Dr. Bondar hosts an independent web series called Wild Sex and has just released her second book, also titled Wild Sex.  Listen to Lab Out Loud to hear ideas on how you might utilize biological sex to teach concepts such as population biology, evolution and other concepts in your secondary science classroom. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/09/episode-150-biological-sex/

As students are returning to school, they might be hunting for Pokémon with the wildly popular Pokémon GO app. Part of the game allows students students to evolve their Pokémon into other pocket monsters. But is this an accurate portrayal of biological evolution? Can science educators actually use Pokémon GO to teach evolution or other scientific concepts? To help answer some of these questions, Lab Out Loud co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler are happy to welcome Dr. Luke Holbrook to the show.  Luke belongs to the department of Biological Sciences at Rowan University, and has thought a lot about using Pokémon to help teach concepts of evolution (he even designed a Pokémon activity many years ago - on paper!) Listen to the show to hear more about Pokémon GO and evolution, and if you could use it to teach science in your classroom.   Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/09/episode-149-pokemon/

To close season nine, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler discuss newer technologies such as 3D printers, virtual reality and drones.  These newer technologies have recently Lab Out Loud's attention and they are exploring how they might be used in the science classroom.  Lab Out Loud also talks with Benjamin Schrom, product manager at Google for Education. Ben shares a taste of Google Expeditions and how it might be used in all classrooms to enhance learning using virtual reality. Show Notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/06/episode-148-science-edtech/

This week, Lab Out Loud co-host Brian Bartel talks with Dr. Tom Hart - penguinologist and lead researcher for Penguin Watch. Penguin Watch is a project that collects images of penguins and other seabirds from cameras scattered throughout the Southern Ocean. These images are shared online where citizen scientists can easily identify adult penguins, chicks and eggs. Listen to Lab Out Loud to hear how and your students can help monitor penguins and other seabirds with just the click of a mouse. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/05/episode-147-penguin-watch/

As a former biology teacher and now product manager at PASCO Scientific, Mike Blasberg has witnessed a transformation in how students can collect data in the science classroom. Mike joins us to talk about the evolution of sensors, how we can use a smartphone to collect and analyze data, and discusses the capabilities and features of the new wireless sensors available from PASCO scientific. Shownotes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/05/episode-146-pasco/

At SXSWedu, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler were fortunate to see littleBits founder and CEO Ayah Bdeir unveil the new littleBits STEAM set.  In fact, they were quite impressed to hear about littleBits' gender neutral design and see examples of students using the sets to solve real problems. Wanting to find more about this invention-based learning tool, Lab Out Loud is proud to welcome littleBits' Education Program Manger Erin Mulcahy and Product Designer Dave Sharp to the show. Listen now to learn how you might use the littleBits STEAM set to engage students in problem solving, creative thinking and collaboration through invention-based learning.   http://laboutloud.com/2016/04/episode-145-littlebits/

From NOVA Education, Lab Out Loud welcomes outreach coordinator Ralph Bouquet to showcase NOVA Labs - a free digital platform featuring games that foster authentic scientific exploration. With engaging interactives and informative videos, NOVA Labs allows students to participate in an area of active research where they can analyze and play with the same data that scientists use. Listen to the show to see how your students can participate in science by tracking cloud movements, designing biomolecules, or defending against sophisticated cyber attacks. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/04/episode-144-nova-labs/  

Lab Out Loud had so much fun talking movies with Andy Howell, so they continued talking with him about his work as scientist at Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) and Adjunct Faculty in physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  Andy joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler (again) to talk about studying supernovae, robotic telescopes, and how science really happens. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/03/episode-143-andy-howell/