education
grrlscientist | October 5, 2009tags: Golden-crowned Kinglet, Regulus satrapa, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Golden-crowned Kinglet, Regulus satrapa, photographed in a backyard in Stanwood, Washington. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 27 September 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D300, 600 mm Nikon VR lens ISO 800 1/80 f/5.6.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | October 4, 2009tags: Tropical Boubou, Laniarius aethiopicus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Tropical Boubou, Laniarius aethiopicus, photographed in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 8 August 2006 [larger view].
Nikon D2X, ISO 800, 200-400 VR lens at 360 mm. 1/60 sec, f/4.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Regarding distinguishing the Tropical Boubou vs Black-backed Puffback, the photographer writes;
The Tropical Boubou has a black eye, the puffback a red eye.
Boubou…
grrlscientist | October 3, 2009tags: Coqui Francolin, Francolinus coqui, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Male Coqui Francolin, Francolinus coqui, photographed in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 31 August 2007 [larger view].
Nikon D2X, 200-400 VR lens at 250 mm ISO 400 1/350 f/4.5.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
drorzel | October 2, 2009Via His Holiness, there is an aggressively stupid paragraph in a New York Times movie review today:
Did you hear the one about the guy who lived in the land of Uz, who was perfect and upright and feared God? His name was Job. In the new movie version, "A Serious Man," some details have been changed. He's called Larry Gopnik and he lives in Minnesota, where he teaches physics at a university. When we first meet Larry, in the spring of 1967, his tenure case is pending, his son's bar mitzvah is approaching, and, as in the original, a lot of bad stuff is about to happen, for no apparent reason.…
drorzel | October 2, 2009I'm teaching my Quantum Optics class again this term, out of a completely different textbook than last time around-- I'm using Mark Fox's Quantum Optics from the Oxford Master Series in AMO Physics, which is more of a regular textbook. I've got six students-- four junior and senior physics majors, one senior chemistry major, and a retired scientist from GE who is interested in catching up on the latest new stuff.
Last time around, I posted my lecture notes as I went through the class, but I've forgotten to do that thus far this term, here in the Freezing Hell of Lab Grading. So here's a big…
clock | October 2, 2009ScienceBlogs campaign is kicking some behind - we are ahead of the Fashion Blogs, Twitter and Gawker challenges!!!
grrlscientist | October 2, 2009tags: Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus banksii, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus banksii, also known as Bank's Black Cockatoo, photographed at Walgett, New South Wales, Australia. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Steve Duncan, 18 August 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200 w/ Nikkor 300mm f/4.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
mikethemadbiologist | October 2, 2009And they don't appear to actually fix anything either. From The Washington Post:
But Duncan reiterated his commitment to testing and accountability: "I will always give NCLB credit for exposing achievement gaps and for requiring that we measure our efforts to improve education by looking at outcomes rather than inputs. . . . Today, we expect districts, principals and teachers to take responsibility for the academic performance of their schools and students."
The standardized testing culture has sunk deep roots in public education under the federal mandate to assess students in reading and…
drorzel | October 2, 2009We're currently in the early stages of the annual DonorsChoose fundraiser, helping to raise money for educational projects. This is especially important in the current economic climate-- even before things went south, many schools and classrooms were strapped for cash, but now it's even worse.
But I can understand if that's not a noble enough cause for you. Helping poor people isn't enough for everyone. So here's something to sweeten the deal: PETA doesn't like DonorsChoose because some of the science classes seeking funds are looking for dissection equipment for biology classes. Janet gives…
ddobbs | October 2, 2009Notables from the last 24:
Over at Gene Expression, Razib casts a skeptical eye on a study of the neuroanatomical variability of religiosity.
The brain areas identified in this and the parallel fMRI studies are not unique to processing religion [the study states], but play major roles in social cognition. This implies that religious beliefs and behavior emerged not as sui generis evolutionary adaptations, but as an extension (some would say "by product") of social cognition and behavior.
May be something to that, Razib says â but it would be nice "get in on the game of normal human…
grrlscientist | October 1, 2009tags: science, Science is Real, They might be Giants, music video, streaming video
Here's a fun music video; "Science is Real" by the creative group, They Might be Giants. This is one of many wonderful songs on their new album "Here Comes Science."
You can order They Might be Giants' new album [CD/DVD], "Here Comes Science" from Amazon.
grrlscientist | October 1, 2009Hey everyone: here's the coolest news in the world! My colleague and friend, Chris Rowan was interviewed streaming (and live) by BBC News radio and television on their program, World, Have Your Say [1 October, 1305-1400 EDT]. The interviewer investigated the (lack of) predictability of natural disasters, especially earthquakes and tsunamis. If you missed the program, it is now available here, for only the next seven days, so download it to your ipod now or stream it.
grrlscientist | October 1, 2009tags: DonorsChoose, science education, teaching, fund-raising, poverty
I just looked at my blog and noticed that my first DonorsChoose donor has made a donation and has spoken! Who will be next? Perhaps you will be the next donor to step forward to defend the availability of science education and intellectual development for all Americans, regardless of socioeconomic class?
Remember: YOU can choose projects to fund as well. Just look through the proposals and let me know which one(s) you wish to fund, and I'll add them to the line-up.
I can also be convinced to do a weird stunt to inspire…
grrlscientist | October 1, 2009Hey everyone: here's the coolest news in the world! My colleague and friend, Chris Rowan is being interviewed streaming (and live) by BBC News radio and television on their program, World, Have Your Say [1300-1400 EDT], and the topic will investigate the (lack of) predictability of natural disasters, especially earthquakes and tsunamis. Go there now to hear him (and live blog it, too).
clock | October 1, 2009As regular readers of Scienceblogs.com already know, October is the month when a bunch of us raises challenges to fund science, math and technology projects in schools.
Several of my Sciblings have already set up their challenges and a few more will add theirs soon, I know. There will be a healthy competition with some other blogging networks, of course ;-)
You can find my challenges at Classroom Science Around The Clock, look at the projects - all coming from 'High Poverty' schools in North Carolina - and donate whatever you can. If many people pitch in a little bit each, these projects will…
grrlscientist | October 1, 2009tags: White morph Reddish Egret, Egretta rufescens, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] White morph Reddish Egret, Egretta rufescens, photographed at Smith Point, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 26 September 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/320s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
drorzel | October 1, 2009As you may have seen on some other ScienceBlogs blogs, it's time again for the annual DonorsChoose fundraiser:
If you haven't been here in past years, DonorsChoose is a charity dedicated to education. They take specific proposals from school teachers looking for items to help their classes-- anything from pens and paper to classroom furniture, to smart boards and computer projectors-- and allow donors to choose specific classroom projects that appeal to them. We've run a fundraiser for them every year since ScienceBlogs was started.
This year, they've expanded beyond blogs, to a more general…
grrlscientist | September 30, 2009tags: DonorsChoose, science education, teaching, fund-raising, poverty
October is my favorite month of the year because this is when we, the public, get together to support public education by donating money to the DonorsChoose.org's Blogger Challenge 2009! DonorsChoose.org is a charity that uses your donations to purchase specific items and materials for classroom projects that the teacher has requested, and they send these materials directly to the classroom. Basically, this is a "fraud free" way to support public education and to help needy kids have the same educational experiences…
grrlscientist | September 30, 2009tags: Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus, photographed at Anahuac Wildlife Refuge, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 19 May 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/640s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | September 30, 2009tags: nature, birds, Antarctica, emperor penguins, Aptenodytes forsteri, David Attenborough, streaming video
This is a chance to see amazing images from deep inside the frozen inland areas of Antarctica. The BBC natural history masterpiece, Planet Earth, documents the gruelling and heroic winter life of male Emperor Penguins, Aptenodytes forsteri, that breed in almost impossibly cold temperatures. Narrated by the incomparable David Attenborough.