Keeping government data publicly available helps the process of science proceed

Here's an update on a previous post about Earth's climate...  

A 2016 blog post about the most recent record setting temperature record on the Lyncean Group of San Diego website commended NOAA and NASA for their openness sharing the data on which their analysis was based.

The visualization below from NASA illustrates Earth’s long-term warming trend, showing temperature changes from 1880 to 2015 as a rolling five-year average. Orange colors represent temperatures that are warmer than the 1951-80 baseline average, and blues represent temperatures cooler than the baseline.  Free access to this data allows all citizens to discuss the concerns of global climate change. 

source: https://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/news/20160120/

This data and these discussions are critical in the search to find the truths about our world that scientists seek.

NASA Update on SN 1987a

NASA updated their Supernova 1987a page with some excellent imagery and a cool 3D visualization of the expanding ring which is remnant of a star observed exploding in 1987.

NASA 3D Visualization

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/sn1987amodel.gif

Read more about this supernova at the NASA website: 

"The Dawn of a New Era for Supernova 1987a"

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/the-dawn-of-a-new-era-for-supernova-1987a

Railroad History and Saginaw's Castle Museum

I had an enjoyable visit at the Castle Museum in Saginaw this weekend and talked at length with Bill Falkenberg, a railroad enthusiast and volunteer at the museum. The visit led to further research on railroads in Michigan and a very informative online map at http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Evolution/1880s/Lower1888.htm.  It was interesting to think about how our history is interwoven with the development of the railroads in our state.

Much more information about railroad history in Michigan is available at http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/RRHXHome.htm

The Singing Dentist covers Ed Sheeran

A little fun for Friday....

Red Nova predicted for 2022

One of my students in Earth Science class found this YouTube video predicting that a pair of stars identified as KIC9832227 in the constellation Cygnus will merge and be visible to everyone on Earth in the year 2022.  The video from "CosmosNews" is shown below.

Please read more about this subject at http://earthsky.org/space/star-predicted-to-explode-in-2022

The video at the EarthSky website is shown below

2016 Hottest Year on Record

2016 Hottest Year on Record

 https://www.facebook.com/theconversationUS/posts/1829973957242498

https://www.facebook.com/NOVApbs/posts/10154229301607196

2015 PISA Results: US Science Scores on PISA slightly above International Average

2015 PISA Results: US Science Scores slightly above International Average

http://www.oecd.org/pisa/

Related Stories...

From Slate in 2014 - What’s Holding Back American Teenagers?  Laurence Steinberg asserts that if we want our teenagers to thrive, we need to help them develop the non-cognitive traits it takes to complete a college degree—traits like determination, self-control, and grit. This means classes that really challenge students to work hard—something that fewer than one in six high school students report experiencing, according to Diploma to Nowhere, a 2008 report published by Strong American Schools. Unfortunately, our high schools demand so little of students that these essential capacities aren’t nurtured. As a consequence, many high school graduates, even those who have acquired the necessary academic skills to pursue college coursework, lack the wherewithal to persevere in college. 

From Upworthy in 2012 - Ask The Kids.   Amanda Ripley surveyed hundreds of US students that participated in foreign exchange in a high performing country.  She found three major points about the US education system that they all agreed on.  The students all said that in their foreign host countries:

• School is harder. There's less homework but the material is more rigorous. People take education more seriously, from selecting the content to selecting the teachers.

• Sports are just a hobby. In the U.S., sports are a huge distraction from the business of school, but that's not the case in other countries.

   and most importantly

• Kids believe there's something in it for them. The students in other countries deeply believe that what they are doing in school affects how interesting their lives were going to be. Even if they don't like a class, they see their education as a stepping stone to their future.

  The YouTube video below shows Ms. Ripley presenting her conclusions.