Month:

Bois D’arc Tree at Twelve Hills Nature Science Center

  • February 24

Estimation and measurements help us understand aspects of measuring space between thorns on the Dois D'arc tree. We asked the question at the Twelve Hills Nature Science Center to show different ways to estimate and measure.  This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DRL 2115393. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of... CONTINUE READING

How Does Design Impact Capacity at the Bryan Center Plaza?

  • September 9

Duke University engineering student, Katie takes us on a tour through the Bryan Center Plaza, and shows us how design can impact the capacity of a space - particularly important when social distancing rules are in place! You can access supplementary student activity sheets here: https://talkstem.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/walkSTEM-at-DukeUniversity.pdf .... CONTINUE READING

Is it possible to measure an animal’s behavior?

  • September 9

Animals have a wide varieties of behaviors, many of which can be difficult to analyze. To make animal behavior research easier, scientists use ethograms - tables of possible behaviors that they can check off as the observation goes on. The ethogram used by zoo employees to study their elephants is discussed, and ways of making use of and presenting that data investigated. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DRL 2115393. Any opinions, findings... CONTINUE READING

How can we estimate the amount of produce in a garden?

  • September 9

In order grow plants efficiently, making certain estimations is valuable - how well plants will grow, how much produce each plant will give use, or, even more fundamentally, how many plants we can fit in a given plot of land. Taking information we know about marigolds as an example, we showcase ways to determine these sorts of important predictions. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DRL 2115393. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or re... CONTINUE READING

What is the weight of an ice rink?

  • September 9

Ronald Kirk Bridge is a pedestrian bridge over the Trinity River in Dallas, connecting downtown Dallas and West Dallas. It is over 2,000 feet long and 60 feet wide. What would happen if water froze on the middle of the Ron Kirk Bridge? Could we create an ice rink on this bridge? talkSTEM members explore this question and estimate how much weight an ice rink would add to the bridge.... CONTINUE READING