The Greatest Amateur Science Resource You've Never Used

Scientific American's The Amateur Scientist ver. 2.0, Science Fair Edition ISBN-0-9703476-2-6

Reviewed by Mike Dziekan,
Connecticut Analytical Corporation

To the dismay of many avid amateur scientists, professional scientists, engineers, teachers, and curious individuals, the "The Amateur Scientist" column in Scientific American was discontinued after the final installment in March 2001.

Dr. Shawn Carlson, the Society for Amateur Scientist's (SAS) founder and Executive Director, wrote the final six years of "The Amateur Scientist." Prior to that, Forrest M. Mims III, editor of The Citizen Scientist, contributed three columns. A few years ago, Shawn Carlson and Sheldon Greaves placed all "The Amateur Scientist" columns on a CD ROM (Fig. 1) that is available at the SAS web site.

Every column from May 1929 to March 2001 is included on this CD, including many articles from well-known science magazines.

Are you interested in constructing a home ECG (Electrocardiograph)? How about performing PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) in your kitchen? Maybe you would like to construct a magnetic resonance spectrometer, X-ray source, or homemade copper vapor laser is more your style?

Some of the experiments are very simple and easy to construct and perform. Others require a good knowledge of specialized laboratory techniques, like high-vacuum expertise, glass blowing techniques and electronic circuit construction. The projects and experiments can be utilized for science fair projects as well as serious scientific research. Each experiment or project is well documented from start to finish.

Altogether there are more than 1,000 projects to be discovered. I thought about purchasing the CD a while ago but thought (quite incorrectly) that it was nothing more than a grade school or high school science project guide. It turns out that it is much, much more than that!

If you are doing a science fair project, this CD certainly covers all the bases. If you are doing a college project, it will certainly be a great resource. If you are an avid experimenter or an amateur or professional scientist looking for new challenges, it's all there.

The CD covers topics from astronomy to zoology, all of which can be conveniently searched. I have to admit that I have found myself more than once researching a particular subject, only to discover a plethora of additional topics.

Have you ever thought about measuring the electrical charge on raindrops, or measuring the amount of ultraviolet radiation from the sun? Don't fret that you might not know the first thing about a particular subject. The CD has all the information that you will require from theory, to construction tips, to detailed explanations on how to properly use your project to get the best results. In addition, there is detailed information on how to properly interpret and calculate your data, along with discussions on statistics and probability.

Recently I had the pleasure to talk with Shawn Carlson about some of the projects included in the CD. I mentioned one in particular, "Counting Atmospheric Ions," and he told me about a friend who built the unit and remarked about the extreme sensitivity of the detector. The homemade detector is capable of sensing the charge on a comb that was passed through ones hair. The comb only had to be tossed into the room to be sensed by the detector. The detector not only sensed the charge on the comb, but also ended up pegging the meter! Some of the homemade instruments are comparable in sensitivity, accuracy and precision to that of high-end (and high priced) commercial laboratory equipment.

I don't know about you, but I don't have several hundred to several thousand dollars burning a hole in my pocket to buy commercial laboratory equipment. What I do have, and I am sure this is true for the majority of SAS members, is the ability to read technical articles. Once you find an area of interest, simply search through the CD and read through the construction procedure. If you don't have a great deal of knowledge in a specific area, further research into the "Tools & Techniques" will answer most, if not all, questions.

On the CD you will find more than just a list of projects. You will also find tips and hints by other experienced amateur scientists, including:

A concise rating system (see Fig. 2) for each project indicates the level of difficulty, cost rating, and any associated warnings (as some of the experiments are potentially lethal!). The hazard rating system ranges from "Danger 0" to "Danger 4." Some of these experiments are potentially hazardous, so it is recommended that all safeguards and warnings be diligently followed. The hazard level is arranged as follows:

Danger 0: (N/A)

Danger 1: (No Hazards)

Danger 2: (Minor Injury Possible)

Danger 3: (Serious Injury Possible)

Danger 4: (POSSIBLY LETHAL)

While some of the experiments are potentially dangerous, don't let that stop you from trying some of the more difficult ones. I recommend that you read carefully and thoroughly all the material on the project before attempting it. And I can't stress enough that ALL SAFTEY PRECAUTIONS MUST BE STRICTLY FOLLOWED!

In addition to the hazard level, there is a cost and difficulty rating for each project/experiment. The cost rating is a range indicating no associated cost, moderate cost, and over $100:

N/A – No cost associated

$0-$100 – Estimated cost is below $100

$100+ - Estimated cost will exceed $100

The difficulty rating consists of a series of small boxes in the form of a bar graph described as follows (Fig. 3):

Simplest Project

Little Difficulty

Slight Difficulty

Medium Difficulty

Difficult

Most Difficult

The last portion is a usefulness rating. As stated previously, the columns date back to 1929, and some of the more dated projects may require one to be creative when constructing and performing these older experiments. Some of the older experiments may require parts that were common and plentiful when first published and are now scare and difficult to find. For the determined experimenter, this will be a minor setback and not a dead end. It is strongly encouraged that anyone who develops a newer version of an outdated project write up the updated information and send it to SAS. The Amateur Scientist is currently at version 2.0, but it is an ongoing work. Any revised experiments or updated versions of outdated projects will most likely be included in a future CD.

The Amateur Scientist CD has a fully text searchable search engine that allows for a variety of searches to be conducted. A snap shot of the CD search page is shown in Fig. 4.

The search can be by specific keywords, names, subjects, or date of the issue of Scientific American when a specific column was first published. The time frames cover nine decades of fascinating columns, while the category search includes the following areas:

•  Archeology

•  Astronomy

•  Biology

•  Chemistry

•  Earth Science

•  Mathematics

•  Physics

•  Technical Notes

•  Tools & Techniques

As part of my job as a researcher, I am constantly challenged with innovative techniques for measuring, analyzing and quantifying various phenomena. Browsing through "The Amateur Scientist" CD has opened many avenues of research and experimentation. You can get a good idea of the variety of projects included on the CD by checking the amateur scientist index on the web. The index only covers 1952 to the present. Even so, if you look at the lengthy list, I think that you will come to the realization that this CD is a must have for any experimenter–whether beginner or professional.

It doesn't matter what type of hobby or research that you are involved with, I guarantee that there is an article or project related to it. For example, is your interest in any of the following areas:

This is only a partial list of the many subjects that are covered in the CD. In order to fully appreciate the depth of the subject material, search through the CD yourself. I think that you will be amazed at the wealth of knowledge that is available to you.

In addition to all the projects featured in Scientific American's "The Amateur Scientist," there are over 1,000 bonus pages of additional hard-to-find secrets and how-to science techniques that were never published in the pages of Scientific American. Additionally, there are many articles on laboratory techniques, tables of useful constants, chemical data, and construction tips.

Some of the bonus pages include excerpts from popular magazines, established organizations, and major corporations, including: