56 resources and 2 collections matched your query.
Library of 3383 accessible STEM media resources.
Showing resources 41 to 56 of 56
Select a resource below to get more information and link to download this resource.
An environmental scientist who provides clean water to the city of Philadelphia explains how this water is used in homes, parks, and swimming pools and to fight fires. Shows that river water from rain and farm runoff is dirty and needs to be purified before people can use it. Visits the Fairmount Water Works and explains how water is brought to such plants, purified, and sent on to homes and factories. Also, emphasizes why caring about the health and safety of rivers are important.
(Source: DCMP)
Smelling is as natural as breathing. Sixteen times a minute, air passes through the nose to fill the lungs. Billions of molecules passing through the nasal cavities are captured by the cells of the olfactory organ. Scientists and others are presently working in the realms of taste and smell to understand their powers. They are bringing to light the mystery that, from conception to adulthood, reveals a fabulous potential. Is it possible that one day the nose will help uncover diseases, vanquish pain, and lower stress levels? Part of the “Human + The Future of Our Senses” series.
When Carl Sagan was a young boy he went to the 1939 World's Fair. His life was changed forever, and from that day on he never stopped marveling at the universe and seeking to understand it better. As a child, Carl spent his days star gazing from the bedroom window in his Brooklyn apartment. As an adult, he became an internationally renowned scientist who worked on the Voyager missions. Based on the children's book by Stephanie Roth Sisson.
Timeblazers Sam and Jen go back to a time when ancient Chinese civilizations were using cowrie shells as currency and when buying a water buffalo meant coughing up the animal's weight in coins. They flash forward to the 1800s, when goods could be purchased in exchange for beaver pelts. Then to the middle of the 1400s, when "gold fever" gripped the imaginations of explorers who dreamed of finding the fabled city of El Dorado, but it was the California gold strike in 1849 that brought more than 50,000 prospectors to the West in search of easy riches.
Human ancestors in Africa likely had dark skin, which is produced by an abundance of the pigment eumelanin in skin cells. In the high ultraviolet (UV) environment of sub-Saharan Africa, darker skin offers protection from the damaging effects of UV radiation. Dr. Jablonski explains that the variation in skin color that evolved since human ancestors migrated out of Africa can be explained by the tradeoff between protection from UV and the need for some UV absorption for the production of vitamin D.
Marine debris comes from many different sources and enters the ocean in many ways. Intentional littering and dumping are big causes. Sometimes the trash goes directly into the ocean, and sometimes marine debris is indirectly generated in a city hundreds of miles from the ocean. When someone litters on the street or parking lot, rainwater can move the trash into storm drains that empty into streams, rivers, and other bodies of water. Improper or careless waste disposal also contributes to this environmental concern. Part of the "Trash Talk" series.
In a tsunami, devastation is created by far more than the wave itself. Debris that hits homes and other structures plays a huge role in a tsunami’s destructive power. But until now, engineers could only estimate the forces at work when debris, such as a floating telephone pole, hits a house. With support from the National Science Foundation, engineers from across the country have teamed up to design and carry out a series of large-scale tests aimed at better understanding exactly what happens when debris strikes. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
In this episode, Rob Franek from The Princeton Review discusses the new changes made to the SAT. Scott also reports on the new transformations at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. All of the animals were removed, and a new coral reef was constructed. Christin explains the need for proper lighting when studying. Other segments include the history of Maine's flag, dental tips, weird and wacky movie laws, and a recipe for an apple tart. Part of the "Teen Kids News" series.
Sight, touch, hearing, taste, and smell send sensory messages to the brain at a speed of 430km/hr. The brain deals with 11 million information signals per second, and this continual flow of information is sorted and analyzed by the brain, which directs the senses, organizes them, and improves them. The brain’s plasticity allows it to continually adapt. If and individual loses one sense, the brain reorganizes and compensates by increasing the power of the other senses. This episode highlights an artist who is blind and uses his fingers to feel the color of the paint before applying it to the canvas. Part of the “Human + The Future of Our Senses” series.
Tony Ro, a neuroscientist at The City College of New York, is artificially recreating a condition called blindsight in his lab. Blindsight is a condition that some patients experience after having damage to the primary visual cortex in the back of their brains. What happens in these patients is they go cortically blind, yet they can still discriminate visual information. With support from the National Science Foundation, Ro is developing a clearer picture of how other parts of the brain, besides the visual cortex, respond to visual stimuli. He says understanding and mapping those alternative pathways might be the key to new rehabilitative therapies.
The science of sight has entered a new era. Scientists are starting to understand how a few rare individuals can see better or see faster. Meet a woman who can see a hundred more colors than the average human being, and a heavyweight boxer who undergoes sophisticated training to increase the speed of his visual reflexes and acuity. As silicon and carbon meld and point the way to a bionic future, researchers discuss how technology is starting to replace or enhance vision for those who have lost it. Viewers witness the moment when a husband and father, equipped with an experimental retinal implant, sees his wife and child for the first time. Part of the “Human + The Future of Our Senses” series.
These city kids from Boston may not look like conventional farmers, but they’re spending part of their summer getting their hands dirty. They’re learning how to build solar-powered hydroponic systems that grow organic vegetables without soil. With support from the National Science Foundation, Boston College educator Mike Barnett and his team developed the Urban Hydrofarmers Project to engage students in math and science through hydroponic farming and green energy technology. And, because the teens sell what they grow at farmers’ markets, the students get to experience green entrepreneurship. Barnett and his team have also partnered with the STEM Garden Institute to bring hydroponic farming into classrooms throughout the U.S. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
Takes viewers to an inner city high school where students had serious discipline and learning problems. More than half of the eighth and ninth grade students here were diagnosed with ADHD, and many worked at fourth grade level. The teacher, Allison Cameron, discovered the groundbreaking research by the Harvard Professor of Psychiatry, John J. Ratey, M.D. (author of "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain"), showing a link between sustained aerobic activity and the brain's ability to grow new cells. Allison also learned that Napierville High School in the Chicago area, which began exercise programs 18 years ago, has one of the best academic records in the U.S.
The 1960s world population has nearly doubled and now tops 7 billion. Population growth, though little discussed, is putting an unprecedented burden on the planet's life systems. Brings to light the connection between overpopulation and our most pressing environmental and humanitarian problems, as well as the solutions. Also, follows Beth, an American mother and child rights advocate, who grew up in a large family of 12 as she travels to Africa to witness first-hand the impact of population growth in the developing world and its role in exacerbating poverty. While there, she meets a young Ethiopian woman, Zinet, who comes from a poor family of 12, but has found the courage to break free from long-held cultural barriers holding back women. Features a broader discussion of the solutions to overpopulation in both the developed and developing world.
The invention of the lens goes far beyond the glasses that sit on one’s nose. Galileo used lenses to create the telescope and bring faraway things closer to mankind. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the lens exposed the microscopic world, leading to medical advancements including vaccination, anesthetics, and antibiotics.
As a young girl, Alice dreams of traveling to faraway places, finding a home by the sea and making the world more beautiful. Inspired by a true-life story, Miss Rumphius shows us how we can all make the world a more beautiful place. Based on the book by Barbara Cooney.
Showing collections 1 to 2 of 2
Resources to teach younger students about animals
A collection containing 58 resources, curated by DIAGRAM Center
Resources related to vision
A collection containing 12 resources, curated by Charles LaPierre
