Science
The Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences is offering five STEM classes this summer specifically designed for the needs of K-12 teachers. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; improving STEM education at all levels has been named a priority by President Barack Obama.
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Mars will be at its highest and brightest for the year during February, coming into view in the east as evening twilight fades. The red planet was closest to Earth in its orbit on Jan. 27, and it will remain near its best all month as it outshines every star except Sirius. This will be a fine opportunity to view Mars through a telescope, since it won't be bigger or brighter until 2014.
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Students returning from winter break this month found three new teaching laboratories in Indiana University Bloomington's Jordan Hall, built expressly for the purpose of providing practical laboratory experiences in the life sciences. The teaching labs replace and augment 3,700 square feet of outdated space. The new labs are more flexible and expansive, covering 5,300 square feet on two floors.
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The Multidisciplinary Ventures and Seminars Fund has awarded funding in support of the 2010-2011 seminar (from late August through early May) series titled "Rupture and Flow: The Circulation of Technoscientific Facts and Objects." Invited experts from around the world, as well as local specialists, will speak.
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A consortium of more than 100 scientists has completed an analysis of the DNA sequence of three parasitic wasp species, and the project has turned up a few surprises in the process. The genome project, described in this week's issue of Science, was led by University of Rochester and Baylor College of Medicine scientists, with Indiana University Bloomington biologists providing key genetic findings. The three wasp species are all members of the genus Nasonia -- vitripennis, giraulti, longicornis. And all three wasps sting and lay eggs within the larvae of agricultural pests as a food source for the wasps' young.
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Deep underground aquifers in the American Southwest contain gases that tell of the region's ancient climate, and support a growing consensus that the jet stream over North America was once split in two. The paleohydrogeology tool, developed by Indiana University Bloomington geologist Chen Zhu and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology geologist Rolf Kipfer, depends on the curious properties of noble gases as they seep through natural underground aquifers.
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