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Hands-on Science. A direct way to Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Computer Application. Experiences and P rojects. Biology - Limnology : Row , row , row your boat - GEO-Day of Biodiversity : Ecosystems and Citizen Science - Ecology: Meeting Dracula‘s little Cousins
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Hands-on Science A direct way to Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Computer Application
ExperiencesandProjects • Biology - Limnology:Row ,row, rowyourboat - GEO-Day ofBiodiversity: EcosystemsandCitizen Science - Ecology: Meeting Dracula‘slittle Cousins - Genetics: CSI Rahel-Varnhagen-Kolleg - Evolution: Whaleswithlegs/Hello, Mr. Mettmann/Heritage in Stone • Chemistry -Homemade Aspirin andtheprocessofesterification - Photometer in chargeofwaterquality • Maths - Let‘shavefun: Calculatinganamorphosises • Computer Application - Genes andmolecules in action – It‘s a wrap: Startingourowneditonofvideoclips
In the beginning: The idea • Whenteachingscienceyouhavethechoicetostay in theclassroomandusecomputersor traditional chalkortogo outside asoftenasyoucantogivethestudentsaccessto real experiencesandscientificwork. • The Rahel-Varnhagen-Kolleg issituated in a partof Germany closetothe Rhine and Ruhr areawithuniversitiesandmuseums but closetothemore rural highlands, too. • So – let‘smakethebestofit!
Limnology: Rowyourboat Whenteachingecology, weconcentrate on freshwaterecosystems. So eachsummerandautumnclassesstayatthe „Sorpetalsperre“ oneofseveralwaterreservoirssituated in thehighlandstotakesamplesofplanktonandcollectdata on severalchemicalparameters. Besidesofscientificworkit‘shavingfunandpractisingteamwork.
Sorpe-Talsperre The waterreservoirswerebuilttosupporttheindustrialareasandfordrinkingwater. Today theyaremostlyusedforrecreation. The Sorpe-Talsperre isoneofthedeepestandhas an excellentwaterquality in themainbasin.
Collecting samples Measuringdepth, temperature, visibilityandcollectingsamplesforseveralchemicalparametersandplanktonorganimsarethetasksdividedamongstthestudents.
No, it‘s not karaoke. Wearereadyformeasuring Ropescanbetricky
GEO-Day of Biodiversity More popular in countries like Great Britainorthe United States a newapporachtogethighamountsofdataorinformationwiththehelpoflaymenhasbeenestablished. Citizen Science joinstheexactmethodsofscientificresearchandtheenthusiasmofinterestedpeople. GEO, a magazindealingwithgeography, biology, medicineandothertopicsregularlyannounces a contestforschoolsandothergroupstolookforcreepycrawlies, birdsorplantsandencouragesthemto send theirlistsofspeciesandresearchlogsto it.
A smallgroupofpeopletookpartandconcentrated on a brook in theforestclosetotheschool. Itbecame „familybusiness“ withstudents, theirkidsandteachers , all caughtbyexplorationfever.
A typicalbrook in thewoodsaround Hagen. Shadedbytrees, attractiveforamphibiansandanimalsadaptedto cool andoxygen-richwater.
„Look whatI‘vefound!“ No matter, ifsmallorbigboy –thehunter‘sinstincthasbeenrisen
The studentwhowantstostudyecology, thekidsandtheirparentsmayspreadwhattheyhavelearnedandhelpprotectingbiodiversity.
An intenselooktoindentifyinsectlaravae, crustaceans, molluscsandplanaria
Ecology: Meeting Dracula‘s little Cousins All European batsforageforinsects. Different timesforhunting, different places (closetothewatersurface, betweenbranchesorhigh in theairlikeswallows ) preventcompetition. Noctule (Nyctalusnoctula) Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrelluspipistrellus) Daubenton‘s bat (Myotisdaubentoni)
Atdaytime just a pond, but atnightfallthestageforthree different speciesofbats. Oneoftheartificalsummerroostsattractingbatswhichusually live in holesmadebywoodpeckers
Heretheycome! The bat-detectorlowersthefrequencyof bat soundsfrom 24-40 kHz down to a level human earsareabletohear.
Genetics: CSI Rahel-Varnhagen-Kolleg Knowyour DNA! The mobile lab truckenablesthestudentstotake a probe oftheirown oral mucousmembrane, enlargethe DNA-sample andanalyze a DNA-fingerprint
Andoffersnewperspectivesconcerning a job after school! Working with professional lab equipmentisgreat!
What‘snext? Coming in September: Student‘sdiscussion on geneticengineeringandethicswith a memberofthe German „Bundestag“
„Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution“ (C.T. Dobzhansky) The museumofnatural history in Münster had a fantastic exhibitionaboutwhales. The mostfascinatingdisplaymodels werewhalefossils, showingthe developementfrom a four- leggedland-basedmammal resembling a wolftothebiggest water-livinganimalever.
Comparetheskeletonsof man anddolphin: thewatersupportsthebody. There‘snoneedfor strong bones. That‘s all whatisleftof a Spermwhale‘spelvis.
HelloMr Mettmann! In theearly 19th century, theNeandertal in Mettmann, closeto Düsseldorf was a romanticvalley , inspiringpainters . Latertherocksgavewayto a quarry. Onedaytwoworkershadthe order todig out themud in a cave andfoundsomebones. Theydidn‘tpaymuchattention, but their find turned out tobe a hithertounknown form of European human ancestor: The Neandertal Man.
What was leftfromthebody Parts ofthe Neandertaler DNA hasbeenfound in recentmen
Heritage in Stone Coalcanbefound in the western partoftheland, sometimesclosetothesurface, whenearthquakesformedthelandtumblingitupside down. East of Hagen theundergroundchanges. In thedevonperiodtheland was a partof a shallowtropicalocean, leaving fossil coralreefsanddripstonecaveswhenitsurfaced.
Tools forgeologists Let‘sdig!
No, unfortunately not ourdiscovery: The skeletonof a Cave Bear was found in the Heinrichshöhle near Hemer. Menandhisancestorsinhabitedtheregionforabout 40 000 years. Severallayersofceremonialburialswerefound in a cave in Hagen withinthe last years.
Chemistry: Home-made Aspirin andtheprocessofesterification The Alfred-Krupp-Schülerlabor belongstothe Ruhr-University in Bochum. Herestudentscanworkunder real laboratoryconditions. Oneofthetopics in advancedchemistryisaboutdrugsandmedicine
Take somecarbonacidandalcoholandcreate a syntheticfruitfragranceortakeaceticanhydrideandsalicylicacidandgetyourown Aspirin
Beakers, testtubesandcondensers: working in a lab isfunandmighthelptochoose a joboruniversitycourse.
Water Quality: using Lambert-Beer‘s Law formeasuringconcentrations The amountofchlorophyll a, phosphate, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, silicategiveshintsaboutwaterquality
After all dataarecollected: Cleaningup! – well, someonehasto do it!
Maths: let‘shavefun! First: imagine a geometrical form Second: calculateyouranamorphosis Third: find someclassmateshelpingtodraw
Computer Applications Genes andmolecules in action: It‘s a wrap! In post-production: „Dance ofthemolecules“ a clipaboutdiffusion
Potassiumferrocyanideandferricchloride, 2 yellowpowders, in waterquickly diffuse andreactto a dye, Prussian Blue
Watch: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2101254/Proteinbiosynthese%20v.%205.mp4 A stop-motionclipabouttranslationfrom m-RNA toaminoacids, thesecondpartofproteinbiosynthesismadebythestudentsbased on papermodels