S . T . E . M . CHALLENGE : SCIENCE-TECHNOLOGY-ENGINEERING-MATH
MICROSCOPE FUN !
ANIMAL OF THE MONTH
Science Everywhere
S . T . E . M . CHALLENGE : SCIENCE-TECHNOLOGY-ENGINEERING-MATH
By Luke Sommer
This month ' s challenge was to create the largest balloon tower using nothing but balloons and scotch tape . We separated into groups for the challenge . Group one had Ryan , Lance , Luke , and Greg . Group two had Cecelia , Ellie , and Mary . Sprint three had Carolina , Franny , Abigail , and Amelie . All the teams had 20 minutes to build their towers . The towers had the freestanding , and they could only use the balloons , tape , and floors . After 20 minutes , none of the towers were freestanding . One fell on the ground , one was leaning against a trashcan , and another was leaning against a wall , but none of them were free-standing . The teams were given an additional 20 seconds to make their towers sturdy enough to stand . After 20 seconds , only group three ' s tower was standing . Group three ' s tower was an impressive height of 89 inches ; everyone else ' s was on the floor . Even though only one group succeeded , all the groups had fun , learned the importance of a good base , and enjoyed this month ' s STEM challenge .
MICROSCOPE FUN !
By Gabe Kraus
Zacharias and Han Jansen ( father and son ) were the masterminds behind the first compound microscope in the 1590s . The early microscopes were called “ flea glasses ” because there were used to study tiny insects . The smallest object ever observed was 500 nanometers long . There are many different microscopes including electron microscopes , scanning probe microscopes , x-ray microscopes , etc . Researchers in 2013 used microscopes to make a hypothesis about how life started . The Microscope is a very useful invention for scientists to learn about small life . Microscopes are also very fun to use !
ANIMAL OF THE MONTH
By Kathy Griese
This month the snowy owl receives the spotlight . The snowy owl can be found along the shorelines of lakes and oceans during the winter . Rarely can you find snowy owls in the winter in Missouri . If seen , typically they have run out of food and are searching for some . The adult male snowy owl has a pure white body . The females have white feathers with dark bars or spots . Females are 22-26 inches and the males are 21- 23 inches . Normally they make their habitats in the tundra and meadows . They have great eye sight and big , sharp talons . The snowy owl mostly eats lemmings , voles and other rodents . An adult snowy owl can eat up to 1,600 lemmings in a year , and they usually eat five every day . The oldest known living owl was a female 23 year old owl . Normally , snowy owls live about nine years . They usually lay 4-8 eggs in a nest . It takes 31-33 days for the eggs to hatch . Next winter , keep your eye out for the snowy owl .