Nano Day

The April Born to Do Science was canceled due to scheduling problems, however...

I'll be performing this Saturday (April 9) for Nano Day. Come learn all about nano-technology at this event put on by the Wondertorium and the Library! It's in the same room as BTDS, 1:00 - 4:00. I'll be there to sing a few songs at 1:15.

Find out more.

I'll catch up on posting photos from recent events soon!

Program Postponed

This Saturday's program (2/19) has been postponed until next Saturday (2/26) at 2:00 PM.

Join us then for "Mystery Algae of the Great Salt Plains" with Dr. Bill Henley of the OSU Botany Department!

Just for a teaser, check out these photos I took at Dr. Henley's lab. Here are various bottles and vials containing algae cultures.

Below is an experiment Dr. Henley is running. All the tubes are an automated system of delivering nutrients to the algae, then drawing off cells automatically as the grow, which keeps the culture in a state of balance, always with about the same amount of algae growing. In this set-up the cells from the first culture (on the left) go into a second culture (on the right) which is relatively nutrient starved. Dr. Henley is trying different configurations to figure out what might work well to grow algae commercially. Why would you want to do that? Algae can produce oils that may turn out to be a great alternative fuel source, if we can figure out how to harvest them efficiently.

And here is a Google satellite image looking down on the Great Salt Plains, which is where the mysterious algae we'll be talking about was found. All that white - not snow! Salt!

View Larger Map

Tangling With Twisters Program

This morning's Born to Do Science program at the Stillwater library went very well. We had about 33 people, which is a great turnout for the season opener!

Dr. Caleb Lack

Our guest scientist was Dr. Caleb Lack, a clinical psychologist from the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. He spoke about his research into why some kids have a harder time than others recovering from the psychological effects of being in a natural disaster such as a tornado.

Getting Ready to Sing "Psychology"

I started off as always with a new song. I took a light approach with this one. The singer thinks maybe there's something wrong with him but I'm sure you can figure out what's going on...

Psychology

song lyrics by Monty Harper

Psychology, can you tell me what’s wrong with me?

I see eyes looking at me and I get distressed
I feel uptight and anxious, mad and depressed
I hear voices behind me that whisper and mock
No one smiles when I smile; no one listens when I talk
I don’t sleep well at all cause I think of my job
And I dream I’m attacked by an unruly mob
Is there some kind of name for the trouble I’ve got?
Can science explain? Am I crazy or what?

Psychology, can you tell me what’s wrong with me?
Psychology, can you tell me what’s wrong with me?

I’ve been looking in books for some self-diagnosis
I’ve read about phobias, fears, and neurosis
Obsession, repression, fixation, and trauma
Was it nature or nurture that caused all this drama?
I set out to measure the person I am
And I filled out a long psychometric exam
I wanna understand but I’m losing my nerve
I’m afraid I won’t land on the bell of the curve

Oh, yes the human mind is acutely arcane
Couched in the convoluted human brain
It comes without a manual or a guarantee
So we study that puzzle with Psychology

Psychology, can you tell me what’s wrong with me?
Psychology, can you tell me what’s wrong with me?

Gotta go now - my day is about to begin
My seventh grade students are jostling in
I see eyes looking at me and I get distressed
I feel uptight and anxious, mad and depressed
I hear voices behind me that whisper and mock
No one smiles when I smile; no one listens when I talk
I’ll be teaching all day with this chalk in my hand
And tonight two more lessons will need to be planned
But with every spare moment I happen to find
I will ponder the question that’s still on my mind

Psychology, can you tell me what’s wrong with me?

Because Dr. Lack studies what's happening in kids' minds, it was a bit of a challenge to come up with visuals and "hands-on" activities to keep everyone engaged. We can't exactly put our hands on a mind, or experience a tornado in the classroom to see what happens. But we did get to fill out actual "measures," or psychometric exams, that Dr. Lack's research subjects fill out.

Filling Out Measures

We talked about three variables that might have something to do with which kids develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after a tornado and which don't: How much exposure they had to the tornado, how they coped with it afterwards, and attributions, which means how they explained it to themselves.

Thinking About Variables

It turns out all three are important, but attributions are the most important by far. Those kids who say the tornado is just something that happened - no reason - fared the best. Those who blamed themselves fared the worst.

Dr. Lack's Results
Attributions correlate strongest with PTSD

I'm working on a more detailed write-up of Dr. Lack's presentation, and I'll post it here in a day or two for those who missed the program, or for those who were there, but might want to shore up their understanding.

Next month: "Mysterious Algae of the Great Salt Plains!" with Dr. Bill Henley of the OSU Botany Department. That's on February 19, 10:00 AM at the Stillwater Public Library. See you then!!

Chatting Afterwards

Tangling With Twisters

Born to Do Science is starting up again for the Spring semester! Our first program is "Tangling With Twisters" with Dr. Caleb Lack.

Why do some children recover from a natural disaster in good shape while others suffer ongoing anxiety? Clinical psychologist Dr. Caleb Lack from the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond will present his research connecting emotional resilience with explanatory style.

We'll meet on Saturday January 15, 10:00 AM at the Stillwater Public Library, room 119.

I spoke with Dr. Lack last night about his research and he'll have some pretty surprising findings to share. He works with kids the same age as our audience, so we'll get to find out what it's like to be a subject in a scientific study!

Kids in 3rd - 6th grade and parents are invited to attend. See you then!!

P.S. Here's a poster; feel free to download, print, and post this anywhere in Stillwater you think kids might see it! (Click to load in the hi-res version, then drag that to your desktop.)

Mark Your Calendar!

I'm putting together a new season of Born to Do Science! Starting in January, we'll be meeting mostly on third Saturdays at 10:00 AM at the Stillwater Public Library in Room 119 (same as before).

These are the dates:

Jan 15, Feb 19, Mar 19, Apr 23, May 21

I do not have specific speakers lined up yet, though I'm working on that, and I'll let you know soon...

(If you are a scientist and would like to talk about your research with kids, please let me know!)

Songs From the Science Frontier is Here!

The new CD is now available! Songs From the Science Frontier contains 12 songs for learners age 8 and up. Most of the songs are based on research of the scientists who have been "Born to Do Science" guest speakers. If you've attended the program, then you've heard me perform them, but you haven't heard them like this! I worked with producer Chris Wiser of the Sugar Free Allstars, and he helped make the songs sound fantastic!

You can sample the songs and purchase CDs and/or downloads via these links:


iTunes
CD Baby
Order a signed copy

Happy listening!

Pre-Order Songs From the Science Frontier

Now taking pre-orders for the new Songs From the Science Frontier CD at www.montyharper.com!

CDs will ship in November. We're working hard on the recording process right now, and the songs are sounding fantastic!

We Did It! Songs From the Science Frontier is In Production!

Many thanks to all my backers and supporters! We passed the $9,000 funding goal on kickstarter.com early Friday morning - a day and a half before the deadline! The last $1K or so just seemed to melt away overnight!

So now I have a CD of science songs to record! Our first studio date is a week from today.

I spent Saturday celebrating with friends and supporters via a live video feed online! It was also my birthday, and as promised, I got a chocolate cake smooshed in my face! I know you are anxious to see that, so here you go...

Songs From the Science Frontier

Howdy, BTDS Friends!

Can you take a few minutes to help me out?

Remember those songs I started each program with over the past two years? I've been polishing them up, and I've got enough to make a really great science CD!

I'm excited about this because it will help bring the science and scientists that you've been enjoying in the live program to many thousands more kids.

I'm planning to record with producer Chris Wiser of the Sugar Free Allstars! He'll help me get a fantastic sound in a pro studio with amazing musicians. We plan to make a CD that families will want to hear over and over again.

All I need is the funding to make it happen!

Please support my fundraiser on Kickstarter.com. You can pledge any amount from $5 on up. (No money changes hands unless and until I reach my goal.) For a pledge of $20 you can pre-order a signed CD, and know that you helped connect more kids with science. Other amounts will get you various other rewards.

If I reach my goal by August 21, which is also my birthday, I'll throw a live online video party for all my backers, at which my wife, Lisa, has promised to smoosh a chocolate cake in my face!

Please check out my three-minute pitch video on kickstarter.com, then consider pledging to support my project.

Please also help spread the word. Below the video are buttons for facebook, twitter, and email that make it easy.

Thanks!!

P.S. Stay tuned for news about the next season of "Born to Do Science!"

P.P.S. Check out this "Born to Do Science" theme song (while available) and let me know what you think!

Super Wheat Follow-Up

Remember our first session this past season, "Super Wheat" with USDA wheat geneticist, Cheryl Baker? Remember she brought little vials of wheat for us to look at and taste? 

I got an email from the Slavens family a while back. They said, "Thank you for giving us the wheat. We planted it and look how much it has grown! Thank you lots! :)"

Recently I received this update: "We have harvested the wheat and hope to get it cleaned, the old fashioned way, with a sheet and some breeze. Our goal is to eventually make some bread! Wish us luck!"

Is that cool, or what? Good luck to you, and let us know how it goes with the bread!