ScienceWorks Education Blog
Dominoes – some history, some science, and the endless possibilities for fun and creativity! We got very excited about what you can do with Dominoes when we heard that our good friends at Ashland Independent Film Festival were closing their festival with Lily Topples the World, an amazing film about 20-year-old sensation Lily Hevesh, the world’s most acclaimed…
Read MoreSpring has arrived and it is a great time to enjoy the night sky. The diagram above from timeanddate.com shows the evening sky in Medford on April 11, the night of the new moon. The full moon on April 26 is the first supermoon of the year. A supermoon is a full moon that appears larger than…
Read More
A puzzle for you: What creature has bony, hard cylinders instead of feet, a four chambered stomach, and gives birth to identical twins every year ? Don’t know yet? Here’s another clue: Which Ashland creature, like a magical Pokémon, annually sprouts tentacle-esque organs out of its head? These growths begin sensitive, velvety, full of blood…
Read More
September 8th, 2025 He built it in time. No no no! This is bad. This is very very bad. His engineers must be brilliant! Furthermore, he won the patent! He filed it one hour before I did. I can still start a company, but I’d have to pay rights, and those aren’t cheap. I…
Read MoreSpring is fast approaching and the weather is improving, which makes it a good time to go outside and enjoy the night sky. Daylight Savings Time (DST) begins on March 14 when we move the clocks forward one hour. To help remember which way to turn the clocks the phrase “spring forward and fall backward”…
Read More
Guess what today is? Hooray! It’s Dollar Store Science Day! You might be asking, exactly what is Dollar Store Science Day? Well, allow me to walk you through it. After escaping the motherbored, I mean motherboard, of online work or school, collect up your couch cushion change, grab a science partner (an adult, if you…
Read More
Winter brings long cold nights that are ideal for sky gazing. Unfortunately, Oregon is prone to clouds and rain during the winter months that frequently prevent sky gazing. So take advantage of every break in the weather to go outside and view the night sky. The focus this month is on the planet Mars, which…
Read More
August 1, 2025 I have good news and bad news. The good news: I’ve built Mark I of the Quantunnel (I’ve also settled on a name) and it (almost) works. I still had some bugs to work out, but I have a good feeling about this one. But it wasn’t easy—it was all I did…
Read More
The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to explore what astronomical events we can expect in the coming twelve months and this will be the focus of this month’s column. As usual, I will concentrate on events that can be experienced without the need for expensive equipment. Conjunctions One interesting event in…
Read More
July 7th, 2025 I suppose my last entry is due some clarification from Yours Truly. About the patent; it’s for quantum technologies no. 2, quantum tunneling. I would explain it to you, but it’s too complex. I’ll give you the simple version: on a quantum scale (smaller than microscopic) some particles like neutrons are so…
Read More
Hello, 2021! As 2021 pulls away from the station, tickets punched, destination unknown, we continue to time travel along. We take turns gazing optimistically forward or stealing sad glances back, and together we forever ride the future train. I have packed some items to help me navigate 2021: 2021 Future Packing List: Item Number 1:…
Read More
by Linux Spangler June 5th, 2025 I’m not a mad scientist. Sorry—I just needed to get that off my chest. I’m an inventor, and I’m not insane. My name is Professor Sirius Moppe (it’s a weird one, I know) and this is (obviously) my journal. Anyway, as I said before, I’m not crazy. I…
Read More