We’ve seen light flurries here in Oakville, Ontario – but the real winter weather is yet to come. And when it does, we’re likely to receive a dumping of snow!
While we start to mentally prepare for the wintery weather, here’s some background information on one of the season’s biggest players: the snowflake.
How snowflakes are formed
There’s a lot more to snowflakes than most people realize. They’re formed when the water droplets in a cloud freeze. As more droplets condense and freeze around it, a snowflake is eventually created. When the snowflake becomes heavy enough, it leaves the cloud and falls to the ground.
Snowflake characteristics
There are as many as eighty different types of snowflakes, but they typically fall into eight main categories (which you can read about here). No two snowflakes are alike, and their size and shape are determined by the manner in which the water molecules freeze while up in the clouds, along with the weather conditions present in the atmosphere.
Studying snowflakes
Young scientists can study snowflakes at home with a magnifying glass and a piece of black felt that’s been cooled in the refrigerator half an hour prior to use (this will prevent snowflakes from melting too quickly). Catch a few snowflakes from outside on the felt and use the magnifying glass to study their characteristics.
Happy snowgazing!
Residents of southern Alberta are enjoying a renewed interest in science and innovation, thanks to the October 29th grand opening of the TELUS Spark Centre. The state-of-the art, $160 million facility represents the culmination of 10 years of hard work. It’s being touted as a “place for inquiry” that encourages people of all ages to embrace science, technology and art.
It’s also the first new science centre to be built in Canada in more than 25 years.
“We are a nation of innovators, and nowhere is that more apparent than here in the City of Calgary,” TELUS Spark CEO Jennifer Martin said in a press release. “TELUS Spark … will foster engagement, collaboration, critical thinking and dialogue and we expect some of the ideas born here will have far-reaching impacts that will help make the world a better place.”
PASCO will play a role in the new centre. Several SPARK dataloggers will be used at the TELUS Spark Centre. The inquiry-based labs that are embedded in them make them a good fit for the facility.
Click here to read more about the new science centre. And while we’re on the topic of innovation, take a look at our SPARKvue app.
2011 has been a big year for environmental science and research. It is, after all, the international year of chemistry, the one hundredth anniversary of Parks Canada and the year the Bay of Fundy was inducted as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
To commemorate these environmental and scientific milestones, five female students from Riverview, New Brunswick participated in the “Riverview High School Water Project.” Under the guidance of chemistry teacher Ian Fogerty, and with the help of PASCO probeware, Robyn O’Dell, Marlise O’Brien, Rebecca Laffoley, Shandelle Murray, and Ha-Gyoung Yoon mapped and analyzed water quality throughout the Fundy Biosphere Reserve.
After taking measurements of pH levels, temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphate and nitrates, the team has set out to determine how these properties change throughout the day, while collecting baseline data for a citizen science legacy project.
Their efforts have resulted in an invitation to participate in the Chemistry World Youth Conference in Lima, Peru this November.
We’d like to congratulate the girls on their contribution to science and wish them luck at their upcoming conference. Their passion for science and environmental preservation is nothing short of inspiring.
Students in Camrose, Alberta were given some valuable insight into the world of physics last month, thanks to the help of two hot air balloon pilots.
Brant Leatherdale and Gary Fehr, competitors in the Canadian Hot Air Balloon Championship, paid a visit to sixth grade students at Jack Stuart School to talk about their sport.
According to Leatherdale, hot air balloons can climb up to 10,000 feet, but most flights hover at the 1,000-foot mark.
Nowadays, pilots employ modern technologies – like GPS devices, temperature sensors and communication tools, but the basic science behind the hot air balloon remains the same today as it was when the balloons first took flight in 1783.
Leatherdale and Fehr explained to students how heat from a propane burner causes the balloon to rise and that wind shears help carry the vessel through the sky.
What an excellent, real-life application of physics. We hope the students enjoyed learning about hot air balloons as much as we enjoyed reading about them!
Click here to learn more about Leatherdale and Fehr’s elementary school visit.
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Students in Edmonton are about to receive even more of an opportunity to learn about science and engineering.
Back in July the Minister of State – Science and Technology, Honourable Gary Goodyear announced a new federal investment aimed at making Canada a world leader in the science and engineering fields.
“Our government wants to encourage more young people to explore an education or career in science and engineering,” Mr. Goodyear was quoted as saying in a press release. “This program will give youth in communities across the country an opportunity to discover the benefits of these fields. In the long term, this will keep Canada’s economy growing and create the jobs of the future.”
The Government of Canada will provide $2.9 million over a period of three years to 58 Alberta organizations that promote science and engineering learning to youth. Funding for this initiative will be provided through the PromoScience program of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Organizations that will benefit from the grant include, but are not limited to: universities, non-profits, museums and science centres.
To view a complete list of the PromoScience grant recipients, click here.
