Winter-Spring 2011
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Sponsored by the Association of Teachers TEACHERS In Independent Schools Affiliated with the Triangle CLEARINGHOUSE Coalition for Science and FOR SCIENCE AND SOCIETY EDUCATION Technology Education Vol. XXX, No. 1 NEWSLETTER Winter/Spring 2011 Earth’s Future From Earth to Eaarth In the Preface of his latest book, Eaarth: Making a according to Gaia Life on a Tough New Planet (Holt, New York, 2010), Bill As James Lovelock tells it in The Vanishing Face of McKibben writes that ―The first point of this book is sim- Gaia: A Final Warning (Basic Books, New York, 2009), ple: global warming is . no longer a threat at all. It‘s the concept of Gaia as a ―self-regulating Earth with the our reality. We‘ve changed the planet, changed it in community of living organisms in control‖ (p. 159) was large and fundamental ways.‖ Concerned that ―the real- born as a hypothesis (―If the atmosphere of the Earth is a ity described in this book, and increasingly evident in the biological contrivance. .‖) without being named in a world around us, will be for some an excuse to give up,‖ 1968 paper in the Proceedings of the American Astro- McKibben argues for ―increased engagement . to keep nomical Association. The evidence leading to the Gaia climate change from getting more powerfully out of con- hypothesis was evidence of chemical disequilibrium of trol.‖ Although ―we‘ve lost [the] fight to preserve the planetary atmospheres as an indicator of life. With their world we were born into‖ and must therefore adapt to a preponderance of carbon dioxide, the atmospheres of changed world, ―if we don‘t stop pouring more carbon Mars and Venus betrayed no such disequilibrium, but the into the atmosphere, the temperature will simply keep constant proportion of oxygen and methane in Earth‘s rising, past the point where any kind of adaptation will atmosphere indicated that something had to be continu- prove impossible.‖ (p. xv) ally infusing these gases. ―. the Gaia hypothesis . stated that the Earth‘s atmospheric composition is kept at McKibben observes that the world of the first ten thou- a dynamically steady state by the presence of life; more- sand years of human history has offered predictable cli- over, if organisms could affect atmospheric composition mate that fostered our agriculture and protected us from (continued on page 4) (continued on page 25) Harvard Public Health Exhibit Features Jarcho Notebook The Harvard School of Public Health has mounted an exhibit, ―Dissolving Boundaries: Extending the Reach of Medicine and Public Health,‖ to commemo- rate the several decades following the end of World War II, when physicians and public health leaders began to grapple with such central issues as the or- ganization and delivery of medical care, maternal and child health, poverty, end of life care, smoking and alcoholism, obesity, and, increasingly, social justice and the assurance of health as a basic human right worldwide. One of the public health students during this period was Clearinghouse Cofounder and Editor Emerita Irma Jarcho, and one of her notebooks is a featured part of this exhibit. Teachers Clearinghouse for Science and Society Education Newsletter Winter/Spring 2011 An EDITORIAL: Views on STEM Ed and Scientific Literacy The five reports about STEM edu- This coverage, which begins on age of these two particular docu- cation that delayed publication of page 3, is admittedly much longer ments to your attention. our Fall 2010 issue focused heavily than a usual article in this Newslet- - John L. Roeder on the importance of innovation as a ter, but we couldn‘t find a way to key to our nation‘s future. The is- condense it and still do justice to the The TEACHERS CLEARING- sues of STEM education and inno- wide variety of points made in this HOUSE FOR SCIENCE AND SO- vation are key themes for coverage ITIF report. CIETY EDUCATION, INC., was in this Newsletter, and our affiliation founded at The New Lincoln School with the Triangle Coalition for Sci- The other document is an anthol- on 11 March 1982 by Irma S. Jar- ence and Technology Education has ogy, Science and the Educated Per- cho, John L. Roeder, and the late called our attention to two more im- son: A Core Component of Liberal Nancy S. Van Vranken. Its purpose portant documents, to which we Education, edited by Jerrold Mein- is to channel information on science would like to call special attention wald and John G. Hildebrand and and society education to interested in this issue. published by the American Acad- readers. To this end it publishes this emy of Arts and Sciences, which is Newsletter thr e e ti me s a The first of these is a 178-page reviewed in this issue. There you year. Thanks to funds from tax- report, Refueling the U.S. Innovation can read about the views of some of deductible contributions, the Clear- Economy: Fresh Approaches to the contributors, many of whom inghouse is happy to be able to offer STEM Education, written by Infor- have been covered in previous is- its services for a one-time nominal mation Technology and Innovation sues of this Newsletter, about the charge. In order to continue offer- Foundation (ITIF) Founder and importance of a scientifically literate ing its services for a nominal charge, President Robert D. Atkinson and citizenry, how scientific literacy is it also solicits underwriting of its Merrilea Mayo. The ideas offered being achieved, and how it can best publications by interested corporate by Atkinson and Mayo are often at be achieved. sponsors. All correspondence variance with those in the reports should be addressed to the editor-in- covered in our Fall 2010 issue; but, There‘s a lot more related to the chief at 194 Washington Road, whether you agree with them or not, role of science in society in this ad- Princeton, NJ 08540-6447 or via e- we felt that they were sufficiently mittedly large issue, and we hope mail at <[email protected]>. The worthy of your consideration to pro- you will check all of it out, but we Clearinghouse is sponsored by the vide coverage of them in this issue. especially wanted to call our cover- Association of Teachers in Inde- pendent Schools, Inc., and is affili- ated with the Triangle Coalition for INSIDE THIS ISSUE Science and Technology Education. Editor-in-chief: John L. Roeder, Rutherford - Galilean Dialog, p. 5 Micromidas, p. 20 The Calhoun School Physics Ed. Symposium, p. 7 Cunningham on AC/DC, p. 21 White on New Tech Devices, p. 9 Kestner on lang. and tools, p. 22 Contributing Editor Emerita: Irma Ferruci on Watson/Jeopardy p. 11 Sethian on inertial fusion, p. 22 S. Jarcho 1000 Inventions, p. 12 Forensics for All, p. 23 Malik on computing bugs, p. 13 Flarend: Gasoline vs. Coal, p. 23 Earth Sciences Correspondent: Gmachl on quantum lasers, p. 14 Lipson on discovery, p. 24 Michael J. Passow, Dwight Century of nuclear physics, p. 15 Project-Based Learning, p. 31 Morrow H. S. Schofield on Antarctica, p. 16 STEM Entrepreneurship, p. 36 ACS Mid. Sch. Curriculum, p. 17 Clearinghouse Update, p. 38 Primary Education Correspondent: Alt. Fuels Curricula, p. 18 Triangle Coalition, p. 39 Bernice Hauser, Horace Mann Neuroscience of Magic, p. 18 Science on Alt. Energy, p. 48 School Marcy on exoplanets, p. 19 Resources, p. 50 Stearns on evolution, p. 20 Reviews, p. 54 Technology Correspondent: John D. White, Dowling College Biology Correspondent: Betty Chan, Galenea 2 Teachers Clearinghouse for Science and Society Education Newsletter Winter/Spring 2011 Collaboration: the ITIF: Reform STEM key to Innovation Education to Refuel Innovation was the theme of our Fall 2010 issue, and the continuation of its importance in President Obama‘s Innovation State of the Union Address, which embraced the PCAST As seen in our coverage of its report, The Atlantic Cen- recommendation to prepare 100,000 new STEM teachers tury: Benchmarking EU and U.S. Innovation and Com- over the next decade, warrants its further exploration. petitiveness, in our Fall 2010 issue, the Information Tech- nology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has an abiding Four years ago Keith Sawyer addressed this subject in interest in maintaining the United States at the forefront a book, Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collabo- of technological innovation. Now ITIF Founder and ration (Basic Books, New York, 2007), where he devel- President Robert D. Atkinson is joined by Merrilea Mayo oped the thesis that innovation is a group process, not the in publication of a 178-page report, Refueling the U.S. work of isolated individuals. ―Collaboration drives crea- Innovation Economy: Fresh Approaches to STEM Edu- tivity because innovation always emerges from a series of cation. They give three reasons to spur innovation: the sparks – never a single flash of insight,‖ he writes (p. 7) economy, international competitiveness, and meeting and then goes on to elaborate in ―seven key characteris- societal and individual needs. Elaborating on the first of tics of effective creative teams‖: these, they cite that technological innovation is responsi- ble for 75% of U.S. economic growth since World War II 1) ―Innovation emerges over time.‖ and 55% of U.S. productivity growth from 1959 to 2005, 2) ―Successful collaborative teams practice deep has yielded a 40% societal rate of return from investment listening.‖ [―Most people spend too much time in academic research, and has replaced low-paying jobs planning their own actions and not enough time with high-paying jobs. Among the meeting of societal listening and observing others.‖] and individual needs are health care, education, transpor- 3) ―Team members build on their collaborators‘ tation, environmental protection, and agriculture.