Science Content Courses:

Meteor impact

 (Dr. Ellen Lyon, earth & space science, interaction and change)

Clips from various sci-fi movies about the threat of meteor impacts.

Then apply Newtonian mechanics and gravity to figure out the path of

a particular object. 

Energy/Global Warming

(Dr. Cary Schneider, physical science & engineering design)

 The topic of global warming provides an excellent window into

science, technology and society.  Learn about the “good” greenhouse

effect that keeps Earth from turning into a huge snowball, the

scientific consensus and controversy about global warming, and the

huge implications of the outcome for our children and grandchildren.

and Energy for a Sustainable Future.* (physical science & engineering

design)  Perhaps the most difficult problem facing humankind today is

how to provide enough energy to power civilizations around the globe

without destroying our environment and habitats. Learn about some of

the reasons why it’s difficult to change course, and what you can do

to help build a new sustainable energy source for the future.

 The Ancient History of You

(Dr. Todd Duncan, physical science, interaction and change) 

What is the history of the material that makes up your body? How is your current existence connected to cosmic history? In this class you'll pick one element that is part of you, and research its history as far back in time as you can trace it -- perhaps to near the beginning of the universe. 

General Resources

• Notetaking:

  • Cornell Notes...see .pdf

    http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/cornellnotes.html

     

    The notebook...model number #1301

    http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.ACCT126734/it.A/id.17/.f

Data Analysis Tools

OpenOffice.org

          OpenOffice is an open source (free) office software suite. 

          This suite includes Calc, a spreadsheet program that can be

          used to collect, store, and analyze data.  OpenOffice is

          availabe for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux computers.

GoogleDocs

          Google Docs is a free online office software suite.  Accessed

          through a web browser, your data is available to you wherever

          you go: At home or in the classroom. Goolge Docs allows for easy

          online collaboration on documents and will easily allow users to

          provide read-only access to a wider audience via the web.

Scilab 

          Scilab is an open source (free) software package for scientific

          computation and engineering applications.  The software provides

          functionality for matrix operations, linear algebra, 2D and 3D graphics

          as well as animation. Scilab is available for Windows, Mac OS X,

          and Linux computers.