teaching
grrlscientist | February 26, 2009tags: American Goldfinch, Carduelis tristis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] American Goldfinch, Carduelis tristis, photographed in Buffalo Bayou in West Houston, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 15 February 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/320s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso40.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
sb admin | February 25, 2009I'm supervising a few independent studies this year, with groups of students working on fairly large and fairly fuzzily-defined design projects. These groups couldn't be more different from each other in terms of the way they act as a group, act as individuals, and interact with me. It's got me thinking a lot lately about group dynamics among students and the strong influences that certain individuals have over the behavior of the entire group.
One of the groups is highly functional---on the surface. The students all get along really well with each other and appear to complement each other…
jane | February 25, 2009I'm supervising a few independent studies this year, with groups of students working on fairly large and fairly fuzzily-defined design projects. These groups couldn't be more different from each other in terms of the way they act as a group, act as individuals, and interact with me. It's got me thinking a lot lately about group dynamics among students and the strong influences that certain individuals have over the behavior of the entire group.
One of the groups is highly functional---on the surface. The students all get along really well with each other and appear to complement each other…
grrlscientist | February 25, 2009tags: Scots Pine Tree, Pinus sylvestris, tree bark, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Tree Bark -- Can you identify the species?
Bark of the Scots Pine, Pinus sylvestris.
Seurasaari, western Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 February 2009. [larger view].
Review all tree bark images.
grrlscientist | February 25, 2009tags: Anna's Hummingbird, Calypte anna, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Probable Anna's Hummingbird, Calypte anna, photographed in Seattle, Washington. "[T]his [bird] has almost a yellow stripe from behind the eyes, down the side of the head and down the back. [A]lso the same yellow appears on about the center of the outer wing. It is much smaller than the Anna's that usually come [to the hummingbird feeder]", writes the photographer.
Image: Julie, 23 February 2009 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery…
grrlscientist | February 24, 2009tags: White-tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] White-tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus, photographed in Sacramento, California. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: John del Rio, autumn 2007 [larger view].
More images by this photographer can be seen on the front page and in the gallery.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
sciencewoman | February 23, 2009Scene 1: a few days ago
(SW notes that most pencils in the room have stopped moving or have slowed down)
SW: OK, so moving on, we see ... (flipping to next slide)
(A hand goes up near the back of the auditorium)
SW: Yes? Did you have a question?
Stu Dent 1: Could you go back a slide? I wasn't done copying it.
SW: OK, but remember I post most of these slides on Blackboard, so if you don't get all the details in class, you can review and fill in your notes later.
(Stu Dent 1 lets out a dramatic sigh, quite audible at the front of the auditorium. There's also a bit of mumbling among students in…
grrlscientist | February 23, 2009tags: Costa's Hummingbird, Calypte costae, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Costa's Hummingbird, Calypte costae, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 15 May 2008 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2008:05:15 07:47:40
Exposure Time: 1/30
F-Number: 8.00
ISO: 320
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | February 22, 2009tags: Juvenile Yellow-crowned night-heron, Nycticorax violaceus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Juvenile Yellow-crowned night-heron, Nycticorax violaceus, photographed by Crab Road, Surfside, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 12 February 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with tsn-pz camera eyepiece 1/1250s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Adult Yellow-crowned night-heron, Nycticorax violaceus, photographed by Crab Road, Surfside, Texas.
Image:…
grrlscientist | February 21, 2009tags: Red-necked Grebe, Podiceps grisegena, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Red-necked Grebe, Podiceps grisegena, photographed in Kearny, Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 23 November 2006 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | February 19, 2009tags: White-collared Seedeater, Sporophila torqueola, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Western White-collared Seedeater, Sporophila torqueola, discovered by the photographer and photographed at the Water Ranch in Gilbert, Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 3 October 2008 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | February 18, 2009tags: juvenile Northern Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
The prior owner of these feathers, a probable juvenile Northern Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis, met a plate-glass window at high speed and apparently was fatally injured. The feathers were what was remaining after a dog scavenged the carcass. Location is on the east side of Tuttle Creek Reservoir, Pottawatomie County Kansas (39.272N, 96.558W, altitude 1150 ft or 351 m). [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Dave Rintoul, 29 January 2009 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that…
sciencewoman | February 17, 2009(to borrow a meme from La Isis)
Dear Students,
I understand that you took your exams on Monday and that our class meets next on Wednesday. I know that you are anxious to find out how you are doing in the class. Believe it or not, I am anxious to know how well I am in doing in helping you learn the material. But, unfortunately, you are not going to get your graded exams and projects back on Wednesday. You see, I am only human.
After you finished your exams, I taught another class and met with students. Then I went home to my family and had dinner with the neighbors. Afterwards, I had a wired…
grrlscientist | February 17, 2009tags: Ovenbird, Seiurus aurocapillus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Ovenbird, Seiurus aurocapillus, photographed at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 22 January 2006 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | February 16, 2009tags: Chestnut-sided Warbler, Dendroica pensylvanica, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Chestnut-sided Warbler, Dendroica pensylvanica, photographed at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 4 January 2009 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
As an added bonus, can you identify the insect in this bird's beak?
Chestnut-sided Warbler, Dendroica pensylvanica, photographed at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Arizona.
Image: Richard Ditch, 4 January 2009 [larger…
grrlscientist | February 14, 2009tags: Costa's Hummingbird, Calypte costae, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Costa's Hummingbird, Calypte costae, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 23 December 2004 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2004:12:23 16:04:23
Exposure Time: 1/60
F-Number: 8.00
ISO: 640
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | February 13, 2009tags: Ross's Gull, Rhodostethia rosea, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Ross's Gull, Rhodostethia rosea, photographed near the Tuttle Creek Reservoir outflow tubes in Kansas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow].
Image: Dave Rintoul, 14 January 2009 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
In alternate plumage, the pinkish cast to the plumage and black ring around the head are diagnostic. In basic plumage, the evenly gray wings on both the upper and under surfaces and the wedge-shaped tail (which isn't easily seen in…
skookumchick | February 13, 2009A good friend and colleague of mine, Alisha Wallers recently sent me an email about a new company she has founded. She used to be a mainstay of the feminist engineering education group until she "retired" to spend more time focusing on the education of her kids. Since then, she started "Learning with Alisha!" which has recently launched its first product, the Pink Polygons, designed to help kids with geometry. Read more about Alisha's company below the fold.
Dear Friends,
Learning with it Alisha! is an LLC that I formed with my dad, David Weathers. Our goal is to find the gaps in what is…
jane | February 12, 2009
Sometimes, when I look at Toddler Jane*, my heart aches over how beautiful she is, inside and out. Nothing in the parenting books, nor the advice and stories from other parents, can prepare you for what that feels like.
Call me crazy, but I really do enjoy advising undergrads. It's a different kind of problem-solving: should I drop this class or talk to the professor? do I have time before I graduate to double-major? if I major in X, will I still be able to take classes in Y? Plus, I really like getting to know the students one-on-one, and getting a glimpse into their lives, their…
grrlscientist | February 12, 2009tags: mystery bird, identify this bird, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Probable hybrid hummingbird, Violet-crowned x Broad-billed hummingbird, Amazilia violiceps x Cynanthus latirostris, photographed in the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 18 December 2007 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2004:12:23 16:04:23
Exposure Time: 1/60
F-Number: 8.00
ISO: 640
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
NOTE: If you are one of those peeps who…