Science Education Insights

Will Hydrogen Power Ever Move Over To The Fast Lane?

Cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells could become increasingly popular in the UK, now that the government has officially backed a scheme to drive the industry forward.

The newly launched program - UKH2Mobility - will attempt to evaluate the potential for hydrogen as a fuel for Ultra Low Carbon Vehicles with a proposed roll-out to consumers in 2014/15.

Why is Hydrogen a good alternative fuel?
When Hydrogen is used in fuel cell systems, it doesn't produce any carbon emissions (carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, unburned hydrocarbons or particulates).  This means that it produces clean energy and will be a significant factor in the improvement of air quality and the reduction of C0₂.

Jerry Hardcastle, Vice-President for Vehicle Design and Development at Nissan announced, "This is an important step for the automotive sector towards the development of clean vehicle technologies and zero emission mobility."

Why hasn't Hydrogen been used as fuel before now?
Hydrogen-powered cars have long been thought of as the future of the auto industry but unfortunately have had more prevalence in Science Fiction than on our roads.  The problem has been making the technology, which has been available for some time, commercially viable.  The costs involved in extracting hydrogen for fuel as well as constructing enough re-fuelling stations has proved prohibitive.

Germany launched a similar initiative in 2009 and both Japan and California have also got state-funded projects up and running.

The UK government will be investing £400m during the next few years to support low-emission vehicles.  Specific grants aimed at increasing the uptake of electric, rechargeable and hydrogen fuel-cell cars will be offered.

General Motors reports that it has invested over $2billion in this type of technology so far.  It has a fleet of test vehicles in both Europe and the US, which already use fuel cells.  They hope that these vehicles will be ready to market from 2016.

However, without wide introduction of refueling stations, this technology is likely to remain stuck in the slow lane.

Are any other alternative fuels being considered?
It seems there is still some way to go in deciding which fuel will be best for the cars of the future.  After-all there is still plenty of research and development in the production of sustainable battery solutions to provide better electric cars.  Natural gas and solar power have also been considered.  The problem continues to be how to create large scale, environmentally safe ways to propel vehicles efficiently and economically without using fossil fuels.

Would you be prepared to change your car to one that made use of alternative fuels? 

How Many Endangered Animals Can You See?

We rather liked this clever poster campaign for the World Wildlife Fund, so we thought we'd share it with you - We can spot 14 hidden endangered animals in the poster ...How many can you find? (Click on the picture for a bigger image)

Declining habitat and deforestation are proving disastrous not only for the planet in general terms but in particular to numerous animal species.  

Forests only cover a small proportion of our planet and yet they are home to more than 90% of the world's land-based animal and plant life.  An area the size of New York State is being lost to deforestation every year... that's approximately 36 million acres of forest being chopped down every year.

We may not all have a forest on our doorstep but they have an enormous impact on our lives - Forests are essential to life on Earth.  

Here are 5 Forest Facts - 
What Forests do for us and why they are worth saving:

1. They provide a vast number of medicinal plants 
2. Forests help to purify the air that we breathe
3. They regulate local and global climate by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
4. 1.6 billion people rely on forest ecosystems for food, shelter, clothing, traditional medicine and subsistence agriculture.
5. Tree roots bind the soil and help prevent erosion. 

With 3B Scientific hands-on science kits and experiments, a wide range of conservation topics can

be investigated.  Whether it's looking at the Animal Behaviour Lab to study how animals adjust to environmental conditions or testing water and soil samples to establish an understanding of environmental issues and solutions, all support inquiry-based learning.

So, how did you get on with spotting the hidden endangered animals?  Did you find the Sloth and Crocodile too?

 

Get the Kids Out!

Last year we reported on American 3B Scientific’s Adam Waterson’s involvement with The First Lady & the Sleeping Asparagus.

We’re delighted to report that since then CNN has picked up the story and featured it in their ‘Schools of Thought’.  The story features the students at Burgess-Peterson Elementary school on the east side of Atlanta and the fully operational kitchen-garden that they have created with the help of Waterson and his team of volunteers.  Teachers and children have continued to succeed and have reaped the benefits, quite literally, by harvesting eight pounds of fresh produce from their labors for the Thanksgiving holiday last year.

So, why have we ignored this crucial element to educating children for so long?  

Allowing children to have hands-on problem solving experiences deepens their understanding and encourages further exploration in all subjects.  In an age where many children lack social interaction and rely on television or computer games for stimulation, opportunities to explore the real world are often far too few.

Initiatives like Waterson’s are helping promote an holistic approach to education; one where finding out the answers is about more than just reading a textbook.

Forest School is another way to allow children to experience problem solving and learning tasks outdoors. 

The concept originated from Sweden in the 1950s and was adopted by Denmark soon after.  The UK has expanded on the system from the early 1990s and now supports a large number of projects around the country. 

The philosophy of Forest School is to encourage, educate and inspire through positive experiences and participation in a woodland environment.  By engaging, motivating and setting achievable tasks, children learn to respect not only the environment around them but also their peers and communities.  

Older children are able to have the opportunity to learn how to put up shelters, prepare a fire, produce weaving to enhance structures and cook popcorn in a home-made ‘corn cooker’.   Whilst younger children get to experience bug searching, nature collections and fishing, which all prove to be great favorites.

Busy hands and busy minds take in a better understanding of their wider world when presented in an outdoor setting. Like Waterson’s gardening project, children find a use for math, economics and language skills when they understand how, for example, their food arrives on their plate or how their home is built.  

Here at 3B Scientific we have a hands-on approach to science with plenty of tools and equipment to help you create your own outdoor learning environment.  

• Portable Laboratories
• Botany Experiments & Kits
• Environmental Science Experiments
• Pocket Compass'
• Magnifying glasses & microscopes

 

As well-known educationalist Margaret McMillan once said: “The best class-room and the richest cupboard are roofed only by the sky.”

 

Contact us now if you'd like more information
on how to provide hands-on science for your children or school.  

Find us on Facebook and Twitter and tell us about your outdoor learning environments! 

        

 

 

Cavagnolo Spreads Scientific Excitement

We are delighted to see our colleague Ken Cavagnolo highlighted in this article by Georgia Tech Alumni.  Ken's passion for science and eminent professional career has made him an invaluable member of our 3B Scientific team.  He is committed to bringing the worlds of science education and technology together to appeal to a wider audience and specifically to enrich the science experience of students and teachers.

You can read the full article below...

Cavagnolo spreads scientific excitement with American 3B Scientific

It’s impossible to ignite a passion for science in students just by using textbooks, and one Georgia Tech graduate has spent his adult life creating new ways to make science come alive in classrooms across the United States. Kenneth Cavagnolo (Physics 2002) uses his rare insights in a variety of different aspects of science to design, develop and distribute hands-on, inquiry-based laboratory equipment that aids teachers with their instruction.

After graduating from Tech, Cavagnolo went on to earn significant post-graduate accolades at several different institutions. He earned a doctorate in Astrophysics from Michigan State University, a two-year post-doc at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and a one-year post-doc at the Observatoire de la Cote d’Azur in Nice, France. He originally began his career focusing on research, primarily on galaxy formation and evolution and the influence of black hole activity on the properties of large-scale structure. Soon, however, economic issues sent him down a different path.

“Due to changes in global science funding priorities, I transitioned out of pure research into a
product management role with the privately-held company 3B Scientific (3BS) where I am responsible for the Physics category,” he said.

Cavagnolo describes himself in his current role as being “a blend of a businessman, developer, scientist, marketer and lobbyist,” each of which help him develop some of the world’s best school lab environments.

“As someone who has had lengthy exposure to the academic, research and industry sides of the science world, I have found myself uniquely positioned to make meaningful contributions to discussions regarding U.S. science education policies and strategies,” he said.

Due to this ability, Cavagnolo’s career has taken him to Congressional offices as part of the Hands-On Science Partnership advocacy group. He has worked as a consultant for many different school districts for cutting-edge science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs. It’s no wonder he considers his position to be such an amalgamation of vastly different roles.

To this day, Cavagnolo retains a soft spot in his heart for his undergraduate alma mater. He believes that his work will have a direct impact on many future Tech students.

“I am, or have been, deeply involved in both legs of the journey students undergo before and after life at Georgia Tech,” he said. “To ensure that Georgia Tech continues to receive students who are passionate about science, I have the responsibility to push my industry to provide teachers with the engaging tools needed to make science more than a book topic by demonstrating to students that taking apart the physical world through the scientific process is exciting and lucrative.”

Cavagnolo believes that one of the best examples of Tech’s commitment to fostering a passion for science is the rapid expansion of the Physics Department into the fields of astronomy and astrophysics. These are the very fields that captured his imagination as a student, and brought him to Tech in the first place. Every student who passes through the Center for Relativistic Astrophysics will at some point rely on people like him to create the best-possible classroom and laboratory experience.

“My focus in industry is to ensure that those GT students come away from their labs having interacted with the best equipment so that their passion is stoked and not frustrated, with the long-term goal being their advancement into a life as a professional engineer or scientist,” said Cavagnolo. “This full-circle aspect to my work is satisfying both professionally and personally.”

Despite all of the success he has found since leaving Tech, Cavagnolo still has an important, humbling message to all of its current students, and anyone else who has dreams of entering into the world of science.

“Aspire to fail,” he says. “It is the only way to assure that you will find success.”

For a FREE 3B Scientific Catalog,
Click the button below

 

Creative Scientists Get Festive

 

 

Look a little closer and you'll realize that this Christmas card contains a rather unusual source of inspiration. Marine Scientist, Dr. Richard Kirby, has used his passion for microscopic sea creatures to create this festive scene.

The Christmas tree is in fact made from the paddle worm Tomopteris Helgolandica and the angels are images of Clione Limacina that, not surprisingly, are more commonly known as Sea Angels.

Dr. Kirby was inspired to make a Christmas montage after looking through photographs of plankton and being reminded of Christmas scenes.

And Dr. Kirby isn't the only creative scientist out there ...

The Nanotechnologists at the University of Glasgow have also proved that they are a creative and festive bunch too.  They have produced the world's smallest Christmas card!  The seasonal image of a Christmas tree measured just 200x290 micro-metres and is etched onto a tiny piece of glass.

The graphic you see here demonstrates how tiny their Christmas card is.  Completely invisible to the naked eye, this card would not only get lost in the post but you would be able to fit 8,276 of them on an ordinary postage stamp.

 

 

The Nanotechnology team produced the colors on the card by plasmon resonance in a patterned aluminum film in the University's James Watt Nanofabrication Centre.

This particular display of science is likely to be found in applications that are critical to developing digital television, cameras and computer screens.

 

 Have you seen some festive Science projects that you'd like to share with us?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Crash Proof your Car

Whilst the image you see on the left looks very pretty, it has a much darker significance.  This scientific 'heat map', incredibly, shows every road crash in Britain that resulted in a serious injury or death between 1999-2010.  In total there were 2,396,750 road accidents in the UK during this period.

See those brighter golden areas?  They show where the collisions were more frequent.  Each point of light is a casualty on a road plotted over 24 hours.

Over the last 30 years there have been many introductions of safety features that we now take for granted including seat belts, airbags, crumple zones and anti-lock braking systems.

Science is playing a big part in the pursuit of car safety.  Systems are being developed by scientists to monitor driver's alertness, allowing cars to take over when their drivers are distracted or sleepy. This type of technology will also be able to 'see' blind spots as well as detect and prevent skids.  Specially adaptive headlights, that have the ability to 'look' round corners, can improve night-time visibility.

 Top 5 Causes of Car Crashes:

1. Driver Error
2. Poor Judgment
3. Behaviour or Inexperience
4. Road Environment
5. Pedestrian Error

 

The image on the right shows how General Motors' science lab, in Detroit, uses infrared cameras to plot a driver's eye movement and facial features.  With this information they are developing an intelligent windshield that will display useful information to assist driving and to warn of possible dangers ahead.  Crucial driver data (such as blink rate and head movement) is combined with exterior information about weather, road conditions, speed and obstacles.  Providing an image on the windshield to outline the edge of the road in foggy conditions, is just one example of how the system can be of value.

The U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that the following are features currently available that would help prevent or lessen the impact of one out of every three fatal crashes:

• Lane departure warning
• Forward collision warning
• Blind Spot detection
• Adaptive headlights

Volvo, Ford and Toyota are just three car manufacturers that are aiming to significantly reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in their cars.  

Volvo have said that they are so confident of their combination of their 'Driver Alert', 'Pedestrian Detection' and 'City Safety Collision Avoidance' technology that they predict no-one will be killed or seriously injured in one of its new cars from 2020 onwards.  
Watch this video for an excellent demonstration of their systems:

Another piece of crash technology being used is 'Attention Assist' by Mercedes-Benz.  Their system uses sensors that work with the steering mechanism and smart software to analyze driver data in real-time.  The software is able to use the information to warn if driving patterns become erratic.

But with around 50 million people being injured each year, in car accidents around the world, it really is imperative to know how to perform life saving skills.  Even rudimentary First Aid and CPR can make a difference.  

Whatever car you drive, whether it has the latest technology or not, let's do our best to keep our eyes on the road and try to stay out of harms way.  

"Let's be careful out there" - Hill Street Blues

Tell us your Scientific Safety ideas!

 

The Most Spectacular Light Display in the World

If you want to see a truly spectacular display of natural lights this holiday, then I'm afraid you're going to have to be prepared to travel.

The Aurora Borealis is one of the most unusual and beautiful phenomena our amazing planet Earth has to offer.  But what exactly is it that has caused people to stare in wonder at the skies and has been the stuff of myths and legends?

The Aurora Borealis is found in the Northern Hemisphere and is caused by particles from the sun's solar winds meeting the magnetic field surrounding the Earth.  The solar winds blast towards Earth at around 1 million miles an hour and, once they've left the sun, take a journey of around 40 hours to get to Earth.  These high-speed winds are drawn towards the magnetic fields that the Earth produces from its core.  As the solar winds approach Earth, they come into contact with different elements and, depending on their altitude, the reaction results in the eerie dancing lights in the sky.

Why are there different colored lights?
The Earth's upper atmosphere contains atoms of oxygen and nitrogen, in layers, from altitudes of 20 to 200 miles above the Earth's surface.  The Aurora's colors depend on which atom is struck and at which altitude they meet.  For example:

• Oxygen, up to 150 miles in altitude = Green
• Oxygen above 150 miles in altitude = Red
• Nitrogen up to 60 miles in altitude = Blue
• Nitrogen above 60 miles in altitude = Purple/Violet

How do the lights 'dance'? 
The electrical forces from the solar winds and Earth's magnetic forces constantly interact with one another in shifting combinations allowing the swathes of color to move and 'dance' in the sky.

The Aurora Borealis can be seen at the magnetic North Pole while the Aurora Australis occurs at the magnetic South Pole.  Sunspot activity seems to influence this strange phenomenon and can allow the lights to move further south.  2012 will be a good year to view the Northern lights, as sunspot activity will be particularly active.   These active periods usually occur within 11-year cycles and NASA has predicted record northern light activity for Winter 2011/12.  It may even be the strongest show of lights for 50 years!

It's not just Earth where Aurora's can be viewed.  Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus have all been found to have their own display of lights.  So long as a planet has a magnetic field and an atmosphere, Auroras should be seen. 

Water-Proofing Your World

Have you ever accidentally dropped your cellphone into water?  It's more common than you'd think and one of the most reported accidents from iPhone users.

Ross Nanotechnology think they might have the answer to current water-proofing problems.

NeverWet™ is a Super-Hydrophobic coating product that completely repels water and heavy oils.  Once a coating of NeverWet™ is applied to an object, liquids simply roll off and you never have to worry again about leaving something out in the rain, by the pool or by the basin.

Take a look at traditional waterproofing systems and compare the difference between Hydrophobic and Super-Hydrophobic.

The contact angles are the important point here.  Zero would be an ordinary drop of water lying flat on an untreated surface.  A higher contact angle would mean the droplet no longer lies flat but becomes slightly curved. Human skin has a surface contact angle of around 75-90 degrees.  However, when you coat a surface with NeverWet™ it gives a contact angle in excess of 160 degrees.  This means that the droplet can't lie flat, or even a little bit curved.. Now, water drops have to form an almost perfect sphere which is ideal for rolling quickly off the surface.

NeverWet™ also offers protection against ice, corrosion and bacteria.  Although soap and alcohol halt the action temporarily, once applied to a surface, the Super-Hydrophobic coating remains unaffected by pressure washing, acids or boiling water.

Andy Jones, the President of Ross Nanotechnology, leads a team of about 12 scientists, chemists and engineers.  Having produced the original NeverWet™ spray-on solution, they are now being challenged to refine the product further for specific uses such as on sports shoes, cookware, hospital equipment, packaging supplies .. and even mobile phones!

"I sprayed my iPhone with NeverWet™, submerged it in a foot of water for 30 minutes, took it out and it was good to go!" Jones said.

The largest US invention trade show, InventHelp's INPEX, awarded it's top accolade to NeverWet™. The innovation showcase event additionally awarded NeverWet™ a Gold Medal in the Science category for a domestic entry.

We were wondering if Heinz has thought of coating the inside of their bottles of tomato ketchup with NeverWet™ .. and help produce really fast food!!

Where would you use a Super-Hydrophobic coating?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing 'Thrifty Three' Scavenger Hunt!

Save up to 40% off!

Here at 3B Scientific, we pride ourselves in delivering exceptional service and value to all our customers.

The holiday season gives us a special opportunity to share some of our favorite and best loved products, whilst allowing you to treat your friends and family to great gifts, exciting gadgets and fun gizmos!  There's something for everyone!

Find the 'Thrifty Three' item that ends in 33¢ and you could save up to 40%!  Every few days, we will pick a cool holiday gift idea and, for 3 days only, we'll offer it to you at a dramatically reduced price.  All you have to do is search our website for the price that ends in 33 cents and put it in your shopping basket!

To make it even easier for you: if you 'Like' us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, we'll guide you to the relevant section on our website that contains the Thrifty Three item.

We're offering you the very best hands on science products at prices you can afford.  So keep a look out on Facebook and Twitter to see when we announce each weeks 'Thrifty Three' scavenger hunt.

 

 

 

* Watch for the price that ends in 33¢
* Price available online for 3 days only
* Maximum purchase quantity is 3 

Are we in the midst of a Diabetes epidemic?

Diabetes is a much bigger problem than you may suspect ..

• Did you know that Diabetes affects almost 26 million American adults and children?
• A staggering 79 million people are at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes
• In 2010, 1.9 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in just one year (in people aged 20+ years) 

Whilst many of us have heard of Diabetes, what do we really know about it?  We use the phrase 'Type 2 Diabetes' when we talk about the problems of obesity but what is it and why is different to Type 1?

At 3B Scientific, our Diabetic Teaching Tools are especially useful for educators during November's American Diabetes Month.  

Our training guides, charts, realistic anatomical models and simulated diabetic injection kits help explain what Diabetes is and how it can be managed.

What is Diabetes?
Your body is supposed to produce a hormone called insulin.  This clever hormone acts when we eat, by turning sugar and starch from our food into energy that we can use to sustain a normal active life.  It's a bit like having a car and a gas station - the car needs the fuel to drive around, the gas station has the fuel ..but without the fuel pump the gas is going nowhere..and neither is the car!

So, why are there different Types of Diabetes?
Scientists don't really understand why some people, usually diagnosed as children and young adults, develop Diabetes.  Juvenile Diabetes and unexplained cases of the body's inability to produce insulin and manage the levels of sugar make up only 5% of all the people that have Diabetes.  Scientists think that Type 1 Diabetes is caused by genetics but they acknowledge that there are some unknown factors that trigger the onset of the disease too.

Can you get Type 2 Diabetes by being overweight?
Yes, you can.  This form of Diabetes is the most common form of the disease.  With the rise of obesity in our society, the risk of developing Diabetes has never been greater.  

If you're overweight, the insulin produced by your body is less effective in delivering energy to your cells.  As this situation continues, a build up of glucose (sugar) occurs in the blood stream and your body's cells are deprived of essential energy.  Whilst the glucose levels continue to rise in your blood, your body can find it harder and harder to sustain the production of insulin.  The pancreas is the organ responsible for producing insulin and after a while it can become weak and finally stop producing insulin.

What are the symptoms of Diabetes?
The sooner Diabetes can be diagnosed, the sooner some of the complications of the disease can be lessened or avoided.  However, Diabetes symptoms aren't always easy to spot and can easily be ignored.

Symptoms can include:

• Frequent urination
• Feeling unusually thirsty
• Extreme hunger
• Unusual weight loss
• Feeling extremely tired and irritable 

Although people with Type 2 Diabetes may not notice any symptoms, they can develop any of the symptoms above in conjunction with the following:

• Frequent infections
• blurred vision
• cuts or bruises that are slow to heal
• tingling/numbness in the hands or feet
• recurring skin, gum or bladder infections

Unfortunately, Diabetes increases your risk of developing many serious health problems and can include: eye problems, foot complications, skin infections and disorders, heart disease, high blood pressure, emotional problems, oral health issues and nerve damage.  

However, by taking care of ourselves, eating a nutritionally balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight and taking regular exercise we can avoid many of these problems.   Help the American Diabetes Association and help educate others about the dangers of Diabetes and how to avoid them.