One billion and five hundred forty million

June 23, 2009

Today I learned my height in nanomillimeters: 1,540,000,000. Wow, that's a lot of zeroes, I feel taller! I should remember this and start writing it down when forms asks for my height :)

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I started my day by getting settled in my new work space. Since I will spend a lot of time at the Spark!Lab and Invention at Play, I was stationed at one of the Lemelson's offices at the1st floor, where those two exciting places are located. I am sharing an office space with Steve Madewell, Interpretive Exhibits Coordinator and resident mad scientist/eccentric/jack of all trades of the Lemelson Center- I heard a rumor that he can even create a time machine! I should add that our office also doubles as a workshop for Steve's masterpieces. I remember that about a decade ago, I wanted to buy power tools so I can make my own furniture - so I was quite excited to see all the power tools, nuts and bolts, and unbelievable science knick knacks we are allowed to tinker with!

Tricia was nice enough to invite me to sit through their regular staff meeting. After more introductions, the meeting went under way and I learned what projects the staff recently wrapped, are currently working on and what else are coming down the pipe.

In the afternoon, I joined a Teacher's Workshop on inventiveness that Tricia facilitated for a couple of teachers from Virginia. After a brief lecture on the history, mission-vision and activities of the Lemelson Center, Tricia divided the teachers into three groups. She handed each group an envelope containing invention patent documents and a couple of images. The group was tasked to determine what the invention is, how and what it is used for and try to piece together the story of how it was invented. I think that this is a very good activity to help the participants grasp the concept of inventiveness/creativity as illustrated by the featured inventor and his/her invention. It also challenges our common notion that inventors are old men with white hair, a beard and round-rimmed glasses. The main message of the activity is that we all can be inventors!

Then the teachers were led downstairs and allowed to explore on their own the Invention at Play exhibit. We all met up at the Spark!Lab after about half an hour, and the teachers continued to explore the space.

Some of the teachers exploring the "What now activity"

When Spark!Lab closed to public at 4pm, Tricia commenced the last activity that  demonstrated the invention process: Think it! Explore it! Sketch it! Create it! Try It! Tweak it! Sell it! The teachers were asked to form three new groups. This time, Tricia handed each group a bag containing an assortment of materials. But each group's set of materials are different from the others'. The task is for each group to think of a challenge that their materials could solve and then create that solution - all in under 15 minutes and with only the materials they have!

The teachers brainstorming for ideas

An eco-friendly water filter device for camp sites

A floating shower and toilet for boats

A a garbage/recycling bin that can be attached to students' desks

After the workshop, I sat down with Steve to brainstorm about what activity I could come up with for the Lemelson. I have previously told him about designing and making roller-coasters in my last class this summer (read about that by clicking here), he felt that that could be an idea we could pursue. Wow, my summer course on Science Instruction for Informal Setting is truly coming in handy! I am extremely excited about making a prototype of the rollercoaster activity!

First day as an Intern

Monday, June 22.

We were asked to show up at the employee entrance of the National Museum of American History (NMAH) at 10 am today. Although I live about four miles and 3 Metro stops from the NMAH, I decided to leave the apartment at 9am. Thanks to the Metro, it only takes about 30 minutes for me to travel from door to door, oh how I've missed living in the big city!

I met with four other interns at the waiting area and at 10 am, we were met by two other interns who are assigned at the NMAH Internship office. They gave us a brief overview what's expected from us as interns, the usual stuff: dress code, behaviour, rules, safety and security reminders etc.

We also found out from them that as interns, we have a number of fabulous benefits such as:

• free one admission per week to IMAX movies at any Smithsonian. Everything but Night at the Museum - awww! They do have a number of other interesting films to watch, so I know where I'm spending my weekends at!
• free one simulation ride per week. Since I'm paranoid to enjoy real thrill rides, these are perfect for me.
• 20% discount on any Smithsonian cafeterias and museum stores
• Occasional reduced or free admission to other non-Smithsonian museums

The Internship office also organizes enrichment trips, programs and dialogues with leading individuals from NMAH. With hundreds of summer interns at the Smithsonian, there are a number of Smithsonian-wide programs that allow opportunities for us to learn about the institution, Washington, DC and meet other interns.

After the brief orientation, we were sent off to get our official badges. Took about an hour of waiting before my turn to have my picture taken came. This was posted near the camera: "This is an ID photo, not a glamour shot!"  Five minutes later, my badge was handed to me.

Afterwards, we were individually introduced to our supervisors. I finally met Tricia Edwards, the Education Specialist of the Lemelson Center, who I have been corresponding with since early this year. She introduced me to most of the Lemelson Staff then brought me down to the Spark!Lab for more introductions and for a brief tour of both the Spark!Lab and the Invention at Play exhibit.

She handed me a packet of materials about the Lemelson Center, a list of the staff (which would definitely come in handy considering how awful my memory for names and faces are!), and two research/evaluations: one about the Hands On Science Center (what Spark!Lab used to be) and the other about NMAH. Both documents were very helpful in providing me with a broader understanding of who their visitors are and what they want and need from the museum.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see that , Matt White (former Director of the Hands On Science Center), initiated one of the studies. Matt is a PhD. candidate in History of Science but became a classmate when he took the Introduction to Museology class offered by our program.

He gave me a valuable tip for applying at the Smithsonian, which I believe applies to whatever museum/institution you apply for. He told me that it would benefit me to:

1) identify which section of the museum I really want to be part of based on my interest

2) communicate with someone from that department to let them know of your interest in applying for an internship in their department.

You see, NMAH has a centralized intern application system, but due to the enormous number of applicants they get every summer, sometimes your application and skills do not get noticed. Thus when you have already made the personal connection with the department, assuming they want to accept you of course, they can watch out for your papers when it goes through the system. I am therefore very grateful to Matt for his wise counsel!

I really think I made a good choice in deciding to apply to the Lemelson Center. I have no doubts that this will be an excellent and fun learning experience!

Orlando Science Center

Our first field trip for the course "Science Instruction for Informal Setting".

One of the many activities we had to compete for the trip was an observation and evaluation of two exhibit items- one passive and the other an active exhibit. For this activity, we had to unobtrusively observe how visitors engage with our chosen exhibit items. For 15 minutes, we took tabs on how many visitors a) noticed/looked at the exhibit (<5 data-blogger-escaped-actually="" data-blogger-escaped-and="" data-blogger-escaped-attention="" data-blogger-escaped-b="" data-blogger-escaped-c="" data-blogger-escaped-engage="" data-blogger-escaped-it="" data-blogger-escaped-paid="" data-blogger-escaped-secs.="" data-blogger-escaped-secs="" data-blogger-escaped-to="" data-blogger-escaped-with="">30 secs.). We also took note of their reactions and comments. Then we wrote down strong and weak points of each of our chosen exhibits as well as our recommendation for improvements, if any.

Florida Aquarium

After spending half a day at the Lowry Park Zoo, we continued our field trip to The Florida Aquarium, still in Tampa. We did more observations, evaluations, worksheets and behind the scenes tour. After being on my feet practically since 530am, I was ready to go home by 6pm. Thank God I didn't have to drive all the way the Gainesville! :)

Lowry Park Zoo

We had four field trips for my summer course on Science Instruction for Informal Settings. The Lowry Park Zoo, in Tampa, was second on our list. We didn't just go there to visit the animals but we conducted observations, evaluated interpretative signs and enclosures, competed the activity sheets and went on a behind-the-scenes tour.

Koji's Birthday

Koji is the cute son of two Pinoy UFs- Joy and Emil.

In and around UF

I discovered that I have a number of pictures stored in my other camera that I have never saved nor posted. So here they are: random pictures taken in Gainesville

Photo Album 2009-06-29

Cornstarch Monster

This is a cool yet somewhat creepy video. I tried to read up on Non-newtonian fluids but the explanations seemed like Greek to me! Ahem, any physics major who can explain this to me in simpler terms?

Washington, DC

Sneak peak at the Lemelson Center

I arrived in Washington, DC on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 17. Since my internship does not start until June 22 and I have some time on my hands, I decided to re-visit the National Mall the following day. It has been almost seven years since my last visit and I have forgotten how many people come to see its museums! If only visiting museums could be as popular in the Philippines...

Enid A. Haupt Moongate Garden

Pharaoh Kahmunrah's pile of pilfered artifacts from the movie "Night at the Museum: battle of the Smithsonian" currently on display at the Smithsonian Castle

From the castle, I made my way to the National Museum of American History (NMAH). They recently re-opened after a two-year renovation. Among the changes are the redesigned museum's lobby and a new environmentally-controlled exhibition space for the Star Spangled Banner (the same flag that inspired their national anthem). 

The Greensboro Lunch Counter

On my way to the Lemelson Center, I saw the Greensboro lunch counter  and it reminded me of our course on museum exhibitions last Spring where one of my groupmates, Jenn, focused her virtual exhibition on the Civil Rights Movement in St. Augustine. The counter was one of the objects we "borrowed" for the exhibit.

I finally got to the Spark!Lab, one of the two spaces run by The Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the NMAH. As expected the Spark!Lab was filled with kids (and adults too!) eagerly waiting to participate in the experiments that are conducted every hour. It was 230 in the afternoon so I thought I'd visit the Invention at Play first then come back before 3pm to watch the experiment.

 

I came back later to watch the CO2 experiment. What is interesting about the Spark!Lab is that kids do not only watch the experiments but they are allowed to actively participate in them- hands-on learning at its finest! They are given protective goggles, beakers, flasks and other laboratory apparatuses to be used for the experiment.

This is an interesting video of Steve Madewell introducing the Spark!Lab. I will be working with him during my internship!

Sea World June 2009

Making Roller Coasters in Class

How cool is your class if one of the activities is making a roller coaster model? 

Throughout the course of my class on "Science Teaching in Informal Settings", we did a number of really cool hands on activities like leaves collecting, documenting lichens, nature hike, science museum visit, animal observations in a zoo and aquarium, behind the scenes tour of an aquarium, science center, museum and zoo,  polar bear enclosure designing, interpretative label writing, flat bird, reptile and amphibian sighting and spider web hunting (where gigantic mosquitoes tried to eat us alive!). We even listened in (more like eaves dropped) on conversations of museum/zoo/aquarium visitors and kept track of visitor engagement on specific exhibits!

But for our last day in class, we were in for a treat! We were given several foam insulation tubes (cut crosswise), masking tape, paper tubes, a marble (which served as the passenger) and 30 minutes to brainstorm and execute our extreme roller coaster design. Some of the other groups came up with really cool ones that actually worked! I took snapshots of some of the roller coasters. Ours is not here because it miserably failed! We were too ambitious...(shame!)

We were allowed to use anything inside the classroom including the walls, chairs, tables. You can see that groups used whatever was available around including our course binders and a travel coffee mug!

This is the winning group's design entitled "Anaconda". It was super cool!

Roller coaster model-making is one activity teachers can do to teach concepts of physics. In fact, theme parks can be also be an educational field trip site since various rides illustrate physics concepts!!!

I have learned so many ways of teaching science concepts from this class. But I think what stands out in all of these is the fact that in almost everything and anywhere, you can find opportunities to teach science. And these ordinary things and places (like the school's backyard, your kitchen or the parking lot) drive the idea that science is everywhere, not just in our classrooms and in our books, but a part of our daily lives!

With my summer class over, time to start packing for my move to DC next week!

Filipino kids win in science contest in Texas - INQUIRER.net

More awards for Pinoy kids! Both of my siblings are alumni of the Quezon City Science High School :)

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4 Pinoy students win awards in US science fair - INQUIRER.net

Wow! This is great news, not only because they are getting awards but because they are putting science into practical applications. Galing!

Link