http://www.amser.org/index.php?P=Home AMSER (the Applied Math and Science Education Repository) provides educational resources and services built specifically for use by those in Community and Technical Colleges but free for anyone to use. http://amser.org//SPTUI--CWIS/images/cwis_logo.gif http://amser.org//SPTUI--CWIS/images/cwis_logo.gif 69 21 AMSER Logo en-us ealmasy@scout.wisc.edu ealmasy@scout.wisc.edu Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0600 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0600 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=12099 Students who wish to learn programmable logic controller (PLC) programming often face many obstacles. For example, many lack experience using automated systems and have difficulty visualizing programming situations. In addition, information needed for programming, such as input and output connections, is often not readily apparent. Finally, students may encounter cognitive overload because they need to be able to recall many different types of information at once, such as system component characteristics, system operation, PLC command syntax, and control program development. Instructors must use methodologies such as scaffolding and fading to provide cognitive support to students until programming tasks become more second nature.To help students learn to write PLC programs to control automated manufacturing systems, a series of computer-based case studies are being developed. These case studies include animations of automated systems to help students to visualize how processes work and the sequence of events. They also illustrate steps in the programming process from identifying the sequence of events and input and outputs to developing code to implement each event. Although the idea of case studies itself is not new, the combination of case study methodologies and instructional technology to teach PLC programming is relatively novel. This paper will describe the case studies that have been developed so far, how they are being used, results from student evaluations of these case studies, and future directions. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=11252 This brief National Aeronautics and Space Administration article provides general information about paleoclimatology (the study of past climate). Focusing on ice core data and foraminifera (shelled marine microorganisms) in deep sea sediments, the article provides a summary of how paleoclimate can be inferred. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=11133 This publication, authored by Ford W. Doolittle of the University of Iowa, addresses the phylogenetic lineage of the Archaeal domain members, which include hyperthermophilic and halophilic organisms. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=9818 This page, from Kyoto University, provides a discussion of Mach’s Principle, a concept that played an important role in forming Einstein's theory of general relativity. Excerpts from Mach’s original text are examined and discussed for his ideas that are closely related to this principle. The general ambiguity of Mach’s Principle, and Einstein’s interpretations of it are also presented. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=9823 This article by Yoshinori Furukawa and John S. Wettlaufer describes how ice crystals form on the earth. The resource includes graphics depicting how different shapes of ice crystals are formed. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=9844 This article from the American Physical Society's Forum on Education from the Fall of 2007 discusses PER-CENTRAL, a ComPADRE collection designed specifically to serve as an informational touch-point and online community for “producers” and “consumers” of physics education research. The collection contains information about and links to a wide range of materials and resources for the use of people conducting research on the teaching and learning of physics. Some of these materials are also useful to teachers and administrators interested in applying the findings of physics education research. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=9847 This article from the Forum on Education of the American Physical Society from the Fall of 2007 discusses online resources for physics faculty and teachers. ComPADRE, the physics education digital library of the AAPT, APS, AAS, and SPS, and the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College have joined forces to make it easier to access a rich body of expert teaching experience. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=9853 This page from Hyperphysics contains images depicting the light emitted by several elements and their respective spectra. The page also provides a description of how the size of a holographic image scales with the wavelength of the light used to observe it. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=9872 This video demonstrates the conservation of angular momentum. In the experiment, as weights are pulled closer to the axis of rotation, a person on a rotating platform will spin faster due to a change in the moment of inertia. This movie is part of a collection of typical lecture demonstration videos put together by the physics department at Wake Forest University. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=10626 This site offers information about the solar system and planets, space missions, the technology used on these missions, the data and information gathered. A broad range of topics is covered, with more detailed information provided through links to related web sites. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=12076 The Biomedical Engineering (BME) department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) has taught a microcontroller applications course for many years. In this course, students learn how to program a microcontroller and interface it to hardware to develop biomedical instruments, such as a heart rate monitor and temperature sensor. With the development of a joint BME department at UNC and North Carolina State University (NCSU), the faculty realized that it would be beneficial to teach the class jointly at NCSU, as the students there needed more hands-on opportunities in biomedical instrumentation. The class meets twice each week using videoconferencing equipment. Both classrooms are equipped with multiple screens for viewing video of the distant location, as well as sharing a computer desktop. Students work in the laboratory on weekly homework assignments and miniprojects, in which they program microcontrollers and develop biomedical instruments. The laboratories on each campus have equivalent hardware setups, as well as videoconferencing equipment so that faculty can help the students remotely. The primary teacher for this class is based at UNC, and he occasionally travels to NCSU to work with those students directly. In addition, a faculty member at NCSU is present for most classes, and he is available to provide assistance to the NCSU students outside of class. In this manner, the NCSU students have opportunities to get in-person help from a faculty member. Feedback on this experience was measured at mid-semester and at the end of the semester. This experience can serve as a model for teaching courses jointly at our universities as well as elsewhere. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=11264 This Florida Department of Health web site is part of the Aquatic Toxins Program to protect Florida's citizens and visitors from exposure and illness from Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). The site summarizes health concerns associated with Cyanobacteria blooms, as well as their threat to water quality, ecosystem stability, and surface drinking water supplies. Links are provided to the PDF monograph "Health Effects of Exposure to Cyanobacteria Toxins: State of the Science" which consists of three panels: Harmful Algal Blooms in Florida, National and International Perspective, and Agency Activities. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=3461 Slide shows a 40X image of prostate adenocarcinoma, Gleason grade 3, Score 6 infiltrating between benign prostate glands. Note the larger nuclei with prominent nucleoli in the carcinoma compared to the adjacent benign glands.Specimen Type: cellMagnification: 40Annotated: falseDisease diagnosis: neoplastic Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=10064 Read life stories of inventors who came up with the buckeyball, better solar cells, the maser, laser cooling, and more. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600 http://www.amser.org//index.php?P=FullRecord&ResourceId=9453 This lab activity uses computer operated motion detectors and software to generate motion graphs. Students provide the data by walking in front of the motion detector, or rolling balls. Questions are provided to help the students explore the motion concepts. There are also questions asking students to predict the motion graphs before running the experiment. No calculations are needed. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:00:02 -0600