Category: the future

Bits of Excitement

Word came today from the application review board!

“We expect to have an update for applicants next week. Thank you for your patience as we give your applications the attention they deserve.”

At least I’m not out, yet. It’ll be a nerve-wracking  week and a half. I can only assume that ‘next week’ really means ‘the very end of next week, don’t rush us!’.  This kind of excitement is usually reserved for my birthday, or Christmas, or when waiting for final grades to be posted.

I’ve actually got a few things to share today for YOU GUYS to be excited about.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Hubble have just announced the 2012 Hubble’s Hidden Treasures  Competition.

Everyone, absolutely everyone, is invited to help the ESA discover some of the magnificent photographs lurking in the archives. Vast datasets are available to the public, all you have to do is be patient enough to find a new, interesting/inspirational/beautiful file, adjust the contrast and colors, and upload it to the contest Flickr group. As an extra challenge, you may also use provided software to transform data into breath-taking images. These images can be uploaded to a separate Flickr accounts.

Winners receive an iPod Touch or an iPad.

Both competitions close on 31 May 2012.

I would encourage everyone to try and share the contest information, get your children involved, get something going in a classroom, whatever you can think of! I am going to try and link the two Flickr accounts so that they appear on the sidebars of this blog. Stay tuned!

The other bits of excitement I’d like to share with you are two blogs by Women In Science. Young women, at that! I was chatting with a new friend of mine about my blog and he was cruel enough to share these two with me, even though he knows I’m supposed to be ultra productive these days.

I’ve added these to my ‘Other Voices’ section on the left, but I’ll provide a quick overview of the blogs.

The Contemplative Mammoth: [From the listed description] I blog about ecology and climate change over various time scales –ranging from the last ice age to the present– and how our understanding of the past can help prepare us for the future. I also write about my experience in grad school and academia, share book reviews and interesting journal articles, and discuss science literacy, science communication in all forms…and the occasional dung fungus.

Adventures Elsewhere: This blog is much more broad and often seems very journal-like. However, it is penned by a young woman in grad schools so I can relate to a lot of the posts and perhaps you would find it enjoyable, as well. I’m looking forward to reading more, which is quite a task as she started the blog in 2009. 

So thanks to New Friend Sean for sharing, and I hope everyone else can follow in his footsteps by sharing their favorite blog/website/photo site/etc. Doesn’t have to be any particular topic; I just want to know what you enjoy reading/viewing!

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Question of The Day:
Of course, what are your favorite blogs/websites/etc?
What are you currently excited about?

Reimagining Education: Khan Academy

Education has pretty much consumed my life. I have been in school for 19 of my 25 years on this lovely hunk of Earth. I have at the very least another four to go. During the last five years, I’ve occasionally been on the other side of the equation, teaching and assisting in lab courses. Who knows? Maybe I’ll ended up in academia and spend my days warping young minds.

We live in the age of information and technology. It is easier than ever to find a chunk of information via a quick internet search. Educational institutions have been trying to keep up with the ever advancing technologies available today, but I would argue that they should be adapting and leading the pack.

If selected for this research project, I hope to focus on providing fun, interesting, and educational experiences for everyone following along. I will attempt to employ different aspects of technology as often as possible. I’ve been inspired by different people that have lead they way in this endeavor, and would like to share one of these inspirations today.

Sal Khan and the other amazing folks at Khan Academy are on a mission to change education. Using a vast online database of educational videos, they hope to provide a free world-class education to anyone, anywhere. I’ve included, below, the TED talk that first introduced me to the Academy. I have since watched several of the provided videos and enjoyed them immensely. The pH/Acid/Base series in the Chemistry section have been profoundly helpful.

Questions of The Day:
Do you think programs such as Khan Academy would work in schools? (Educators, here’s looking at you!)
Are there any topics that you could use some extra help in? Try watching a video and let me know how it turns out!

The Perils of Grad Schooldom

I’m terribly sorry for no posts the past two days. I’ve been busy with science frustrations and helping a friend pack up to move back to Japan. However, this coming week is my Spring Break, so I will have time for some wonderful creations. Edible, readable, and ponderable.

Cause of my frustrations. Ugh. 
As a special treat, I will be tweeting along with my bus journey to Long Beach. If you have never been on a Greyhound adventure, then you have not lived, my friends. You can follow me on Twitter via the link on the left blog panel. 
Also, I’ve been in talks with some potential Guest Bloggers! 

Questions on the Day:
Do you have any topic requests?
Would you like to hear from somebody in a particular field of study?