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.