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TCS Updated 4 May 2007


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The Eastern Bluebird

David R. Brooks and Susan Caughlan

We have a birdhouse just a few meters from one corner of our rural Pennsylvania home. There are no nearby houses or other distractions. These photographs of Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) were taken from about 7 or 8 meters away.

Editorial: Shawn Carlson's Museum Assignment
by Forrest M. Mims III

Forrest Mims' World of Science
by Forrest M. Mims III

Backscatter. Views and responses from TCS readers.

Wanderings with Ralph Coppola

Eye on the Sky: The May Sky by Paul Curtin

The First Scientific American: Benjamin Franklin And the Pursuit of Genius

Justin McHenry, Research Director for IndexCreditCards.com

I've always been a Benjamin Franklin fan, but I guess I've always admired the caricature of Franklin: from the rags-to-riches Poor Richard writing witty sayings in his almanacs to the benevolent old founding father who charmed the ladies in France.

SAS is Moving!

2007 SAS Citizen Scientist Conference Canceled

The Citizen Scientist in the News

SAS Community Forum Update

Amateur Scientist Web Sites: Microlaunchers Update

Labrats Update by Shawn Carlson: Lesson Thirteen

Ready for your introduction to microbiology?

Algae is the simplest plant on earth and one of the most interesting to study. This week, I'll show you how to cultivate algae, how to isolate individual strains of algae and how to do all kinds of experiments with them.

Skin Temperature Radio Telemetry: A Case Study of How to Design and Make Your Own System

Jan Cocatre-Zilgien
Adapted with permission from the author's web page.

Any parent who has had to take care of a feverish child at home knows what a source of emotional stress and anguish it can be. This is magnified at night, as fever often tends to get higher then. Unchecked fever may create complications of its own, such as dehydration and febrile convulsions in infants.

Update and Comments about An Experiment to Measure The Absolute Motion of the Earth

Lance Osadchey

I was asked to respond to reader inquiries and to provide more details on the velador setup described in An Experiment to Measure The Absolute Motion of the Earth (The Citizen Scientist, 2 March 2007).

First, I wish to caution everyone to be careful with the components. A responsible adult should be in charge of the construction and use of the velador. In particular, the laser and camera are potentially hazardous.

International Asteroid Search Campaign: Internet-Based Asteroid Search Program for High Schools & Colleges

Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter at a distance of 300-600 million kilometers (km) from the Sun is a debris field of irregularly-shaped boulders of rock. The field is called the Main Belt and is distributed within a few degrees of the ecliptic plane (i.e., the plane extending from the Sun's equator).

Model Aviation in Science Education

Bill Kuhl

My interest in science education stems from my feeling that the survival of the living world depends on science and the need for young people to be exposed to alternative energy.

This Week at Hilton Pond

Bill Hilton Jr.
Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
York, South Carolina 29745 USA

Yellowbelly Sliders Revisted (22-31 March 2007)

We got lots of feedback about our recent "Signs of Spring" installment--especially our comments about yellowbelly sliders sunning on a fallen tree. So "This Week at Hilton Pond" we're revisiting the turtle topic. The photo essay for 22-31 March 2007 includes numerous close-up photos of yellowbelly sliders, hints for how to sex them, and questions about their eyes and "turtle flies."

Quantum Mechanics Mini-Lesson

Shawn Carlson
Executive Director, Society for Amateur Scientists

Recently the following letter arrived at SAS:

Dr. Shawn,

I’m very confused about the properties of photons. When I used de Broglie’s equation, I found that a photon would have a mass inversely proportional to its wavelength, which I can’t understand because I thought photons were not supposed to have mass.
   
Copyright © 2007 by the Society for Amateur Scientists