Posts by Morgan Turano
What Science and History Can Tell Us About COVID-19
The internet is a wonderful tool, when wielded correctly. But when people follow it blindly they can be misled or come to believe things that are simply not true. Here are some science and history facts you may want to know about before reading any more opinions about COVID-19 on social media. Science Evolves In…
Read MoreRead MoreEnseñanza remota de ciencias durante COVID-19
COVID-19 ha cambiado por completo la forma en que trabaja la mayoría de las personas. Bajo las restricciones del distanciamiento social, que incluyen prohibiciones a grupos de más de 10 personas, requisitos de refugio en el lugar y cuarentenas, muchos lugares de negocios tienen empleados que trabajan de forma remota. Algunas de estas empresas…
Read MoreRead MoreComprensión e interpretación de datos
Dos médicos de California utilizaron recientemente los datos que recolectaron en sus centros privados de atención de urgencia para extrapolar las tasas de enfermedad y mortalidad de COVID-19 para el estado. Varios medios de comunicación presentaron estos nuevos “hallazgos” como un hecho, simplemente porque no comprendieron los datos o cómo interpretarlos. Esto es problemático por…
Read MoreRead MoreUnderstanding and Interpreting Data
Two California physicians recently used data they collected in their private urgent-care facilities to extrapolate COVID-19 illness and mortality rates for the state. A number of news outlets reported these new “findings” as fact, simply because they didn’t understand the data or how to interpret them. This is problematic for a number of reasons,…
Read MoreRead MoreTeaching Science Remotely During COVID-19
COVID-19 has completely changed the way most people work. Under the constraints of social distancing, which include bans on groups of more than 10 people, shelter-in-place requirements, and self-quarantines, many places of business are having employees work remotely. Some of these businesses are already seeing the benefits of a remote workforce, including increased productivity…
Read MoreRead MoreNGSS, COVID-19, and the Trolley Problem
For the past few weeks, politicians and the media around the world have been arguing over whether or not the civil liberties of the many should be infringed upon to save the lives of the few, which people should be saved when supplies are limited, and at what cost. The Guardian, The Harvard Crimson, The…
Read MoreRead MoreThe Science of the Australian Wildfires
Although wildfires in Australia have been burning for six months, there are still another three months before the fire season is over. And so far, this fire season has been particularly bad. By some estimates the fires have consumed an area of almost 100,000 square km; to put this in perspective, this is an area…
Read MoreRead MoreFrom STEM to STEAM to STREAM: Should We Be Adding More Subjects to STEM?
STEM In the late ’90s and early 2000s, multiple studies showed that students in the United States were falling behind in the sciences and math, while students in other countries excelled. A 2006 study by PISA (the Programme for International Student Assessment) ranked U.S. student performance in math and science 21st out of the 30…
Read MoreRead MorePlastics, Recycling, and the NGSS
Surrounded By Plastics In the last hour, how many plastic items have you touched? And of those, how many do you think will eventually be recycled? According to National Geographic, 91% of plastic items produced worldwide since 1950 have not been recycled, with un-recycled plastics either ending up in the oceans or landfills or being…
Read MoreRead MoreRobotics and the NGSS
It’s been more than 50 years since The Jetsons came into living rooms and promised viewers things beyond their wildest dreams. Of course, not all of their predictions have come true yet, but since the show is set in 2062, science has quite a few years to catch up. Still, the world is pretty futuristic…
Read MoreRead More