Blog
BRING SCIENCE HOME – resources from Scientific American
As the old saying (almost) goes, science starts in the home. This site provides fun science activities, which parents and their kids ages 6-12 can do together with household items in just a half hour or less. Teachers might like to incorporate them, too. Link to...
Why Masks Work BETTER Than You’d Think – from minute physics
https://youtu.be/Y47t9qLc9I4 This video is about how masks (whether surgical, or N95, or cloth) are counterintuitive and actually work much better epidemiologically than one might expect. Masks do double-duty, and the fraction of interactions with masks is much higher...
Science Literacy Week
Science literacy week runs from September 21st to 27th across Canada, with the theme of biodiversity, and we here at STAO are excited to share some of the great events that are being put on across the country! No matter who we are, science touches us in one way or...
Stephanie Kwolek: The Groundbreaking Chemist Whose Invention Stops Bullets – submitted by Kris Lee
Stephanie Kwolek's invention of Kevlar has saved countless lives over the past 40 years. Kevlar is a fiber five times stronger than steel that is now used in numerous products ranging from boots for firefighters to spacecraft — and most famously, in bulletproof vests....
Safety Expertise at STAO – Congrats Dave!
Since the fall of 2017, Dave Gervais has been working towards the completion of the Occupational Health and Safety Program at Seneca College. The courses covered such topics as federal and provincial legislation, building code, fire code, and identification of hazards...
Returning to Work COVID Concerns – CBC podcast – submitted by Dave Gervais
How Can I Safely Return to Work? The host of CBC’s “The Dose” is Dr Brian Goldman. Recently he interviewed Dr. Lynora Saxinger an infectious disease specialist and associate professor of microbiology and immunology at University of Alberta. The topic was how to safely...
Thinking Critically in Physics Labs – submitted by Joanne O’Meara
This resource is specifically for those teaching physics at the secondary level, there was a recent post from faculty at Cornell University on a complete set of online activities for introductory mechanics as well as introductory electricity & magnetism: Link to...
Discovery of record-breaking black hole collision surprises astronomers – CBC
A team of international astronomers has caught the merger of two black holes of unprecedented masses creating yet another massive black hole — one that astronomers believed existed in theory but that had never been detected. The two caught in the act were roughly 85...
How To Photograph The Northern Lights – The Ultimate Guide (2020) – by Charles Wade
This article provides advice on how to photograph the northern lights step by step, from planning, what equipment to use, and getting all the settings ready. Link to article Thanks for sharing Charles!
Take the Little Inventors challenge during Science Literacy Week
Whether you are back in school or teaching your students at a distance, September is a great time to explore our Ocean resources and take the Mission: Protect our oceans challenge during Science Literacy Week! Running between September 21 to 27, all across...
The AAPT ComPADRE Collections – submitted by Joanne O’Meara
The AAPT ComPADRE Collection is a huge repository of materials (including for K to 12) created by the American Association of Physics Teachers, supported by funds from the NSF. It’s free but you do have to create an account to access the materials Link to site Thanks...
Safety Recommendations for Opening the New School Year – NSTA
This is an excellent summary of best safety practices in the science classroom prepared by the safety experts at NSTA in the United States. Link to Article
