Lessons

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  Reaction Time 1: How Fast Are You?

  3-5  |  Hands-On
  This lesson identifies ways in which experience and practice allow humans to learn new skills, using activities that test reaction time as examples.
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  Reaction Time 2: Zap!

  3-5  |  Interactive
  This lesson shows how skills can improve through practice and awareness, using a game that focuses on both visual and auditory responsiveness.
• 

  Extending Human Ability through Technology

  6-8  
  In this lesson, students will explore various ways in which technology has enhanced human abilities.
• 

  Putting the Ice in Hockey

  6-8  
  In this lesson, students will explore a website to learn that what happens at the surface of ice to give it its slippery nature can be explained by molecular motion.
• 

  Skin and Sports

  6-8  
  In this lesson, students learn about the importance of proper protection from common skin conditions when they engage in sports-related activities.
• 

  Snow Goggles

  6-8  |  Hands-On
  This lesson illustrates how the use of scientific inquiry can solve different kinds of problems, like blocking unwanted sunlight.
• 

  Sun & Skin

  9-12  |  Interactive
  In this lesson, students will discuss what they already know about the impact sun exposure has on their skin and what they typically do to protect themselves, if anything.

Tools

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  Careers in Sports and Exercise Science

  6-12  |  Website
  This resource, created by Science Careers to coincide with the Athens Olympics in 2004, highlights a variety of careers related to exercise and sports science.
• 

  Science of the Olympic Winter Games

  6-12  |  Video
  Created by NBC and NSF, these videos feature interviews with athletes and coaches who explain the science behind the Olympic Winter Games.
• 

  Science at the Olympics

  9-12  |  Website
  This spread from Science magazine discusses questions about the intersection of scientific and technological innovation and the Olympics games.
• 

  Science of the Summer Olympics: Engineering in Sports

  5-12  |  Video
  A series of videos that explore the science, engineering, and technology that are helping athletes maximize their performance at the 2012 London Games.

Science Updates

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  Fastest Swimsuit

  6-12  |  Audio
  A team of scientists has developed what may be the world's fastest swimsuit.
• 

  Sprinter Advantage

  6-12  |  Audio
  In this Science Update, hear why Olympic runners closest to the start gun may get a slight advantage.
• 

  Sprinter Feet

  6-12  |  Audio
  Elite sprinters may be helped by unusual foot anatomy.
• 

  Sports Drinks

  6-12  |  Audio
  The acidity in sports drinks wears down tooth enamel—and brushing can worsen the problem.

Videos

• Science of the Summer Olympics: The Biomechanics of Usain Bolt

  9-12  |  Video
  This video is from the "Science of the Summer Olympics" series, produced by NBC and the National Science Foundation. It examines how Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt's stride, strength, and muscle coordination have helped him record the fastest time in the world in the 100 meter sprint.

• Science of the Summer Olympics: Designing a Fast Pool

  8-12  |  Video
  This video is from the "Science of the Summer Olympics" series, produced by NBC and the National Science Foundation. Through advances in pool design, engineers are helping swimmers reach their maximum speed with technology designed to minimize waves.

• Science of the Summer Olympics: Designing Safety Helmets

  7-12  |  Video
  This video is from the "Science of the Summer Olympics" series, produced by NBC and the National Science Foundation. A mechanical engineer at New York University's Polytechnic Institute explains how the safety helmets that Olympians wear are designed, constructed, and tested.

• Science of the Summer Olympics: Engineering for Mobility

  8-12  |  Video
  This video is from the "Science of the Summer Olympics" series, produced by NBC and the National Science Foundation. A biomechanical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh demonstrates how engineering can help wheelchair athletes of all sports maximize their performance at the Paralympic Games.

• Science of the Summer Olympics: The Impact of Jenny Simpson

  6-12  |  Video
  This video is from the "Science of the Summer Olympics" series, produced by NBC and the National Science Foundation. U.S. runner Jenny Simpson relied on new treadmill technology to help rehabilitate from a stress fracture as she trained for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

• Science of the Summer Olympics: Maximizing the Long Jump of Bryan Clay

  9-12  |  Video
  This video is from the "Science of the Summer Olympics" series, produced by NBC and the National Science Foundation. In order to maximize his performance, 2008 Olympic decathlon gold medalist Bryan Clay teamed up with engineers from BMW to improve measurement of the horizontal and vertical velocities of his long jumps.

• Science of the Summer Olympics: Measuring a Champion

  6-12  |  Video
  This video is from the "Science of the Summer Olympics" series, produced by NBC and the National Science Foundation. An electrical engineer at Georgia Institute of Technology explains why Olympic timekeeping technology must be able to measure an athlete's performance with both accuracy and precision.

• Science of the Summer Olympics: Missy Franklin and Fluid Dynamics

  8-12  |  Video
  This video is from the "Science of the Summer Olympics" series, produced by NBC and the National Science Foundation. U.S. swimmer Missy Franklin masters the basic principles of fluid dynamics in order to be the fastest swimmer in the pool.

• Science of the Summer Olympics: Sarah Robles and the Mechanics of Weightlifting

  7-12  |  Video
  This video is from the "Science of the Summer Olympics" series, produced by NBC and the National Science Foundation. A robotics engineer who has designed a robotic arm analyzes weightlifting technique to teach the robotic arm how to do the same motion.

• Science of the Summer Olympics: The Strength and Flexibility of Oscar Pistorius

  6-12  |  Video
  This video is from the "Science of the Summer Olympics" series, produced by NBC and the National Science Foundation. South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius is the first double-amputee athlete to compete at the Olympics. He will race in the 400 meter race and 4x400 meter relay using a pair of carbon fiber prosthetic legs engineered to store and release energy from the impact of his strides.