Quick List Index  |  |Complete Content Providers Listing
 

National Science Center 
http://www.nscdiscovery.org/EducationalPrograms/DistanceLearning03_04Schedule.htm#PMInfo
Contact:  Chip Schuster-  (706)821-0200 ext. 5539 or (800)325-5445 ext. 5539
E-Mail: schuster@nscdiscovery.org

About the Provider

The National Science Center (NSC) is a unique partnership between a non-profit organization  (National Science Center, Inc.) and the U.S. Army.  The headquarters of the NSC is Fort Discovery, located on the Riverwalk by the Savannah River in Augusta, Georgia.  Fort Discovery is a family-oriented math and science center as well as the home-base for an array of national educational outreach programs.  The primary mission of the NSC is to improve technical literacy and to encourage an interest in math and science careers.  This mission is met through the interactive activities at Fort Discovery and through the educational opportunities offered nationwide.

Registration Information

The cost to non-Georgia sites $140.00 per program. 

For more information: schuster@nscdiscovery.org

Connectivity

ISDN or IP

Program Topics

Amazing Sound

Middle School - 50 Minutes

You will see the production of sound demonstrated using a variety of non-conventional mediums. Longitudinal and compression waves will be explored along with other exciting properties of sound, including vibration, pitch, amplitude and frequency. See sound produced with smooth metal rods and drinking straws along with other commonly found items.

Also see the effects of frequency and amplitude on glass as the "Acoustical Glass Breaker" shatters glass-using sound. If you desire, students may participate in the making of sound with drinking straws. 

(NOTE: Each student must have two straws, one that will slip inside the other and a pair of scissors in order to participate at your site.)

Colors of Chemistry

Middle School - 50 Minutes

Color changes in chemistry tell chemists about the status of a system and what has occurred in the system.

1. Indicators, Acid & Base color changes: Discuss pH, explain using film canisters; demonstrate color changes from acids and bases on various indicators including pH and litmus paper;
2. Show color changes of indicators using carbon dioxide: dry ice added to cylinders with indicator and dilute base in them; "Breath Race" demonstrates how carbon dioxide in our breath can change color of an indicator in a dilute basic solution
3. Demonstrate titration of base with an acid using phenolphthalein as an indicator. Demonstrate use of magnetic stirrer as part of titration procedure.
4. Buffer systems: demonstrate the effect of a buffer, milk of magnesia, on a system where acid is added, using an indicator to show changes
5. Oxidation / Reduction indicators: "Blue bottle" experiment demonstrates an indicator that reflections the presence or absence of free oxygen in water.
6. Silver salt color changes: mixing a succession of clear liquids shows the appearance and disappearance of colors as successive additions are made. Touches on the formation of complex metal ions, the similarity in color of various silver halide salts and the introduction to the concept of solubility product constants. These issues will only be touched on and will not go into great depth, so the students will be amazed, entertained and led to believe that many unique events occur in some chemical reactions. Hopefully, this will inspire them to see chemistry as fun and to pursue it further in their education.

Food Quackery with Dr. Bill

50 Minutes

Childhood obesity and diabetes are epidemic in children today.  Children are bombarded with hundreds of food messages each day, either on TV, on the radio, or in magazines.  Students receive different, many times, conflicting, nutritional and dietary advice from news media, and advertising.  A number of significant advances have been made in the understanding of how diet and nutrition relate to both a student’s wellness in addition to diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and asthma.  This interactive lecture will teach students principles of nutrition and how to apply these principles for improving their nutritional status.  Dr. Bill presents very down-to-earth suggestions for students about how foods can be BOTH fast AND healthy and how snacks can be BOTH tasty AND nutritious.  As part of this program, Dr. Bill asks students to bring in advertisements of foods and snacks that they consider “bad” versus “good”.  He asks students to volunteer to put their advertisements on the document camera for discussion of the specific food or snack.  This program is highly interactive and students will have ample opportunity to have questions answered

Happy Hearts

50 Minutes

This distance-learning program is a fun and interactive program for kindergarten and 1st grade students to help them on the road to heart health early in life.  Dr. Bill begins the program by taking a red piece of paper construction paper and drawing a heart on it with black crayon.  He asks the students at the distance end to do the same thing.  Then Dr. Bill cuts out his heart and all the students cut out their hearts along with Dr. Bill.  Next Dr. Bill asks the students to draw a happy face on one side of the heart and a sad face on the other side of the heart.  He then asks students to tell him what they think makes a heart happy and sad.  Then he asks the students to tape the heart onto themselves with scotch tape at the place on their body where they think their heart is.  Dr. Bill watches the children and then he tapes the heart onto himself, happy face out.  During the program Dr. Bill stresses with the kids the importance of bike riding, skating, etc. and the importance of what they eat to keep their heart happy.  Dr. Bill also takes out his guitar and sings some food songs along with the kids (i.e., On Top of Spaghetti).  Finally, he reads some food poetry and stories, if time permits (i.e., “The Bernstein Bears and Too Much Junk Food”).

I'm All Charged Up

Middle School - 50 Minutes

During this program, we will discuss, investigate, explore, and demonstrate concepts and principles of electricity. Emphasis will be placed on the nature of like and unlike charges and why current flows through wire (conductor). To name a few, the student can participate in demonstrations: static electricity, parallel and series circuits, and how to make a galvanometer and a rheostat (a dimmer). If you would like to perform some of the demonstrations with us, contact our Distance Learning Coordinator for instructions.

Kitchen Cabinet Science

Middle School - 50 Minutes

Join us in performing science demonstrations that can be accomplished with everyday materials and "things" that are commonly found in the home. We will explore the science of "air pressure" using cola cans, hard-boiled eggs, candles, water and carafes. Newton’s Laws of Motion, the effects of air pressure on various objects, and the three states of mater (solids, liquids & gasses) will be demonstrated using cola bottles, pens and sewing hoops. Discover the magic of surface tension by using picture frame glass and water. Also, we will demonstrate the properties of thermo-dynamics using balloons; elasticity using needles, baggies, balloons and racquetballs; and elasticity using hands and balloons.

Magic of Air

Middle School - 50 Minutes

Can you feel the pressure being exerted on your body as you read this? Depending on your altitude you have at least 14.6 pounds of air pressing down on every square inch of your body. Air pressure at sea level is 14.6 lbs. per square inch and as your altitude increases the pressure decreases. We will be discussing and demonstrating the effects of air pressure on such common items as hard boiled eggs, balloons, water, canned soda, 3 by 5 cards, panes of glass and ping pong balls to name just a few.

Magnetism: A String Attraction

K - 4 - 50 Minutes

During this program, we will investigate, demonstrate, and discuss concepts and principles of magnetism. Emphasis will be placed on magnetic properties, magnets from magnetic substances, changing electricity into magnetism, and changing magnetism into electricity. If you are interested in performing any of these activities at school or home, contact our program manager for instructions.

Nitrogen: Earth's Most Abundant Gas

Middle School - 50 Minutes

Nitrogen gas is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere. When it is compressed and cooled, it turns to a liquid, which boils at 250 degrees below zero. Discover the science behind Cryogenics, as we experiment with liquid nitrogen, by observing the effects of super cooling and the changing states of matter. Observe objects changing from one state of matter to another and back again. The student will observe changes between the solid, liquid and gas states of matter as we use items such as racquet balls, balloons, metals and super conductors

Physics Balancing Act

Middle School - 50 Minutes

Have you ever wondered why the Leaning Tower of Pisa does not topple over or how ice skaters manage to speed up or slow down a spin so quickly?  This program will illustrate center of mass, acceleration, gravity, velocity, torque, rotational inertia, and other natural forces and physics concepts.  We will use nails, coke bottles, ink pen, wooden hoop, hammer, rope, the human body, and other common objects to demonstrate the principals of acceleration/mass/gravity.  Students can participate in selected demonstrations with the presenter.

Smoking Stinks

This interactive VTC program can be used by itself, or in combination with the parent and/or the teacher modules on smoking.  This live program is available for broadcast during normal school hours and is meant to complement smoking-related activities already ongoing in the school.  The aim of these programs is to address students, teachers, and parents in order to facilitate a cultural change in the school and home.

 This program, presented by Dr. Bill, is aimed at 7th and 8th graders in order to familiarize them with the health effects of smoking.  Dr. Bill talks about the type of toxins in cigarette smoke and how each of these affects the lungs, the heart, the blood system and bones.  As part of this 50-minute program, Dr. Bill asks that students bring in cigarette advertisements and he calls on students to put the advertisements on the document camera and discusses with the class the types of messages that advertisers use to entice people to smoke.  Dr. Bill also reviews cigarette warning labels and discusses the medical meanings of each warning label.  This is a highly interactive program and there is ample opportunity for students to ask questions.

The Simpler The Better

Middle School - 50 Minutes

During this program, the students will explore and experiment with several of the six simple machines.  The student will learn that some machines don't have motors.  They will also get an opportunity to see how a machine produces a force, controls the speed and direction of the force, but is unable to produce energy.  If you would like to perform some of the activities with us, contact our Distance Learning Coordinator in advance for instructions. 

Vision, Light & Color

Middle School - 50 Minutes

During this telecast we will demonstrate, illustrate and discuss many of the different aspects, theories and properties of light and color using objects both here in the studio and in the classroom. Roy G Biv will be introduced to your students and explain his importance to white light. To make your students' experience more enjoyable, we recommend that you have the following supplies per student or group of students: