Blog
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
Modified Science Cart for the COVID Classroom
In this post, Dave Gervais provides useful tips for modifying a standard science equipment cart for the COVID-19 classroom. Thanks Dave!!!!!!!!! Rationale: In an effort to minimize student-student contact, some schools will have students remain in a classroom, while...
SEEC Format for Online Learning
Rationale: As many high schools will begin September with a hybrid model, students will spend a significant amount of time online. This is an assignment idea that will be appropriate for that mode of learning, with an emphasis on literacy. An exemplar (Cecropia...
Safety for Hands-On Science Home Instruction – from the NSTA
This resource provides practical safety advice and considerations for home-based, hands-on activities, as written by NSTA Chief Safety Blogger Dr. Ken Roy. Introduction With the advance of the COVID-19 pandemic during the latter part of the 2019-2020 academic year,...