Academics in a Box Inc. was founded to inspire in students a desire to learn more about the sciences and humanities. Our products aim to allow students a new way to experience the beauty, poetry, and wonder of our universe through hands-on experience. Our foundation is based on the ideas that by “doing” and “experiencing,” students are more motivated to become inquisitive about the world around them. It’s this curiosity and creative thinking that are at the heart of developing a love of learning. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is used as a guide to ensure that our products supplement the learning that takes place in the classroom. We aim to take students beyond simple memorization of facts and figures by helping them gain a better understanding of significant science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) practice and application, as well as gain a deeper appreciation of the materials they are presented with.
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Latest Posts by academicsinabox - Page 6
ATTENTION GAMERS! MIT Unleashes New Online Game for Math and Science. A group of researchers in MIT’s Education Arcade are trying to harness the power of MMO games to teach high school students to think like scientists and mathematicians. Their game, THE RADIX ENDEAVOR, is designed to be an educational game, and capitalizes on the interactions students can have as a way to build their knowledge and skills. - http://bit.ly/1fFN7mG
"Science and the Arts were never meant to be separated, they must intermingle." - Helena G. Niksen
Reptiles and things...this is the Titanoboa! They are calling this one of the greatest discoveries since the T-Rex! Discovered in a Colombian coal mine, its believed to have lived 59 million years ago, was 49 feet long, two feet wide, and weighed 2,500 lbs! Check out this awesome site from the Smithsonian Channel and learn more about the Titanoboa (there's even a cool Monster Snake Game there too!) Have FUN!: http://bit.ly/19sXMjB (p.s. I had my feet up while I was typing that...does anyone else get the HEEBIE-JEEBIES when it comes to snakes?)
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2013 Celebrating the Higgs boson and field surrounding you, me, the entire universe! Congratulations to François Englert and Peter W. Higgs (of Univ. of Edinburgh!) "for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider" Music & editing by melodysheep@musicalscience symphonyofscience.com youtube.com/melodysheep http://bit.ly/15YVceW
WHEN A NATION DREAMS BIG! An inspirational video that brings together a collection of perspectives and ideas from young astronaut hopefuls, renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and Lockheed Martin engineers who are building our nation's new Orion spacecraft. STEM and our Next Generation of Explorers! Watch where we are planning to go, it's VERY exciting! VIDEO click: http://bit.ly/15X6YGM
Marvel and actor Natalie Portman have launched a mentoring competition for girls interested in science, technology, engineering and/or maths. The program links high school girls with successful women in science who can provide advice and answer their career questions. Natalie Portman has always been a vocal ambassador for the sciences - she has a degree in psychology from Harvard University and was a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search. Unfortunately this competition is only open to girls in the US, but we think it's a great initiative that will hopefully inspire women AND men worldwide to pursue a career in science. Find out more in Phil Plait's blog for Slate.com http://slate.me/19t48iW. Original image: John Mira Tip of the Hat: ScienceAlert http://on.fb.me/19t4i9V
Astronauts who have seen the Earth from space have often described the 'overview effect' as an experience that has transformed their perspective of the planet and mankind's place upon it, and enabled them to perceive it as our shared home, without boundaries between nations or species. http://bit.ly/15SvE3h
Many Hearts, One Beat The connection is known as "respiratory sinus arrhythmia", and is thought to be induced by the "vagus nerve" becoming activated by exhaling. To prounounce the word "arrhythmia" click here: http://bit.ly/15RwMEi Definition of vargus nerve: http://bit.ly/19omtO0 Picture of a vagus nerve: http://bit.ly/15Rx2Dd Via Science Is Awesome More info: http://bit.ly/18mkPfV Photo: Pomona College
Orange Battery Artistic Scientist Generates Electricity Back to Light is a creatively scientific series by photographer Caleb Charland that explores the naturally electrifying power of ordinary objects like fruits and loose change. The images in the series features a number of materials, including consumables readily found in one's pantry, generating enough power to light lamps and LED lights. We had previously seen Charland light a lamp with 300 apples, but now the grocery list has expanded to include oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, pomelos, and vinegar. http://bit.ly/15xVIBf
Three important anniversaries yesterday, today, and tomorrow, all linked and related: satellite and rocket.
Yesterday was the anniversary of the launch of the first V-2 rocket, October 3, 1942.
A young Wernher von Braun had been working on rockets for almost twenty years prior to the...
Attention Next Generation Space Explorers! "Astronauts for Hire" needs YOU to imagine our future in space! Enter the World Space Week 2013 Art Contest...because a STEM mind is a CREATIVE mind! http://bit.ly/15RFJNI
Poetry...
The Weight & Workings of a Neutron Star Amazing image by: http://stefanpwinc.deviantart.com/art/Nick-s-neutron-star-facts-273973192 http://bit.ly/15OQMr3
World Space Week 2013: "Exploring Mars, Discovering Earth" Annual space, education, science, culture events, brought together by the United Nations -http://bit.ly/19nqgeF
Scientists may have invented the lightsaber http://yhoo.it/19nfJ37
What are the Phases of the Moon? http://bit.ly/19lpzT3
Sleek GOCE Spacecraft Will Have Uncontrolled Re-entry into Earth’s Atmosphere http://bit.ly/19loV7S
A hypothesized mechanism for the origin of life, an event called abiogenesis. http://bit.ly/19lqJhn
A hypothesized mechanism for the origin of life, an event called abiogenesis. In this version, called RNA world, small molecules called nucleotides formed in the waters of the early Earth during the Hadean Eon, and polymerized on the surface of clay minerals. These simple chains of RNA could replicate themselves in solution, but only slowly and inaccurately. An RNA molecule developed which would fold into a structure that catalyzed RNA polymerization; a ribozyme. The first ribozymes would replicate their sister strands, and produce copies of themselves and other RNA molecules.
In the same environment, long chains of carbon molecules called phospholipids were formed. These molecules have two parts, the tail, which is hydrophobic, and the head, which is hydrophillic. Because of these properties phospholipids will stick together and form micelles and vesicles in water. Vesicles can absorb RNA nucleotides, concentrating them and creating a space where they can replicate, mutate and evolve. At some point a ribozyme became enclosed within a vesicle, starting a chain reaction that evolved into the multitude of biological forms that we see today.
Because this event occurred more than 3.8 billion years ago, theories about how and where it happened are highly speculative. Possible environments for abiogensis include hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, hyper saline bubbles of water trapped in ice, radioactive lakes or lagoons on earths surface, and even in space or on another planet, brought to earth through a panspermia event. We have very little molecular evidence of the first cells, but ribozymes and catalytic RNA molecules are embedded in the DNA replication machinery of all life. Because evidence of this event has almost certainly been lost to time, the true mechanisms of the origin of life may remain a mystery to science.
Dreams of Space - Books and Ephemera Non-fiction children's space flight stuff 1945-1975. This book describes the Moon landings, the story of Apollo, what lunar geologists were expecting to find and what is beyond Apollo. The photographs are pretty standard but the section "Beyond Apollo" shows these "wild" ideas....First off : Space Stations of the Future!!! http://bit.ly/195li5Y
NASA - Spot The Station Over Your Backyard. Sign up for email or text message notices hours before the station flies overhead. As the third brightest object in the sky the space station is easy to see if you know when to look up. http://1.usa.gov/19a04DX
Strange Super-Earth Planet Has 'Plasma' Water Atmosphere http://bit.ly/15N4hrk
Giant Impact That Formed the Moon Blew Off Earth's Atmosphere http://bit.ly/15N45bx
How the Sun's Magnetic Field Works http://bit.ly/15LKyIn
Mars crater may actually be ancient supervolcanohttp://bit.ly/19iqm78
Still from Walt Disney's Mars and Beyond Einstein in a Box: "Lunar Launch" box. www.EinsteinInABox.com
Stars & Galaxies: A Star Is Born http://bit.ly/19ipvUa
How the Sun's Magnetic Field Works http://bit.ly/15LKyIn