The Mentos-in-the-Diet Coke mania has now reached maximum potential, with the production of some very good video just as school is out for the summer. In my opinion, this kind of "science project" should not get a passing grade unless the student submits a very funny video to compensate for the complete lack of originality.
Here is the link for this video: EepyBird.com - Extreme Diet Coke and Mentos Experiment
A university in the US conducted a pilot project in a biology course for non-science majors which tested how well students could learn biology without lectures. The pilot course was taught without a single lecture. Students instead were given guided learning activities along with training in study skills and independent learning.
It was no surprise to me to learn that students in the experimental course had higher grades, higher class averages, and higher satisfaction than the students who were taught with a traditional lecture format. We already know that talking does not always guarantee communication, so why should we expect lectures to always result in learning?
The project is described in the article, Abandoning the Lecture in Biology, by Robert C. Evans of Rutgers University. The article was published in the Journal on Excellence in College Teaching and is available here.
Yesterday, 15 March, was the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar in the Roman Senate. Scientists have long used the moment of his death as an illustration of the concept of large numbers in chemistry and principles about distribution. The idea is basically this: the molecules released when Caesar exhaled his last breath have become so widely distributed that, every time we take a breath, we inhale one or more of those molecules.
Here's a link to an article and to a podcast (an audio file) on the topic: NPR : Commemorate Caesar: Take a Deep Breath!
