Sc v48-2 Mar 13 - Irish Science Teachers` Association

Transcription

SCIENCE
Official Journal of the Irish Science Teachers’ Association
Eol-Oidí na hÉireann, Volume 48, Number 2, Mar. 2013
The Spark Learning System from PASCO
Contents
Chairperson’s Report
Mary Mullaghy
President’s Letter
Charles Dolan
SciFest Launch
Professional Development Service for Teachers
Tim Regan
Coursework B 2013 Investigations Interactive discussion organised by the Dublin Branch ISTA
Ben Healy
The methanol-air whoosh!
Rory Geoghegan
Chemistry Support Service
Éamon de Buitléar: Some memories of an Irish Naturalist Siobhán Sweeney
Musings
Ian McCulloch
My Young Scientist project
Pádraig Buggy Lab. Technician Intern Induction Day
Yvonne Higgins
Letter to Principals
Application form for PCI Teacher Awards
Annual Conference registration form
BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition Winners
DNA Day 2013
Siobhán Sweeney
Which came first..
Paul Holland
A Thought about ‘super’
Dr Adrian Somerfield
Ideas for School Open Nights
Dr Maeve Liston
ISTA Annual Senior Science Quiz 2012
Mary Mullaghy
Measuring the output of a solar panel
Rory Geoghegan
The history of the Science Educator of the Year awards
Dr Oliver Ryan
Bealtaine Festival of Outdoor Science
Dr Shiela Donegan
Strange physics
Paul Holland
Reviving the magic
Pat Hanratty
Antarctica – without the penguins
Paul Holland
In Antarctica
Paul Holland
CROSSWORD
Randal Henly 3
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Cover picture: Pyrite crystals
Pyrite is an interesting substance but its inappropriate use in construction has given it a bad name. It is a sulfide of
iron (FeS2) composed of Fe+2 ions and ‘disulfide’ ions (S2−2 or −S−S−) in which there is a covalent bond between the
two sulfur atoms; this ion is comparable to the peroxide ion (O2−2 or −O−O−).
Pyrite forms beautiful gold-coloured cubic crystals and, in fact, is sometimes mistaken for gold (“fool’s gold”).
It also occurs as octahedral and pyritohedral crystals, which, though not obviously, are basically cubic arrangements.
Pyrite is a semiconductor; small pyrite crystals were used as a rectifiers in early crystal radios.
On exposure to air and water pyrite forms a variety of oxides and sulfates of iron as well as sulfuric acid.
The possible presence of pyrite in concrete is indicated by the appearance of rust-coloured streaks (due to Fe2O3).
The exothermic nature of the oxidation of pyrite is exploited as an energy source by bacteria such as the descriptively
named Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, which can increase the rate of oxidation of pyrite by a factor of ten or more.
SCIENCE March 2013
Council Executive
Association President: Charlie Dolan, Senior Personnel Representative, Eli Lilly, Cork
[email protected]
Chairperson: Mary Mullaghy, 26 Bailis Manor, Athlumney, Navan, Co. Meath. [email protected]
Vice-chairperson: Stephanie Leonard, Intermediate College, Killorglin, Co. Kerry.
[email protected]
Honorary Secretary: Maria Sheehan, St Caimin’s Community School, Shannon, Co. Clare [email protected]
Past-chairperson: Yvonne Higgins, Magh Ene College, Bundoran, Co. Donegal [email protected]
Treasurer: Paddy Daly, 9 The Spa, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. [email protected]
Assistant Treasurer & Web Liaison Officer: John Lucey, ‘Copsewood’, Rock Road, Mallow, Co. Cork.
[email protected]
Membership Secretary: Dr Declan Kennedy, Department of Education, UCC [email protected]
Editor of SCIENCE: Rory Geoghegan, 49 Seamount, Booterstown, Co Dublin
[email protected]
Senior Science Quiz Coordinator: Mary Mullaghy
[email protected]
Branch Representatives
Cork: Sarah Downey-Fogarty, Coláiste Muire, Crosshaven, Co Cork
[email protected]
Cork: Sean Finn, 32 Old Avenue, Glanmire, Co. Cork. [email protected]
Donegal: Mary O’Brien, 16 Clachan Mor, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. [email protected]
Dublin: Seosamh Ó Braonáin, Wesley College, Ballinteer, Dublin 16
[email protected]. Dublin: John Daly, 13 Valeview Ave., Cabinteely, Dublin 18.
[email protected]
Dublin: Brian Smyth, 53 Weirview Drive, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin. [email protected]
Dublin: Rory Geoghegan, 49 Seamount, Booterstown, Co Dublin
[email protected]
Galway: Aine Clarke, Calasanctius College, Oranmore, Co. Galway [email protected]
Kerry: Una Moroney, Intermediate College, Killorglin, Co. Kerry.
[email protected]
Kerry: Stephanie Leonard, Intermediate College, Killorglin, Co. Kerry.
[email protected]
Kildare: Anne McGrath, 21 Dara Park, Kildare Town
[email protected]
Kildare: Eimear Guilfoyle, Tully West, Kildare
[email protected]
Kilkenny: Deirdre Knox. 9 Burgess Court, Kells, Co. Kilkenny [email protected]
Limerick/Clare: Diane Condon, Ard Scoil Rís, North Circular Road, Limerick. [email protected]
Monaghan: Catherine Murphy, Loreto College, Cavan [email protected]
North Midlands: Irene O’Sullivan, Moate CS, Moate, Co .Westmeath [email protected]
North Midlands: Seamus Ó Donghaile, Lios Dubh, Cluain na gCloidhe, Co. Roscomáin
[email protected]
Sligo: Yvonne Higgins, Yvonne Higgins, Magh Ene College, Bundoran, Co. Donegal
[email protected]
Tipperary: Paddy Daly, 9 The Spa, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
[email protected]
Waterford: Paula Hewison, De La Salle College, Waterford City, Co. Waterford.
[email protected]
Wexford: Sean Fogarty, Rocklands, Hempfield, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. [email protected]
Editorial Team
Editor: Rory Geoghegan, 49 Seamount, Stillorgan Road, Booterstown, Co. Dublin
[email protected]
Assistant Editor for Biology: Siobhan Sweeney, Blackrock College
[email protected]
Assistant Editor for Chemistry: Mary Mullaghy, Eureka. Secondary School, Kells
[email protected]
Assistant Editors for Physics: Richard Fox, Wesley College, Ballinteer, Dublin 16 [email protected]
Seosamh Ó Braonáin, Wesley College, Ballinteer, Dublin 16 [email protected]
Assistant Editor for Primary Science: Dr Tom Mc Cloughlin, St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra
[email protected]
www.ista.
Chairperson’s Report
Mary Mullaghy
D
ia daoibh a chairde,
“We are all in the gutter but
some of us are looking at the
stars!” (Oscar Wilde)
Schools have always been dynamic
places to work, but in recent times
they seem to be in a state of flux as
teachers try to cope with an ever
increasing workload: Key Skills,
Literacy & Numeracy, SSE (School
Self Evaluation) and the latest SIP
(School Improvement Plan).
Most teachers acknowledge that their job
is a life-long learning process and now
more than ever teachers have to be resilient,
resourceful and reflective in practise.
Continuing Professional Development
is essential for teachers to cope with the
evolving education system and to build
their confidence in being able to deliver the
learning outcomes required. One aim of the
New Junior Cycle seems to be to embed
a culture of entrepreneurship into our
schools, which is admirable, but this will
introduce many challenges for teachers.
Presently there is a lot of puzzlement about
the New Junior Cycle, so I hope that Bill
Lynch from the NCCA, who has agreed
to give a talk at the AGM on Sunday 14th
April in Gorey will help unveil some of the
facts and help demystify it for teachers who
are at the coalface.
Website
I would like to apologise about the recent
disruption with the website which was
outside our control. We have switched to a
new company and after a teething period
we hope that all will run smoothly again. I
would like to thank Mr John Lucey for all
his patience and extra work in helping to
sort out the situation.
Roles & Responsibilities of
Branches
Under the Rules of the Association, each
Branch is required to hold an AGM within
the four week period prior to the National
AGM. At the Branch AGM the following
should be elected:
• Branch Chairperson
• Hon Secretary
• Hon Treasurer
• Council Representative
• Branch Committee
SCIENCE March 2013
Branches should then submit the
following information to the National
Secretary Maria Sheehan by Monday
April 8th [email protected]
• Names, addresses and contact details
of the Branch Officers and Council
Representatives elected.
• A Branch Report for the year, to
include Secretary’s Report and the
Treasurer’s Report.
Benefits of Membership
Being a member of ISTA helps
teachers keep up to date with the latest
developments in science education, as
well as increasing their professional
knowledge and skills. Teachers
also benefit from the networking
opportunities which ISTA membership
brings. Attending events allows a
sharing of expertise and provides a
support for teachers. The strength of the
Association depends on its membership
- Ní neart go cur le chéile!
In some jurisdictions evidence of
attendance at ISTA events is taken into
account as part of the Croke Park hours
for teachers.
Senior Cycle Syllabi
All three syllabi have been finalised and
a final meeting of the various syllabus
committees and NCCA Board of Studies
for Science is due to be held shortly
to try to finalise the assessment of the
laboratory practical work component.
Our subject convenors are:
Gorey at the closing of the ISTA Annual
Conference.
http://ista2013annualconference.
weebly.com/index.html
BT Young Scientist &
Technology Exhibition
Congratulations to Ciara Judge, Emer
Hickey and Sophie Healy-Thow from
Kinsale Community School on winning
the 49th BT Young Scientist & Technology
Competition, with their statistical project
investigating the effects of diazotroph
bacteria on plant germination.
Congratulations also to Padraig Buggy
from Belvedere College, whose project
comparing the lung activity of active and
sedentary boys, won the ISTA award.
Thanks to all ISTA members who helped
with at ISTA stand and a special thanks
Randal Henly for running his shop and
Rory Geoghegan for his demos.
SciFest
SciFest 2013 was launched in Davis
College, Summerhill, Mallow, Co Cork
by Minister of State Seán Sherlock.
SciFest is now a limited company and
run by the indefatigable couple George &
Sheila Porter.
• Biology – Ms Úna Moroney
[email protected]
• Physics – Mr Sean Finn
[email protected]
• Chemistry – Mr John Daly
[email protected]
Application Forms for SciFest 2013 can
be downloaded from the newly revamped
website: www.scifest.ie
The closing date is Friday 8th March.
New Junior Cycle
ISTA expects to hear about the
reconvening of the Junior Science subcommittee to begin work on the new
Junior Science syllabus. Ms Yvonne
Higgins ([email protected]) our
Junior Science subject convenor, has
sent a letter to NCCA outlining a series
of issues that require clarification. Also
please note that Mr Bill Lynch, from
the NCCA will give a plenary talk to
teachers on Sunday 14th April at 10.30
am in the Ashdown Park Hotel in
Laboratory Technician Pilot
Project – JobBridge
The JobBridge scheme is being used
to populate schools with Laboratory
Technicians. An Intern Induction
Day, and sharing ideas, was held on
Saturday 23rd February for the appointed
technicians and thanks to Summerhill
College, Sligo, who kindly agreed to host
the event.
Thanks to Mishka Abrahams and Eithne
Waldron, the lab technicians from
Blackrock College and Wesley College,
Dublin for delivering the programme of
events. It included discussion of storage,
preparation and disposal of chemicals,
glassware, laboratory organisation,
ordering stock, record keeping and First
Aid.
Industry Awards for Science
Teaching
The sixth annual PharmaChemical
Ireland Industry Awards aimed
at promoting and recognising
outstanding science teaching in Ireland
has been launched.
Sincere thanks to Ms Yvonne Higgins
who organized the whole event
[email protected].
Principals are asked to nominate a team
of excellent science teachers within
their school that they consider worthy of
receiving such an award.
Annual ISTA Senior Science
Quizzes
Application forms can be downloaded
from the ISTA website www.ista.ie
or from the PharmaChemical Ireland
website www.pharamchemicalireland.ie
Congratulations to the winners of the
ISTA Senior Science Quiz National
Final which was held in Trinity
College. (See Contents page for further
details.) Thanks to all the students
who participated, ISTA teachers who
attended, Dublin Branch Committee
who ran the Final and our guest
quizmaster Dr Arlene O’Neill. The
prizes were generously sponsored
by PharmaChemical Ireland. Since
taking the baton coordinating of
the quiz in 2008, I have introduced
spot prizes which have a link with a
charity. This year the chosen charity
was Cystic Fibrosis Ireland with the
book ‘A Neutron Walks into a Bar’.
The longevity and success of the quiz
is down to the volunteer nature of our
Association, where teams of ISTA
teachers organise Regional Finals at
local level nationwide on the Thursday
of Science Week. Míle buíochas arís do
gach duine.
Éamon de Buitléar
It was with great sadness that I learned
of the death of Éamon de Buitléar,
film maker, musician and passionate
environmentalist. As a younger teacher I
had the pleasure of meeting him once at
a parent teacher meeting, as I taught his
daughter, Doireann, Maths in Holy Child
Killiney, Co Dublin. I was completely
awe struck as, to me, he was Ireland’s
equivalent to David Attenborough. As
many others of my generation I grew up
watching ‘Amuigh Faoin Spéir’ and was
inspired by him. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a
anam.
Contact Ms. Siobhan Dean at
[email protected] for further
details. Those shortlisted will be invited
to an awards ceremony at the ISTA
Annual Conference in Gorey. This
year it will not be necessary to make a
presentation to the public.
Annual Conference 2013
The Annual Conference, ‘The Wonders
of Science’, will be held in Gorey, Co
Wexford on 12th -14th April 2013.
Goregy has a good rail and road
network.
Wonder is the desire for knowledge
and we have some wonderful talks
and workshops lined up for this year’s
conference, including the world
renowned Prof Jocelyn Bell Burnell.
At TEDx Talks in Dublin last September
the internationally renowned Prof
Ian Robertson stole the show with
his talk on ‘The Perfect City’. We are
delighted that he has agreed to open our
Conference on Friday 12th April with
current global trilemma, water, energy
and in particular food security. Although
the horsemeat story had not hit the
headlines back then, I invited him to our
AGM and he has agreed to give a talk on
Food Integrity.
Back by popular demand are the
ubiquitious Dr Aoife McLysaght,
geneticist from Trinity College, and
Alom Shaha who will give a talk on
Science and Religion.
All workshops should be booked in
advance to avoid disappointment as
numbers are limited. There will be PDST
workshops on Biology, Chemistry,
Physics, Science and Discover Sensors
as well as a repeated workshop on iPad
applications sponsored by Apple. There
are also drop-in sessions that don’t
require booking.
A DRAFT Programme of Events
is included with this issue, but it is
liable to change and members should
watch the website for the most up to
date information. Also keep an eye
on twitter @IrishSciTeach, Facebook
IrishScienceTeachersAssociation and
your emails.
Organising an AGM is a mammoth
task so we wish Wexford Branch every
success and hope that you will show
support. Even if you can’t make the
whole weekend it is definitely worth a
day trip and has a good road and rail
network.
I look forward to welcoming you to 51st
Annual Conference in Gorey on April
12th to 14th.
Le gach dea-ghuí,
Mary Mullaghy
(ISTA National Chairperson)
All members are welcome to contribute
articles to our Science Journal.
Email [email protected]
Dates for diary
• PDST Chemistry Course on
Schoology at your local Education
Centre during March Advance
booking required.
• ISTA Annual Conference 12th – 14th
April 2013, Gorey Community
School, Co Wexford
• Annual Business Meeting Saturday
13th April, Gorey All welcome!
a talk entitled: The Winner Effect: The
Neuroscience of Success and Failure.
• Science on Stage Festival 25th-28th
April Frankfurt, Germany.
At the first ever Stormont & Science
gathering last October I had the pleasure
of hearing Chris Elliott, Prof of Food
Safety at Queens University in Belfast,
who gave a very interesting talk on the
• IoP in association with PDST are
running workshops in Junior Science
and Physics in the Education Centres
nationwide.
www.ista.
President’s Letter
Charles Dolan
A
belated happy new year to
everyone. I am not quite
sure if it is related to age
or the sometimes frantic pace of
life but time seems to be literally
flying by. Christmas has come
and gone and suddenly we are
looking at Easter and all of the
activities around that time
Each week there seems to be further
news both positive and negative that
affects everyone in society.
One of the positives, has been the
recent awarding by Minister Sean
Sherlock of employment-based
postgraduate awards. For those
unaware of this programme, it is
a new and exciting approach to
postgraduate education in that it
offers postgraduate researchers a
unique opportunity to undertake
research and develop skills in a
workplace It also facilitates research
collaboration, knowledge transfer
and networking between Irish based
companies and researchers in that
they can work on real projects
within companies and enhance
academic collaboration in the
process.
In a related announcement, €300m
is being set aside in a partnership
between industry and Government
to fund seven research centres,
focusing on such areas as: big
data; advanced food research;
marine energy; disease diagnosis in
perinatal infants; nanotechnology;
the use of light to run faster
computers and drug development
and synthesis.
Hopefully this will not only
add value to the economy but
also give worthwhile careers
and opportunities to the science
graduates of the future. From an
educational perspective, the Rocard
report highlighted the need for
improved pedagogy and many
industry bodies continue to highlight
SCIENCE March 2013
the need to increase the uptake of
the physical sciences. There is a
need for Government to take note
of the upcoming generation in their
investment in science in Ireland.
Minister Sherlock (and I am not
his agent by the way!!) has also
been actively supporting science
education. In January he launched
of SciFest in its new form and
more recently the Eureka Centre
in UCC. Both initiatives have built
on pre-existing work and facilities
that will support and assist teachers
in their training and in giving their
students something to aim for, in the
pursuit of their scientific education.
The sixth annual PharmaChemical
Ireland Industry Award for
Excellence for Irish science
teachers has been launched. It is
aimed at promoting and recognising
outstanding science teaching in
Ireland. In an effort to make the
process less daunting for applicants,
there will be no need to make a
public presentation at the conference
as has been the case in recent years
The nomination process is via the
school principal and details and the
application form can be downloaded
from the ISTA website www.ista.ie
or from the PharmaChemical Ireland
website www.pharamchemicalireland.ie
Completed forms can be emailed to
Ms. Siobhan Dean (siobhan.dean@
ibec.ie) by Tuesday 19th of March.
In terms of prizes, the Award
recipients will each receive a paid
trip to attend the ISTA Conference
on 12th-14th April 2013 and a free
science show for their school during
Science Week 2013.
As we are all aware the Teaching
Council of Ireland are strong
advocates for Continuous Personal
Development. Many would
acknowledge that teachers are very
good at attending and completing
this training and recently at a lecture
Anna Looney acknowledged the
fact that a large number of Irish
teachers are very active participants
on the TES site both in using it as
a learning fora and via video work,
showing how they teach challenging
elements of their course’s. The ISTA
has always been aware of the need
and value of CPD and as you will
see on the website a new list of CPD
subject matter and dates have been
posted with the presentations starting
in early March. I would strongly urge
you all to support this ongoing and
valuable work.
Finally, I would like to remind
you all of the Annual Conference
which will be held from Friday 12th
to Sunday 14th of April in Gorey
Community School in Co Wexford.
Having attended the 2012 AGM,
there is palpable energy at events
like this, both in terms of friendships
renewed and the information
delivered and shared among
participants. The ISTA conferences
always have had an excellent list
of speakers. This year opening
address on Friday evening will be
given by Prof Ian Robertson from
Trinity College Dublin, a renowned
speaker. Details of the conference are
available on the ISTA website and
a website dedicated to the AGM is
being prepared currently.
I wish you all well as you work with
your students until the Easter break
and I hope to meet many of you at
the AGM in Gorey.
Charles Dolan, President ISTA
Senior Personnel Representative at
Eli Lilly
SciFest Launch
An address by Dr Pádraig Ó Murchú, Intel Ireland, at the launch of
SciFest 2013 on 28th January
S
heila Porter asked that I say
a few words to mark the
launch of SciFest 2013. So
I thought, in true inquiry-based
mode, I would ask two simple
questions?
• Why is Science important?
• Why are Science Fairs important?
And so I went about and conducted my
investigation, read the literature, asked
lots of questions, evaluated the answers
and came to the following conclusions
which I am going to share with you .
Firstly, what is Science?
Wikipedia tells us that Science is a
systematic exercise that builds and
organises knowledge in the form of
testable explanations and predictions
about the universe.
Given that we are of this universe and
live in this universe and depend on this
universe then it would be important for
us to get to know as much as we possibly
can about it and our place in it and have
some explanations and predictions about
what is going to happen in the future,
particularly to Planet Earth.
And what do we currently know about
Planet Earth? Well it depends on who
you ask but there is broad acceptance on
the following global grand challenges:
1. Climate change,
of Education report 2008 — growth
in Maths, Science and Engineering
jobs outpace overall job growth by
3:1.
Basic education is no longer
sufficient to create wealth,
to address concerns of
food, water and energy
security, to provide
better health services
and better infrastructure
– for that science is
required. (UNESCO)
So Studying Science and Technology
will help us
a. Understand and build a connection
with the physical world and natural
world and our place in that world
– a world on which we are totally
dependent
b. Solve global problems and in doing
so….
c. Generate future wealth and
employment opportunities with
big opportunities expected in agri
foods, environmental and water
management services, sustainable
energy production, provision of health
and well-being services and provision
of physical and ICT infrastructure
d. And the evidence is already there that
this is happening. From the US Dept.
Nearer to home, there are
• 230,000 jobs linked to the Agrifood sector
• 175,000 linked to ICT/
Pharmachem sector (Social
Media, Electronics, Medical
Devices, Bio -Pharmaceutical and
Chemicals)
• And if you include Energy and
Green Economy it brings the
number up to 500,000 jobs and
growing
•
Presently in Europe there are five
million job opportunities for
people with ICT skills (recent
quote from our own Minister Ruairí
Quinn).
So my conclusion are as follows:
I believe that finding out about our
Universe, about Planet Earth, solving
global problems and having some
testable explanations and predictions
about the future is why Science is
important and I would go further and
say it is IMPERATIVE because
a. to sustain a democracy you need a
literate electorate and
b. to sustain a knowledge economy
you need a scientifically literate
electorate
2. Provision of adequate food/water to
support increasing populations
3. Provision of health and wellbeing
services,
4. Provision of sustainable energy
5. Provision of better communications
and physical infrastructure to
connect people and places.
And what do the experts have to say
about how we address these challenges?
Well a report from UNESCO (United
Nations Education, Scientific and
Culture Organization) says:
Basic education is no longer sufficient
to create wealth, to address concerns
of food, water and energy security,
to provide better health services
and better infrastructure – for that
Science is required.
www.ista.
Secondly, why are science
fairs important?
I have been attending Science Fairs
for many years both as a judge and
as an observer and nowhere will you
find the BUZZ, THE EXCITEMENT,
THE PASSION, THE ENERGY, THE
COMMITMENT, THE INGENUITY,
and THE ENTHUAISM to compare
with that of students as they go about
communicating the results of their
scientific investigations.
WOW!, I say to myself, What’s going
on here, This is amazing. — students
passionate about their investigations
and wanting to communicate their
findings….and what have they done to
be like this?
They have conducted research,
collected data, evaluated that data,
drawn conclusions and presented those
conclusions for critical inspection.
Professional Development
Service for Teachers
Tim Regan
Physics Support
T
he Professional
Development Service for
Teachers (PDST) continues
to support the teaching and
learning of physics in schools.
• Critical Thinking
During Autumn 2012, Induction
Courses were organised, in Cork, Dublin
and Galway, for teachers new to the
profession and teachers who wished to
avail of a refresher course. Participants
at day one requested a further day to
investigate common issues and get some
hands-on experience with identified
experiments. These took place in
December 2012.
• Problem Solving
Teacher feedback included:
• Communications.
• The demonstrations and
experiments that were setup were
very useful to see but the most
interesting part of the day were the
discussions on what goes wrong.
In doing so they have practiced and
developed the following skills:
• Data Collection
• Data Evaluation
• Collaboration and working with
others – these are skills critical for
life and for work.
And at the same time…they have had
fun, worked in teams, explored areas
of interest to them, moved about and
engaged with others both locally and
perhaps also globally.
This is what learning should be all about.
• Having fun
• Collaboration and working with
others
• Being self-directed
• Being inquiry-based.
And this is why science fairs are
important – because learning science
should be fun and should be active.
This is why I am here today, because
Intel believes that STEM education is
important and that it is imperative.
Science Fairs are a fun and engaging
way to learn STEM while developing
skills sets that are essential for life and
for work.
• The opportunity to see and discuss
practical work and benefit from the
experience of the course facilitators
and the other teachers was most
useful.
There were over 240 applicants for the
physics resource workshops which took
place in local Education Centres during
October. Participants explored evaluated
resources which could be used to support
literacy and numeracy in physics.
Teacher feedback included:
• Has given me valuable ideas to
improve my lessons, to make my
lessons more interesting, and to help
me improve numeracy and literacy
• It was useful to see how some
very simple amendments to known
experiments can make them much
easier to carry out. The resource CD
was also very useful
• Shared info and ideas with other
teachers will be most beneficial. My
way of dealing with literacy and
numeracy will be more focused.
• Speaking to other teachers in the
field was most helpful. I’m alone in
teaching physics in my school so, I
find it hard to bounce questions off
people.
The Spring 2013 workshops in
both physics and junior science are
a collaboration between PDST and
the Institute of Physics (IOP). These
workshops discuss and demonstrate the
use of the Virtual Physics Laboratory
at all levels in science and investigate
student self-assessment.
A number of other workshops will
be organised for different venues in
collaboration with the IOP which include
the ‘Rocket Launcher’ one at the ISTA
conference in Gorey on Saturday 13th
April. Participants will be supported in
constructing their own rocket launcher
which they can take away after the
workshop.
Make sure to reserve a place for this one
as the number of places is limited.
If you are attending the ISTA conference
why not also make the most of your visit
by booking in to see the “Junior Science
Demonstrations” for ideas on engaging
activities to use with you students.
Come along and visit us at the PDST
stand where you will find up to date
details on all our support plans and
resources.
Consult the PDST Science subject
websites for updates on courses planned
for the autumn and downloadable
classroom resources
If you are not receiving emails on
upcoming support events and wish to
be included in the PDST database email
your contact details to [email protected]
Dr Pádraig Ó Murchú,
Intel Ireland Education and Research
Manager
SCIENCE March 2013
Coursework B 2013 Investigations
Interactive discussion organised by the Dublin Branch ISTA
Ben Healy
O
n November 28th 2012
a meeting was held in
Wesley College Dublin
to discuss the Coursework
B investigations for 2013.
Following registration and
refreshments, kindly laid on by
our colleagues in Wesley College,
the 121 teachers were divided into
six smaller discussion groups in
separate classrooms for the main
part of the workshop.
Within my group there was an
initial general discussion about all
three investigations. It was agreed
by all that each investigation was
interesting and something that
Junior Cert. students would regard
as very worthwhile.
There then followed discussion
about how Coursework B was
marked. How marks could be
awarded in the various sections
was discussed, as well as what
examiners might regard as a well
executed Coursework. Useful
scientific websites were discussed
for each separate investigation.
measure the output. The availability
of solar cells at the various scientific
suppliers was also discussed.
One group of teachers discussed the idea
of measuring the illumination inside and
outside the laboratory on different days,
and comparing the output.
Another group of discussed the
possibility of varying the distance from
the light source and again measuring the
output.
Chemistry
The next discussion that took place
was on the chemistry investigation:
to compare methanol, propan-1ol and candle wax in terms of their
effectiveness as fuels. Our chemistry
facilitator was John Daly; the other
group was facilitated by Brian Smyth.
The initial discussion was on the actual
title of the investigation and what
was actually meant by the term the
‘effectiveness of a fuel’.
There was also some discussion on the
suitability of methanol as a chemical in
the investigation. A very small amount
of methanol can cause blindness and
therefore must be handled with the great
care by students.
We then looked at how to go about
measuring the actual effectiveness. In
order to have a fair test equal amounts of
the three fuels should be used.
The rise in temperature of a substance
like water placed in a Pyrex beaker
above the fuel was one way of
quantifying the amount of heat
produced. The use of a calorimeter
was also discussed. Notwithstanding
concerns about methanol it was
agreed that this was an interesting and
worthwhile investigation. Sadly we ran
out of time with our very stimulating
discussion.
Biology
This discussion was facilitated by Karen
Maye; the other group was facilitated by
Kirsty McAdoo.
The biology investigation is to compare
the vitamin C content of a number of
commercial and fresh fruit juices.
The initial discussion within our group
was on what the actual definition of a
juice is, and whether a smoothie actually
constituted a juice. Some teachers
suggested comparing the Vitamin C
content of different brands of a particular
fruit juice, for example orange, from a
variety of suppliers.
Physics
Our group was facilitated by Richard
Fox; the other physics facilitator was
Seosamh Ó Braonáin.
We looked at the physics task: to
investigate any two factors that vary the
output from a solar cell when light is
shone on it.
A number of factors were looked at, and
a discussion ensued. The first discussion
was how to measure the output. It
was agreed that output could be either
voltage or current; these could be
measured using a digital multimeter.
The first factor that the group came up
with was to vary the area of the solar cell
and measure the resulting output. This
might be done by covering part of the
solar cell with opaque material.
Alternatively one could use two or three
solar cells with different areas and again
www.ista.
Others suggested comparing the vitamin
C content of different types of fruits, e.g.
orange and blackcurrant.
There was also an very interesting
discussion about how you actually
measure vitamin C. It was here that
Leaving Cert. Biology teachers came
into their own! The first method
involved using DCPIP tablets; the colour
changes from blue to colourless when it
reacts with vitamin C.
The other method involved using a
titration with vitamin C and iodine,
using starch as an indicator. When all the
vitamin C has reacted with the iodine,
you should expect a navy black colour
when starch is present.
Conclusion
Following the small group discussions
we all returned to the main lecture
hall in Wesley College, for a plenary
session which was chaired by Seosamh
O’Braonain of Wesley College, Chair of
the Dublin Branch of ISTA.
Each of the facilitators collated
the information on the individual
investigations, and possible suppliers of
the various types of equipment required.
Thanks
I would like to thank each and every
one of the facilitators and teachers who
turned up on a chilly November evening.
They certainly helped to provide food for
thought for the investigations.
Finally I like to thank the Dublin Branch
of the ISTA, Wesley College, especially
Seosamh who helped put together this
evening in such a pleasant setting.
Ben Healy
St Michael’s College.
The methanol-air whoosh!
Rory Geoghegan
M
ethanol can form an
explosive mixture with
air. This is commonly
demonstrated by allowing a
few millilitres of methanol to
vaporise in a five gallon (19
L) polycarbonate bottle. When
ignited it produces a spectacular
‘whoosh’.
How much methanol is
required?
From the balanced equation for the
reaction we see that one mole of
methanol (32 g) is completely oxidised
by 1.5 moles of oxygen:
CH3OH + 1.5 O2 => CO2 + 2 H2O
Let us assume that the initial temperature
is 20 °C (293 K) and the pressure is one
atmosphere (760 mm Hg or 101300 Pa).
At this temperature the saturated vapour
pressure of methanol is 100 mm Hg. The
partial pressure of the air in the bottle is
therefore reduced from 760 mm Hg to
660 mm Hg (i.e. 760 –100). Since air
is just 21% oxygen the partial pressure
of the oxygen is 21% of 660 mm Hg, or
138.6 mm Hg.
At STP the volume of one mole of
oxygen is 22.4 litres. At 138.6 mm Hg
and 293 K the volume of 1.5 moles
of oxygen is (1.5 ×22.4 ×760×293)/
(138.6×273) = 198 L; this would be
enough to react with 32 g of methanol.
• 198 L of the mixture oxidises
32 g of methanol
Using an excess of methanol
Use the table below to calculate how
much much methanol vaporises in a
19 litre bottle at the other specified
temperatures, assuming that an excess
of methanol (say 5 mL) is added to the
bottle.
Temperature
18 °C
20 °C
25 °C
Saturated vapour
pressure of
methanol
90 mm Hg
100 mm Hg
123 mm Hg
If excess methanol liquid is used then
there is a methanol vapour excess of 8%
at 20 °C and 38% at 25 °C; however at
18 °C there is a 4 % methanol deficit.
Extension
Since equal volumes of gases (under
the same conditions) contain equal
numbers of molecules, it follows that if
there is a large excess of vaporised fuel
then the amount of air (and oxygen)
will be diminished somewhat. In the
case of methanol (at 20 °C) this is not
very significant (about 1 %) but in the
case of hexane at the same temperature
it amounts to a 14% reduction in the
available oxygen.
A spreadsheet with the calculations is
available on request. Feedback is invited.
Rory Geoghegan
32/198 g of methanol
19 ×32/198 g of methanol = 3.07 g.
This has a volume of 3.07/0.79 cm3 =
3.88 cm3 (since the density of methanol
is 0.79 g / cm3).
Procedure
Add 3.9 cm3 of methanol to a 19 litre
polycarbonate bottle. Do not seal the
bottle but cover it with a piece of card.
Leave it aside for an hour; by then the
methanol should have vaporised.
Remove the card and, using a long taper,
ignite the mixture. Whoosh!
SCIENCE March 2013
Chemistry Support Service
Spring Network Meetings 2013
From March 1st, evening meetings will take
place in every Education Centre in the country.
Each of these meeting will consist of a workshop
on Schoology a student management system
available free of charge. The courses are given by
experienced Chemistry teachers and we hope that
this resource and our annual DVD of chemistry
resources will make life a little easier for us all.
Schoology.com is a social networking service and
virtual learning environment for school and higher
education institutions that allows users to create,
manage, and share academic content. Also known
as a learning management system (LMS) or course
management system (CMS), the cloud-based
platform provides tools needed to manage an online
classroom.
Visually and functionally similar to Facebook,
the service includes attendance records, online
gradebook, tests and quizzes, and homework
dropboxes. The social media features facilitate
collaboration among a class, a group, or a school.
Schoology can be integrated with existing school
reporting and information systems and also
provides the added security, filters and support that
schools require.
Schoology is offered to individual teachers and
schools free of charge. When you have completed
a topic you can make all your resources available
to your students online for revision and it would
also benefit absent students. Your resources can be
uploaded to the cloud and distributed to individual
classes as required. PowerPoints, animations,
flashcards and Youtube videos can be made
available for students to view online or download.
This two hour workshop will allow you a hands-on
opportunity to create your own courses for your
students so that when you return to school you are
ready to begin enrolment.
Don’t miss this golden opportunity, sign up for a
course by completing the application form available
on the PDST website under Sciences and Applied
Maths or contact Ms. Brid Finn in Limerick
Education Centre at 061 585064 or fax enquiries
to 061 585065. Please book in plenty of time before
the course begins as places are limited and you will
avoid disappointment.
10
Education Centre
Date
Athlone Education Centre
Tues 19th March
Blackrock Education Centre
Wed 10th April
Cork Education Support Centre Wed 13th March
Clare Education Centre
Wed 10th April
Carrick-on-Shannon Ed. Centre Tues 5th March
Donegal Education Centre
Wed 6th March
Drumcondra Education Centre
Thur 7th March
Dublin West Education Centre
Tue 5th March
Galway Education Centre
Thur 14th March
Kilkenny Education Centre
Tus 9th April
Kildare Education Centre
Tues 12th March
Laois Education Centre
Mon 4th March
Limerick Education Centre
Tues 9th April
Mayo Education Centre
Thur 7th March
Monaghan Education Centre
Tues 16th April
Navan Education Centre
Mon 11th March
Sligo Education Centre
Wed 13th March
The Education Centre, Tralee
Mon 22nd April
Waterford Teachers’ Centre
Wed 20th March
West Cork Education Centre
Wed 20th March
Wexford Education Centre
Wed 17th April
Note that all these courses run from 7.00 pm to
9.00 pm.
www.ista.
Éamon de Buitléar
Some memories of an Irish Naturalist
Siobhán Sweeney
É
amon de Buitléar, who died in January, was
Ireland’s best known independent wildlife
filmmaker. His was a household name
for decades as he brought the Irish countryside
and wildlife into our living rooms. He will
long be remembered for the programmes he
made for RTE, such as the Amuigh Faoin Spéir
series (‘Out Under the Sky’ — Ireland’s very
first wildlife series) which he co-produced with
Dutch artist Gerrit Van Gelderen, Ireland’s Wild
Countryside, A Life in the Wild and The Natural
World and The Living Isles with the BBC Natural
History Dept.
I was fortunate to have met Éamon on a number of
occasions down through the years. The first time was after
his talk at the ISTA AGM, in Kilkenny in 1980, and again
when he was a speaker at the 1987 AGM in Limerick. It
was about this time that the ISTA Biology sub-committee
had the idea of making an Ecology video to try and
encourage teachers to get out in the field and study the
great wealth that is our natural environment. We sought to
collaborate with Éamon in the making of the programme.
To pay for the project we needed sponsorship, not easy in the
recession-hit 1980s, and in fact we were unsuccessful and the
project was shelved. Ten years passed but finally, thanks to the
hard work of the then finance committee, including Margaret
O’Brien and Ollie Harrington, sponsors were found. By that
time I was back on the sub-committee along with Kevin
Maume, Noel Clare, Ged Maguire, Mary Walsh and Martin
Timmons. We went back to Éamon, and true to his word, he
came on board.
The video was made up of two sections. The first used footage
from Éamon’s work on Irish Hedgerows, introducing the
viewer to the great range of
flora and flora therein. Éamon’s
beautiful melodious voice wove
its spell and we were transported
to a world of nature’s wonders.
The second section showed a
class from Loreto Kilkenny
carrying out a study of a hedge,
incorporating all the elements
of the Ecology practical work
on the syllabus. The video was
launched at the AGM in Kildare
in 1995, each member receiving
a copy for their school.
Eighteen years later I still use the
video, long since converted to a
DVD, as an introduction to the
hedgerow habitat.
Éamon distinguished himself
in many areas of life. He was a
fluent Irish speaker, a committed
Right: Éamon and his wife Lally
SCIENCE March 2013
environmentalist and was well known for his promotion of
the Irish language and Irish music. In her tribute, wildlife
commentator Eanna Ní Lamhna of RTE’s Mooney programme
said the following: “He wasn’t just a man with a film; he
could actually speak about wildlife on a radio programme and
produce wonderful word pictures. You could see what he was
talking about – and then, he would whip out his mouth organ
and give us a little tune.”
I also met Éamon through my own school, Blackrock College.
A past pupil of the College (class of 1949) Éamon was quite
a regular visitor. Interestingly in an article for a book to
commemorate the 150th celebrations in the school, Éamon
wrote:
“From an early age I had a real interest
in the countryside but natural history was
never a part of any lesson we had at school.
Both Willow Park (the Junior School) and
the College grounds were surrounded by
a wealth of interesting trees, yet I never
remember any reference being made to the
importance of trees or the richness of the
wildlife they attracted. I had never seen a
nature table during all those years at school.”
It’s hard to believe and very sad. I would
like to think we have remedied that now,
using the grounds for our Ecology fieldwork
and as part of those same 150th celebrations
we invited Éamon back to formally launch
the Heritage and Nature Trail (above).
He unveiled one of the display boards,
made a speech and then............... yes, you
guessed,...........he took out his mouth organ
and played a tune!
Ní fheicfimid a leithéid arís.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.
Siobhán Sweeney
11
IN
AND
SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY
ACTION EIGHTH EDITION
 Enhance your science classes with Science and Technology in Action.
 Science and Technology in Action brings syllabus linked lessons and teaching
materials from Ireland’s leading organisations.
versatile and flexible lessons provide scope for classroom use, individual
 Its
study or group work.
SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY
ACTION EIGHTH EDITION
AND
Teachers’ Guide Map
IN
ctivities
Activities
erent forms of student activity are presented here.
some lessons, the relevant mandatory activities
referenced.
Note on Printing
How to Make the Best Use of Science and Technology in Action
5IF MFTTPO NBUFSJBMT DBO CF QSJOUFE GSPN UIF 45"
XFCTJUFXXXTUBJF
Science and Technology in Action is designed to complement your work as a science or
technology teacher. It augments the text book activities and offers a number of features
and resources for this purpose.
'PS FBDI MFTTPO UIF GPMMPXJOH mMFT BSF BWBJMBCMF JO
"GPSNBU:
t 5IF-FTTPOBOE$PSQPSBUF1BOFM
t 5
FBDIJOH /PUFT (Syllabus References, Learning
Outcomes, General Learning Points)
t 4
UVEFOU &YFSDJTFT (Student Activities, Examination
Questions, True or False, Did You Know, Biographical
Notes, Revise the Terms)
5IFTF QSJOUPVUT PGGFS NBOZ PQUJPOT GPS individual
work, group work, projectsBOEquizzesBOEDBOBMTP
CFVTFEGPSassessmentQVSQPTFT
5IF XIPMF EPDVNFOU BT JO UIF IBSE DPQZ QBDL DBO
BMTPCFQSJOUFE5IJTJTCFTUQSJOUFEJO"GPSHFOFSBM
VTF
4DJFODFBOE5FDIOPMPHZJO4PDJFUZ
Science and Technology in Action is specifically designed to highlight and demonstrate
the relevance of science and technology to the ongoing development of our society.
Different forms of student activity are presented here.
In some lessons, the relevant mandatory activities
are referenced.
Examination Questions
The examination questions are drawn from past papers and
referenced as such. The number of questions presented
varies from lesson to lesson.
Syllabus References
This panel provides specific references to the relevant
Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate syllabi.
Did You Know?
This section presents interesting material to broaden the
appeal of the lesson.
5XPA1PTUFS4IFFUTBSFBWBJMBCMFJOUIFQBDL5IFTF
BSFBTTPDJBUFEXJUIUIF&JSHSJEBOE$PNSFHMFTTPOT
5IFZBSFBMTPCFTUQSJOUFEJO"GPSHFOFSBMVTF
The Lesson
Biographical Notes
Each lesson covers topics related to specific areas of the
relevant Leaving Certificate or Junior Certificate syllabi.
The Syllabus Reference on the reverse side of each lesson
sheet gives details of these links.
This section presents short biographical notes on one or
more scientists associated with the relevant field. The
purpose of this material is to place the topic in a human and
historical context.
5IFMFTTPOTDBOCFVTFEJOBOVNCFSPGEJGGFSFOUXBZT
t "T B preview, presenting an overview of a particular
topic. This will open the student’s mind to further
exploration and learning.
t "TBrevision exercise and knowledge integrating tool.
These outcomes can be enhanced by the use of the
resources described below.
t "TBrecall exercise, this can also be enhanced by the
use of the resources described below.
t "T BO assessment tool, to check knowledge
and understanding. For example, the True/False
questions, used as a quiz, offer an engaging and quick
test of understanding.
Revise the Terms
The revision, discussion and defining of technical terms
facilitates student retention and recall. Discussions
around terminology can also be used to test understanding
of concepts.
The Corporate Profile
Learning Objectives
General Learning Points
True/False Questions
This panel describes the organisation and its activities.
Students will gain insights into the mission and operations
of the organisations involved.
This section specifies the expected outcomes to be achieved
through use of the lesson.
These learning points offer additional material to
support the learning outcomes. Such points can appeal
to students who prefer a more general view of the topic.
This approach is useful in promoting the STS agenda.
The use of True/False questions can be a very effective tool
for engagement in the classroom. A bank of T/F questions
can be used for both assessment and revision purposes.
Correct answers can be found on www.sta.ie.
•Science and
Technology in Action provides real-world contexts for
amination
Questions
school science.
•It raises
students’ awareness
of career
opportunities
in science and
examination
questions
are drawn
from
past papers
and technology.
renced as•Itsuch.
The number of questions presented
enriches science lessons in an informative and challenging way.
es from lesson
to lesson.
•It is adaptable
to a variety of teaching approaches including
Inquiry Based Learning, Action Learning and Cooperative
Learning.
•It can also be used to enhance literacy and numeracy and as a
basis for an excellent TY science module.
The Eighth Edition will be in your school shortly and may also be
accessed at www.sta.ie
d You Know?
For enquiries ring Breda at 01-4003603, or
Email to [email protected]
12
section
presents interesting
material to broaden the
eal of the lesson.
www.ista.
Musings
Ian McCulloch
I
t’s certainly short, this issue;
whether or not it’s sweet will be
for you to decide. Whether it
even matters is moot.
At the Young Scientist Exhibition,
the ISTA Stand, on which I did a
stint, was opposite a team from
Belfast Odyssey’s W5. They
had a “trick” that I was moved to
replicate. It involved two broom
handles, which, after delving
deeply into my pockets, I acquired
from my local hardware shop,
Churchtown Stores. I trimmed
the ends of both. The first handle
may be seen in the three images
immediately below. The top one
shows the starting position of the
supporting fingers. Trying to move both fingers
together smoothly results in only one moving (the
one nearer an end supports a smaller proportion of
the weight and so experiences a smaller frictional
force) until the position in the second image is
achieved.
Then both fingers move, apparently simultaneously (in reality,
fast stick/slip motion), until they reach the centre in image
three. The fourth image requires an explanation. This is
the second broom handle and it has been doctored to move
its centre of gravity. A hole as deep as my 9 mm bit would
go was drilled. A length of 9 mm bar, which I happened to
have in stock (I use this to “create” bespoke plant supports
in the garden), slightly shorter than the depth of the hole,
was inserted. The end was then sealed with “pine” filler to
complete the deception.
which they stock. Incidentally, the reason that I needed some
was that the sachets in my “glue repository” had “gone off”
(the “use by” date really does apply). I have to confess that
the “computer games” theme in the Gallery left me cold. I was
never tempted by Pac-Man on the early computers, the Game
Boys enjoyed by my children nor, indeed, any manifestation
of the genre. While I was at the Science Gallery, Val had
headed to the National Gallery for the Turner Exhibition. I
met her there and was duly impressed. We also enjoyed a
“small world” experience when we bumped into Peter Burke
and Marion Palmer who were also pandering to their aesthetic
proclivities.
My garden report this issue is about “our” birds.
We had “new” visitors in the form of siskins, which took a
shine to the nyjer seeds. The photo of the siskins is one of lots
that I took of the bird feeders in general.
Also in January, I actually managed to visit the Science
Gallery in Trinity (I threaten so to do at regular intervals). I
did have an ulterior motive as I needed some Sugrú adhesive,
SCIENCE March 2013
13
I work on the principle that if you take enough shots there
will be a couple of presentable ones. This strategy was
responsible for the second photo, which is of a blue tit
taking off. This revealed him to be very elaborately tagged.
We have never noticed tags before.
My TV viewing included a look at a couple of the Royal
Institution Christmas lectures. The demonstrations on these
were pretty amazing but seemed to involve a veritable army
of lab technicians - unfortunately an indulgence not enjoyed
by Irish science teachers! Another feature of this series is
the “volunteers from the audience”. The charade of the
supposedly random nature of this exercise can grate, as can
the hyperbole accorded to their contribution, which isn’t
quite as heroic as is usually implied.
Brian Cox and Dara O’Briain were back with “Stargazing
Live”. Each had a new programme as well. The former,
on his remorseless path to becoming the new David
Attenborough, is presenting the “Wonders of Life”, a series
extravagantly photographed in exotic locations all over the
globe. Dara O’Briain’s “Science Club” is more down-toearth. I preferred it.
The Irish Times continues to provide me with material
– three instances this time from the beginning of February.
Firstly, the ever reliable/unreliable Pricewatch. Four
Tiramisus were “on test”. The price/kg was quoted to the
nearest penny (very rigorous!) for three of them. The fourth
began with “what kind of price is this for a small dessert?”
No price per kg quoted so it was impossible to make a
judgment – incredible.
My Young Scientist
project
Pádraig Buggy
(Winner of the ISTA Prize at the BT Young
Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2013)
D
oes wind or brass musical instrument playing
or intense sport among male teenagers affect
spirometric lung indices compared with their
sedentary counterparts?
I asked the students from our year to fill out an information
form stating their activity (sport, music or neither) and the
hours per week of the activity. From there, I placed them into
a cohort, measured their height, weight, recorded their date of
birth, if they had asthma or not and if they smoked. Then using
a borrowed clinical spirometer, I asked them to take a deep
breath in and exhale into the spirometer ‘as fast as they could,
as hard as they could for as long as they could.’
Next was a Frank McDonald piece on the new Abercrombie
& Fitch outlet. It highlighted the sound level therein. I
think the statutory noise level is 80 dB. Whatever, he
included the following paragraph:
Thus, the following noise exposures are identical – 80
dB for eight hours, 83 dB for four hours, 86 dB for two
hours, 89 dB for one hour and 92 dB for 30 minutes. An
exposure to 95 dB for just fifteen minutes is equivalent to
a daily noise-exposure level of 80 dB.
What does this mean? Why didn’t he include a few more
“terms” of what looks to me like an infinite series to fill out
a few more column inches? More egregiously, there seems
only to be eight hours in a McDonald day. This bodes not
very well for one’s faith in his other statistics.
Finally, a letter writer suggested that, “we could blame the
Carnsore anti-nuclear protests of the 1970s for depriving
Ireland of cheap electricity and tax revenue. And think of
the jobs local people might still be enjoying at the nuclear
power plant!” I despair of the assumptions implied by the
exclamation mark.
Maybe it wasn’t so short after all. I hope your 2013 is less
grumpy than mine.
Ian McCulloch
former physics teacher at Sandford Park School.
I looked at three major areas of spirometric lung indices which
were:
1. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) which is defined as the
volume of air that can be forcibly exhaled after a full
inhalation, measured in litres. This is the most basic in
spirometry test.
2. Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second (FEV1) which is
defined as the volume of air that can be forcibly exhaled in
one second after a full inhalation.
3. Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) which is defined as the
maximum speed or flow reached during forced exhalation,
measured in litres per minute.
A lot of boring hard work and statistics later the results
were finally finished and ready to go. The sports cohort was
associated with better spirometric lung indices in all 3 areas.
I could not prove that the sports caused the increase in scores
but it probably was as the scores were consistently better.
However, the wind and brass musicians were also better then
the sedentary group but not to the extent as the sports cohort.
As the wind and brass music cohort was better than those who
were sedentary, I believe that in the near future, this could be
a way of improving lung function and a way of avoiding lung
disease in their later lives among people who don’t like sport.
Pádraig Buggy is a student of Belvedere College.
14
www.ista.
ICASE World Conference on Science and Technology
Education (WorldSTE2013)
29th September to 3rd October 2013
Kuching, Malaysia
‘Live science, Love learning, Create change.’
The International Council of Associations for Science Education (ICASE), in
official partnership with UNESCO, invites ISTA members to attend the World
Conference on Science and Technology Education, to be held in Malaysia on
the magnificent tropical island of Borneo from Sunday 29th September to
Thursday 3rd October 2013.
An ISTA delegation to the World Conference is being organised by Dr Declan
Kennedy UCC. The group will leave Ireland on Friday 27 September departing
from Dublin, Cork or Shannon and flying to Heathrow with Aer Lingus. We all
meet up in Heathrow and then travel onwards with Malaysian Airlines (flight
MH003) on a direct flight to Kuala Lumpur. At Kuala Lumpur we catch a short
connecting flight to Kuching. We return on Friday 4 October leaving Kuching
at 07.15 which connects with a direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Heathrow
(flight MH004) and then back to Ireland with Aer Lingus arriving home on
Saturday 4 October. The cost of the return flight from Cork (obtained from
Club Travel) is €820 (inclusive of taxes and service charges). Cost of flights
from other airports in Ireland may vary slightly from this. Enquiries about
travel bookings with Club Travel may be made to Tara Fitzgibbon
([email protected]). For delegates who wish to stay on for extra days after
the conference, there is a wide variety of tours available. Full details of the
conference may be found at www.worldste2013.org
The conference organisers have set up a “Red Hot Special” registration of
AUD$475 (approximately €370) available until 31 March. This registration fee
includes the cost of lunches, receptions, cocktail party, tea/coffee, etc. for
the duration of the conference. You may register online at the above
conference website.
Delegates may book their own accommodation in a wide range of hotels at
prices that are extremely good value. The conference recommended hotels
may be found on the above website.
For further details please contact Dr Declan Kennedy, Department of
Education, UCC at [email protected]
SCIENCE March 2013
www.worldste2013.org
15
Lab. Technician Intern Induction Day
Yvonne Higgins
O
n Saturday, the 24th February, a number of
interns working as Lab. Technicians under
the JobBridge scheme attended an induction
day in Summerhill College, Sligo. This induction
day was organised by the ISTA for interns and their
mentors working in schools in the north-west region.
The JobBridge scheme is open to job-seekers who
have been on the live-register for three months.
JobBridge is a new National Internship Scheme
that will provide work experience placements for
interns for a 6 or 9 month period.
Currently, ten Lab. Technicians are working in the following
schools around the country under this scheme;
1. CBS Secondary School, Mitchelstown, Co. Cork
2. Magh Ene College, Bundoran, Co. Donegal
3. Crana College, Buncrana, Co. Donegal
4. Carrick Vocational School, Co. Donegal
5. Moville Community School, Co. Donegal
6. St. Catherine’s, Killybegs, Co. Donegal
7. St. Macartan’s College, Monaghan
8. Ard Scoil Rís, Limerick.
9. Cork VEC – (circulating between 4 schools)
I wish to thank Eithe Waldron and Mishka Abrahams for the
huge amount of work they put into the preparation and delivery
of what proved to be an excellent induction day. I also wish to
thank Mr. Tommy McManus and the Science Department in
Summerhill College for the use of the laboratory facilities in
their recently opened school.
I encourage all schools to apply for an intern for the coming
school year. I can attest that having a Laboratory Technician
has made a huge difference in my school. I want to thank
Johanna Crowley, the Lab. Technician intern in my school
for the wonderful work she has done this year and wish her
and all the other interns every success in securing full-time
employment in the future. I am sure that the invaluable
experience that they have gained in working in a school
laboratory will help them to secure similar employment. The
fact that lab-technician interns can work in a full-time capacity
in second level schools indicates the need for such positions to
be provided by the Department of Education and Skills.
Yvonne Higgins, ISTA Past Chairperson
The course was delivered by Eithne Waldron and
Mishka Abrahams (above), who work as full-time
Laboratory Technicians in Wesley College and
Blackrock College, respectively.
The topics covered in the course included:
preparation of solutions, storage of chemicals,
ordering laboratory stock, laboratory organisation and
helpful hints when carrying out experiments.
The feedback from the interns was very positive, and
included the following comments:
‘Very useful information provided, presentations
were completed very well’ and ‘Great day, well
done ISTA!’
16
www.ista.
Letter to Principals
PharmaChemical Ireland,
Confederation House,
84-86 Lower Baggot Street,
Dublin 2.
E-mail: [email protected]
Dear Principal,
PharmaChemical Ireland are proud to introduce the sixth annual Industry Award for Excellence for Irish
science teachers aimed at promoting and recognising outstanding teaching.
We are asking you to nominate a team of excellent Science teachers within your school that you consider
worthy of receiving such an award. In order to nominate a team of teachers, please complete the attached
application form which may be downloaded from the PharmaChemical Ireland website
www.pharamchemicalireland.ie or the ISTA website www.ista.ie. Completed forms can be emailed to Ms.
Siobhan Dean at [email protected].
The closing date for applications is Tuesday the 19th March. All application forms received will be assessed
by a judging panel consisting of representatives from PharmaChemical Ireland. The top teams will be
notified of their success by Friday the 22th March.
The PharmaChemical Ireland Award recipients will each receive a paid trip to attend the ISTA Conference
on 12th-14th April 2013. The recipients will receive a free science show for their school during science
week 2013. The award recipients will be honoured at the ISTA Conference dinner on Saturday 13th April.
For further guidelines; on entering the awards, and prizes, please visit the PharmaChemical Ireland
website/ ISTA website
Yours sincerely,
Siobhan Dean
PharmaChemical Ireland
SCIENCE March 2013
17
Program Summary
A partnership between PharmaChemical Ireland and the Science Teachers Association
(ISTA), this award recognizes the exceptional science teachers who have a positive impact
on their students, school, and the community through exemplary science teaching.
Award
The PharmaChemical Ireland Award recipients will each receive a paid trip to attend the
ISTA Conference. During the conference, they will be honoured at the ISTA Conference
dinner on Saturday 13st April. The school will receive a science show during science week
2013.
Eligibility
Nominees must teach science at post primary level and have minimum of 3 years as a
teacher of science, and must teach in a private or public school in Ireland. Teachers must be
available to attend the ISTA conference on 12-14th April in Gorey, Co. Wexford.
Selection Procedure
The Judging Panel will consist of representatives from PharmaChemical Ireland who will
review the application form and all supporting documentation.
Application Form
The closing date for receipt of application forms is Tuesday, 19th March 2013. Late
applications will not be accepted.
All documents should be in 12-point Times New Roman font.
18
This page may be downloaded from www.ista.ie
www.ista.
Application form for PCI Teacher
Awards
PharmaChemical Ireland Industry Science Teacher Awards
Application Form
Closing date for receipt of application forms is Tuesday, 19th March 2013. Late applications will not be
accepted. All documents must be 12 point Times New Roman Font.
SECTION A
Section A refers to the shared work of the team of nominated Science teachers (one copy completed per
school). You may be asked to verify any of your answers below during the judging process. Please include
any supporting document along with the application form
Principal’s Name: _____________________ Name of School: ___________________
School Address: _________________________________________________________
Contact telephone number: _________________________________________________
E-mail address: __________________________________________________________
Name of nominator: ______________________________________________________
Names of nominated science
Number of
teacher
years
Science subjects taught
Level
teaching
SCIENCE March 2013
19
Please indicate which of the following competitions are entered by Science students of
the nominated teachers in the current school year. Tick all that apply;
Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition
Yes
No
Science quizzes
Yes
No
Please state ________________________________________________
SciFest
Yes
No
Other – please list: e.g. Debating Science Issues, ICI Newsletter
Outline details of any guest speakers related to the area of Science education invited to
your school;
Outline details of any Site Visits in the area of Science education;
Is a Laboratory Technician currently employed in your school? Yes
20
No
www.ista.
Please identify other ways in which you and your colleagues have stimulated interest in
science and enhanced the profile of science subjects within your school; (no more than 500
words); Please include any addition information which will support your application.
SCIENCE March 2013
21
To be completed by EACH nominated Science teacher.
Nominated Science teacher _____________________________________
Current ISTA member:
Yes
No
Please outline your previous involvement with the local ISTA branch: (less 200 words)
Please outline your achievements for 2012/2013: (less 200 words)
Please outline any CPD courses untaken over the past two years:
I certify that I have read the responses to questions in this form and agree that they are
accurate.
Signature of the Principal:
22
Date:
www.ista.
The Wonders of Science
51st Annual ISTA
Conference
Annual Conference
registration
Gorey Community School, Co Wexford.
Friday 12 – Sunday 14 April 2013
form
th
th
Registration Form
Name
Home Address
School Address
E-mail (please print)
Mobile Tel. No.
1. Registration
Early Bird Registration (on or before Friday 22nd March 2013)
Members
Non-Members
Student Teacher (only if listed on our database)
Registration after 22nd March 2013
Members
Non-Members
To become a member log on to www.ista.ie and click on the red button
€20
€50
€10
€30
€60
2. Meals
The Conference Dinner on Saturday 13th April will be held in the Ashdown Park Hotel but must be
booked and paid for before 30th March to have definite numbers for the caterers.
Buffet Dinner on Friday evening in Ashdown Park Hotel, Gorey, Co Wexford.
Lunch on Sat 13th April
Conference Dinner on Saturday 13th April (Ashdown Park Hotel at 7.30pm)
€15
€6
€30
3. Payment
Please enclose a cheque for the total amount payable to “ISTA AGM” with the completed
registration form and return both to Seán Fogarty, Rocklands, Hempfield, Enniscorthy,
Co Wexford. Direct enquiries to [email protected]
All registration forms received will be acknowledged by e-mail.
SCIENCE March 2013
Registration fee
€
Buffet dinner on Friday
€
Lunch on Saturday
Conference Dinner
€
€
Total
€
23
Pre-booking for Workshops
Pre-booking required for the following workshops – places are limited and will be assigned
on a first come basis. So book early to avoid disappointment.
Please note that you can only book one workshop at each session and that all iPad
workshops run for 1 hour only. There will be another iPad session on Sunday after Bill
Lynch, from the NCCA, who will present on the New Junior Cycle.
The Conference Opening & Closing Sessions will take place in the Ashdown Park Hotel.
All the Saturday events will take place in the nearby Gorey Community School, apart
from the Conference Dinner which will be held in the hotel.
All are welcome to everything once registered and booked in advance!
We have some world class speakers again this year speaking on very topical issues.
See website for details www.ista.ie
Time/session Title
9.30-11
24
Limit
PDST Biology
24
Discover Sensors
24
iPad
15
11.00-12.30
PDST Chemistry
IoP Rocket Launchers
iPad
24
24
15
1.00-2.00
PDST Junior Science
24
2.00-3.00
iPad
15
Please select 1st and 2nd
choices in each session
www.ista.
BT Young Scientist and Technology
Exhibition Winners
O
n Wednesday 9th of January, 38 very excited
BT Young Scientist finalists gathered outside
the school gates for the bus to Dublin. The
bus driver very diligently put up with some rowdy
passengers as we sung our way up the N7! As
we neared our destination, tension rose as people
rehearsed explaining their projects for the final time.
As Mr. O Broin so eloquently put it, we had done all
the work and we couldn’t let ourselves down at the
final hurdle!!
A gasp escaped the group as we pulled up to the RDS.
Even those who had visited before were in awe at the
huge numbers of people in the hall. As we separated
to find our stands, we were soon lost in the hustle
and bustle of the busy crowd. Armed with blue tack,
sellotape and staple guns we were all ready to go and
wired for the opening ceremony.
Early the next morning we were in the RDS, ready for the
first judge of the day. The luck was in Kinsale’s favor as
everyone was happy with their performance. To our surprise,
Mr. Holly called us to our meeting spot just before lunch.
When we were arrived we were greeted with a tall stack of
delicious pizzas generously donated by Eli Lilly, much to the
envy of the other schools! It was a great surprise and really
appreciated!! Fed, watered and energized, we returned to our
stands, ready for our next judge.
Everything went well and we returned to the hotel in
great spirits. A cheer erupted from the crowd as Mr. Holly
announced that ice skating was on the agenda for the evening.
A quick change and meal and we were on our way to the
ice rink. The talents of our scientist ranked from beginner
to expert. Everyone enjoyed themselves, whether they were
holding onto the edge or performing impressive tricks, or not
skating at all! Mr. Holly even surprised us by giving it a go!
Tension rose throughout the final day as many of our projects
got extra judges. The Kinsale team really pulled together as
students fetched refreshments
for those who could not leave
their stand. It was soon time to
enter the arena for the results.
The prizes soon began to
pour in on Kinsale’s part. The
first roar from our group was
when James Barry of second
year won a special award
from the psychology society.
Tears of joy were shed as
prize after prize was won. The
moment soon came when the
top four prizes were going to
be announced. Three prizes
left… Two prizes left… And
then came the final prize. The
big one. Butterflies were tap
dancing in our stomachs as the
audience stamped their feet in
anticipation.
The atmosphere in the crowd was electric, as the crowd roared
and competed for the best ‘mexican wave’. When the presenters
reminded us that the BT Young Scientists for 2013 were currently
in the room, an ‘oooh’ rose from the audience. Nobody, however,
knew that they were wearing Kinsale Community School
uniforms.
We all rushed out of the hall to be prepared for our first judge.
All went well and everyone was confident that they had done
themselves justice, so it was with a light heart that we headed
back to the hotel. The Sandymount hotel generously gave over a
whole corridor to the Kinsale crew, and we certainly made it our
own. Unfortunately, for us exhibitors an early night was in order
to be prepared for the morning.
SCIENCE March 2013
“The BT Young Scientists
and Technologists of the Year,
are… CIAR”- The group
erupted into screams as we
stood up in disbelief. Us? No
way.
We made our way up to the stage to accept our trophy as
our schoolmates and the friends we had made cheered. We
hoisted the trophy in the air with victory and shouted with
joy, still not really believing it.
But we aren’t the heroes of this story. The school is. 16
awards for 17 projects were won, and the teams deserved
everything they got. As Mr. Broin says, WE are the
champions.
25
Help and Support for Science
Teachers in Organising and
Managing Safety in the School
Laboratory
Health and Safety Management – Ensure compliance with current legislation and
with the guidelines issued by the Department of Education and Skills
Our services include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Carrying out a fully safety audit for your chemical storage area and school
laboratories.
Cataloguing and segregating all chemicals according to the correct chemical
groups.
Labelling each chemical with the appropriate hazard label and colour code.
Setting up an Inventory of Chemicals database for you and providing Safety
Data Sheets for each chemical.
Arranging safe disposal of all unwanted chemicals in compliance with current
legislation.
Updating your School Safety Statement.
Presenting a talk on Safety to school staff
including duties of employers and
employees.
Providing Health and Safety Training in
Chemical Awareness, Manual Handling,
Fire Safety, Safety Representatives, etc.
We will be happy to provide a free quotation
for any services you require.
All work is carried out in compliance with
current legislation:
• Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005,
• General Application Regulations,
• Chemical Agents Regulations.
Brian Kennedy, Ch Eng, HDipSHWW
Health and Safety Consultancy and Training
Contact: Brian Kennedy
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 021 4812878, Mobile 086 4045638
26
Work on Chemical Storage area completed
in Eureka Centre UCC
www.ista.
DNA Day 2013
Siobhán Sweeney
I
n recent weeks DNA has hardly been off our
radios, TVs or newspapers. Everyone has
heard of DNA. But it is only in my lifetime
that the power of this amazing molecule has begun
to be understood. DNA has brought us Genetic
Engineering, DNA profiling, Genetic Screening,
a greater understanding of genetic diseases and
disorders and much more.
On 25th April this year the biological world celebrates DNA
Day, the day that James Watson and Francis Crick announced
the structure of the ‘molecule of life’ DNA – the double helix.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of that discovery and the
10th anniversary of the first sequencing of the human genome.
These two breakthroughs have transformed our understanding
of genetics.
It would be remiss when talking of that famous discovery
not to make mention of another equally talented scientist,
Rosalind Franklin whose X-ray crystallography work enabled
Watson and Crick to elucidate the arrangement of the DNA
nucleotides.
Watson and Crick with their model of the structure of DNA in 1953
The work and contribution of Ros Franklin has been well
documented, not least in the excellent biography Rosalind
Franklin, The Dark Lady of DNA, by Benda Maddox, which
was published to commemorate the 50th anniversary in 2003.
A number of books have been written telling the story of the
discovery of the structure of DNA, The Double Helix, by
James Waston (1968) and DNA, the Secret of Life by James
Watson (2003) are but two of many.
Life Story (The Race for the Double Helix) is a 1987 film
for TV ( BBC Horizon science series) that tells the story of
rivalries between the Watson and Crick, working at Cambridge
University, and Franklin and Wilkins at King’s College,
London. Look out for it on the TV in april, as I am sure it will
be screened again. A 9.15 minute YouTube clip The Secret of
Life- Discovery of DNA Structure (vculifesciences) tells the
story of how the discovery came about.
Rosalind Franklin and the X-ray photograph she took that revealed the
double helix structure of DNA
Why not celebrate DNA Day in your school?
• Watch the Discovery of DNA Structure clip with your class.
• Ask students to prepare a ppt presentation about DNA and
what knowing its structure has brought us.
• Invite a speaker from the Genetics Dept of your nearest 3rd
level Institution to talk on DNA.
• Build a model of DNA using the kit on the PDST Biology
DVD.
• Hold a DNA essay competition. The European Society of
Human Genetics is running a DNA Day Essay competition
for 2nd level students, see www.eshg.org but the deadline is
March 15th, so students would need to get writing fast.
Siobhán Sweeney
Cynthia Ceillier and Siobhán Sweeney with James Watson at the DNA 50th
Celebrations in TCD, 2003.
DNA
SCIENCE March 2013
27
Which came
first..
A Thought about
‘super’
Dr Adrian Somerfield
Paul Holland
W
hich came first, the chicken or
the egg? We’ve all heard that
one. Most likely, it’s one of
those arguments we avoid – and with good
reason. Yet it’s a question that won’t go
away, in the context of life and evolution.
We could also ask which came first –DNA or
protein? DNA contains the information needed for
protein synthesis so it would appear that if there
was no DNA, there would be no protein. All right,
but you can’t have DNA synthesis / replication
without enzymes, which happen to be proteins. So
– no protein, no DNA. To borrow a phrase from Al
Gore, we have an inconvenient truth here.
RNA is involved with information transfer during
protein synthesis. This may appear irrelevant
to the immediate question but maybe it isn’t. In
the 1980’s, scientists discovered that some RNA
molecules have enzymatic properties as well as
their information-carrying ability. Here we have
a molecule that is at least theoretically capable
of self-replication (and we’re familiar with RNA
viruses). A scenario for life on Earth would
envisage ancient RNA “organisms”. Over time,
evolution led to the more stable complex DNA and
the specialised proteins. It’s not proven fact but
it’s a reminder that we don’t know what kind of
characters our ancestors were.
Paul Holland, formerly Presentation College,
Galway
Reference:
An introduction to astrobiology, edited by Iain Gilmour
and Mark Sephton
Right: chicken
hatching form
an egg
Below: Part of a
folded single
strand of RNA
Images from
Wikipedia
28
I
was re-reading one of Brendan McWilliams’s “Weather
Eye” articles from the Irish Times, where he is dealing
with the fact that water vapour may not condense to water
(or freeze to ice) when it “should”, because it requires a
nucleus such as a grain of dust to start on. This of course is
the principle of how Wilson’s Cloud Chamber made visible
the tracks of alpha particles and the like.
This sort of thing frequently occurs with other phase changes, such as
when a liquid is trying to turn into vapour as it boils, and is why one
needs to use “antibumping granules” or bits of broken porcelain during
distillation in organic chemistry. There is a very pretty laboratory
demonstration involving supersaturation which could be worth trying
(if such things are still allowed). The secret of success is cleanliness and
delicacy of touch.
You need crystalline sodium acetate (ethanoate) which has three
molecules of water of crystallisation. Put about 40 g into a flask (I used
to use a 250 mL flat-bottomed round flask but a conical one would serve)
with a few cm3 of water and gently warm it until it just appears to boil
and “steam” emerges. The crystals appear to melt, though in fact they are
dissolving in the water of crystallisation. Remove the flask from the heat
and put a paper cap over the top to keep dust out, and set it aside to cool
where it will not be disturbed, perhaps overnight. In case of accidents,
prepare a few spares! Or let each group prepare one.
If all goes well it should supercool and still remain liquid. Any violent
shock may cause it to crystallise which is a pity, but what should happen
is that if you drop in one tiny fragment of a crystal as a “seed” it will act
as a nucleus from which crystals will rapidly and spectacularly grow in
all directions. You will notice that the flask becomes warm owing to the
release of various latent heats.
The downside is that it is virtually impossible to get the material out
without washing it away, but you can keep it for another time. Just add a
small amount of water each time to replace what has evaporated. I used
to keep six flasks (covered) specially for use from year to year, and the
pupils enjoyed the show each time. You can also modify the set-up to do it
on a overhead projector.
Adrian Somerfield, former science teacher in St Columba’s College,
Dublin
There are
some nice
videos of this
on YouTube,
although
usually
(incorrectly)
labelled ‘hot
ice’. Ed.
www.ista.
Ideas for School Open Nights
Problem Solving: Science of Air & Gases
Dr Maeve Liston
M
any studies have found
that children are ‘turned
off’ science at a young
age and in particular during the
transition period from primary to
second level (Campbell, 2001;
Murphy and Beggs, 2005). This
may be due to the incoherent
transition within the system from
primary to post-primary science,
which has been found to further
negatively affect pupils’ interest
and uptake of the subject at
later stages of education (Tobell,
2003). Another factor that needs
to be considered is pupils’
unrealistic expectations of science
in second level education.
Pupils’ expectations
Science in primary school is
concerned with asking questions
and finding ways of answering them
through practical activities. The main
reason for teaching primary science
is to extend the children’s innate
curiosity and natural urge to explore
their immediate environment. The
emphasis is on developing a way
of exploring and thinking in order
to investigate themselves and the
environment (O’ Doherty, 1994;
Sherrington, 1998). Scientific
investigations and active exploration
are fundamental characteristics of
primary science which assist pupils
in this process (DES, 1999). Pupils
expect continuity between primary
and post-primary science through
active hands-on experiments and
are surprised or disappointed when
they have to spend time writing
up experiments in second level
(Campbell, 2001; Osbourne et al.,
1998).
Pre-transfer induction visits to postprimary schools which often involve
“dramatic colour changes, dense
smoke, loud noise and peculiar
smells”, often provide primary pupils
with unreasonably high expectation
of what is involved in post-primary
science (Galton, 2002). Braund and
Driver (2002) argue that after such
SCIENCE March 2013
‘taster’ experiences when primary
pupils visit prospective second level
schools, for example visiting laboratories
and observing dramatic and exciting
experiments, science magic shows etc.
the primary pupils expect to be using
more sophisticated equipment and
dangerous chemicals in secondary school
science. Questionnaires were distributed
to science teachers around Ireland, with
73 teachers responding. Here are some
of the teacher’s comments:
Activity 1
Put a sheet of paper into water without
getting it wet?
Concept: Air takes up space
• ‘They come in all excited that they
will be carrying out experiments
(making bombs!!) every day. So
when one attempts to get some
theory done, they do not have the
basic mind set to knuckle down and
learn’.
• ‘First year students always seem
excited about science and have had a
positive experience e.g. experiments
in primary school’.
This article provides details of some of
the activities carried out during Science
Week 2011 with fifth and sixth class
primary pupils when visiting Mary
Immaculate College, Limerick. The
workshops concentrated on the main
scientific concepts behind the science of
air. The sessions involved interesting
demonstrations and problem solving
activities. All activities allowed the
children to discover the concepts of air
for themselves with assistance from
their demonstrators. The children were
given a problem to solve based on the
science of air and were not shown any
of the materials that they would have
to use to solve the problem, discussing
possible solutions in their groups.
The demonstrator then introduced the
materials they were going to use and
they then at this point tested their ideas
and predictions. The activities were
spiral in nature building their knowledge
on the properties of air and gases (carbon
dioxide) from activity to activity. The
activities did not include “smoke,
chemicals etc.” but did allow the pupils
to act like scientists, practicing science
process skills, learning collaboratively,
taking an active role in their own
learning and carrying out investigations
to answer problems and test their ideas
and prior knowledge (DES, 1999). The
activities proved to be very successful
during the open day
Below are details of some of the
activities; you might consider using them
during open nights at your school.
Activity 2
Drink the water from the straw.
(Before the pupils arrive, make holes
in the bendy part of the straw with a
needle.)
Concept: To consolidate learning from
previous activity that air takes up space.
Some liquid will rise up the straw as the
pupils try to drink. Air enters the straw
through the holes, taking up space trying
to push the liquid back down the straw
again.
29
Activity 3
Given a bottle
and balloon,
inflate the
balloon without
using your breath
— only your
hands.
the candle is
burning. The
water rises up
along the jar
and takes the
place of the
oxygen.
Concept: Air
takes up space
Activity 4
Blow up the balloon without using your
breath or your hands.
Concept: When vinegar and baking soda
react you make CO2 gas, which rises up
into the balloon taking up space and so
blowing up the balloon.
Vinegar + baking soda → carbon dioxide
gas.
Activity 7
You have a row of lighted candles. I
want you to quench the candles without
blowing them out or waving your hands.
Activity 5
Concept: To apply their learning from
the previous activities on the production
of carbon dioxide gas. They have made
their own fire extinguisher.
How are we
going to take
the lid off the
canister without
unscrewing it?.
Concept: To
consolidate
pupils’
learning from
the previous
activity on the
production of
carbon dioxide
gas. The gas
takes up space;
as more and
more is produced in the container the
pressure increases and forces the lid off.
References
Braund, M and Driver, M. (2002) Moving
to the big school: what do pupils think
about science practical work pre- and
post- transfer? Paper presented at
the Annual Conference of the British
Educational Research Association,
(University of Exeter, England , 12–14
September 2002).
Campbell, B. (2001) ‘Pupils’ perceptions
of science education at primary and
secondary school’, in: Behrendt, H.,
Dahncke, H. et al (2001) Research in
Science Education — Past, Present
and Future. London: Kluwer Academic
Publishers.
Department of Education and Science
(1999). Primary School Curriculum:
Introduction. Dublin: The Stationery
Office.
Galton, M. (2002) ‘Continuity and
Progression in Science Teaching at Key
Stages 2 and 3’. Cambridge Journal of
Education, 32(2), 249–265.
Murphy, C. and Beggs, J. (2005) Primary
science in the UK: a scoping study. Final
report to the Wellcome Trust. London:
Wellcome Trust.
Osborne, J., Driver, R. and Simon, S.
(1998) ‘Attitudes to science: issues and
concerns’. School Science Review, 79
(288), 27–33
O’ Doherty, C. (1994). Primary Science
Starts Here. Limerick, Primary School
Science Project.
Sherrington, R. (1998). ASE Guide to
Primary Science Education. Stanley
Thornes (Publishers) Ltd
Tobbell, J. (2003) ‘Students’ Experiences of
Transition from Primary to Secondary
School’, Journal of Educational and
Child Psychology, 20(4), pp 4–14.
Dr. Maeve Liston, Lecturer in Science
Education, Mary Immaculate College
[email protected] and the National
Centre for Excellence in Mathematics
& Science Teaching & Learning; www.
nce-mstl.ie
Other activities
All the pupils thoroughly enjoyed
the activities and illustrated excellent
creativity, imagination and problem
solving skills. The pupils also explored
the force of air using Balloon Rockets,
Balloon Rocket Cars, and Balloon
Helicopters. They then had to design and
make their own balloon rocket cars.
Activity 6
You have coins in a plate of coloured
water; take the coins out of the water
without getting your hands wet??
Concept: Oxygen is needed for fire. The
oxygen takes up space in the container.
The oxygen in the jar is used up while
30
www.ista.
ISTA Annual Senior Science Quiz 2012
Mary Mullaghy
T
he 21st Annual Irish Science Teachers’
Association National Senior Science Quiz
Final took place in Trinity College on 24th of
November 2012. There were 38 teams in attendance
— 114 of the top Leaving Certificate science
students from 16 different counties along with their
teachers who are members of ISTA, the Subject
Association for teachers of Science in the Republic
of Ireland.
Close to 800 students had taken part in the Regionals Finals
in 12 different venues nationwide during the previous week
(Science Week). Special thanks are due to all the students
who participated, their teachers who attended and the ISTA
members who volunteered to organise the event.
Our guest quizmaster at the final was the Dublin Rose of
Tralee, Arlene O’Neill, who has a PhD in Nanoscience. Special
guest speakers included Charlie Dolan of Eli Lilly, Senior
Personnel Representative at Eli Lilly and Honorary President
of ISTA, and Philip Watt, CEO of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. The
spot prizes were copies of the science 140 book A Neutron
Walks into a Bar, where all the royalties go to Cystic Fibrosis
Association of Ireland. The quiz final is generously sponsored
by PharmaChemical Ireland.
2nd place: Scoil Mhuire, Cork.
Photo: Dr Arlene O’Neill (Quizmaster), Orla Casey (Teacher,
ISTA member), Áine Hurley, Anson Li, Niamh McCarthy &
Charlie Dolan (ISTA Honorary President)
The winners of the ISTA Senior Science Quiz National Final
were:
1. St Joseph’s CBS, Nenagh, Co Tipperary.
2. Scoil Mhuire, Cork.
3. Abbey Vocational School, Donegal.
4. St Louis Secondary School, Monaghan.
5. Glanmire Community School, Cork.
3rd place: Abbey Vocational School, Donegal.
Photo: Christopher Hegarty (Teacher, ISTA member),
Dr Arlene O’Neill (Quizmaster), Gemma Regan, Mac
Iwasaki, Jessica Weitbreicht & Charlie Dolan (ISTA
Honorary President)
4th place: St Louis Secondary School, Monaghan:
Ellen Kavanagh, Aoife Mc Phillips, Zoe Vance
Teacher: Caroline Finnerty
1st place: St Joseph’s CBS, Nenagh, Co Tipperary.
Photo: Dr Arlene O’Neill (Quizmaster), Martin O’Neill,
Alan Fitzhenry, Charlie Dolan (ISTA Honorary President)
Patrick Timmons, Paul Dolan (Teacher, ISTA member) and
Mary Mullaghy (ISTA National Chairperson)
SCIENCE March 2013
5th place: Glanmire Community School, Cork:
Emily O’Dowd, Brian O’Flynn, Peter Twomey,
Teacher: Dominic Foster
31
Measuring the output of a solar
panel
Rory Geoghegan
M
easuring the voltage
produced by a solar
panel does not tell you
the power output.
Let us suppose that a particular solar
panel is made up of 20 solar cells, each
of which has a maximum output of 1
ampere at 0.5 V. If the cells are wired in
series (which is usual for solar panels)
then the total output is 1 ampere at 10
volts; the power is therefore 10 watts
(P= V×I).
If the cells are wired in parallel then the
output is 20 A at 0.5 V; the power is still
10 W. So clearly the voltage on its own
does not tell you very much.
The maximum output of modern solar
panels in direct sunlight is typically
between 120 and 180 W per square
metre; that’s equal to 12 to 18 milliwatts
per square centimetre.
The table (right) shows the specification
of a selection of solar panels currently
on sale on eBay. Note that the output per
square centimetre is nearly the same for
them all but the voltage can vary widely.
Measuring the output power
Length
(cm)
Width
(cm)
V
(V)
I
(A)
P
(W)
Output
(W m −2 )
Output
(mW cm −2)
7
5.5
5.5
0.1
0.55
143
14.3
8
15
0.5
3.6
1.8
150
15.0
10
8
5.5
0.17
0.935
117
11.7
14
8
5.5
0.27
1.485
133
13.3
15
15
0.52
7.6
3.952
176
17.6
16
14
5.5
0.54
2.97
133
13.3
18
8
5.5
0.36
1.98
138
13.8
50
30
17.5
1.14
19.95
133
13.3
100
70
18
5.5
99
141
14.1
*Note
If a range of resistors is used then (under
the same conditions) different values
for the output power will be obtained.
The maximum power (in direct Spring
sunlight) is likely to be about 10 mW
per square centimetre. For good quality
solar cells the voltage at maximum
power is generally 70% or more of the
open circuit voltage (V0), i.e. the voltage
produced when there is no resistor
connected (and no current drawn).
A suitable value for the resistor would be
therefore be about 50 V 2/(A) ohms, where
A is the area in square centimetres.
For example, if the panel dimensions
are 10 cm by 8 cm and the open circuit
voltage is 7 V, then a suitable resistance
would be 50×(7×7)/(10×8) Ω ≈ 30 Ω.
In lower light levels (e.g. artificial
lighting) use a higher resistance.
The following is an easy way to measure
the output of a solar panel.
Connect a resistor (say 20 ohms*) to the
terminals of the solar panel; then connect
a voltmeter to the ends of the resistor. If
the resistor value is R and the voltage is
V then the power is V 2/R. For example
if the voltage is 8 volts and the resistor
is 20 ohms then the power is 8×8/20, or
3.2 watts.
Explanation
We don’t need to measure the current
directly once the value of the resistance
is known.
V = I×R (voltage = current × resistance),
and so I = V÷ R
P = V×I (power = voltage × current)
= V (V÷ R)
= V 2/R
R
32
www.ista.
The history of the Science Educator
of the Year awards
Dr Oliver Ryan
I
n 1983 four students, who were
completing an M.Ed. in Science
Education, and myself were invited to
visit the BP headquarters in London to get
some information on the Oil Industry. We
were working on a publication called “The
Science of Oil” which was subsequently
published by BP.
I was fortunate to meet the Director
of the BP Education Section and we
discussed a number of topics. One was the
possibility of sponsoring an award for a
Science Teacher who made a significant
contribution to Science Teaching at a
National level.
They very quickly agreed and I was asked to draw
up criteria for the Award. They commissioned a
Trophy and agreed to give a cheque to the winner
to cover travel and expenses to attend the British
Science Teachers Conference. They also contacted a
number of National Science Teaching Associations
and offered to sponsor awards for them. Branches
throughout the country were asked to nominate
suitable candidates and a winner was selected from
among those nominated.
ISTA Science Educator of the Year award winners
1984
Randal Henly
1999
Siobhan Greer
1985
Dr. Peter Childs
2000
Pádraig Ó Léime
1986
Fr. D. Collins
2001
George Porter
1987
Jim Hurley
2002
John Daly
1988
Br. Maurice Murphy
2003
Seamus McManus
1989
Helen Renehan
2004
Noel Brett
1990
Peter Burke
2005
Dr. Oliver Ryan
1991
Patrick Hogan
2006
Paddy Daly
1992
Dr Declan Kennedy
2007
Pat Hanratty
1993
Marion Palmer
2008
Yvonne Higgins
1994
Oliver Harrington
2009
Mary Lee
1995
Sr. Mercedes Desmond
2010
Marge Anderson
1996
Margaret O’Brien
2011
John Lucey
1997
Tom Bolger
2012
Mary Mullaghy
1998
Ann Wilkinson
The first winner was Randal Henly
who was presented with the B.P
Science Educator of the Year Award
in Sligo in 1984. This continued
until 2006 at which time BP had left
Ireland and it became more difficult
to get them to continue with the
sponsorship.
I was very fortunate to meet Vincent
English of Vernier and he agreed
to provide a trophy and prize for the
following two years. At the 2008
AGM PharmaChemical Ireland
(who were by then sponsoring awards
for H.Dip Science students) agreed
to sponsor the Pharmachemical
Science Educator of the Year award.
They have increased the sponsorship
and each year provide a trophy and
substantial prize to the winner. The
adjudication panel consists of all
former winners of the award and
I have the privilege of acting as
Chairman of the group.
Looking down the list of former
winners one can see the names of
people that any country would be
proud to have in their Educational Systems. I can
only hope that the award will continue for many
years and will help to stimulate many young
Science Teachers.
SCIENCE March 2013
Dr Oliver Ryan presenting the 2012 Science Educator of the Year
award to Mary Mullaghy, our current Chairperson
33
Bealtaine Festival of Outdoor Science
Dr Shiela Donegan
B
ealtaine Festival of Outdoor Science:
Celebrate our Living Earth in the Southeast
of Ireland
Cited recently by the Guardian as one of the
top ten things to do on the International Day for
Biological Diversity, Bealtaine Festival of Outdoor
Science (18th-26th May 2013) is an energetic
way for students, teachers and the general public
to engage with ecological science. It is also the
premier festival of its kind in the country. This year,
Bealtaine Festival of Outdoor Science is celebrating
its ninth year as well as marking International Day
for Biological Diversity on May 22nd. The word
Bealtaine has its roots in Irish myth and tradition as
a festival for celebrating the return of summer to the
land. Similarly, this modern day interpretation of
the festival celebrates the return of summer with a
big focus on the biology and ecology of this time of
year.
Co-ordinated by Calmast (Centre for Advancement of
Learning of Maths, Science and Technology) the STEM
outreach arm of Waterford Institute of Technology, Bealtaine
Festival of Outdoor Science is a partnership of several local
and national organisations seeking to educate, entertain and
enlighten people of all ages about outdoor science. Events take
place within Waterford and the general south-east region and
focus on the rich biodiversity of this area. Events are hosted
by noted organisations such as the Copper Coast Geopark
who run events for primary and post-primary students focusing
on geology, wildlife and local heritage of coastal Waterford.
The general public can enjoy flora and fauna of Fenor Bog,
explore the history of Dunhill, Tankardstown and Stage
Coast, all guided by local experts. There are workshops for
younger students on building and designing bird feeders, run
by WIT staff members. One of the highlights of the week is
Dave’s Jungle which introduces primary school children to
a wide range of exotic animals where they can learn about
the life of animals, their feeding patterns and how they are
specially adapted to the environment as well as getting hands
on with reptiles. This year, to tie in with the celebrations
for International Day for Biological Diversity’s theme of
Water and Biodiversity we will be hosting talks and tours of
some of Waterford’s wetlands, including Kilbarry wetland in
association with Waterford City Council.
Bealtaine Festival of Outdoor Science is an exceptional way of
investigating key parts of the primary and post-primary science
syllabus.
For more information please visit
www.livingearth.ie or e-mail [email protected]
Dates
The Bealtaine Festival of Outdoor Science which this year
will take place from 18th-26th May 2013 is an energetic way
for students, teachers and the general public to engage with
ecological science.
Co-ordinated by Calmast (Centre for Advancement of Learning
of Maths, Science and Technology) the STEM outreach centre
of Waterford Institute of Technology, the Bealtaine Festival of
Outdoor Science is a partnership of several local and national
organisations seeking to educate, entertain and enlighten
people of all ages about outdoor science.
34
Dr Shiela Donegan
CALMAST (Centre for the Advancement of Learning of Maths,
Science and Technology), at WIT
www.ista.
Strange physics
Paul Holland
C
osmos, in the Black Hills of Dakota,
is a place for getting away from
reality. If you’re in to Physics and
even if you’re not, you’ll have doubts
about your perception and the laws
of nature in general. A brief tour will
leave you exhilarated and baffled. The
guides, charming and unhelpful, offer no
explanation for these phenomena.
1.Water flows from a tap and travels up a
chute.
2.Two people stand on wooden blocks,
shown to be the same height and level by
the fact that a tennis ball placed on a plank
straddling them doesn’t move. When the
people swop places, they find that their
heights relative to each other have changed.
3.Nearby are trees growing in a peculiarly
curved way.
4.Enter one of the weird pre-fabs and sit
on a chair. Your comfortable equilibrium
posture would be impossible in your normal
experience.
5.Give a push to a metal pendulum hanging
from a ceiling. It will oscillate but will reach
a far greater height on one side of the swing
than the other.
6.Throw a ball in the air – the trajectory would
have puzzled Newton.
Gravitational forces? Magnetic forces?
Optical illusion? Circus act? I enjoyed the
whole experience too much to really care.
One advantage of retirement is that I don’t
have to explain what I saw to a class on
Monday morning.
Note:
Nearer home is the Electric Brae between
Glasgow and Ayr. Stop your car on
the road and it will roll uphill. The lie
of the surrounding hills confuses your
perception, creating an optical illusion.
Paul Holland
SCIENCE March 2013
35
Reviving the magic
Pat Hanratty
I
t’s now well over six years since my last science or
chemistry class – from 2006 to my retirement in 2010
I was my school’s Home School Community Liaison
Officer – so it was with a certain amount of trepidation
on 25th October last that I followed up a missed call and
voicemail message (missed when out golfing!) from David
Nolan in Rockbrook asking me if I would do a Chemistry
Show during Science Week. The truth is, he had asked me
the same question two years earlier but during November
2010 I took my first post-retirement holidays and spent most
of that month abroad, first in Jerusalem and later in New
York and California, arriving home at the end of the month
to a blanket of snow and an EU/IMF bail out!
Anyway, back to 2012! By November 10th David and I got together
to spend some time preparing the experiments, having, of course,
consulted the brains of experts Randal Henly and Declan Kennedy! We
wanted to give it the “WOW” factor, while at the same time not doing
anything that would either endanger life, damage the school’s lovely
new lab. or get us in jail for breaking EU directives, even the silly ones.
I also felt it would be appropriate to visit Tallaght Community School
(TCS) where certain chemicals/solutions I had acquired or made up
myself might still be in the prep room or store. We were running out of
days, so we decided to fix it for Friday 16th November – two sessions,
one at 12 noon and one at 2.00 p.m.
All the while, there was a certain nervous tension – after six years,
would I still be able to manage it? I had only ever done one such show
before in ITT Dublin and I was ably assisted by two TY students, but
that was ten years and three computers ago, and try as I might I could
not find the notes, much less the PowerPoint presentation I had prepared
36
back then! I did, however detect in David a side
of his character that I hadn’t appreciated even
though I’ve known him for over 40 years – he is
a showman and it wouldn’t be just me doing the
show, it was going to be a partnership!
On the Monday before the event I visited TCS – a
hive of industry as all teachers really are working
harder than ever now (Croke Park hours etc.),
but they managed to let me into the prep. room
– and what did I find? A hugely scaled down set of
shelves with much fewer chemicals. Apparently last
year they had an inspection and were given a list
and anything not on that list should be disposed of
at the next opportunity which, fortunately hadn’t
happened yet……
And that’s where the emotions kicked in. As I
worked my way through the various containers of
consigned chemicals I could see 34 years of my life
written on some of those containers. Solutions I had
made up, bottles labelled in my handwriting, not
to mention chemicals which have long since been
superfluous through various syllabus changes……it
was a bit like watching “Reeling in the Years”,
only it was my years! My memories went back to
that October day in 1973 when a huge truckload of
equipment from Griffin and George arrived without
warning to the school, three months before the labs
were finished and four pretty inexperienced Science
teachers had to store them and sort them out later.
Heady days! A lot of water, dilute acid and other
stuff has gone down the sinks since then! Anyway,
as I expected, TCS provided the two chemicals
for a good endothermic reaction where the beaker
gets so cold it sticks to a block of wood, the raw
materials for Randal Henly’s rainbow of colours,
some old plastic spray bottles (with labels I had
put on them years ago) which are great for flame
tests, an electromagnet which works with a small
smoke-alarm battery and an idea for an experiment I
hadn’t tried before from former colleague Catherine
Merrin, which ended up as the coup de grace at the
Show.
www.ista.
Back to the present and as the week wore on we were making
progress. David was intrigued with Randal’s Fountain
experiment (no need for the nasty NH3 here) and also busied
himself setting up the apparatus for preparing hydrogen and
oxygen in large quantities). I was getting drunk and confused
on the ‘Water into Wine’ trick and dizzy with the Clock
reactions.
A huge change which, I suppose, benefits both teachers and
students is the amount of stuff on the Internet. About twenty
years ago, at a time when we were having huge difficulty
promoting Chemistry nationwide, I intended a launch (was
it Science Week?) in the RDS where Declan Kennedy put
on a marvellous show and I heard a comment from one of
the organisers “If only we could get him on the Late Late
Show”. Well, nowadays, Steve Spangler who starred at
ISTA conferences at least twice has appeared several times
on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in the US doing spectacular
experiments, and lots of these can be seen on YouTube; they
make for great entertainment – Ellen is a very good counterfoil
for Steve. Lots of ideas are available on Steve’s very own
brilliant website http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/ –
needless to say I spent loads of time on that site in the days and
SCIENCE March 2013
nights leading up to the show. OK, some of it is off the wall,
but it sure makes Science seem fun!
The day finally dawned and we had our list of 15 Chemistry
illustrations and 4 from the world of Physics to do – we timed
it well, both shows lasted just about an hour and we had an
hour in between to grab some lunch and do a quick tidy up and
prepare for Round 2. Throughout we were aided and abetted
by two very co-operative and enthusiastic fifth year students
and I was delighted that everything worked and the students
loved it. It had the WOW factor – something we should never
forget when having the privilege of teaching Chemistry. And
of course we added the warning (like Penn & Teller) – don’t
even think of trying these at home!
Postscript: Since then, Declan Kennedy delivered his own
Magic Show sponsored by Henkel in IT Tallaght on 14th
January and I had the honour of being his assistant.
Pat Hanratty, Former Chemistry teacher in Tallaght
Community School, Dublin 24.
37
Antarctica – without the penguins
Paul Holland
T
he sun never sets – for three months anyway
– when you’re 80º south. It’s something your
circadian rhythm will not adjust to in a week
and maybe that’s just as well because Antarctica
is really an other-worldly place. It’s probably the
nearest most of us living today can ever get to being
on Mars.
For a week, I stayed at Union Glacier camp in
the Ellsworth Mountains, a logistics centre for
mountaineers, skiers, trekkers and ordinary tourists.
Some, like myself, were going to the South Pole.
The 600-mile flight from Union is mainly over
the icecap, a flat white Sahara extending forever
global warming is creating problems
for heavy aircraft on ice runways.
The first thing I saw on arrival was an ascending weather
balloon. There are labs, mainly used for processing
information collected in the field. Telescopes stand in the
desert but the serious ones, neutrino telescopes, are deep in
the ice. Galactic-scale events produce enormous quantities of
electromagnetic radiation and particles, including neutrinos.
Interstellar dust, gravitation, light glare from stars ensure
that most of this information is lost in space long before it
reaches us. The neutral, practically mass-less, neutrinos are
not readily deflected and mainly pass through the Earth. Deep
in the ice, an almost infinitesimal percentage of them interact
with water molecules producing radiation that is picked up by
arrays of detectors — the direction from which they came can
be identified. These neutrinos are about our only source of
information on the high-energy events in our Universe’s
distant history.
Back at Union Glacier camp, I was treated to outings
in the Ellsworth Mountains and the icefields where
distances are always greater than they appear. We
walked endless plains of snow and ice, the consistency
of which varied like sand in a desert. Here, you covered
yourself from the cold, a balmy −20º C, and the very
intense UV. One day, we climbed glacial moraines
between the mountains through boulders, stones, pebbles
and sand. It was the Sahara or Mars. There was no sight
or sound of life.
Sometimes birds fly across the continent. There are
lichens but I saw none here. Of course there are bacteria
but for me it was the old rhyme;
in every direction. Here and there, mountains
appear, like partly buried rocks on a wind-blown
sandy beach. Imperceptibly, we were climbing to
a plateau. Abruptly, the plane descended and we
landed on a featureless plain. Nearby were the
modern boxes of the Amundsen-Scott base.
The iconic dome is gone and the new edifices are built on
moveable supports in a way that minimises snowdrift. In
military bases, the atmosphere is pressurised to drive air
outwards if a door is opened – thereby preventing the entry
of nuclear, chemical or biological agents. Here it’s simply
to keep cold air from entering. It was −20º C with no wind,
relatively warm, on the day of our visit.
Living conditions for the staff are good. Facilities include
flush toilets, water dispensers, gym, a hydroponics room,
hospital, games room, shop, library and internet (not 24-hour,
no broadband). Sewage goes to a deep pit in the ice unlike
Union Glacier camp, where it’s airlifted to Chile. Showers
are rationed. Power and heat are generated by burning
aviation-type fuel. Some use is made of solar panels. Townlike convoys bring fuel along the ice road from McMurdo
base, far more economic than air freight. Moreover,
38
“No bird ever sang
No rabbit ever ran
In the Poisoned Glen”
The flat icescape is the sea, flat desert or lunar maria –
nothingness. However, satellites have detected lakes below the
ice whose presence you would not remotely suspect standing
on the surface. While I was there, a British team had tried
– unsuccessfully – to drill down to the nearby Ellsworth Lake.
A Russian team have had more success at a different lake. It is
a delicate process because scientists have to ensure no foreign
organisms are introduced into the water, thereby impacting
on the environment and maybe invalidating any subsequent
analyses. These lakes are hypersaline survivors of a different
climatic era. Bacteria live in the freezing darkness of their
depths. Maybe similar lakes are waiting to be explored on
Mars.
There are more visitors to Antarctica each year and climate
change is an accepted reality. In 1989 Bill McKibben said “By
changing the weather, we make every spot on the Earth manmade and artificial”. I have come to wonder about “artificial”.
Are humans not nature as much as the beaver? My little
cousin Joanne was proposed to in the Peruvian jungle. Like
it or not, in time we can expect proposals at the South Pole or
maybe, more appropriately, on Venus.
Paul Holland, formerly Presentation College, Galway
www.ista.
In Antarctica
There is the silence
Of an empty continent
Graveyard of fossils
Of species long extinct
Any sound is infrasonic
But the glaciers move
As do tectonic plates
Towards the future time
And a jungle once again
Paul Holland
SCIENCE March 2013
39
CROSSWORD
Randal Henly
Clues Across
1. Power of the eye to focus at various
distances (13)
10. Pertaining to the kidneys (5)
11. Defence for the bee and wasp (5)
12. Optical devices (6)
13. Adjacent/hypotenuse (6)
15. Chemical suffix denoting two
elements present (3)
16. Rivers of ice (8)
18. Transition element (4)
20. Fish of the order of Apodes (4)
21. Methane as discovered by John
Dalton (5,3)
23. Herbaceous plant of the Genus
Urtica (6)
25. For example, f = ma (8)
36. A male goose (6)
37. Notable 19th-century Russian
chemist (10)
Clues Down
2. Specialised, light-sensitive cells in
the retina of the eye (5)
3. May be animal or vegetable and is
found in coils (3)
4. Biologically a quadruped, or
chemically an amount (4)
5. Methodically cuts up to study internal
structure (8)
6. Distinct type of material of which
animals or plants are made (6)
7. Removes electrons (8)
8. Type of column found in a refinery
(13)
9. White herons (6)
12. Nitrogen fixing plant (6)
14. Charged particle found in bionics (3)
17. Person’s ability to respond physically
and mentally to external stimuli (8)
19. Alkane found in petrol (6)
22. The discoverer of X-rays (8)
24. A hinged joint (4)
26. Immature (6)
28. Graph pages have them for
distributing electricity (5)
29. An imperial unit of heat (5)
27.SG30
The element of light bulb filaments
SWORD
(8)
30. Symbolically a lanthanide element
lues Down(2)
31. Reptile
of the order Chelonia
2. Specialised,
light-sensitive
cells (8)
in the 33.
retina
of
the
eye
(5)
You’ll find this gas in magnesium!
(2)
3. May be animal
or vegetable and
is found
coils
35. in
Ovum
(3)(3)
32.
4. Biologically a quadruped, or
chemically an amount (4)
Winner
5. Methodically
cuts up to study
internal
structure (8)to
Congratulations
Marie Vaughan, Teerbeg,
6. Distinct
type of material
Macroom,
Co. Cork of
which animals
or
who submittedplants
the firstare
made (6)
correct solution to the
previous
crossword.
7. Removes
electrons
(8)
8. Type of column found in a
refineryPrize
(13)
A prize (any
9. White herons
(6) item from the
ISTA shop) will be given for
2. Nitrogen
plantresponse.
(6)
thefixing
first correct
that
is returned to the Editor.
4. Charged particle found in
bionics (3)
The list of shop items may be
7. Person's
ability
viewed
on:to respond
physically
and mentally to
http://www.ista.ie/
external
stimuli (8)
publications/index.php
9. Alkane found in petrol (6)
2. The discoverer of X-rays (8)
4. A hinged joint (4)
40 (6)
6. Immature
8. Graph pages have them for
www.ista.
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