Writings and videos about science activities with an emphasis on environmental science and energy measurement

Browsing Archive: July, 2015

Ax-Grinding at Ratemyprofessor

Posted by Antonio Chaves on Sunday, July 5, 2015, In : education news 

Someone recently made the "misteak" of registering for my class. To set the record straight, I never give "pop quizzes". I give frequent quizzes and allow students to prepare a 4X6 notecard which may be used during each quiz. If you want to vent about your professor, then "you can be my guess" but at least tell the truth. This is why I recommend better screening of college applicants.

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Solar Impulse Lands in Hawaii!

Posted by Antonio Chaves on Friday, July 3, 2015, In : environmental news 
The Solar Impulse just landed in Hawaii after 5 days of solo flight from Nagoya, Japan. This is a big deal because it is perhaps the riskiest portion of the first RTW flight on a manned plane that is powered entirely by photovoltaic panels. Kudos to Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg for making it happen. As you may well know, the Piccard family has been setting records for dangerous pioneering research for generations. But how many of you know that Bertrand's grandfather served at the rea...
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New Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Could Double Energy Density While Lowering Costs

Posted by Antonio Chaves on Wednesday, July 1, 2015, In : environmental news 
This new lithium battery that uses sulfur as the oxidizing agent could dramatically increase the range of electric vehicles while lowering the price due of the low cost of sulfur. Lithium however is still rare and expensive. If there is a possibility of combining sulfur with more commonly available alkali metals like sodium in batteries the price should be dramatically lower. The sacrifice in energy density (sodium is heavier than lithium) may be worth it to those with short commutes who do n...
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About this blog

This blog was originally created in January 2013 to serve as a means for providing updates on science activities from the environmental science lab manual Ecology, Development, and Sustainability. I have now expanded its purpose to include other items of interest to science teachers. 

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