Science Cheerleader

 NASA’s Radio Jove program “helps amateur scientists and students observe and analyze natural radio emissions of Jupiter, the Sun, and our galaxy.”

Build and use your own Decametric Radio Telescope.  Follow Live Observations Online. 

Why study radio waves from Pluto? “Radio waves are generated because the planet has a magnetic field. This magnetic field originates deep in the interior of the planet, and the overall strength of the magnetic field directly affects the type of radio emission emitted by the planet. This helps us with the theory of how the magnetic field is created in the interior, and in determining the composition of the various interior layers.”

Everything you’ll need to get started, make and record observations and draw upon your data can be found on the comprehensive NASA website. There’s even a  Jupiter Radio Emission Prediction Table to help you plan key days and times to capture radio signals. For example, folks like me who live on the East Coast, can use a radio telescope to detect signals from Pluto between February and September several times a month on specific dates, winnowed down to nearest minute. 

One way your data will be used is to see how well the predictions of radio storm probability match the actual occurrence of radio storms. The more observations recorded and shared, the better.

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

 Topics:Cosmology, Geology, Space Science,

 Location: At or close to home; indoors.

Level of Difficulty: Pretty technical

Fee: anywhere from $50 to $250 for Radio Telescope kits and parts

Gear: Needs a computer, software and Radio Telescope

Duration: a couple of  hours to assemble Radio Telescope; observations last 5-15 minutes a pop.

Suitable for students with adult supervision. Site includes an extensive lesson plan.

Read this, from the editors at Scientific American: “Millions of us dream of transforming our lives, but few of us are able to make major changes after our 20s. Here’s why.” Read the full article: Set in our ways. Why change is so hard. 

An easy way to enhance your life, apply your mind and do something good for mankind, is to participate in one of the thousands of citizen science projects out there. We’re developing a project finder where you’ll find a handy snapshot of each project and links to key information.

For those of you who desire to see the world this year in a big way, consider one of EarthWatch’s ”voluntourism” opportunities, where you can zip over to Easter Island for an archeological dig with scientists, for example.  W.O.W.

Cheers!

If ever there was a year to stumble upon science celebrations, 2009 is the year! Not only is it the Year of Darwin (commemorating Darwin’s 200th birthday), and the Year of Astronomy (highlighted by the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei), but it’s also the Year of Science, presented by the Coalition for the Public Understanding of Science, to celebrate “how we know what we know.”

There’s something for everyone almost every week during 2009. Check out the sites or ping me if you want me to include your Philly-area science activity on the Year of Science calendar. Looking for science initiatives, events and projects aimed at non scientists here in the Philadelphia region. Oh, we’re starting a series of science pub nights bringing scientists to neighborhood bars. If you’re interested in volunteering as scientists or organizer, you know where to find me!

Happy 2009…Happy Year of Science!

Saw this on SciFri’s Twitter page a few hours ago:

“Census Bureau says projected 1/1/2009 U.S. population will be 305,529,237 – up 2,743,429, or 0.9 percent, from 1/1 2008.”

PS: This marks the Science Cheerleader’s 100th post! Thanks for joining the party and Happy New Year. Cheers!

 Science Progress is one of my favorite online science resources because the editors carefully and consistently deliver news of relevance to folks like us. Oh, and because they published my articles on citizen scientists and the reopening of the Office of Technology Assessment. 

Take a look at their story on the Top 8 Science Policy Stories of 2008. Ends on a very high note!

Cheers!

Obama: ” It is time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and work to restore America’s place as the world leader in science and technology.”

Science bloggers are thrilled, the Science Debate team is giddy, a few folks are cautiously optimistic.
I’m very pleased. In general, Obama’s appointments signal a new era in science policy–transparency and inclusiveness being high on the list. Traditional reservations about Democrats over-investing in a too-broad-a-range of basic research are tempered simply because there’s not much money to go around these days. Most of Obama’s appointments were early supporters of the Science Debate (see below) and ardent advocates of engaging the public in science and science policy discussions.  

Here’s Obama, making the announcements:

Remarks from Shawn Otto, CEO of Science Debate 2008:

In addition to Steven Chu, John Holdren, and Jane Lubchenco, we would like to congratulate Science Debate 2008 supporters Harold Varmus and Eric Lander on being named co-chars of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.  A 1989 Nobel laureate in medicine, Dr Varmus is former director of NIH and president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and has been one of our closest and strongest advocates throughout the last year – we are very pleased and proud of his appointment.  Also an early supporter of Science debate 2008, Dr Lander is the Director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; the first author of the Human Genome Project, and one of TIME’s 100 most influential people of our time (2004).
America was founded by scientist-statesmen like Jefferson and Franklin. It has always been an important part of our identity and success as a nation. We are hopeful that with these appointments, the American destiny with science can be reengaged to tackle our most pressing challenges as a nation, nearly all of which revolve around questions of science and technology. Now, the next step for the new administration will be successfully communicating this agenda to the American public, and reengaging the American media on these questions which are so critical to our ongoing success as a nation.

Thank you, as always, for supporting our shared effort to encourage this kind of leadership in the American political process. You are are critical part of…

-The team at ScienceDebate2008.com

I’m thrilled to be an invited panelist at the South-by-Southwest Interactive Festival (March 13-17 in Austin, TX). Planning to go? Let me know!

From the SXSW website: ”The Brightest Minds in Emerging Technology. The SXSW Interactive Festival features five days of exciting panel content and amazing parties. Attracting digital creatives as well as visionary technology entrepreneurs, the event celebrates the best minds and the brightest personalities of emerging technology. Whether you are a hard-core geek, a dedicated content creator, a new media entrepreneur, or just someone who likes being around an extremely creative community, SXSW Interactive is for you.”  

Here’s a sample of the scheduled panel discussions:

From Blog To Book Deal , Is Web 2.0 Killing the Sports Industry? , The Future of Social Networks, Is Privacy Dead or Just Really Confused? and the one I’ll be part of, Back Off Man, I’m a Scientist: User Generated Discovery.

 

 

Just launched a new group on Facebook to jumpstart dialogue and create a plan of action so we can ALL (”experts” and us) work together to shape the reopening of the Congressional Office of Science and Technology Assessment. Folks from Obama’s transition team listen in on the conversation from time to time. 

Take a couple of minutes to read this bit (below) I originally posted a few months ago. It’ll bring you up to speed on 30 years worth of history but more importantly, it should give you a better understanding of how a newer, faster, more inclusive reencarnation of this Congressional Office will have a direct impact on all of us.

And, feel free to join the Facebook group. We’d love to hear from you. (more…)

 Daniel J. Levitin, a rock musician and producer turned neuroscientist and  author of “The World in Six Songs” and “This is Your Brain on Music”  wants to know.

Do Christmas songs help put you in the holiday mood? If so, any song in particular?

 (”Oh Come, All Ye Faithful” by Bing Crosby does it for me.)

I met Dan when we worked together on a recent Discover Magazine panel discussion: Unlocking the Secrets of the Brain. I was fascinated by the music-brain connections Dan articulated so well. So were the Amazon book reviewers when they wrote this:

“Think of a song that resonates deep down in your being. Now imagine sitting down with someone who was there when the song was recorded and can tell you how that series of sounds was committed to tape, and who can also explain why that particular combination of rhythms, timbres and pitches has lodged in your memory, making your pulse race and your heart swell every time you hear it. Remarkably, Levitin does all this and more, interrogating the basic nature of hearing and of music making…”

To shake things up a bit, I turned the tables on Dan and asked him a few questions about his own musical preferences:

Science Cheerleader: Do YOU have a favorite Christmas song?

Levitin: I do! It’s Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee. I even like the Miley Cyrus version. I also like the version that jazz guitarist Tuck Andress does of “Winter Wonderland” 

Science Cheerleader: Why (from a psychological standpoint) do you think it’s your favorite? 
 
Levitin: Ah! Well the Brenda Lee track I like because it is SO rockabilly, and at the time I’m sure it caused many a grandmother to run for the smelling salts (my word! Those pompadour rock ‘n’ roll musicians have gone too far!). And of course rock is all about breaking rules and stretching borders. So there’s that, but also, it just really swings. And I love that tubey guitar solo.  Tuck is a great player and his reharmonizations of Winter Wonderland add some rich and vibrant complexity to the tune. 

The Wall Street Journal just published this article: “Do You Hear What I Hear?” Holiday music is inescapable. Daniel J. Levitin on the ancient drive to listen to familiar songs, the psychological effects of music and why ‘Little Drummer Boy’ is so annoying. Read the full article.

Check it out. You’ll never think of music the same way again.

The 109th Christmas Bird Count “Citizen Science in Action.”
Sunday, December 14, 2008 to Monday, January 5, 2009

Volunteers across America are donning binoculars to track birds and contribute to the longest-running wildlife census effort to assess the health of bird populations.

“From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition — and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation. Find out how to get involved.“

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

> Topics:Birds, ornithology, environment, conservation.
> Location: 15 mile radius. If one radius is not near your home, there are other ways to participate.
> Duration: Count volunteers follow specified routes through a designated 15-mile (24-km) diameter circle, counting every bird they see or hear all day (24 hours).
> Cost: $5.00
> Gear:Binoculars, pencil, paper.
> Level of difficulty: Not difficult. For beginners and experienced bird and nest watchers.