Category: Videos

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SS 3 – 3 Awesome Answers to “What is Science?”

Handouts are available at the end of this post.

 

Video Transcript

Hi Science Teachers,

Welcome to Science Teacher Summer School, Episode 3.

I’m Kent Lui, and something you may not know about me is that doing stand up comedy is on my bucket list. I’d like to get good enough to get to do a set on a late night tv show and then retire. Now, let’s get to work.

 

We all ask students the same question at the beginning of the year – that is, “what is science?” – but what is your answer? Some teachers, myself included when I started teaching, would say something along the line of science is a method of exploring and making sense of the world. We’ve all heard or said that before. But, science is not just experimental design and scientific method. If we stop here, then students get the impression that science is experiments and labs. I also want students to know that science is everywhere in our everyday lives. It’s in the smartphones we use to access the internet. It’s in the ice cream and chocolate we eat. It’s in the clothes we wear.

 

So, how do I answer, “What is Science?” so I can reinforce this notion that science is everywhere in our everyday lives?

 

The solution: I connect science to universal human themes found in our everyday, our history and our stories. For example, conflict is a theme that is talked about a lot in and out of school. We even learn about it in our high school English classes – shout out to Mr. Macleod, my English 8 teacher, the 3 types of conflict are man vs man, man vs the environment, and man vs himself. So, in my science class, we also say science is conflict. For example, I ask students to name a movie they’ve seen where two groups are trying to accomplish or acquire the same thing. And, as a result, both groups try to sabotage each other during their conflict. We’ve all heard of a story like that from the movies. Of course, this story of conflict also exists in science – most notably, between Westinghouse and Edison in the AC vs DC war. I read that Edison’s company, who supported DC, tried to show that their rival’s AC was more dangerous to the public by having AC used to power the first electric chair. The point is that we make science more relevant and applicable when we tie it to universal themes. Suddenly, science is not just in the lab – but in the world around us.

 

Two other themes I connect is that science is change and science is patterns. With regards to patterns, I introduce the theme by playing roulette online with the student. I explain the rules and then ask some students to pick numbers to bet on. We play a few rounds. And, over time, students realize that we typically lose money because the odds of winning are slim. However, what if somebody were to win consistently more than they lost? In fact, this has happened before – so, how did people do it? Quite simply, people were able to recognize patterns in the roulette’s results and take advantage of these patterns. But, why do these patterns even exist? Isn’t a roulette’s wheel supposed to be random? Well, that’s where we start talking about things like friction and wear and tear and other scientific concepts that would explain this phenomenon.

 

As for science is change, I connect it with how scientific theories are always changing. For example, there was a time where people thought gastric ulcers – which are small holes in the lining of your stomach, were caused by lifestyle factors like stress. If you had a gastric ulcer, treatment at the time would be to make lifestyle changes so you wouldn’t be so stressed. Now, we know that they’re caused by a bacterial infection and can be treated with antibiotics.

 

In a future episode, I’ll share a few more of the universal themes I connect science with.

 

That’s all the time we have for this episode. Please leave any questions in the comments section below. Join me next time, when I’ll be talking about how to correctly show science videos in class. What? There’s a correct way to show videos? Yes, I think there is. You don’t want to miss it.

 

See you again soon. And, remember to science everywhere every day.

Resources

Handout(s): Handout – Universal Themes

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

 

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SS 2 – 3 Important Letters to Remember in Science

Handouts are available at the end of this post.

 

Video Transcript

Hi Science Teachers,

Welcome to Science Teacher Summer School, Episode 2.

I’m Kent Lui, and something you may not know about me is that I once took harmonica lessons. This was back when I was young, single and had time and was trying to find ways to fill that time and meet people. It was fun, and I remember how to bend notes on a harmonica, which is pretty cool. Now, let’s get to work.

 

What’s the science skill you want your students to have learned after leaving your science class? For me, it’s knowing how to formulate and communicate a good scientific conclusion or argument. It sounds simple – but requires a whole bunch of other skills like analyzing data and connecting textbook knowledge to real contexts. Also, it’s not something that’s really taught in science textbooks – many textbook labs, for example, just have a list of discussion questions that teachers automatically assign to students at the end of each lab.

So, a few years back, I thought, there’s got to be a better way for students to reflect, write, and discuss their conclusions in their labs.

 

The solution: I’ve been using a structure known as CER, which stands for Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning, which has been awesome.

A claim is a conclusion or argument I have come up with. Evidence is the data that supports that conclusion. And, reasoning is the scientific explanation for that conclusion.

 

Let’s consider this textbook lab activity, where students explore what happens to the current when the lamp is switched out for lamps of increasing voltages. In other words, we want to observe the effect that higher voltage lamps have on a circuit’s current.

What I do in my classroom is have students write out CER statements. A CER statement for this lab could sound like this:

 

When lamps of increasing voltages are connected to a circuit, then the current will decrease. According to our results, when 6V, 12V, 24V, and 36V bulbs were connected one-at-a-time to a circuit, we measured a current of 2A, 1A, 0.5A, and 0.33A respectively. One explanation for this result is that bulbs with larger voltages have larger resistances, and larger resistances prevent the flow of charge through a circuit, which results in a lower current.

 

Consider the benefits of getting students to write CER statements.

  • Students have to analyze and make connections between what they know and what they are observing.
  • There’s less plagiarism because it’s not so much about getting an answer as it is about communicating what they found out and how they know it to be true.

 

Now, perhaps you’re wondering how you can get started. One thing I do with my students at the beginning of the year is a CER activity that has the students learn a little bit about me and practice writing CER statements too. In this activity, I show students things I have brought from home – like… – and then I have students write a CER statement about me. I give them these prompts to help them.

  • Claim: What is something you can conclude about Mr. Lui’s personality?
  • Evidence: What evidence supports your conclusion?
  • Reasoning: What is an explanation as to why Mr. Lui has this personality trait?

 

For more help getting started with CER, I’m also coming out with an e-book that will provide a collection of notes, worksheets, prompts, and lab activities students can do to practice analyzing data, making connections, and coming up with conclusions.

 

That’s all the time we have for this episode. Join me next time, when I’ll be talking about how to answer that question we all ask students at the beginning of the year: what is science? You don’t want to miss it.

 

See you again soon. And, remember to science everywhere everyday.

 

Resources

Handout(s): 04 – CER Infographics, REAL SC – CER Skill Builder

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

 

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SS 1 – 1 Super Simple Way To Refresh Your Class

 

Handouts are available at the end of the transcript.

Video Transcript

Hi Science Teachers,

Welcome to Science Teacher Summer School, Episode 1.

I’m Kent Lui, and something you may not know about me is I used to ballroom dance competitively and I was pretty good – I wasn’t pro, but I did win a few local competitions. Now, let’s get to work.

What’s your favourite time of the school year? I have two: the end of the school year – for obvious reasons, it’s vacation – and the beginning. The beginning is when kids are excited to get to know their classmates and their lab partner. And, it’s also when they’re still sitting nicely and working quietly at their desks. It’s kind of like the new car smell of the school year.

During the last term, I asked, how might I keep that “beginning-of-the-course” feeling throughout the term so that students regularly feel excitement about being in a new seat and working with a different classmate.

The solution? I did something a former science department head, a quick shout out to Mr. Jamie Stewart, used to do with his class. I randomized the student seating plan every week. It sounds simple, but the results have been awesome.

Every Monday morning, after the students were settled in their seats, I project their seating plan on the screen, hit reset and randomize. And, new seating plan.

After a few rounds of randomizing seats, the kids kind of expected it. And, I think they liked that they’d be somewhere different.

If you don’t have an attendance program that randomizes seating plans, you could do the same thing on Google Sheets. After you create a seating plan, highlight the cells you want to randomize – in this case, all the seats. Then, right click and choose randomize range. There you go: new seating plan. If you’re looking for a seating plan template for Google Sheets, you can find this one on my webpage.

Now, I know some teachers don’t like to change seating plans frequently because they want students to get comfortable and get to know their lab partner. And, from a teacher’s perspective, it also helps me learn names faster. But, consider some of the benefits. Students don’t have to feel like they’re stuck with their lab partner – especially if they don’t get along. Students have equal opportunity to work with other students. It’s good practice for future life, where we can’t just work with those we get along with all the time. And, frequent and regular seating plan changes actually caused me to find more ways to build community and learn names. For example, every Monday morning, after I scrambled the seating plans, I had students share with their new lab partner something they learned over the weekend. I called it, what did you do over the weekend and what did you learn from doing that thing you did? Students shared something with each other and the class. And, over the course of a term, we learned that most students didn’t get enough sleep, cookie monster has a name, and a student in my class was making a killing selling sneakers on Instagram. It was a fun way for students to get to know each other and for me to reinforce that learning takes place outside the classroom too.

Lastly, changing seating plans also forced me to plan at least one lab experiment per week. This was so that students would work at least once with someone new. This also helped me re-evaluate my teaching practice as a whole – but, more on that in future episodes

That’s all the time we have for this episode. Join me next time, when I’ll be talking about the skill my students use the most in science class: CER. You don’t want to miss it.

See you again soon. And, remember to science everywhere everyday.

 

Resources

Handout(s): Google Sheets Seating Plan Template

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

 

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Ep6 – Oh, the Huge Manatee (and how animals are adapting to humans)

Handouts are at the end of this post under the resources section.

Video Transcript

Hello everyone, welcome to REAL Science Challenge, I’m Kent Lui, REAL Science teacher.

Today, we’re talking about manatees, and we breakdown

  • One way manatees are adapting to humans and the science we can put into action, and what we can do to make our world a better place.

Download our free worksheet for this episode from realsciencechallenge.com to help you follow along.

Let’s get going, this is REAL Science Challenge.

 

Intro

The manatee is a large, plant eating, aquatic mammal. These animals can be found in the Gulf of Mexico, in the Amazon rainforest, and in Africa. Consider some of the largest colonies of manatees living off the coast of Florida in the following locations. What all these colonies have in common is that they’re close to thermoelectric power plants.

The thing that makes me go hmmm is why manatees live around power plants in Florida?

 

Illustrate your science

I want you to take a couple of minutes and come up with 2 explanations for this phenomenon:…. Link your explanations to some of the science you already know or discuss with a partner. But don’t do an internet search. Tell me what you’re thinking, not what Google is thinking.You can draw out and label your ideas under the Illustrate Your Science Section of our worksheet. Set your timers for 2 minutes. Pause the video. Then come back afterwards when time is up. Ready? Begin.

 

Welcome back! Now, the big reveal: …?

 

Answer

It comes down to warm water. Manatees don’t survive well below water temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius. This is a big problem especially in the winter months. However, thermoelectric power plants take in water to cool their machinery and then release the water back into the oceans. This flow of warm water creates a perfect spa for manatees to live. This is also a great example of how human development has disrupted animal behaviour and caused animals to adapt to humans. Without these power plants, manatees would traditionally migrate further south in the winter for warmer waters. Instead, these manatees have become dependent on these power plants, bringing them closer to humans where they could be harmed by boats or other man-made developments.

 

So, the next time you turn on the heater instead of just putting on an extra sweater to keep yourself warm, you are continuing to have manatees live this way by having the power plants produce more electricity, resulting in more warm waters being sent out into oceans which will continue to attract manatees to the plants.

I want you to make connections between what you just heard and your prior experiences. Consider…. Consider the following: what does it remind you of? What does it make you think about? Write out your ideas under “Connection Corner” of our worksheet and follow the prompts to get you started.

 

Science in Action

Here’s some science you can put into action to make you a better scientist and to help make your world a better place.

 

First, this episode is a good example of how we can practice creating CER – that is, claim evidence reasoning – statements in science. Our claim is that manatees have adapted to live close to power plants. Our evidence is a map showing the locations of some of the largest manatee colonies corresponding to power plant locations. And, our reasoning is that the warm waters flowing our of power plants create the ideal habitat temperatures for manatees to live. Check out our handouts at realsciencechallenge.com to get practice writing CER statements yourself.

 

Second, get involved and help the manatee. The organization savethemanatee.org has posted a number of current issues that are affecting Florida manatees from ocean plastics to algal blooms. Check it out, and help protect an animal that continues to be affected by human behaviour.

 

Thanks for watching REAL Science Challenge. We have more resources for the science classroom on our website. Also, please subscribe to our channel by clicking the red button below.

Until next time, stay safe and make science REAL.

 

Resources

Handout(s): Ep6 – Oh the Huge Manatee, REAL SC – CER Skill Builder

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

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Ep5 – No Snakes? Thank U Science! (Why there are no snakes in Ireland)

Why are there no snakes in Ireland? Thank St Patrick? No! Thank Science!

Handouts are available at the end of this post under the Resources Section.

Video Transcript

Hello everyone, welcome to REAL Science Challenge, I’m Kent Lui, REAL Science teacher.

Saint Patrick’s day falls on March 17, 2021. Today, we breakdown

  • What drove all those snakes out of Ireland.
  • and we tell you what you can do to make your world a better place.

Download our free worksheet for this episode from realsciencechallenge.com to help you follow along.

Let’s get going, this is REAL Science Challenge.

Intro

When we think of Saint Patrick’s day, we typically think of green, clover leaves, parades, parties, and, perhaps, this guy (show picture of Saint Patrick) – Saint Patrick, who had the power to drive out all those snakes out of Ireland. And, it worked: there are no snakes that are found naturally in Ireland

The thing that makes me go hmmm is how he did it? How was he able to make Ireland snake-free?

Illustrate your science

I want you to take a few minutes and come up with 2 explanations for this phenomenon. Link your explanations to some of the science you already know. Discuss with your partner. But don’t do an internet search. I don’t want to know what Google is thinking – I want to know what you’re thinking.You can draw out and label your ideas under the Illustrate Your Science Section of our worksheet. Set your timers for 3 minutes. Pause the video. Then come back afterwards when time is up. Ready? Begin.

Answer

Welcome back! Now, the big reveal.

It comes down to the ice age. Turns out, there weren’t ever any snakes in Ireland because of the ice age. Approximately 10,000 years ago, there was an ice age that froze a lot of the water in the oceans. As a result, there were no bodies of water separating some of today’s islands and continents. This was the case between Ireland, Britain, and France. Instead of water between these three places, land was exposed, allowing people and animals to cross between them. However, when the ice age started to end, the melting ice brought back the water separating Ireland and Britain first – the water between France and Britain did not return for another couple of thousand years. Snakes migrated to this region of the world between this time. Therefore, today snakes reside in both Britain and France, but not in Ireland.

As for Saint Patrick driving out all those snakes – well, that wasn’t true in the literal sense.The story of Saint Patrick driving out snakes is an analogy to how he brought Christianity to Ireland and converted non believers (represented as snakes).

Make Connections

Now, make connections between what you just heard and your prior experiences. Consider the ice age, snakes, and St Patrick. What does it make you think about? Write out your ideas under “Connection Corner” of our worksheet and follow the prompts to get you started.

Wrap Up

Let’s wrap up this up, people, with some direct messages from me to you to make this world a better place.

First, we need to stop introducing foreign plants and animals into our local ecosystems. This happens when people have exotic animals like snakes as pets. These pets sometimes escape or are set free – only to start a home in the local ecosystems and threaten the local wildlife. Parts of Florida are home to pythons, which aren’t a native species, for this reason. Countries like Ireland and New Zealand have laws that prevent individuals from having snakes as pets. We need to do the same in our own cities, states and provinces.

Second, change the world by geeking out. Do a deep dive into questions that may change the world. Who knows? Maybe you’ll develop a way in which we remove invasive animals species from your local environment. It all starts by asking a question. So, what makes you go hmmm about snakes and foreign species. And, what do you want to study next? Follow the templates under Question Composition on our worksheet to help you started.

Thanks for watching REAL Science Challenge. We have more science resources for the classroom on our website. Also, please subscribe to our channel by clicking the red button below.

Until next time, stay safe and be REAL.

Resources

Handout(s): Unfortunately, no handout available for this one – sorry!

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

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Ep4 – More Women. Better Science.

Video Transcript

Hello everyone, welcome to REAL Science Challenge, I’m Kent Lui, REAL Science teacher.

March 8, 2021 is International Women’s Day. Today, we breakdown
Why women are more likely than men to have side effects from medication
and we tell you what you can do to make your world a better place.

Download our free worksheet for this episode from realsciencechallenge.com to help you keep up.

Let’s get going, this is REAL Science Challenge.

Intro

Imagine a sleeping pill that people take to help them sleep. Now, imagine this pill is given to 100 men, and, out of 100 men, 3 of them develop side effects. When the pill is given to 100 women, 15 out of 100 women develop side effects. So, this medication causes 5 times more women than men to experience side effects. This was the case for the drug zolpidem, also known as ambien, which caused some individuals to wake up feeling extremely drowsy and, according to one study, caused more women to get into traffic accidents.

Women are different from men. That is obvious. Besides physical differences, women also face social differences: being paid less for the same work, being less represented at higher positions of power, and, this past year, being more greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, the need for International Women’s day to highlight the things we need to do in order to make sure our world is equal towards women.

In science, the inequality exists too – and not just in awards and academic positions. For example,

The thing that makes me go hmmm…is why a drug like ambien, which has already been scientifically tested and government approved, could be more dangerous for women as opposed to men?

Illustrate your science

Take a few minutes and come up with 2 explanations for this phenomenon. Link your explanations to some of the science you already know. Discuss with your partner. But don’t do an internet search. Tell me what you’re thinking, not what Google is thinking. Draw out and label your ideas under the Illustrate Your Science Section of our worksheet. Set your timers for 3 minutes. Pause the video. Then come back afterwards when time is up. Ready? Begin.

 

Welcome back! Now, the big reveal: …?

 

Answer

It comes down to underrepresentation. Say that word with me, underrepresentation. Typically, when a drug is being tested, researchers want to study how a drug works in the real world. Therefore, we would need to test the drug with a sample of people that represented the real world – a sample that included people from both sexes and various backgrounds and ethnicities. Many medications that were approved for use in the United States before 1993, however, did not include as many women than men in their trials. In a recent report, 86 medications were found to have a sex bias with most biases affecting women more than men. So, although a drug may have been approved for use, researchers did not truly understand the side effects these drugs had on women because women were under represented in the clinical trials.
In 1993, the US Congress passed a law called the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act, which states that women and people of color have to be included in government-funded clinical research. However, according to one article that looked into medical research from 1993-2018, there was still underrepresentation of women in research pertaining to cardiovascular disease, hepatitis, HIV, chronic kidney disease, and digestive disease.

Let’s make some connections between what you just learned and what you may already know. Now, consider women’s health, equal representation, and medication. What does it make you think about? For example, what i just learned made me think about this thing i did in math class because…give your explanation. Write out your ideas under “Connection Corner” of our worksheet and follow the prompts to get you started.

 

Wrap Up

Let’s wrap up this up, people, with some direct messages from me to you to make this world a better place.

First, yes, we need to have an equal representation of women in clinical drug trials. But, more importantly, we need to have an equal representation of women who are leading or advising medical research studies. Who better to address women’s health than women themselves? So, it’s important to include women at all levels of research.

Second, change the world by geeking out. Do a deep dive into questions that may change the world. Who knows? Maybe, you’ll develop a system that can address women’s inequality in research. It all starts by asking a question. So, what makes you go hmmm about women’s health, men’s health, and research? And, what do you want to study next? Follow the templates under Question Composition on our worksheet to help you started.

Thanks for watching REAL Science Challenge. We have more resources connected . Also, please subscribe to our channel by clicking the red button below.

Until next time, keep it REAL.

 

Resources

Handout(s): Ep4 – More Women. Better Science.

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

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Ep3 – Big Effect, Little Peanut (Black History in Science Education)

Episode 3 Transcript

Hello everyone, this is REAL Science Challenge, I’m Kent Lui, real science teacher.

February is Black history month, and we’ re continuing our discussion of scientific contributions by individuals from the black community. Today, we breakdown

  • The big impact of the little peanut,
  • and we tell you one action you can take going forward to make your world a better place.

Download our free worksheet for this episode from realsciencechallenge.com. It’s got all you need to follow along.

Let’s get going, this is REAL Science Challenge.

 

Intro

Consider the humble peanut. For such a small item, it sure is used in a lot of things. According to one report, peanuts were used in 45% of snacks and roughly 15% of new food products. They can also be found in non food items like soaps and shampoos, face creams, and stuffing for neck pillows or stuffed animals. But, it didn’t start out that way for the peanut. When it was first grown in the us in the late 1800s, it was used to feed livestock, as a source of oil, and as a cocoa substitute – not as the multipurpose item it is today.

 

The thing that makes me go hmmm… about the peanut is its rise in popularity as a cash crop. It wasn’t until the early 1900s – decades after it was first grown in the us – did the popularity of the peanut begin to rise. How come? What was the cause for this surge? 

 

Illustrate Your Science

I want you to take a few minutes and come up with 2 explanations for this phenomenon: What do you believe was the reason or reasons why growing peanuts suddenly became so popular after decades of being ignored?

Discuss with your partner. But don’t do an internet search. I don’t want to know what Google is thinking – I want to know what you’re thinking.You can draw out and label your ideas under the Illustrate Your Science Section of our worksheet. Set your timers for 3 minutes. Pause the video. Then come back afterwards when time is up. Ready? Begin.

 

Welcome back! Now, the big reveal: …?

It comes down to nitrogen and, specifically,  nitrogen compounds in the soil. Some of these nitrogen compounds are used by plants and crops to help them grow. Over time, the amount of useful nitrogen compounds in soil goes down, which results in a decrease in the amount of crop produced. This was the case for cotton  in the United States about 100 years ago. George Washington Carver, a black scientist and university professor, developed the idea of using crop rotation to help poor southern farmers increase their cotton production. Instead of planting cotton year over year on the same plot of land, farmers were encouraged to plant a crop that would help replenish the useful nitrogen compounds in the soil every other year. The peanut plant was one such plant. So, on one year, farmers planted cotton, and the next year, they planted peanuts, and then the following year, cotton – switching back and forth –  and the amount of cotton grown increased. Another byproduct was a sudden surplus of peanuts too. This led to the development of hundreds of applications for it. George Washington Carver came up with over 300 applications for peanuts.

 

Form Connections

Consider the following: Where else in your everyday life have you seen something like this – where such a big impact on your health can be determined by such a basic science concept? Write out your ideas under “Connection Corner” of our worksheet and follow the guiding questions if you need help getting started.

 

Direct Messages

Let’s wrap up this up, people, with some direct messages from me to you to make this world a better place.

 

First, support sustainable agriculture.  Buy from those corporations that use it. Or, adjust your lifestyle so you consume less of things that are not produced sustainably. Sustainable agriculture uses methods to meet our present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. George Washington Carver wasn’t just a man obsessed with peanuts – he was one of the first to promote sustainable agricultural practices – practices that are still relevant in how we grow food today. 

Second, change the world by geeking out. Do a deep dive into questions that may change the world. Who knows? Maybe you’ll develop agricultural practices that will help feed our population and maintain the health of our planet. It all starts by asking a question. So, what makes you go hmmm about peanuts or about sustainable farming practices? And, what do you want to study next? Follow the templates under Question Composition on our worksheet to help you started.

 

Thanks for watching REAL Science Challenge. We have more resources to help  on our website. Also, please subscribe to our channel by clicking the red button below.

 

Until next time, keep it REAL.

 

Resources

Handout(s): Ep3 – Big Effect, Little Peanut

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

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Ep2 – Science Never Dies (and neither do HELA cells)

Transcript

Hello everyone, welcome to REAL Science Challenge, I’m Kent Lui, REAL Science teacher.

February is Black history month, and we’ll be discussing scientific contributions by individuals from the black community. Today, we breakdown

  • One Nobel Prize winning contribution that scientists have taken for granted,
  • and we tell you one action you can take going forward to make your world a better place.

 

Download our free worksheet for this episode from realsciencechallenge.com. It’s got all you need to follow along.

 

Let’s get going, this is REAL Science Challenge.

 

Intro

The Nobel Prize is one of the biggest awards in the world. Every year, one award is given to a big achievement in each of the following disciplines: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. Nobel Prizes in medicine have included stem cell research, the discovery of HIV, which causes AIDS, and the discovery of HPV, which is linked to cervical cancer.

 

The thing that makes me go hmmmm is that both HIV and HPV discoveries were made with the help of ongoing contributions from one individual. However, this individual has been dead since 1951.

 

I want you to take a few minutes and come up with 2 explanations for this phenomenon: how can one individual continue to make contributions to medicine even after they’ve died? Link your explanations to some of the science you already know. Discuss with your partner. But don’t do an internet search. I don’t want to know what Google is thinking – I want to know what you’re thinking.You can draw out and label your ideas under the Illustrate Your Science Section of our worksheet. Set your timers for 3 minutes. Pause the video. Then come back afterwards when time is up. Ready? Begin.

 

The Big Reveal

Welcome back! Now, the big reveal: …?

 

It comes down to cells, and in this case, cells grown and used in the lab called HeLa cells. HeLa cells were named after the person it was collected from, Henrietta Lacks. HeLa cells have one special quality: they can reproduce forever if basic living conditions are maintained. Thus, they are used in biological research a lot. And, it is Henrietta’s cells that were used in the Nobel prize winning studies in HIV and HPV.

 

However, there has been controversy surrounding HeLa cells with regards to consent. Henrietta’s cells were originally collected and used for the purpose of diagnosing and treating her cancer. But, Henrietta’s cells were also given to another researcher without Henrietta’s knowledge or consent. And, the cells have been shared widely ever since –  without her family’s consent – even after her death in 1951. Consider the following: yes, the use of Henrietta’s cells have led to a lot of medical breakthroughs. However, at a loss of privacy and at a greater risk of discrimination for Henrietta’s family. For example, in 2013, again without the knowledge of Henrietta’s family, scientists published the genomic data for HeLa cells. This data can be used to gather sensitive medical information about Henrietta’s descendants – information that could potentially be used against them – for example, by health insurance companies. So, although a lot of good can be gained when information is shared, the owner of that information still needs to provide their consent.

 

Where else in your everyday life have you seen something like this – where discoveries, new inventions, or corporate profit is made at the cost of a loss in people’s privacy? Write out your ideas under “Connection Corner” of our worksheet and follow the guiding questions if you need help getting started.

 

Direct Messages

Let’s wrap up this up with some direct messages from me to you to make your world a better place.

 

First, whenever you can, keep your information private. And, it’s especially important today since it is so easy to give it away when we’re on the internet or using social media platforms. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok make money by actively collecting your personal information whenever you sign up, post, or comment – but how they use your personal information and to whom they share your personal information with is unknown. So, it is entirely possible that you may not agree with how your information is used or shared by these corporations. And, it is also entirely possible that what you share today may come back to hurt you tomorrow – just consider how many people get in trouble today for a comment they posted on their profile in the past. So, do your personal world a favour, and keep your information private.

 

Second, change the world by geeking out. Do a deep dive into questions that may change the world. Who knows? Maybe you’ll develop materials for masks that are more effective or easier to wear – or both! It all starts by asking a question. So, what makes you go hmmm about masks or about static charge? And, what do you want to study next? Follow the templates under Question Composition on our worksheet to help you started.

 

Thanks for watching REAL Science Challenge. Check realsciencechallenge.com for more teaching resources related to this episode. Also, please subscribe to our channel by clicking the red button below.

 

Until next time, remember to keep it REAL.

 

Resources

Download this episode’s free worksheet by clicking the following: Ep2 – Science Never Dies

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Ep1 – PolyMask for the PolyMath

Transcript

Hello everyone, welcome to REAL Science Challenge, I’m Kent Lui, REAL Science teacher.

Today, we breakdown one cool science discovery behind masks you probably didn’t even know about and we tell you one action you can take going forward to make your world a better place.

Download our free worksheet for this episode from realsciencechallenge.com. It’s got all you need to follow along.

Let’s get going, this is REAL Science Challenge.

 

I wear a 3-layer cloth mask – like this one – every time I go out to slow the spread of Covid-19. Masks work by trapping small water droplets that are in our breath and released into the air every time we breathe, talk, yell, laugh. If someone is sick with Covid-19, these droplets may contain the virus. If others were to breathe in those infected droplets, they can get sick too.

 

The thing that makes me go hmmm… about cloth masks is that some work better than others. Scientists observed, for example, that 3-layer masks containing polypropylene work better than 3-layer masks of 100% cotton in trapping water droplets.

 

I want you to take a few minutes and come up with 2 explanations for this phenomenon: how do cotton masks containing polypropylene work better than pure cotton masks? Link your explanations to some of the science you already know. Discuss with your partner. But don’t do an internet search. I don’t want to know what Google is thinking – I want to know what you’re thinking. You can draw out and label your ideas under the Illustrate Your Science Section of our worksheet. Set your timers for 3 minutes. Pause the video. Then come back afterwards when time is up. Ready? Begin.

 

Welcome back! Now, the big reveal: how come cotton masks containing polypropylene work better than pure cotton masks?

 

It comes down to static charge. Static charge develops when different materials rub against each other. In a mask that has both polypropylene and cotton, the polypropylene develops a static charge as it rubs against the cotton layers. This static charge attracts and clings to water droplets. Masks of just cotton do not develop a static charge. Thus, they are less effective at trapping water droplets. A similar thing happens to your clothes in the dryer. Clothes of different materials rub against each other as they tumble, and they develop a static charge and cling to each other as a result. Consider how something so important – something with such a big impact – like helping to slow the spread of a virus is achieved with such a basic, everyday science concept. I think that’s pretty cool.

 

Making connections between new ideas and prior experiences helps strengthen what you learned. Consider the following: what does what you just learned about static charge and masks remind you of? What does it make you think about? Write out your ideas under “Connection Corner” of our worksheet and follow the prompts to get you started.

 

Let’s wrap up this up, people, with some direct messages from me to you to make this world a better place.

 

First, masks work, and we should wear one to help slow down the spread of Covid 19. Hospitals need to provide services to non-Covid illnesses- like patients who require heart surgery or cancer treatments. But, hospitals won’t if they are overwhelmed with treating Covid-19 patients. We need to help save the healthcare system for those who really need it and those who rely on the system. Do the right thing: wear a mask and help out those in your community who need access to important, life-saving medical treatment.

 

Second, change the world by geeking out. Do a deep dive into questions that may change the world. Who knows? Maybe you’ll develop something that will be more effective at slowing or stopping the spread of Covid-19. It all starts by asking a question. So, what makes you go hmmm about masks or about static charge? And, what do you want to study next? Follow the templates under Question Composition on our worksheet to help you started.

 

Thanks for watching REAL Science Challenge. We have more resources connected to this lesson for purchase on our website. Also, please subscribe to our channel by clicking the red button below.

 

Until next time, keep it REAL.

 

Resources

Download this episodes free worksheet by clicking the following: Ep1 – PolyMask for the PolyMath