Greetings Science NetLinks Friends!
A new school year has just begun and we hope you’re enjoying the fresh start. Here are some resources to help you make the most of the month.
Ozone Day
September 16th marks the United Nations’ International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, or “Ozone Day,” which is observed annually on the anniversary of the 1987 signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. This event is designed to highlight the problems facing the ozone layer, its relationship with climate change, and what individuals and industries can do to protect the ozone layer from further damage. The 2012 theme is "Protecting our Atmosphere for Generations to Come."
Develop an understanding of the atmosphere through Air Masses and the role they play in weather and climate. Learn how air takes up space and puts pressure, or pushes, on everything around it in Properties of Air. In Ozone Fill-up, hear how many countries are phasing out the use of ozone-destroying chemicals called CFCs to give the ozone hole a chance to heal itself. While carbon emissions may be dominating the headlines, some think human sources of nitrogen may be just as environmentally costly. Learn more in the podcast, Nitrogen Pollution.
Would you ever think that bacteria, fungi, and possibly viruses could span the globe on clouds of traveling dust? Or that one way to remove ozone from indoor air is through dead skin flakes in dust? The Science Update Ozone-Scrubbing Skin explores how. Speaking of skin, learn how harmful UV rays that travel through the ozone layer cause damaging effects and how to provide protection from them in Sun & Skin, part of the Skin Deep Project.
Through the lesson, How We Know What We Know about Our Changing Climate, students get an introduction to the scientific research into climate change and the role of citizen scientists in helping professional scientists generate data to track the problem and devise solutions. Power Up! combines a lesson with an interactive to examine the trade-offs between the type of power plant and the environmental impact of each choice. Learn how we use different energy sources and how they affect not only our environment but also our budget using the interactive, Your Carbon Diet. Students can discuss Urban Greening, including Green Roof Designs, as ways to improve air quality.
World Heart Day
During an average lifetime, the human heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times. Circulating blood through the body's network of more than 60,000 miles of vessels, the heart will pump roughly one million barrels of blood over the course of an average lifetime.
Be good to your heart and celebrate “One World, One Home, One Heart” this September 29 by taking responsibility for your own heart health, and spreading the message to others. Created by the World Heart Federation, World Heart Day aims to raise awareness for global heart health. Heart disease and strokes are the leading cause of death around the world. At least 80% of premature deaths from these diseases are avoidable if the main risk factors are controlled.
Heart 1: Transplant helps students understand the workings and anatomy of the heart and learn about new medical techniques that help people live longer, healthier lives. Heart 2: Changing Lifestyles and Heart Health examines and evaluates changes in diet and lifestyle from prehistoric to modern times and how these differences have spurred the development (and better treatment) of heart disease. Wake-Up Call uses a case study to teach about the risk factors and symptoms of a heart attack and the physiological changes that happen once artery blockage occurs.
Obesity: The Science Inside explores health problems associated with being overweight, including risks to the heart. The tool High Blood Pressure: The Science Inside, helps students understand how high blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart disease and strokes. Hear how a heartless worm may help scientists figure out why some potentially useful drugs cause a mysterious and deadly heart reaction in Hearts and Worms. The Science Update Gum and Heart Disease investigates the connection between gum disease and heart disease.
Free AAAS Membership
AAAS is running a back-to-school membership drive and will give away free AAAS memberships to K-12 teachers! During the campaign, for each new member that joins AAAS, a K-12 teacher becomes a member too. All you need to do is sign up here and your name will be added to the list to receive a free AAAS membership.
Membership benefits include a subscription to Science magazine plus access to archives dating back to 1880. You also will receive access to AAAS MemberCentral, a website with exclusive webinars, blogs, podcasts, and videos covering topics from education to emerging trends in science.
If you are a AAAS member and would like to sponsor a subscription for a K-12 teacher, you can do so here. If you are not a member, but would like to join, use this form and we will match your order with a donated subscription to a teacher.
