Read about it: International Science Literacy and Education

2022-05-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

Abstract Detail

Conference Wide

Shipman, J. S. [1].
Helping Students use a HOT Skills WheelTM to enhance Higher Order Thinking on Botany (and other science) Topics.

Building higher order thinking skills is important to studies in botany. Participants in this symposium will make a H.O.T. Skills Wheel and use it in small groups to study some botany so they will have first hand experience to share with their own students. Participants should bring a journal article or portion of text, and may bring colored pencils, markers or crayons (6 light colors), other art or music supplies (guitar, if you'd like to use it, for example), and a folder.
After trying the wheel for various botany topics, participants will share their experiences. After returning home, participants are encouraged to use the new H.O.T. skills wheels with their classes and submit their results for possible publication in text or on the web.

2021-01-20T22:14:00.026-08:00

Improve Literacy for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, and, Finance.

Follow on TikTok Short bursts of Ideas to Draw People to Science.

<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@user7306971429987/video/6920088546179140869" data-video-id="6920088546179140869" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;" > <section> <a target="_blank" title="@user7306971429987" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@user7306971429987">@user7306971429987</a> <p></p> <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - J Shipman" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-6920088602160417541">♬ original sound - J Shipman</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>

https://www.tiktok.com/@user7306971429987/video/6920088546179140869?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6899083208265123333&is_from_webapp=v2

About 70 years ago, Marie Shipman said, "Looking at pictures is reading. It is where children start to read." I will say that those people that share picture books with their children soon have children that tell them the stories, start to recognize letters, and, the children start to realize the letters represent sounds.

Lots of people like sight-reading or L+1. These concepts about reading make it hard to develop scientists

Previous posts to check over from the Wayback Machine

2020-08-13T05:38:00.003-07:00

https://web.archive.org/web/20130415060510/http://read-about-it.blogspot.com/

Seeds are Everyone's Responsibility. Nobody owns Seeds (or Genes), Learn the Science of Seed-keeping and Ensure the Food Supply

2020-07-15T14:41:00.003-07:00

Seeds are Everyone's Responsibility. Nobody owns Seeds (or Genes), Learn the Science of Seed-keeping and Ensure the Food Supply

Here are some resources:

Viewpoint: Saving our Food Supply and Our Culture
https://nativefoodalliance.org/our-programs-2/indigenous-seedkeepers-network/

Viewpoint: Using Availability of Food to Control People
https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/monsanto-and-gates-foundation-have-major-control-over-large-global-seed-bank-norway

Viewpoint: Fact or Fiction Regarding Gates Involvement in Seed Bank
https://blog.seedsavers.org/blog/svalbard-with-cary-fowler

I will post more,.This page is under development.

How Diet Is Driving COVID-19 Outcomes

2020-05-18T03:51:00.001-07:00

Watch, Reflect, Write your Ideas.

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We are inside with food being rationed by the grocery stores. Still there are pluses*. Use YOUR science knowledge to make good decisions.

2020-04-22T15:25:00.001-07:00

Wash your Hands, Aseptic Technique,
Saving Lives
You know I often spoke and wrote about hand-washing. Hand-washing-to- prevent-disease is nothing new just because of the, "COVID-19," corona crisis. Hand-washing has been known to be critical in saving lives for years and years. It is so important to saving lives that I told my pre-medical and allied meical students, including nursing students, that ever if they even once forgot to use aseptic technique they would fail the course.

Complaining about Aseptic Technique?
Oh, how they complained! You can imagine. My response was that excellent aseptic technique was that important. They had to learn aseptic technique so they did it automatically or they could kill whole cities. You'll be glad to know, they all passed the course. You might even be alive because of their doing well in their studies. One of those students stopped an epidemic in Boston (and won an award for it), because she recognized a flaw in aseptic technique. She saved a city. More on that later. Let's look at aseptic technique first.

So what is aseptic technique?
So what is aseptic technique? You haven't heard that on the news? Note that people often say, "sterile," when they mean, "aseptic." so, what isn the difference? Dictionary.com defines sterile this way: "Free from bacteria or other living microorganisms; totally clean," and aseptic this way, "Free from the living germs of disease, fermentation, or putrefaction." They are close in meaning but not the same. We can sterilize surgical equipment but not our hands. for example.

Singing your way clean
I sang happy birthday twice whilke washing my hands. Today, people are being creative and riting more songs/ Do you have one to help you time your wahimg" Some singing you might enjoy be some cretive people is found here: https://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2012/06/update-from-personal-contact-wash-your.html.

Questions for Reflection
Reflect and put your thoughts down. Answer or take your best guesses at these questions:

Why do you think we want our hands to be aseptic rather than sterile yet want surgical equipment to be sterile?
Is there a problem with over cleaning?
Do we need some germs? Why or why not?
How could aseptic technique save a city?
Do you want your hands to be sterile?
Why does a new field of architecture now study biology and asthma?
What are YOUR plusses to being quarantined?

I will give you some time to think about the questions and come back later with the story of the woman who got the award in Boston for stopping an epidemic a few years ago and some additional pointer.

_____
* From Dictionary.com, "noun, plural plus·es, plus·ses."

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK144018/ Accessed 4/22/2020.
Shipman, J S 2012, 2014 https://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2012/06/update-from-personal-contact-wash-your.html
Shipman, J S 2014.Wednesday, March 5, 2014, C-diff epidemic in USA and Europe hits home. (Personal update) Your help is needed to battle super germs (Yes, You...Your help). https://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2008/06/c-diff-epidemic-in-usa-and-europe-hits.html
Shipman, J 2010 Thursday, February 25, 2010. Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAI) Carry Steep Price Tag... Doctors are not exempt from using old-fashioned soap and water to wash their hands.https://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2010/02/hospital-acquired-infections-carry.html Thursday, May 13, 2010. Aseptique Technique: Preventing or Alleviating Problems. https://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2010/05/aseptique-technique-preventing-or.html
Shipman, J S . 2010. Thursday, May 13, 2010, Aseptique Technique Preventing or Alleviating Problems. https://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2010/05/aseptique-technique-preventing-or.html.
Shipman, J S 2007 Thursday, December 20, 2007, Whttps://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2007/12/wash-your-hands.html/
Shipman. J S 2015 Marh 5. 2015. Update from a personal contact... Wash your hands! https://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2012/06/update-from-personal-contact-wash-your.html
Shipman, J S 2017 Friday, September 17. 2010, Today's In the News is on Hand-Washing...
Shipman, J S 2018. Surviving Old Age... No matter when you start, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43350445-surviving-old-age-no-matter-when-you-start [I am updating and revising this book at present. The current contents are fine. I am just adding some newer research. I recommend the e-book if you just want to click links to sources. I personlly like holding the paperback but I prefer the e-book to typing in the address links. Yes, I did the painting on the cover. It is called, "Dutch-American Part of the Underground Railroad."]
Shaiman, Marc. 2020. March 20, 2020, We wrote You a Hand-washing Song: Listen up. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/well/we-wrote-you-a-hand-washing-song-listen-up.html. Accessed 4/22/2020.

2020-03-13T17:12:00.002-07:00

Need a change from the Corona virus? Here's an
Almanac author's Ideas on the Cold Myths

https://www.almanac.com/content/10-myths-about-cold

La Bloomba worth revisiting

2020-03-13T16:53:00.002-07:00

SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 2012

Plants not only move, they dance: Award-winning La Bloomba! Film by Kris Holmes.

In memoriam: https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/inmemoriam/html/williamoliverbright.html
( It was here but now moved to the above link. http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/senate/inmemoriam/williamoliverbright.html )

At first, I could not find the film again ( 5-9-2022) but I did find this information:

"La Bloomba

"Author: Kris Holmes

"Time-lapse openings of hundreds of flowers are "choreographed" to dance to the traditional Mexican song, La Bamba.

"Every single flower and plant in this film was grown by me, in my own garden. I shot all of the original video myself, no stock footage was used. I designed the font used in the titles. This film was my MFA Thesis film for UCLA Film School."

Source: https://chlorofilms.org/index.php/crpVideo/display/videoid/5

I did find it here: https://youtu.be/m1ag6BSzvQQ

No comments:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m1ag6BSzvQQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

A Botany Blog of Note

2020-03-13T16:49:00.004-07:00

http://phytophactor.fieldofscience.com/

Did they have to cancel all the sports to give us the play-by-olay on the Corona Virus?

2020-03-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

I didn't think I would miss sports so much. I mean you can't help liking them if you are in Boston, or, New York, or Kansas or Texas, or wherever your favorite team(s) are.

But, the play-by-play on the Corona virus is surely panicking people more than need be.

We need to learn more science as a nation to not panick.

The good news is, "PEOPLE ARE NOW WASHING THEIR HANDS AFTER THEY GO TO THE BATHROOM.'

This hand-washing action alone will help reduce disease. More on that has been posted other places in the blog (https://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2008/06/c-diff-epidemic-in-usa-and-europe-hits.html & https://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2012/06/update-from-personal-contact-wash-your.html).

We do need more science applied. For example, when you have some unknown condition, do not bring it into airports all over the country...California, Texas, New York, Stewart... Keep that unknown in one place until you know what it is.

And using a quarantine is not treating people like lepers. Quarantine is used to prevent spread of disease. But quarantine the ill and those they have seen until we get a handle on controlling the disease., Don't lock down whole cities Too many people will go out of business while other people may be able to gain control of so much more.

Let's look at a few videos on the Corona virus, Watch them and reflect on them. Use these videos to bounce increase your microbiology and virology knowledge base, Expand from there.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know I am about getting you to think more deeply about science topics and to be able to formulate opinions and decisions based on data and research. This post is no different. Watch the vidos, jot down your ideas. Post your comments and questions. Have fun. and, oh, yes... Wash your hands with soap and water while singing your favorite song twice, (If you don't have a favorite song, use happy birthday.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC4s6-8De_o
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gC4s6-8De_o" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoGNARwjpPc&feature=youtu.be
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OoGNARwjpPc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lhu6DZpnH7E" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Note: I added a Reddit link as well for you to peruse the global news on Covid-19 rapidly: https://www.reddit.com/t/coronavirus/.

Watch. Read. Share your ideas. Ask questions. Join a discussion.

You may or may not know that I was electrocuted while working a job in Massachusetts.

2020-03-13T14:53:00.001-07:00

I had to re-learn a lot of things, like reading and writing, and walking, and thinking. Well, here I am back and even able to go 3 miles a day with a cane. That is an accomplishment if you've got DEI. What id DEI? It stands for diffuse electrical injury and it is no fun, More on that in other venues, Learn-Now.org, I just wanted to let my readers know I am back. I am looking forward to hearing from all of you again. It is truly a miracle I am back.

Sleep Deep Healing Music 24/7 ��528Hz Miracle Tone | Tranquil Sleep | Pos...

2020-03-13T14:33:00.001-07:00

Rapid Healing Frequency: Regenerate Tissue, Enhance Immune System - Tiss...

2020-03-10T01:32:00.001-07:00

The Use of Diet and Nutritional Supplements to Maximize Wellness and Pre...

2020-03-10T01:31:00.001-07:00

Good Germs, Bad Germs

2014-03-21T09:56:00.001-07:00

From my early lectures and modified with updates...

(c)1985-present J S Shipman. All rights reserved.

Foundations Supporting Sustainability (Featured: The Colcom Foundation and YOU)

2014-03-21T07:11:00.002-07:00

Let's face it, money plays a role in environmental issues. Notice how poorer areas have more pollution? Don't you think that residents in those areas also deserve clean air and water? You want clean air and water, don't you?

You see what happened to Dukakis, politically, when he spent money to clean up the Boston Harbor? The Waterfront went from smelling like an open sewer to smelling like clean, salty, ocean breezes. People's water bills went up and Dukakis was voted out of office.

"In 1919 the Metropolitan District Commission was created to oversee and regulate the quality of harbor water... In 1972 the Clean Water Act was passed in order to help promote increased national water quality.

Signage on the streets of Boston says: Don't Dump!

" ... Boston [had] little incentive to increase water quality of the harbor. Since the mid-1970s organizations within the Boston community have battled for a cleaner Boston Harbor. More recently, the harbor was the site of the $4.5 billion Boston Harbor Project. Failures at...[a]... sewage treatment plant in Quincy and ... Deer Island plant adjacent to Winthrop had far-reaching environmental and political effects. Fecal coliform bacteria levels forced frequent swimming prohibitions along the harbor beaches and the Charles River for many years.^[3]... finally[action] by the United States government, [resulted] in the landmark court-ordered cleanup of Boston Harbor.^[4]

Drains to

"Before the cleanup projects, the water was so polluted thatThe Standells released a song in 1966 called Dirty Water about the sorry state of the Charles River.

[Thank you Standells... All musicians note your role in creating a sustainable Earth!]

Boston

Harbor

"...Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis to propose separating the water and sewer treatment divisions from the MDC, resulting in the creation of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority in 1985 .

"[Dukakis'] environmental record, ... was better ...^[5]The court ordered cleanup continued throughout the next two decades and is still ongoing.^[4]

"... water quality in both the Harbor and the Charles River has significantly improved, and the projects have dramatically transformed Boston Harbor from one of the filthiest in the nation to one of the cleanest. Today Boston Harbor is safe for fishing and for swimming nearly every day, though there are still beach closings after even small rainstorms, caused by bacteria-laden storm water and the occasional combined sewer overflow.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Harbor; Accessed 20 March 2014.

Meanwhile, some people took advantage of the revived waterfront area and built assets there to make them even more money. These should have brought in enough tax revenue to compensate for the cleaning of the water. Did they? As a global citizen, you need to reflect on these kinds of issues that affect clean air and water. What do you think? What happens to the sewer in your town city or rural area?

Public health depends on your active participation in global sustainability. And money is always involved. Reflect on issues in your community. I will post foundations supporting sustainability here and in other posts as I come across them. Perhaps you will think about establishing a foundation in your community to support clean air, water, and other sustainability issues. (Do you know how to do that?)

Here is a link to Colcom foundation (I read about the Colcom Foundation when following up on a mention in an aarticle on Mister Rogers. Read about Mister Rogers if you are not familiar with him.) The mission of the Colcom Foundation is stated as:

... to foster a sustainable environment to ensure quality of life for all Americans by addressing major causes and consequences of overpopulation and its adverse effects on natural resources.

Regionally, the Foundation supports conservation, environmental projects and cultural assets.

(Source: http://www.colcomfdn.org/mission.html, accessed 20 March 2014.)

The Colcom Foundation has local, regional and national areas of interest that they support. At the regional level, for example, they are committed to ensuring quality of life and environmental sustainability.

The Colcom Foundation aggressively addresses:

watershed remediation,

natural resource preservation,

clean air,

improved water quality, and

farmland and wildlife habitat conservation.

I am interested in those same points in Orange and Rockland Counties in New York state, which have had tremendous population influxes following the 911 events. Farm and woodlands, and, thus clean air and water, are rapidly disappearing. Can you help? Can you contribute? Can we build a foundation to support the Orange and Rockland area?

I am interested in these points for other areas around the globe. What can each area do to raise the needed funds to create sustainability globally?

If you are starting a foundation, post a comment here. If you are a foundation, post a comment here. If you have a good idea about raising money to build a sustainable Earth, let us know of your success.

We can create a sustainable Earth together. All it takes is our effort, and, money...so, let's set about finding ways to get the job done. We can build a sustainable Earth.

Thank you Colcom Foundation for your inspiration and support, and, thank each and every one of us who is doing our part to build a sustainable Earth.

C-diff epidemic in USA and Europe hits home. (Personal update)

2014-03-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

Your help is needed to battle super germs (Yes, You...Your help)

What you can do to help stop the epidemic:

Wash your hands with soap and water frequently. (Alcohol scrubs don't kill, "C. diff,"a spore former.)
Do not use antibacterial soaps.
Be sure you re-test for the causal agent after any course of antibiotics.
Use probiotics (Unsweetened yogurt with live cultures (Add fruit and sugar at home if desired., raw fermented cabbage, kimchee, raw sauerkraut (homemade)), or tablets).
Post the list of what should be cleaned in your hospital room if you go to the hospital. (Don't believe naively that it is because the patient's resistance is down...).
Note that alcohol (including the convenient foam scrubs) doesn't kill spore formers. Use soap and water... the old-fashioned bar soaps.
Encourage others you know to join the fight against super germs. Get antibiotics out of our meats and dish detergents, soaps and laundry detergents. Was your hands with soap and water often. When you need to take a prescribed antibiotic, follow the directions, do what your medical doctor says, and also, get re-tested after you finish the prescribed course of antibiotics, if possible.

You can get a chart for current recommended cleaning at the CDC: TERMINAL CLEANING

http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/toolkits/Environmental-Cleaning-Eval-Worksheet-10-6-2010.xls
Just having a copy of this evaluation worksheet lets hospital personnel know you are savvy about important medical issues. Being savvy may get you better medical care.

The worksheet is an Excel (R) spreadsheet that keeps data for each surface on the check list for every room monitored. It uses the following symbols for marking:
O = NOT CLEAN, X = CLEAN, LEAVE BLANK = NOT EVALUABLE NOTE - USE CAP LETTERS "X" AND "O"

What is cleaned in each room? (Or, what should be cleaned in each room?)
Bathroom Surfaces
Equipment Surfaces
Surfaces Cleaned for Each Room
Bed rails
Tray table
IV pole
Call box / button
Telephone Bedside table handle
Chair
Room sink
Room light switch
Room inner doorknob
BR(Bathroom) inner doorknob
BR light switch
BR handrails
BR sink
Toilet seat
Toilet flush handle
Toilet bedpan cleaner
IV pump control
Monitor controls
Monitor touch screen
Monitor cables
Ventilator pane

Add....stethoscopes and similar equipment... Dr. J

Alcohol is not sufficient to kill the super germs.
Earlier post, which still contains useful information:
I haven't written in a while because my mother was in the hospital for an elective procedure (The medical people incorrectly thought it would give my Dad a rest) where she contracted a hospital super germ Clostridium difficile. This super germ causes a serious infection of the colon and can kill you. She is 89 and survived, thank God. To avoid or lessen such disasters, soap and water and chlorine bleach should be used for cleaning at hospitals.

To help stop the epidemic:

Wash your hands with soap and water frequently. (Alcohol scrubs don't kill, "C. diff,"a spore former.)
Do not use antibacterial soaps.
Be sure you re-test for the causal agent after any course of antibiotics.
Use probiotics (Unsweetened yogurt with live cultures (Add fruit and sugar at home if desired., raw fermented cabbage, kimchee, raw sauerkraut (homemade)), or tablets).

For more information on Clostridium difficile and other super germs, check out the CDC web sites (Center for Disease Control): http://www.cdc.gov/hai/organisms/cdiff/Cdiff_settings.html.

I am preparing for the Botanical Society Meetings which will be held in Vancouver this year, jointly with other societies. I will be writing more soon.

Originally published on 29 June 2008 10:44 AM Pacific Standard Time
Revised 5 March 2014 to include the following:

To grow any Country needs a Technically Literate Society and an Engineering-minded Workforce.

2014-03-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

What do you think about growing your country's talent?
Science: (National Research Council, 1996),
Technology: (International Technology Education Association, 2000, 2003),
Engineering: (The American Society for Engineering Education), Lesson plans and activities ages 4-22

Math: (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1991, 2000).

Project 2061 (American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 1993)

###

Link to scholarships in engineering:

http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/resource-engineering-scholarships/

Links to teacher resources:

http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/category/lessons/

http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/category/web_resources/

June 17, 2012, 8:30 AM

Update from a personal contact... Wash your hands!

2014-03-05T04:45:00.000-08:00

Recently a woman I know from work acquired a super bug infection. She ended up spending several days in the hospital. Fortunately, she survived.

The infection served as a reminder to me to again address hand-washing and other tactics to help us (people) win the war against unhealthy germs. Remember that healthy germs in balance have to help us do that. In fact, it was likely this woman's home use of soaps and detergents containing antibiotics that lead to her illness. We can't wipe out all germs. We need some.

If you are integrating engineering, life sciences, health, and , math, you will likely enjoy the Tippy Tap activity which requires skills development in all the STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and, math) areas. Here's a quote from the Tippy Tap activity:

According to the World Health Organization, about 38 percent of the world lacks access to improved sanitation, which makes it unlikely that people wash their hands after bathroom use or before meals. Research has shown that washing hands with soap has been shown to reduce the risk of diarrheal disease by almost half. Thus, many people in underdeveloped countries suffer from diseases that could be prevented if they had a way to wash their hands regularly.

I would add that, also many people in highly developed countries suffer from diseases that could be prevented if they washed their hands regularly. (Remember the alcohol, foam cleansers do not get rid of all the super germs. Use soap and water. Use bleach.) Here's to you health!

An anecdotal update: The more than 20 people that I have seen that age between 98 and 106 living healthy, active lives (cooking, walking, doing some kind of work like woodwork, beekeeping, knitting, crocheting, not on medications, for the most part, other than vitamins), all wash their hands well and often. It could be coincidence and yet...it is enough to convince me that good hand-washing is worth it longevity-wise. Perhaps a study on quality of life and hand-washing is warranted. Dr. J

Related Links:

C-diff epidemic in USA and Europe hits home. C-diff epidemic in USA and Europe hits home.

.More Americans washing their Hands

6/17/12 7:56 AM

National Science Contest

2014-03-05T00:50:00.000-08:00

National Science Contest

Lois Spangler Owner, Ed Connections LLC

To: Dr J

Date: October 20, 2013

Sylvan Dell is sponsoring a physical science contest for children in grades K-5. It is a free contest and I am trying to get the word out about this great STEM learning opportunity. Anything you can do to get this message out would be greatly appreciated! http://lnkd.in/b6VSkWgMany Thanks!

Here's a Quote and Picture from the Store Listing of One of the Items that helps support this Blog and other Science Education and Science Literacy Projects.

2013-07-14T13:04:00.001-07:00

Post under development.

Support science literacy and science education.

Quote (") (from Zazzle.com/ShipmanCenter, Proceeds to support science literacy and science education)

Product Details

Infant Organic Creeper
The finest organic cotton for your baby. 100% organic baby rib cotton, combed for softness and comfort. Designed for easy on-and-off. Fits all babies – both boys and girls. Triple-seat snaps for bottom/diaper closure. Imported (But looking for US manufacturers).

About the Design
The Gone Forest by J S Shipman

Sustainability is key. The artist's passion is science literacy and science education leading to global sustainability.

For [...] deer [to exist], we need the forest. We cannot be plant-blind.

A portion or the proceeds from the sale or this product will support such education. (Read more: http://read-about-it.blogspot.com) The Gone Forest. (Photo or acrylic original). Artist/artistiekerigst: J S Shipman [(c) 2008 J S Shipman. Used with [permission].]

Read more...

"I am selling different items with designs I have drawn or painted.
I may sell some items designed by others also. I am using part of
the profit on items bought from my store to support
science literacy, science education, and
sustainability."
More information can be found at http://read-about-it.blogspot.com.
Please share the link [...]with others. Thanks.

Read less... [As a literacy site, we really want you to, "Read more." For example: http://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2013/01/looking-at-review-article-to-engage.html]

End quote (")

See the more about Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, Dr. and Mrs. John Dodd, and art and science here: The Gone Forest

Looking at a Review Article to Engage Students in Science

2013-01-19T08:24:00.002-08:00

Not every student puts science on the top of his or her list when it comes to captivating interests. Yet, sustainability requires global citizens to be literate and educated in the sciences. So, how can we capture student interest?

Perhaps you have pondered that question. I will provide one answer (of the many available) and give an example here. For this example, I will use a high school class level (ages 14-18), however, the technique may be modified for K (age 5) through U (age 18+-120+).

The article I have selected is one of many. You can repeat such exercises a number of times. I have chosen a review article as it is broader than a typical laboratory report-type article and it will therefore attract more students. The review article selected for today:

Review
Herbal medicine in ancient Egypt
N. H. Aboelsoud
Department of Complementary Medicine Researches and Applications National Research Center- Cairo, Egypt.
E - mail: neveenster at gmail dot com [modified to prevent spam]

Accepted 8 December, 2009

How will this article capture student interest? Well, for one thing, Egypt has been in the news during their lifetimes, so, it is at least something familiar. Most of them know about pyramids, for example. If you ask them about Egypt, they will successfully have something to say.

Second-of-all, the scientist is approachable. Aboelsoud has provided an e-mail address. Even if students don't use it, they feel a connection with the researcher. He uses electronic media like they do.

Wait, we haven't gotten to much science yet... We will. Look, we are already talking about reading a technical journal article.

But some of the students are putting on make-up (What, your students forgot lab safety rules? No. Oh, I see, they've slipped out of the room and down the hall to the "lav" ... What better time than science to apply make-up? At least they took hall passes and will be back soon...).

Oh, and let's get back to the article. The citation information at the top of the page also informs us that the article is available on-line:

Journal of Medicinal Plants Research Vol. 4(2), pp. 082-086, 18 January, 2010
Available online at: http://www.academicjournals.org/JMP

Good. The students will likely enjoy accessing the article on-line, on their cell phones and newer technologies, or at the library computer.

A student that grows houseplants or gardens (or both) might find the section discussing,"Some of the medicines were made from plant materials imported from abroad," will suggest a new direction for science study: botany, economic botany, horticulture, or, even, border patrol.

Someone wishing to be a doctor might be captivated by this, "Thanks to the medical papyri, we know of many of the Ancient Egyptian treatments and prescriptions for diseases," or, " Medical prescriptions were written with high skill. A prescription usually began with a description of the medicine," or many other points in the article. Students could compare and contrast the ancient prescriptions with modern ones, or, research new methods of treating the diseases mentioned with the Ancient Egyptians' treatments.

A history buff or someone who makes paper as a hobby might like all the descriptions of papyri. Or, what about a map to where the plants were found and are found today, might that interest some?

Similarly, a student of ancient languages (Greek, Latin...) might also be interested in the ancient documents written on papyri and can go on to look up the science of preservation of old documents. Or, perhaps be interested in the scientific use of Latin as found in these examples:

- Acacia (acacia nilotica) - vermifuge eases diarrhea and internal bleeding, also used to treat skin diseases.

- Aloe vera - worms, relieves headaches, soothes chest pains, burns, ulcers and for skin disease and allergies.

- Basil (ocimum basilicum) - excellent for heart.

- Balsam Apple (malus sylvestris) or Apple of Jerusalem -
laxative, skin allergies, soothes headaches, gums and teeth, for asthma, liver stimulant, weak digestion.
- Bayberry (Myrica cerifera) - ... [Many more examples are found in the article.].

The artist among the students may rather wish to draw the plants mentioned than study their Latin names.

The article does talk about adult topics (but many high school students do, too) so you might have to get permission from parents, guardians, schools (and caution is advised) because the article says, "The Kahun Papyrus (Ghalioungui, 1975) is a gynecological text that deals with topics such as the reproductive organs, conception, testing for pregnancy, birth, and contraception. Among those materials prescribed for contraception are crocodile dung, honey, and sour milk (Rosalie and Patricia, 2008)." Of course, some students' interests will be captured by these topics. They might not have known science was so interesting. And, the article could be a good segway to the school nurse's discussion with the students on similar topics. Remember in high school, there are typically some students who become parents so some of their parents might like them to talk more about such topics. Some students will laugh about the crocodile dung and some will need to be directed to their doctors for learning about safe practices, but, they will want to read more of the article. I often worked with high school students who were between the ages of 18 to 21, so, this was less of a problem in terms of topic, but, even 80-year old students had to be guided to health care professionals for education in safe practices.

Let's get back to the students interested in make-up. They might be interested that, "Malachite used as an eye-liner also had therapeutic value. In a country where eye infections were endemic, the effects of its germicidal qualities were appreciated (Andreas et al., 1995). They could start a whole new interest on germs in make-up, or germicidal additions to make-up, or, what germs are, or MERSA, or... Well, you get the idea. Their imaginations can take-off.

Students very interested in religion might find interesting that, "Along with their strong faith in their gods, the Ancient Egyptians used their knowledge of the human anatomy and the natural world around them to treat a number of ailments and disorders effectively. Their knowledge and research is impressive still today, and their work paved the way for the study of modern medicine. The remedies used by Ancient Egyptian physicians came mostly from nature especially medicinal herbs."

A business-oriented student might see this,"A kind of what is called today Quality Control Test was done after preparing a drug; a chemist had to test its quality," and be fascinated that there was an interest in quality control that long ago. S/he might come up with a business idea using herbs.

Math whizzes may wish to calculate the proportion of herbs used in Ancient Egypt that are still used today, or, do further research and calculate ratios of herbs used in different formulas.

Your students will have more ideas about what interests them from this article. Watch them come up with ideas.
Are you ready to read the article yet? Get the point. There are so many ways, in just this one review article to capture the imagination and stimulate greater science learning. Your students will capture your passion, too. Enjoy! By the way, students might want to go on and read the articles this author cited, or, read other articles citing the review article or the articles it reviewed. Students will also what may be a new, "genre," for them, a review article. Soon, the whole school will be talking science.

(c)2013 J S Shipman. Please cite any ideas borrowed from the posts here, including this one and write to the author to get written permission first for uses in text book or money making ventures. Thanks.

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For questions on reading in and for science or any STEM (science technology engineering or math) topic, or for a science literacy workshop for faculty or students, contact Dr. Shipman.

The Gone Forest: Art and Sustainability

2013-01-16T17:29:00.004-08:00

Mrs. Dodd, wife of the famous algologist, Dr. John Dodd, quietly went over to the trash can at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory and retrieved some watercolor paintings I had tossed in the clean can. She turned to me and said, "In all the years I've been at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, I've never seen anyone paint the lab." She took the paintings, had them framed and put them up to decorate the mess hall at the lab. When I went to the laboratory last, they were still on the wall. I feel much more a scientist than an artist, but, it is very nice to be appreciated. Now, I am using my artwork to support science education and science literacy. I found that the products can now be available in different countries.

Using an expression I learned in Iowa, I named this acrylic painting, "The Gone Forest." After the tragic events of 911, many people moved out of New York City into these woods...Now there are human homes here and the deer (as well as bear and other wildlife) are missing the woodlands, thus, the gone forest.

Here are the links and descriptions for the art posted in the Netherlands, for example. There may be some errors in the Dutch. If you see any, please correct them.

http://www.zazzle.nl/melamine_plateer_het_gegane_bos _door_j_s_shipman-115452896327967650

The Gone Forest
Artist/Artiest: J S Shipman (Bewerken)

Sustainability is key. The artist's passion is science literacy and science education leading to global sustainability. For the deer to be there, we need the forest. We cannot be plant-blind. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this product will support such education. (Read more: http://read-about-it.blogspot.com) The Gone Forest. (Photo of acrylic original). Artist/Artiest: J S Shipman (c)2008 J S Shipman. Used with permission.

In other words:
Houdbaarheid is hoofd. De passie van de artiest is wetenschapalfabetisme en wetenschapopvoeding die tot globale houdbaarheid leidt. Voor het hert om daar te zijn, hebben nodig wij het bos. Wij kunnen plant-blinde niet zijn. Een gedeelte van het gaat door van de verkoop van dit product zal zulke opvoeding steunen. (Lezing meer: http://read-about-it.blogspot.com) Het Gegane Bos. (Foto van acryl origineel). Artiest/artistiekerigst: J S Shipman (c)2008 J S Shipman. Gebruikt met toestemming.

http://www.zazzle.nl/shipmancenter Netherlands Store:
Mijn winkel op Zazzle bekijken

http://www.zazzle.co.jp/shipmancenter Japanese Store

http://www.zazzle.fr/shipmancenter/cadeaux French Store

http://www.zazzle.com/shipmancenter American Store (USA)

Art and Science: What you can do with Crayons

2012-10-25T21:14:00.002-07:00

Some students learn best by drawing. It is amazing what can be done with crayons. Try letting students draw what they see. Many students will do better than I have done. Here are my examples.

Everglades

Thank you Rachel Carson

Bluebird in Apple Tree

Mallard Pair

Note cards available to support the blog and science education and global sustainability. Inquiries welcome.

Writing Ideas- Women in Chemistry: Kudos to Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

2012-10-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

Eight exclusive web videos
celebrating the contributions of
extraordinary chemists:

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
supports the Chemical Heritage Foundation's
Women in Chemistry series.

Source: http://www.sloan.org/. Accessed 25 Oct 2012

Here's the link:
http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/online-resources/women-in-chemistry/

Thank you to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for supporting this educational chemistry series.

Have students write what they think chemists do, what kinds of careers they have, and have them name a chemist or two, or, tell who (what kind of person) is likely to become a chemist. Then, watch the videos. Not all at once, but, over time. After the videos, ask the students to write about the same points that they did before seeing the videos. Bring out the first essays. Have the students compare and contrast their before and after essays. Feel free to post the essays here or to have the students write to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation or the Chemical Heritage Foundation or both.

(c) 2012 J S Shipman