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"See three-dimensional planet models along the way as you shuttle from Pluto at the furthest reaches of the Solar System to the Sun, which is represented by the 37-metre Anglo-Australian Telescope dome at Siding Spring Observatory.  The planets are displayed on huge billboards with the size of the planets and the distance between each billboard scaled relative to the dome - the Sun - along the five main roads that lead to Coonabarabran in regional NSW."

The user can draw a compound or choose from a selection of compounds from three databases. Once a compound has been selected the user can click the 2D to 3D button to convert the molecule into a 3D model which is then displayed in the viewer, located on the right side of the screen. In addition to the 3D viewer you can also use the app to distinguish between atomic, molecular, and ionic solids by clicking on the crystallography model tab. What I love about this function of the app is that it helps users identify that each type of solid has different structures and patterns.

Welcome to the Global 2013 STEMx Education Conference, the world's first massively open online conference for educators focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and more. The conference will be held over the course of three days, September 19-21, 2013, and will be free to attend! STEMxCon will be a highly inclusive event that will engage students and educators around the globe and will encourage primary, secondary, and tertiary (K-16) educators around the world to share and learn about innovative approaches to STEMx learning and teaching. The call for presentations has been issued. Register as a member of this conference network to be kept informed! See the conference information and welcome HERE and the menu links to the left and at the top of each page.

Students play the role of birds, go out on the school lawn, and pick up toothpick "stick worms" which have been previously scattered on the lawn in equal numbers of green-stained and unstained. "Birds" are chased away before the "worm population" drops too low. Back in the classroom, the number of green and non-green "worms" are compared individually and for the whole class. Discussion relates the experience to the elements of natural selection. As presented here, it does not lend itself to demonstrating the effects of selection over multiple generations.

"In November 1941, two ships crossed paths off the coast of Australia. One was the German raider HSK Kormoran. The other: an Australian warship called the HMAS Sydney. Guns were fired, the ships were damaged, and both sank to the bottom of the ocean."

Move the boat around the water by changing the magnitude and direction of the boat's speed (blue vector) or the magnitude and direction of the water current (red vector). Try to land the boat on the island - but be careful not to hit the walls!

We all remember science lessons from our school days. Whether the lessons were with the more 'characteristic' teachers in the school, or whether you all released the gas taps when the teacher foolishly left the room, we all seemed to miss the link that science is life! And what an opportunity science teachers have in releasing the magic of life to their pupils, answering BIG questions like "Why am I like my parents?", or "What will my life be like in 2050?", or "Why is Pripyat a deserted town?"

"Gradually, an important and growing evidence of the impact of understanding neuroscience in terms of learning and education has started to inform pedagogy, along with a better appreciation of how we learn. Yet, there is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding to what neuroscience science is, and many within the education sector would struggle to explain the principles, science and research to recognise how the brain processes information. Fundamentally, neuroscience literally means the 'science of the nervous system', making use of the principles and many techniques from the main science disciplines of physics, chemistry and biology."

"I went into a cell, to get out of the rain, and there was the gatekeeper, the cell membrane. I went into a cell, and what did I see, the mitochondria, it's the energy factory. I went into a cell, and said "who drives this bus" and found myself talking to the boss, the nucleus. ..."

"The importance of offering a broad curriculum within the school system cannot be over-stated, allowing students to explore a range of topics that spark their interest, and potentially inspire them to follow a career path that can have a positive impact on their lives, society and the environment. STEM activities (built around Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) offer a broad range of opportunities, opening up the potential of enquiry based learning that is relevant to the world we live in. Many education systems globally place a great emphasis on a STEM curriculum for all students, no matter of age, race, gender or ability, but what STEM based activities work best in your setting, helping students see the world differently, and potentially inspiring to enter STEM careers of the future?"

DIY Sun Science is a free iPad app from The Lawrence Hall of Science. The app features directions for hands-on lessons about the sun. The lessons are a mix of activities that students can do on their own and activities that they should do with adult supervision. All of the activities use common household goods. Some of the activities that you will find in DIY Sun Science are measuring the sun, making UV detectors, detecting solar storms, and cooking with a solar oven.

"NASA's Spacecraft 3D is an augmented reality (AR) application that lets you learn about and interact with a variety of spacecraft that are used to explore our solar system, study Earth, and observe the universe. Using a printed AR Target and the camera on your mobile device, you can get up close with these robotic explorers, see how they move, and learn about the engineering feats used to expand our knowledge and understanding of space. Spacecraft 3D will be updated over time to include more of the amazing spacecraft that act as our robotic eyes on the earth, the solar system and beyond! "

"ASTRONOMERS have discovered what may be five planets orbiting Tau Ceti, the closest single star beyond our solar system, the temperature and luminosity of which nearly match the sun's. If they are planets, one is about the right distance from the star to feature mild temperatures, oceans of water, and even life. Don't pack your bags just yet, though: the discovery still needs to be confirmed."

Easing Brain Fatigue With a Walk in the Park - http://t.co/LRKMGud99Q http://t.co/OEGKpQrbnU

"So, the Earth pulls on the moon because of gravity? Why doesn't the moon get pulled into the Earth and crash? What a great question."

"This particular algal species, commonly found in polluted water, is often referred to as "pond scum". As the movie switches to a 20x lens and then the 40x, watch closely, toward the center of each cell in the strand, for the cell nucleus. It's right near the middle and shows as a round object that is near transparent, but once you see it, you will see others. "

"Curiosity took its first test drive around the gravel-strewn Martian terrain on Wednesday, preparation for the ultimate road trip to find out if life could have existed on the red planet. The six-wheel NASA rover did not stray far from the spot where it landed more than two weeks ago. It rolled forward about 15 feet, rotated to a right angle and reversed a short distance, leaving track marks on the ancient soil."

" In 2012 I started tweeting science facts related to football during the game, and it was so much fun I did it again in 2013. So I figure, why not carry on the tradition? If you follow me on Twitter you'll catch the tweets live, but after every quarter I'll update this post with the latest batch, right up to the end of the game."

"No matter how you are reading this story, you can thank science. Whether it is the transmission of data over the internet or just the pixels on the screen, a combination of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is delivering it. The problem is that in Australia, the number of students taking science and mathematics subjects is dwindling - and has been for decades."

"Earlier this year, NASA spacecraft Voyager 1 left our solar system after a 35-year journey, carrying with it a golden record containing sounds, images and music from Earth. Its sister craft, Voyager 2, carries an identical record. The records were designed to encapsulate the aural heritage of Earth in 90 minutes - but some preliminary investigation, however, reveals that there a few inaccuracies in the official NASA documentation about the golden records."