STEM

When The Space Shuttle was conceived, its mission was to make space flight “cheap.” (As these things go.) Original estimates had hoped that eventually the program would cost a frugal $50 million per launch. That dream was never realized, and in the end cost a total of $196 billion — an average of $450 million Continue Reading →

When Northern Arizona opens its college football season at the University of Arizona on Friday night, the Lumberjacks’ sports medicine team will have a new member: a robot. VGo (pronounced vee-go) is a two-wheeled, remote-controlled, electrically powered robot developed by VGo Communications of New Hampshire that stands 4 feet upright and resembles a miniature Segway. Continue Reading →

Finding high quality and appropriate educational apps for middle schoolers is tricky business. Preteens are no longer engaged by rudimentary games and childish characters, yet they still lack the skills and discipline to take on more complex, high school-oriented subjects. Apps that hit the bullseye for this age group introduce critical thinking techniques and reach Continue Reading →

My family visited Rangeley, Maine this summer, in time for the July 4th holiday, (they actually celebrate on the 3rd). We stayed on the edge of the lake at a bucolic camp owned by my cousin Tony, Cole’s Kingdom by name. I have done some experimenting with a new camera I acquired: the Samsung Galaxy Camera. These Continue Reading →

  The rise in online courses over the past ten years has found its way into all levels of education from K-12 to graduate school. Massive open online courses (MOOC) bring knowledge to students around the world. The technology to make this happen continues to evolve and create new opportunities. Changing at a slower pace Continue Reading →

Texas Instruments, the company that made the graphing calculator the most ubiquitous learning tool since the book, is giving teachers everywhere an invaluable new tool for teaching science and math: zombies. Yes, zombies. Zombies on graphing calculators, no less. The walkers aren’t alone, either. Their ambassador is actress (and scientist IRL) Mayim Bialik. The woman Continue Reading →

In June 2014, astronauts whizzing by high above us in the International Space Station may be able to print a highly detailed plastic Yoda head or, barring that, important parts that they may need while in orbit. NASA has already designed and built their own additive manufacturing printer that has a build envelope of about Continue Reading →

Will Google Glass soon flood the world with documentary filmmakers? That’s one possibility the company is encouraging through a partnership with film and design schools dubbed the “Glass Creative Collective.” Announced this week via Google+, the program works to get Google Glass into the hands and onto the heads of film students so they can Continue Reading →

You probably know the routine for drawing blood. A medical technician briefly wraps your arm in a tourniquet and looks your veins over, sometimes tapping gently with a gloved finger on your inner elbow. Then the med tech selects a target. Usually, but not always, she gets a decent vein on the first try; sometimes Continue Reading →

A tiny tooth sensor can detect whether a person is deviating from a diet or stuck on a smoking habit. The capability to monitor mouth motions may help physicians keep track of a patient’s progress or allow a patient to better understand his or her health habits. The sensor’s accelerometer, in combination with machine learning Continue Reading →