Eight years ago a credit card-sized, affordable computer landed on the market, making computing and programming accessible to a wide audience. Since then, the Raspberry Pi has been a hit with scientists, hobbyists, students, and kids alike. Take a look at these fun projects for beginners to get some inspiration! The Library has several books… Continue reading Happy Birthday Raspberry Pi!
Category: Science
Katherine Johnson 1918 – 2020
Today marks the passing of one of the great minds of mathematics. Katherine Johnson, a mathematician at NASA during the Space Race, contributed to projects such as America’s first human space flight, the first moon landing, and the Space Shuttle. In 2015 she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to civilians,… Continue reading Katherine Johnson 1918 – 2020
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
The United Nations has designated February 11th as International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a day that highlights how important it is to encourage a new generation of women to enter into the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. International Day of Women and Girls in Science aims to break down harmful… Continue reading International Day of Women and Girls in Science
I’m GLAD I Can Evaluate Science News
Despite my love of all things science, I’m often frustrated by how scientific discoveries get reported to the public. Studies are often oversimplified, misrepresented, blown out of proportion, or taken out of context to encourage readers to click on a headline. And since science influences so much of our lives, misinformation can be dangerous. Okay,… Continue reading I’m GLAD I Can Evaluate Science News
Make it a Hobbit to Look for the Science
November 11th marks the 65th anniversary of the publication of The Two Towers, the second book in J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous Lord of the Rings trilogy. Central to the story are the Hobbits, peaceful, large-footed people of short stature that love the comforts of home. Most people accept that Middle Earth and its inhabitants are fantasy,… Continue reading Make it a Hobbit to Look for the Science
Daylight saving time is ending- what will you be doing?
Have you thought about what you want to do with your extra hour this Sunday? Sure, you could catch up on sleep, but there are so many options to consider! Why don’t you ~fall back~ into the couch and enjoy an hour long episode of the PBS series How We Got to Now on time.… Continue reading Daylight saving time is ending- what will you be doing?
Science is Snow Laughing Matter
I’m not going to lie, the snow certainly has some nerve to arrive this early in the season. But since it’s here, we should look at the chemistry behind snowflakes. Let’s learn some SCIENCE! Hey, where are you going? This is cool, I promise! According to the American Chemical Society, all snowflakes start as a… Continue reading Science is Snow Laughing Matter
The Physical Implications of Critical Infrastructure Cyberattack
In this talk, Dr. Rush outlines how cyber attacks against critical infrastructure can impact the supply of gas, water, and electric grids. Cyber-attacks are usually thought of as directed against information, such as compromise of passwords, access to financial information, or theft of information. The focus of this talk is on the need to increase… Continue reading The Physical Implications of Critical Infrastructure Cyberattack
Particle Accelerators: Probing the Universe with the World’s Highest Energy Collisions
The universe we live in is approximately 14 billion years old and has undergone many phases of transformation. The exact laws of its structure and formation remain largely unknown to us. One way to understand them is to re-create the conditions of the early universe when the matter was very dense and hot. This can… Continue reading Particle Accelerators: Probing the Universe with the World’s Highest Energy Collisions
The Grand Canyon: Home to Ancient Vampire Bats and Ground Sloth Poop
A long time ago in a canyon far far away… prehistoric animals left traces of their existence for scientists to discover. We celebrate those discoveries and their contributions to science with National Fossil Day. This year’s focus is the rich knowledge gained from the fossils found at the Grand Canyon National Park This year’s promotional… Continue reading The Grand Canyon: Home to Ancient Vampire Bats and Ground Sloth Poop