Lab Out Loud

For the second episode in a three-part series on place-based education in science, Lab Out Loud welcomes Kevin Krasnow to the show. As ecologist, researcher and educator at Teton Science Schools, Kevin is currently studying the differences in field research by comparing the outcomes from inquiry research, citizen science, and adventure hike experiences for middle/high school students. Kevin joins us co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to discuss the experiment while sharing some of his preliminary findings from these treatment groups by measuring student understanding of the nature of science, attitudes about science, and self-efficacy. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/?p=4235

Lab Out Loud is proud to present a three-part series on place-based education in science. To kickoff this series, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome Ethan Lowenstein, Ph.D. (professor of curriculum and instruction at Eastern Michigan University and Director of the Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition) and Greg Smith (emeritus professor of education from the Lewis & Clark College Graduate School of Education and Counseling) to the show. Ethan and Greg join Lab Out Loud to define place-based education, provide some examples of PBE in science and explain how it can help teach science standards while building a sense of community. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2018/03/episode-183-placed-based-education

Lab Out Loud's guest this week is Neal Manegold, director of Minecraft Education. Many listeners are probably familiar with Minecraft, and a few might even know about Minecraft Education Edition, which builds on the open-world game while promoting creativity, collaboration and problem solving in a teacher supervised environment. Now students can learn some science in the Minecraft world with the recent Chemistry update of Minecraft Education Edition. Join co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to hear Neal explain Minecraft Education Edition and discuss how the new chemistry update can allow students to combine and reduce materials within the Minecraft world to explore states of matter, the structure of atoms, chemical reactions and more. show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2018/03/minecraft-education-chemistry/

How do you address controversial science issues in your classroom instruction? This week Lab Out Loud welcomes the co-authors of a recent Phi Delta Kappan publication that might give you some insight in how to help prepare students to become scientifically literate citizens by incorporating socioscientific issues in the classroom. David Owens (College of Education, University of Missouri), Troy Sadler (professor of education, University of North Carolina at Greensboro) and Dana Zeidler (university professor of science education, University of South Florida) join co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about their article, discuss an instructional framework for successfully implementing socioscientific issues as learning experiences, and highlight the importance of evaluating scientific evidence when tackling these issues in the science classroom. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2018/02/episode-181-socioscientific-issues/

Lab Out Loud's guest this week is Sabari Raja, co-Founder & CEO of Nepris. Acting as matchmaker for classrooms to scientists (and other professionals), Nepris tackles the heavy lifting of finding professionals eager to provide educational outreach in their field of expertise. Sabari joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about the history of Nepris, its goal of creating equity of access, and how you can start connecting with science professionals in your classroom! Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2018/02/episode-180-nepris/

A few years ago, Lab Out Loud showcased Clifton Roozeboom’s PocketLab - a small, rugged wireless sensor platform that could easily collect a suite of common measurements while simultaneously reporting to a device for data visualization and analysis. A few years later, with newer and less expensive sensors, PocketLab has developed a novel product that can now measure air quality. Called PocketLab Air, this wireless device contains six built-in sensors for measuring Carbon Dioxide, Ozone, Particulate Matter, Temperature, Barometric Pressure, Humidity, Dew Point, and Heat Index. Listen to the Lab Out Loud to learn how your students can use the family of PocketLab sensors to build science experiments for exploring even more of the world around them. Show Notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2018/01/episode-179-pocketlab-air/

With the growing implementation of engineering principles and Makerspaces in our schools, Lab Out Loud decided to reach out to science fiction writer Cory Doctorow to chat about his most recent novel Walkaway. Set in a near future ruined by ecological and technological catastrophe, Walkaway is a story about scarcity and surviving outside the default limits of societal norms. But Walkaway also offers a glimpse into a future where today's emerging technologies (think 3D printers and drones) are used routinely in collaborative problem solving. Doctorow talks to co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler about Walkaway, the maker movement and bunch of other stuff. Show Notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2018/01/episode-178-walkaway/

This week on Lab Out Loud, Hakhamanesh Mostafavi, PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University and co-author of a recent paper, Identifying genetic variants that affect viability in large cohorts, joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about the evidence for and examples of continuing human evolution. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2017/12/episode-177-human-evolution/

This week we're proud to introduce their youngest guest ever on the show. Ten year old Elaina Garg and her younger sister Kaylie wrote The Organic Coloring Book with the help of their father Neil, a professor at UCLA. Designed to help kids learn about common chemicals around them, the Organic Coloring Book features over 25 pages of chemicals to draw, complete with Cheesy the Mouse as a guide for the reader. Elaina and Neil join Lab Out Loud to talk about why they made this coloring book, how they chose the chemical structures to feature, and how this experience made Neil a better teacher. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2017/11/episode-176-organic-coloring-book/

Making his third appearance on Lab Out Loud, we welcome science storyteller Sam Kean back to the show. As author of The Disappearing Spoon and The Violinist's Thumb, Sam has a new book out called Caesar's Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us. Sam joins us to talk about how a chemistry thought problem lead to the title of his new book, why we should care about the air around us, and also shares some insights on science writing. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2017/11/episode-175-caesars-last-breath/

It's Mole Day! Celebrated on October 23, Mole Day recognizes Avogadro's number (6.02 x 10^23), which is a basic unit of measurement in chemistry. Lab Out Loud co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler discuss mole day, reminisce on how they have celebrated it, and celebrate Maurice Oehler, the founder of the National Mole Day Foundation. How do you celebrate Mole Day? Leave a comment at laboutloud.com, tweet a picture to @laboutloud or leave a message at facebook.com/LabOutLoud/. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2017/10/episode-174-mole-day/

Science degrees can be found in the most intriguing careers. This week Lab Out Loud talks with Becca Ransohoff, an analytical chemist for MadTree Brewing in Cincinnati, Ohio. In June, MadTree released Entropic Theory (a hoppy, juicy IPA) with a special can launch party whereby a portion of the proceeds were donated to iSPACE, a local non-profit that promotes education of science, engineering, technology and math for kids. Also a product of science and research, MadTree invested over two years of planning and testing to develop Entropic Theory. Becca joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about Entropic Theory and the science behind its creation, while describing her job as an analytical chemist at MadTree Brewing. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/10/episode-173-entropic-theory/

Continuing with a theme of teacher created content, Lab Out Loud is proud to share Matt Blackman's physics games and apps. As physics teacher and adjunct instructor at Rutgers Graduate School of Education, Matt founded The Universe & More where he creates educational games and apps such as Crack the Circuit and Action Graphing. Matt joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about his games, how they might supplement and enhance (but not replace) good teaching, and how you can use them with the companion worksheets in your science classroom. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/09/episode-172-crack-the-circuit/

As the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) takes full effect this fall, educators might be curious to know how this new legislation affects STEM education. To help us navigate through ESSA, Lab Out Loud welcomes James Brown to the show. As executive director of the STEM Education Coalition, James works with the Coalition to raise awareness in Congress, the Administration, and other organizations about the critical role that STEM education plays in enabling the U.S. to remain the economic and technological leader of the global marketplace of the 21st century. James joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about ESSA, how it impacts states and STEM education, and how teachers can get more involved as this law rolls out. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/09/episode-170-essa/

From Math for America, Lab Out Loud welcomes John Ewing (President) and Megan Roberts (Executive Director) to the show. With a goal of making teaching a viable, rewarding and respected career, MƒA provides a mechanism that encourages professional STEM educators to engage in their subject matter while working in a collaborative and supportive environment. In practice, MƒA's fellowship program engages New York City teachers to engage in professional growth within a professional community that receives professional recognition. John and Megan join co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to discuss the success of the Math for America model, how it can be replicated across the nation, and emphasize the importance of teaching as a true profession. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/09/episode-170-math-for-america/

To kickoff season 11, Lab Out Loud welcomes Christopher Preece to the show. As a high school chemistry teacher, Chris recently created Che[M]ystery - a graphic novel that teaches chemistry concepts. Written by Preece and illustrated by Josh Reynolds, Che[M]ystery follows the adventures of two kids as they gain superpowers, fight a radioactive monster and learn some science along the way. Chris joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to discuss how he created Che[M]ystery, and shares how he uses it to capture student imaginations in his chemistry classes. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/08/episode-169-chemystery

To close season 10, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome back Dr. Sean B. Carroll - award-winning scientist, writer, and educator. Dr. Carroll's new book, The Serengeti Rules, examines the fundamental question of how life works as he uncovers the rules that determine the number of species in an environment and the diversity within that community. What this molecular biologist learns in the field provides insights into evolution, conservation and functional environmentalism that affect us all on the local and global level. Listen to the show to hear how Dr. Carroll shares compelling stories of science that include exploration with epic adventures, surprise, and even a little detective work in The Serengeti Rules. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/05/episode-168-serengeti-rules/

This week, Lab Out Loud welcomes Darlene Cavalier to the show. In addition to her position as Professor of Practice at Arizona State University's Center for Engagement and Training, Darlene is the founder of SciStarter - an online community to designed to help people find, join and contribute to science through both formal and informal research projects and events. Darlene joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to help promote Citizen Science Day - a month-long challenge (through May 20, 2017) that seeks to celebrate and engage citizen scientists throughout the world. Listen to the show to learn how you, your students and your family can be citizen scientists by catching clouds with an app, documenting road kill, or fighting Alzheimer's with an online game! Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/05/episode-167-scistarter/

This week, Lab Out Loud welcomes Matt Brady to the show. Along with wife Shari, these two high school science teachers have been working to bring pop culture into the classroom to increase student engagement and understanding of science. Their website The Science Of helps broadcast these ideas and strategies with the goal of providing a place for popular culture to act as a springboard to science education, discussion and information. Matt joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about teaching science with pop culture, discuss how this approach can help connect teachers to their students, and share his favorite pop culture references used in his science classroom. Brian and Dale also talk about the March for Science on Earth Day, 2017. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/04/episode-166-pop-culture-science-education

Fredi Lavjardi teaches marine science at Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix, where he is also coach of Falcon Robotics - an extracurricular high school STEM program that won the 2004 MATE National Underwater ROV championships with their robot "Stinky," besting juggernaut teams such as MIT. This inspiring story was originally covered by Wired Magazine, expanded by the same author into a book, and graced the silver screen in 2015 as the movie Spare Parts. Along with other engaging stories, the success of Falcon Robotics is now being featured in the IMAX documentary Dream Big: Engineering Our World. Using human stories to expose the hidden world behind exciting inventions and structures across the world, Dream Big aims to at bring engineering into the forefront of our culture while inspiring kids of all backgrounds to become the innovators, educators and leaders of the 21st century and beyond. Fredi joins Lab Out Loud to share more about Falcon Robotics, how STEM education is addressed in his classroom and robotics program, and how schools might better address STEM education for authentic student learning. Listen to the show to be inspired, and then find out where you can experience the Dream Big: Engineering Our World. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/04/episode-165-dream-big/

Co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler recently discovered EO Kids - a web publication that brings engaging science stories from NASA's Earth Observatory to a younger audience. Published with support from NASA's Landsat, Terra, and Aqua missions, EO Kids provides kid-friendly content in a PDF that can be easily downloaded or printed. Each issue of EO Kids also features hands-on activities, experiments and opportunities for students to interact with real data. To learn more about EO Kids, listen to Lab Out Loud as they welcome Editor-in-Chief Ginger Butcher and Managing Editor Tassia Owen to the show. Show notes: http://laboutloud.com/2017/03/episode-164-eo-kids/

Valerie Bayes joins Lab Out Loud this week to talk about modern agriculture. As the K-12 STEM Outreach Lead for Monsanto, Valerie is busy engaging educators in modern agriculture where cross-cutting concepts like engineering, math, and biology are used to solve important problems in our world today. Through Monsanto's STEM page, Valerie assists educators in finding powerful classroom resources and even helps teachers in obtaining GM seeds for use in the classroom. Valerie joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to share how she got into science outreach, describe Monsanto's educational collaborations, and discuss the connections between STEM and modern agriculture (including drones!). Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/03/episode-163-monsanto/

Lab Out Loud’s guest this week is Gary Weimberg, co-director of the PBS documentary “My Love Affair With The Brain: The Life and Science of Dr. Marian Diamond.” Produced and released in collaboration with AAAS and Scientific American, and narrated by The Big Bang Theory’s Mayim Bialik, this upcoming documentary showcases the life and work of engaging professor, inquisitive learner and YouTube sensation Dr. Marian Diamond. Gary joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to discuss the film, reveal how Dr. Diamond’s work challenged assumptions in science and society, and share his beliefs in telling human stories to illustrate how science actually happens. Listen to the show to be inspired by Dr. Diamond’s work and learn how you might use her story in your science classroom and participate in this public engagement in science. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/02/episode-161-my-love-affair-with-the-brain/

Lab Out Loud is proud to welcome David Pogue to the show. As tech critic for Yahoo Tech, correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning, and columnist for Scientific American, many listeners might recognize Pogue as host of many NOVA science specials. In 2012, he shared his exploration of the periodic table with the wildly popular NOVA special Hunting the Elements. Now he'd like to continue that story with Beyond the Elements, where he will explore and share the mysteries of the molecular world. But he needs your help. Together with NOVA, Pogue is working hard on a Kickstarter campaign to fund Beyond the Elements. The goals of the campaign start with producing the show and continue with adding classroom resources and possibly a VR experience. David joins Lab Out Loud to talk about science and tech, his work with NOVA, and the Kickstarter project Beyond the Elements. Listen now to learn how to help NOVA and David Pogue produce this new special for families and science classrooms across the nation! Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/02/episode-161-nova-kickstarter/

Co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome Zach Kaplan to Lab Out Loud. As founder and CEO of Inventables, Kaplan hopes to inspire and enlist a new wave of makers with tools like Carvey (a desktop 3D carving machine) and Easel (a simple and free cloud-based app for 3D design to carving). In schools, with an increased focus on engineering and a push to include more STEAM classes and Makerspaces, these tools are also providing students with an opportunity to learn career and college ready skills in a hands-on and authentic manner. Zach joins Lab Out Loud to talk about Inventables, the growth of the maker movement, and the future of desktop fabrication and manufacturing. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/01/carving-into-stem-with-inventables/

Lab Out Loud co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome ecologist & author Caren Cooper to the show. As an Associate Professor at North Carolina State university, Dr. Cooper also works with the Chancellor's Faculty Excellence Program on Leadership in Public Science. She is an advocate of citizen science, believing that anyone, anywhere at any time, can help conduct genuine scientific research. In her new book, Citizen Science: How Ordinary People are Changing the Face of Discovery, Dr. Cooper tells the stories of citizen scientists who are challenging assumptions of how and where knowledge can be acquired. Dr. Cooper joins Lab Out Loud to share some of these stories, along with ideas and resources on how educators might engage their students in creating new knowledge from the world around them. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2017/01/episode-159-citizen-science/

In this special On the Lookout installment of Lab Out Loud, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler explore another device in the world of desktop fabrication as they recently tested out Carvey - a tabletop 3D carving machine from Inventables. Right out of the box, they discovered Carvey to be a remarkably easy to use tool appropriate for younger learners. Solidly built, Carvey’s small footprint can easily sit on a tabletop, and features an enclosed frame that keeps the workspace relatively clean and safe. Of course, Carvey’s reach extends well beyond the science classroom, and will function as a savvy tool that any STEAM program or Makerspace could rely upon for hands-on student learning. Listen to Lab Out Loud (and watch their unbox video) to see how this new digital manufacturing tool can allow students to transform their digital creations into physical, everyday objects. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/12/episode-158-carvey/

This week, Lab Out Loud talks with Sonia Epstein, the Executive Editor of the Museum of the Moving Image's online publication Science & Film. Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Science & Film is devoted to exploring the intersection of science and film and enhancing the public's understanding of science and technology. Sonia joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about Sloan films and the recently released teacher’s guide that includes information on 46 short films that you can use with students. Listen to Lab Out Loud to see how you might use Sloan films to help engage students in STEAM learning. Show notes: http://laboutloud.com/2016/12/episode-157-sloan-science-and-film/

Making his third appearance on Lab Out Loud, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome Rhett Allain back to the show. As an Associate Professor of physics at Southeastern Louisiana University, Rhett is also an avid blogger for Wired Science. In addition to his consultant work for Mythbusters, Rhett has recently added another impressive accolade to his resume: Technical Consultant for the TV show MacGyver (2106). Rhett joins Lab Out Loud to discuss Macgyver, his role in screen science, and the importance of critical thinking skills. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/11/episode-156-macgyver/

Two science teachers call the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line! To prepare for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, we decided to consult with a professionally trained expert who could answer all of our important turkey questions. Show Notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/11/episode-155-butterball-hotline/

Making his third appearance on Lab Out Loud, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome Dr. Ken Roy back to discuss safety in science classrooms and other potentially harmful areas (such as makerspaces). This fall, Ken launched the NSTA Safety Blog to share commentaries on the latest safety issues, legal standards and better professional practices. Ken reminds us about important science safety practices such as yearly safety training, our duty of care when working with students in foreseeable harmful situations, and the need to make sure your eye wash station works before you do labs that might require its use. Listen to the show to hear how you can learn important safety tips and how to submit your own questions to the NSTA Safety Blog. Show notes: http://laboutloud.com/2016/11/episode-154-nsta-safety-blog/

Have you ever relied upon a lab or resource so much that you don't know what you would do without it? This mini-lab episode discusses such a tool that was lost and then found again - Mihara Naoki's Ramp and Roll. Originally developed to assist introductory physics students understand the simple motion of ball rolling on a ramp, Ramp and Roll's unique user-friendly interface calculates and graphs the position, velocity and acceleration of the ball all in real time while the ball is rolling. Listen to this mini-lab episode to hear more about Ramp and Roll as co-host Dale Basler takes a trip down memory lane to share how it was lost, found and eventually came to be hosted at Lab Out Loud. Show notes: http://laboutloud.com/2016/10/episode-153-ramp-and-roll/

Making his fourth appearance on Lab Out Loud, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome Fred Ende back to the show. As the Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instructional Services for a cooperative educational service in New York, Fred has sat through, observed, and delivered a lot of professional development. Most recently, Fred has written a book on professional development entitled Professional Development That Sticks, where he seeks to answer how to approach professional development in a thoughtful way, keep teachers motivated, and make the whole process worthwhile. In addition to being Lab Out Loud's "PD therapist", Fred joins Lab Out Loud to share some strategies in creating meaningful learning experiences and suggests how we might retain more of our learning after it's complete. Show notes: http://laboutloud.com/2016/10/episode-152-pd-that-sticks/

Lab Out Loud welcomes former astronaut Stephen Frick, Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Advanced Technology Center. Lockheed Martin and Discovery Education have partnered to launch the next phase of Generation Beyond – an initiative to use science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to prepare today’s middle school students for deep space exploration. With engaging online curriculum, a virtual field trip, and a video challenge for students, Generation Beyond seeks to engage students in grades 6-8 in STEM careers and help them prepare to make these deep space missions a reality. Listen to Lab Out Loud to hear about Stephen recall his work as an astronaut and learn how you can help inspire today’s students to become the next generation of engineers and space explorers. show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/10/episode-151-generation-beyond/

This week co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler talk sex with Dr. Carin Bondar (specifically, they discuss how science teachers can use sex to teach biological concepts). As biologist, writer and presenter, Dr. Bondar hosts an independent web series called Wild Sex and has just released her second book, also titled Wild Sex. Listen to Lab Out Loud to hear ideas on how you might utilize biological sex to teach concepts such as population biology, evolution and other concepts in your secondary science classroom. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/09/episode-150-biological-sex/

As students are returning to school, they might be hunting for Pokémon with the wildly popular Pokémon GO app. Part of the game allows students students to evolve their Pokémon into other pocket monsters. But is this an accurate portrayal of biological evolution? Can science educators actually use Pokémon GO to teach evolution or other scientific concepts? To help answer some of these questions, Lab Out Loud co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler are happy to welcome Dr. Luke Holbrook to the show. Luke belongs to the department of Biological Sciences at Rowan University, and has thought a lot about using Pokémon to help teach concepts of evolution (he even designed a Pokémon activity many years ago - on paper!) Listen to the show to hear more about Pokémon GO and evolution, and if you could use it to teach science in your classroom. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/09/episode-149-pokemon/

To close season nine, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler discuss newer technologies such as 3D printers, virtual reality and drones. These newer technologies have recently Lab Out Loud's attention and they are exploring how they might be used in the science classroom. Lab Out Loud also talks with Benjamin Schrom, product manager at Google for Education. Ben shares a taste of Google Expeditions and how it might be used in all classrooms to enhance learning using virtual reality. Show Notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/06/episode-148-science-edtech/

This week, Lab Out Loud co-host Brian Bartel talks with Dr. Tom Hart - penguinologist and lead researcher for Penguin Watch. Penguin Watch is a project that collects images of penguins and other seabirds from cameras scattered throughout the Southern Ocean. These images are shared online where citizen scientists can easily identify adult penguins, chicks and eggs. Listen to Lab Out Loud to hear how and your students can help monitor penguins and other seabirds with just the click of a mouse. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/05/episode-147-penguin-watch/

As a former biology teacher and now product manager at PASCO Scientific, Mike Blasberg has witnessed a transformation in how students can collect data in the science classroom. Mike joins us to talk about the evolution of sensors, how we can use a smartphone to collect and analyze data, and discusses the capabilities and features of the new wireless sensors available from PASCO scientific. Shownotes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/05/episode-146-pasco/

At SXSWedu, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler were fortunate to see littleBits founder and CEO Ayah Bdeir unveil the new littleBits STEAM set. In fact, they were quite impressed to hear about littleBits' gender neutral design and see examples of students using the sets to solve real problems. Wanting to find more about this invention-based learning tool, Lab Out Loud is proud to welcome littleBits' Education Program Manger Erin Mulcahy and Product Designer Dave Sharp to the show. Listen now to learn how you might use the littleBits STEAM set to engage students in problem solving, creative thinking and collaboration through invention-based learning. http://laboutloud.com/2016/04/episode-145-littlebits/

From NOVA Education, Lab Out Loud welcomes outreach coordinator Ralph Bouquet to showcase NOVA Labs - a free digital platform featuring games that foster authentic scientific exploration. With engaging interactives and informative videos, NOVA Labs allows students to participate in an area of active research where they can analyze and play with the same data that scientists use. Listen to the show to see how your students can participate in science by tracking cloud movements, designing biomolecules, or defending against sophisticated cyber attacks. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/04/episode-144-nova-labs/

Lab Out Loud had so much fun talking movies with Andy Howell, so they continued talking with him about his work as scientist at Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) and Adjunct Faculty in physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Andy joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler (again) to talk about studying supernovae, robotic telescopes, and how science really happens. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/03/episode-143-andy-howell/

In February, the journal Science published an article entitled “Climate Confusion Among U.S. Teachers” that has been attracting a great deal of mainstream media attention. Examining a nationwide survey of how middle school and high science teachers address climate change in their classes, the article reveals some encouraging insights and uncovers a few areas for improvement. To better understand the impact of this article, Lab Out Loud welcomes Dr. David Evans, Executive Director of NSTA, to the show. Dr. Evans joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to discuss the results of the survey, suggest how recent implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards play a role in this conversation, and offer some suggestions on how to better support science educators in teaching climate change. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/02/episode-142-climate-change-survey/

Co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler discuss movies and science with scientist, writer and podcaster Andy Howell. Besides studying supernovae and working with robotic telescopes (at Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) and the University of California, Santa Barbara, Andy has been working on a podcast to evaluate the scientific content in movies and the portrayal of scientists in media. Called Science vs. Cinema, the pilot episode examines a Lab Out Loud favorite: The Martian. Andy joins Lab Out Loud to discuss Science vs. Cinema and shares how he evaluates scientific content in popular media (we also get to geek out over some of our favorite science movies). Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/02/episode-141-science-vs-media/

Lab Out Loud's guest this week is Shaun Whitehead, space engineer and founder of Thumbsat. Dreaming of once becoming an astronaut, Shaun now provides the engineering reality to put experiments in space with Thumbsat - a thumbsize platform for space exploration complete with microcontroller, camera, radio, GPS and temperature sensors. Thumbsat data can be harvested through Thumbnet, a global network of monitoring stations - which can even be built by schools. Listen to Lab Out Loud to hear Shaun explain what a space engineer is and how you might inspire your students to put an experiment into space. show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/01/episode-140-thumbsat/

At Lab Out Loud, we love data collection. That's why we are happy to welcome Chrystian and Rebecca Vieyra to the show. Working as an app developer and high school physics teacher, this husband and wife team developed Physics Toolbox - a suite of apps that use the built-in sensors inside smartphones to complement the current probeware used in classrooms. Listen to the show to hear more about Physics Toolbox and how it can be used to easily collect data in your classroom. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/01/episode-139-physics-toolbox/

Co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler are proud to welcome fellow science podcaster Ainissa Ramirez to Lab Out Loud. As scientist, inventor and self-proclaimed science evangelist, Ainissa is the host of Science Underground - a new, two-minute podcast that delivers a science topic in an enjoyable and easy to understand fashion. Listen to the show to hear Ainissa discuss the importance of science communication, the inspiration for her topics, and how you might use these audio nuggets in your science classroom. Show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2016/01/episode-138-science-underground/

Lab Out Loud welcomes Matt Hartman, the content coordinator for eCYBERMISSION, to the show. Sponsored by the Army and administered by NSTA, eCYBERMISSION is a web-based STEM competition for 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th grade teams tasked with proposing a solution to a real problem in their community. Matt joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk us about the competition and its alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards. In addition, Lab Out Loud even gets a special opportunity to talk with a coach and some of her students who have participated in eCYBERMISSION. show notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2015/12/episode-137-ecybermission/

Our guest this week is Todd L. Pittinsky, professor in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Stony Brook University. Todd and Nicole Diamante (a doctoral candidate in engineering at Stony Brook) recently wrote an article that caught our eyes. In "Going Beyond Fun in STEM" (Phi Delta Kappan) Pittinsky and Diamante suggest that perhaps after the Mentos geyser demonstration, science teachers might only get "a bottle of flat Pepsi and too many students who still arrive at college academically unprepared for STEM majors or — perhaps more important — emotionally unprepared to stick it out when the subjects inevitably get tough." Todd joins us to remind us that fun isn't enough in science, and suggests what intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are actually needed to get students more interested in math and science, and ultimately succeed in these fields.

Do your students have a vision for the future? Then they might be motivated to enter the 23rd Annual Toshiba/NSTA annual ExploraVision competition. Through problem solving, critical thinking and communication skills, this K-12 science competition encourages students to imagine and explore a vision of a technology 20 years into the future. To help explain what ExploraVision is and how to participate, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome Arthur Eisenkraft (Professor of Science Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston and ExploraVision judge) and Acacia McKenna (Director of Science Education Competitions at the National Science Teachers Association) to the show. Listen now to find out how you can help communicate this opportunity and inspire your students to participate in ExploraVision today! Show Notes at: http://laboutloud.com/2015/11/episode-135-exploravision