Monday, June 29, 2009

How to beat the ban of humans on Mars

For NASA and Mars, it’s no humans allowed. As reported by the Mars Society and other space enthusiasts, Congress is finally clamping down on the menace of human life on Mars (see “Why ‘Save Mars’ is worth the effort”, The Space Review, November 12, 2007). The House of Representatives version of HR 3093, the bill that determines NASA’s funding for 2008, effectively bans the study of an entire planet:
Provided, That none of the funds under this heading shall be used for any research, development, or demonstration activities related exclusively to the human exploration of Mars.
The House committee report mentions the proposed prohibition:
Finally, bill language is included prohibiting funding of any research, development, or demonstration activities related exclusively to the human exploration of Mars.


In 2006, there was an attempt to implement a Mars ban by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA):
None of the funds made available by this Act may be used for a manned space mission to Mars.


Frank was also arguing against humans and Mars back in 2005:

I agree about what was said about aeronautics; it is so important. I agree with space experimentation, primarily unmanned. But sending human beings to Mars, which this bill unfortunately endorses, is an extravagance…

The chief motivation behind the ban is the old, predictable anti-human-spaceflight routine. Robots are better for science, therefore we should have a robot-only space policy. The counter-arguments are ignored: that establishing human/Earth life beyond Earth is progress for humankind, and that a both-robots-and-humans policy is fair to all sides.

Mars was targeted because banning other places is not yet politically feasible. If the lunar exploration program wasn’t already established, the ban would have included all destinations outside Earth orbit. The long-term objective is to emulate the old British model and eliminate all human spaceflight, even though Britain is considering relaxing its astronaut ban.

The bill is still in Congress, and hasn’t made it into law yet, but it’s worthwhile to be prepared for a prohibition on Mars. There are ways for NASA to continue its human spaceflight research and development without technically breaking the law…
Human exploration of places very close to Mars
The Mars ban would draw a legal border between Mars and the rest of the universe. Exploring the rocky surface of Mars would certainly be illegal, and being in the Martian atmosphere would also presumably break the law, but the ban says nothing about orbiting Mars. If the Mars ban becomes law, it should be accompanied by a mysterious surge of interest in the human exploration of the Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos. As long as the astronauts keep clear of the Martian atmosphere, they can explore Phobos and Deimos to their hearts’ content.

Humanoid exploration of Mars
The ban permits robots to explore Mars. But the law does not specify the exact size and shape of the robot concerned. If the robot just happened to have the same physical dimensions as a human being—if it was a humanoid robot, or android—then it could be sent to Mars using the same launch vehicles and modules as the human mission. The robot could be equipped with biochemical functions to test the mission’s life support systems. And if legislators decide to lift the Mars ban, NASA could simply swap the humanoid robot with an actual human, and immediately begin a manned mission.
Inclusive exploration of Mars
The wording of the Mars ban may provide another loophole. The ban covers activities that are “related exclusively to the human exploration of Mars”. The word “exclusively” was necessary, otherwise activities ranging from the human exploration of the Moon to the robotic exploration of Mars could be linked to humans on Mars, and subsequently banned. The exclusive language helps narrow down the ban.

But the exclusive nature of the law allows a human mission to Mars to take place, if the mission also does something else. If the hardware used to explore Mars was also used to explore the Moon, then that’s acceptable. Most importantly, if the mission to Mars included both humans and robots, then that could also go ahead. A humans-and-robots mission would not violate the law because it is not exclusively human. So the law intended to enforce an anti-human, robot-only space policy may end up enforcing a both-humans-and-robots policy, which is what NASA and space enthusiasts have wanted all along.

If the anti-human-spaceflight community is serious about eliminating humans in space, it should write a better law. And no messing around this time:

Provided, That no funds shall be used for anything that has, does or will directly result in humans, human-derived beings or human-like objects existing at an altitude higher than 100 kilometers above sea level on planet Earth.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Swine flu puts porpoise on brink


Only about 150 vaquita are left, and about 30 are dying each year through becoming entangled in fishing nets.
The government has cut funding aimed at taking fishing boats out of service or adopting vaquita-friendly equipment.
The vaquita, which is also the world's smallest cetacean, is emblematic of the plight of other dolphins and porpoises around the world, say campaigners.
As government delegates, scientists, whale-hunters and environmentalists discuss the large ocean-traversing cetaceans at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting here, green group WWF's new report, The Forgotten Whales, concludes that some of the leviathans' smaller brethren are more at risk.
Earlier this year the baiji or Yangtse River Dolphin was declared probably extinct, and the Critically Endangered vaquita (Phocoena sinus) - another species restricted to a small, specific habitat - will follow suit without swift action, conservationists believe.

"The estimated mortality comes to more than 30 animals per year, and having a population that is only 150 - you can imagine that the population will not survive if nothing is done," said Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho, Mexico's IWC commissioner and the head of the national marine mammal research and conservation programme.

"The situation is so critical, you can't kill more than one vaquita per year of you want to save it for future generations."

After years of successive Mexican governments denying the problem, the current administration recently put $18m into a fund aimed at removing vaquita-threatening gillnets from the waters in the north of the Gulf of California, which is its only habitat.
Dr Rojas-Bracho said the programme had removed about 500 illegal fishing vessels from the area, while about 400 legal ones had taken funding either to leave the industry or to adopt other types of gear.
Another tranche of similar size had been due, he said, but had been cut by about 60% because of the country's other problems.
"Our environment minister has insisted it's a priority for the government, so we're happy with that - but it won't be easy," he told BBC News.
Other countries including Sweden and the US had contributed, he said, and the work had been supported by WWF and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw).
But other conservation organisations that complained about the vaquita's plight had not been so quick to contribute funding, he said.


With full funding, he added, it might have been possible to bring vaquita deaths from fishing nets down to zero - which is probably needed to save the species - but now that might not be possible.

Hydrocarbons for the 21st Century - The Work of the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute



Hydrocarbons derived from petroleum, natural gas, or coal are essential in many ways to modern life and its quality. The bulk of the world’s hydrocarbons is used for fuels, electrical power generation, and heating. The chemical, petrochemical, plastics and rubber industries are also dependent upon hydrocarbons as raw materials for their products. Indeed, most industrially significant synthetic chemicals are derived from petroleum sources. The overall oil use of the world now exceeds ten million metric tons a day. Ever increasing world population (about 6 billion to increase to 10 billion in a few decades) and energy consumption and finite non-renewable fossil fuel resources, which are going to be increasingly depleted, are clearly on a collision course. New solutions will be needed for the 21st century if we are to maintain the standard of living the industrialized world has gotten used to and the developing world is striving to achieve.
Recognizing the need for a long-range program of basic research and graduate education in the field of hydrocarbon chemistry, the University of Southern California established its
"Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute" in 1977. Generous donations from Donald and Katherine Loker, as well as other friends and supporters helped build an outstanding facility and program.
Hydrocarbon Chemistry
Hydrocarbons, the principal compounds of oil and natural gas, have to be chemically altered to make useful products and materials. This is carried out by chemical and petrochemical industries in processes such as isomerization, alkylation homologation, etc. These processes are frequently catalyzed by acids and involve electron deficient intermediates called carbocations. The Loker Institute has pioneered new methods to study such processes and their mechanisms. Research is also aimed at more efficient utilization of fossil fuel resources including recycling of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) to useful materials. Studies are also directed towards developing new synthetic methodologies for chemical bond making and bond breaking processes. Polymeric materials derived from simple hydrocarbon precursors are the basis for new materials with exceptional electrical, optical, and magnetic properties. These materials find applications in information technology, photochemical energy conversion and biomedical devices.
Carbocarbons and their Chemistry
In studying hydrocarbons and their conversions, a wide variety of highly acidic systems called superacids have been developed. When higher valent Lewis acid fluorides such as SbF5 and TaF5 are combined with Brönsted acids such as HF or FSO3H, acids many billions of times stronger than sulfuric acid are obtained. In such superacidic media the lifetime of carbocations are sufficiently long to be examined by a variety of chemical and physical methods including nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry.Acid catalyzed conversion of hydrocarbons such as cracking, isomerization, alkylation, oligo- and poly-condensation, etc. are of substantial importance. The fundamental chemistry of such hydrocarbon conversions involves carbocations and their reactions. Novel environmentally benign acid systems, including solid acids, are developed to overcome difficulties connected with toxic acids such as hydrofluoric or sulfuric acid. Isomerization and alkylation of saturated hydrocarbons to provide high octane gasoline are of particularly great importance in the petroleum industry. The Loker Institute has developed an environmentally friendly and practical alkylation process for the manufacture of high octane gasoline by using a modified hydrogen fluoride catalyst system of greatly reduced volatility and toxicity.
In addition, the use of superacidic catalysts allow new ways to hydro-treat coals, shale oil, tar sands and other heavy petroleum sources and residues, and yield liquid hydrocarbons. New and environmentally safe gasoline and diesel fuel additives were also developed, resulting in higher octane gasoline and higher octane diesel fuels. These additives have also resulted in cleaner burning fuels and opened the way to exclude currently used other toxic additives.


Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Reindeer herds in global decline


The first global review of their status has found that populations are declining almost everywhere they live, from Alaska and Canada, to Greenland, Scandinavia and Russia.
The iconic deer is vital to indigenous peoples around the circumpolar north.
Yet it is increasingly difficult for the deer to survive in a world warmed by climate change and altered by industrial development, say scientists.

Reindeer and caribou belong to the same species, Rangifer tarandus.

Caribou live in Canada, Alaska and Greenland; while reindeer live in Russia, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Worldwide, seven sub-species are recognised. Each are genetically, morphologically and behaviourally a little different, though capable of interbreeding with one another.






These differences between sub-species dictate how each is affected by human impacts.




For example, it has been known for a while that populations of woodland caribou in Canada have declined as human disturbance has increased, caused by logging, oil and gas exploration, and road building, says Liv Vors of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.

But then reports started coming in that the numbers of other herds were also falling.

"When we discovered that many herds of reindeer also were declining we decided to compile a comprehensive survey to see if this indeed was a global pattern," says Vors.

Vors and Mark Boyce at the University of Alberta contacted other researchers and scoured the published literature and government databases for all the information they could find about reindeer and caribou numbers. They compiled data on 58 major herds around the Northern Hemisphere.

The scientists were shocked to discover that 34 of the herds were declining, while no data existed for 16 more. Only eight herds were increasing in number. Many herds had been declining for a decade or more.

"We were surprised at the ubiquity of the decline," says Vors.

We knew that woodland caribou in North America were in bad shape." There is also some evidence that populations of migratory caribou in the Canadian Arctic have fluctuated in recent history.

But the researchers were surprised at how migratory caribou and reindeer numbers seem to be falling in synchrony across the Northern Hemisphere.

"When we delved into the status of European reindeer herds, we were surprised that so many were declining. We expected them to be in better shape than North America herds because reindeer, namely the semi-domestic herds, are closely managed by humans."

The scale of the problem is shown by a map upon which the researchers plotted their data, which is published in Global Change Biology.

"Seeing that sea of red was a sobering moment," Vors says.

"If global climate change and industrial development continue at the current pace, caribou and reindeer populations will continue to decline in abundance," says Vors.

"Currently, climate change is most important for Arctic caribou and reindeer, while anthropogenic landscape change is most important for non-migratory woodland caribou."

For example, climate change is affecting migratory caribou in a number of ways.

Warmer summers mean more insect activity, and caribou and reindeer that are harassed by insects are not able to feed as much to put on weight before winter.

Earlier springs mean plants may be past their prime by the time migrating animals reach their calving grounds, while warmer winters include more freezing rain which can form layers of ice over the ground. The caribou and reindeer cannot dig through the ice to feed, and can then starve en masse.

"In time, however, climate change will become more important for woodland caribou, and landscape change will have a greater effect on arctic caribou and reindeer," Vors continues.

"There likely will be more forest fires in woodland caribou habitat, as well as diseases and parasites transmitted to caribou from white-tailed deer, whose range is expanding northward in Canada. More roads are being built in the Arctic, as well as infrastructures like diamond mines, and these sometimes interfere with migration routes."
something is urgently done, all seven sub-species of Rangifer face a bleak future, says Vors.
The concern is that their habitat and the climate are changing too quickly for them to adapt."
the annual treks of migratory caribou form one of the last remaining large-scale ungulate migrations in the northern hemisphere.

Different sub-species also provide a cornerstone to many indigenous cultures around the circumpolar north, from subsistence hunting of caribou by Aboriginal peoples in Canada, Greenland and Alaska to reindeer husbandry by numerous cultures across Scandinavia and Siberia.

"From a Canadian perspective, the caribou is part of our national identity," says Vors. "Canada's caribou migrations have frequently been identified as one of this country's natural wonders, and the species even appears on our 25-cent coin."

















Space shuttle launch postponed


The shuttle was due to have blasted off early on Wednesday, but hydrogen gas leaked from a vent line on its external fuel tank, officials said.

A previous leak postponed the shuttle's launch on Saturday.

The shuttle had been due to deliver part of a Japanese laboratory to the International Space Station (ISS).

"At 1.55am (05.55 GMT) launch managers called a scrub, cancelling today's planned launch of space shuttle Endeavour on its STS-127 mission," a Nasa statement said.

"Despite troubleshooting efforts, engineers were unable to achieve a decrease in the liquid hydrogenleak."

Spacewalks

The next ISS construction mission will not now take place until 11 July


Once it goes ahead, the astronauts will carry out five spacewalks to attach a permanent platform weighing 1.9 tonnes to the Japanese laboratory.


During the mission, the ISS will be a temporary home to 13 astronauts - the first time so many have stayed on the station at once.


Later on Wednesday a committee reviewing US plans for human space flight is holding a public hearing in Washington.


It is examining Nasa proposals to replace the shuttle fleet and the agency's plans for manned space flight.


President Obama has underlined the commitment of the US to return to the moon by the year 2020.


Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Influenza pandemics-A Recurring problem

The most disastrous influenza outbreak was the 1918-1919 pandemic, which was worldwide in it's distribution and took more than 20 million lives. Although were not available at the time, the strain is belived to be similar to one isotated from swine in 1930 which possessed the following variant H and N antigen : HSW1N1 .This was deduced from the fact that the blood serum of person born between 1918 and 1929 contained antibodies to the swine virus H and N antigenes, whereas the serum of persons born after that period did not . In other words, those antibodies provided an immonological record of the influenza virus strains that had been prevalent during the 1918-1929 period.
Marked changes in the Hand N antigens occured in 1947,1957and1968 giving rise to strains having the antigenic variationH1N1 H2N2 and H3N2 respectively. Each change resulted in a pandemic. For example, after the emergence of the H2N2 varient, a pandemic begain in the central part of mainland China in Febtuary 1957. From there it spread widely in China, then to HongKong and then to other parts of the world, shortly after september 1957, epidemics swept the united states. Although not as server as the pandemic of 1918, it is estimated that nearly half the population of the united states become ill and more than 8,000 deaths were caused directly or indirectly by this new antigenic variant. Before this pandemic occurred, it had been found that the blood serum of people 70 to 90 years old already contained antibodies against the new strain. This was of interest because it implied that a similar strain may have caused an epidemic reported to have occurred in 1890. In 1968 the the H3N3 Variant appeared in HongKong and again a pandemic occurred. Still another variant was isolated in 1976 at Fort Dix, New Jersey; it's antigenic type was HSW1N1, resembling that of the highly virulent strain thought to be responsible for the 1918 pandemic. This subtype was predicated to give rise to a new and serious pandemic ; however, it failed to gain predominance over the H3N2 subtypes that were still prevalent. In 1977 still another subtype emerged, H1N1, similar to the subtype that had been prevalent in 1947 and spread through out the world. The sequence in which these variants have emerged suggests that antigenic variation in type A virus may occur in a repeating or cyclic fashion rather than as an endless progession of new subtypes. Future comparisons of new varienrs with past variants will help to confirm or negate this hypothesis.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Major: Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology


For much of human history, we didn’t understand what caused and spread sickness. Perfectly healthy people would suddenly take ill and plagues would destroy whole cities. But people had no concept of why such terrible things happened. They blamed disease on unseen forces, angry spirits, and vengeful gods.

It’s not surprising that we once blamed invisible powers for causing disease, because the actual sources for many illnesses are practically invisible. However, they are organic, living organisms -- microbes, including bacteria and viruses. Medical microbiologists and bacteriologists study these microorganisms.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Can a Wild Boar Piglet Learn to Bark?


A family in Germany has adopted a baby wild boar who was found abandoned and starving. Manni the piglet has now made friends with the family's Jack Russell terrier -- and is even learning to bark.


Who says you can't teach a young pig new tricks -- or even how to bark?


Manni, a wild boar piglet, was found abandoned and starving in a field near Ehringhausen in rural southwestern Germany. The lucky pig was adopted by the Dahlhaus family, who bottle-fed him back to health.

Jack Hanna's Wackiest, Wildest, Weirdest Animals

Jack Hanna stopped by "Good Morning America" today with five of his most interesting animal friends.

In his new book, "The Wackiest, Wildest, Weirdest Animals in the World," Hanna, the director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, shares some of his extensive animal knowledge with kids of all ages.

Two North American porcupines, a lemur, a slow loris, a serval and a giant toad all came to visit the "GMA" Times Square studio. Learn more about them and see below for more of Jack Hanna's wild and wacky animals.

Giving the Public Access to Congress' 'Brain'




But at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, openness is slower to catch on


Critically, Congress has yet to end an outdated policy that prevents ordinary Americans from having easy access to the findings of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), otherwise known as "the brains" of our legislative body

Neon Green Monkeys Pass on Genes to Babies


The North American porcupine babies Hanna brought are just four weeks old, so their quills are still soft. They live throughout the North American desert regions and in the West all the way to Canada.


North American porcupines are the second largest of all rodents. The porcupine has a life span of about 10 years in captivity and between five and six in the wild. They grow to 25-40 inches long, have a thick muscular tail that can be as long as 8 inches and weight anywhere from 10 to 40 pounds.


They are usually solitary, nocturnal animals that spend much of their time up in trees


A porcupine has up to 30,000 quills interspersed among the dark, coarse guard hairs on its back and tail. The black-tipped, yellowish quills are stiff, barbed spines about 3 inches long that can be deadly once embedded in another animal's flesh.


But porcupines don't use the quills for catching prey -- they are strict vegetarians. The quills are their way of protecting themselves.


When a porcupine feels romantic, the male will look for a mate with a high falsetto squeak and the female will announce her availability with a squall. When the two come together, they confirm their interest by rubbing noses.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Microbiology of fruits and vegetables


Microbiology of Fruits and Vegetables presents a holistic view of the problem of produce contamination that examines both pre-harvest and post-harvest sources and practices. It addresses a number of topical issues relating to the microbiological quality and safety of fresh and processed fruits and vegetables and explores the linkage between microbial attachment, the state of microbial contaminants on produce surfaces, and the problem of decontamination. This volume focuses on five distinct areas, and within these areas, provides in-depth coverage of scientific issues important to an understanding of the field and technical issues of economic and public health significance.

The influence of different preservation methods on spoilage bacteria populations inoculated in morcilla de Burgos during anaerobic cold storage.

Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, University of Burgos, Plaza Misael Bañuelos s/n, 09001, Burgos, Spain.
Blood sausage is a widely consumed traditional product that would benefit from an extended shelf life. The two main spoilage bacteria in vacuum-packaged morcilla de Burgos are Weissella viridescens and Leuconostoc mesenteroides. This study examines the way in which three preservation treatments--organic acid salts (OAS), high-pressure processing (HPP) and pasteurization--influence these bacterial populations and their spoilage behaviour. HPP and pasteurization treatments were found to inhibit growth of the inoculated species and delay sensory spoilage of the product. In both treatments, L. mesenteroides was observed to have a longer recovery time; even so, once its growth started, it grew faster than W. viridescens. This longer recovery time might be due to metabolic modification following treatment, which would affect the production of metabolites such as acetic acid and some aldehydes. W. viridescens was the first strain to recover from the two treatments. It preserved its spoilage behaviour and even increased the production of certain compounds such as acetoin or ethanol. The extended product shelf life following HPP and pasteurization treatments might be due to a combination of various factors such as the fall in both microbial populations, as well as the delay in spoilage caused by damage to L. mesenteroides cells, as this strain is the fastest-acting, most intensive spoilage microorganism. It was observed that the addition of organic salts neither diminished nor delayed the growth of the two inoculated species. Nevertheless, the results also indicate that this treatment inhibits the metabolic activity of L. mesenteroides, resulting once again in an extended product shelf life.

The Science and Technology Education Programme (STE)


In a world where every aspect of life is increasingly dependent upon science & technology (S&T) and its applications, promoting capacity-building and education in science and technology is indispensable for all nations. This is true not only for achieving sustainable development but also to create a scientifically and technologically literate citizenry in the interests of ensuring true democracy, as in the coming years, an increasing number of political decisions - whether related to the economy, the environment, socio-cultural issues, etc, - will be based on S&T. Consequently, the increasing disaffection of children and youth for science and technology worldwide is a cause of major concern as the children of today will be the citizens and decision makers of tomorrow.


Following the recommendations of the World Conference on Science (Budapest, 1999) as well as those of the World Forum on Education (Dakar, 2000) and "the International Conference on Science, Technology and Mathematics Education" (Goa, 2001), UNESCO's programme in science and technology education focuses upon the means and methods to address these issues in both formal and non-formal education, notably by supporting Member States in:


1.Cooperation at the International, Regional, and Subregional levels
2.Training and capacity building of relevant personnel
3.Production and dissemination of innovative and context-specific teaching/learning materials
4.Establishment and management of networks of specialists and specialised institutions
5.Promoting exchange of information and popularisation of STE.

Science Education Program


K-12 student enrichment programs offered by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) include both science education programs for middle and high school students and informal educational community outreach for various grades.
Science Education Program
Science on Saturday

Science on Saturday is a series of free lectures and demonstrations intended for middle and high school students and teachers. The topics are selected from the forefront of LLNL science and technology research in a variety of disciplines. Lectures are held in Livermore, Tracy and other Central Valley locations. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Tri-Valley Science and Engineering Fair

The Tri-Valley Science and Engineering Fair (TVSEF) is a science project competition for students in grades 7-12 from schools within Alamo, Danville, Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, San Ramon, and Sunol. The fair is affiliated with the prestigious Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. In preparation for the TVSEF, LLNL conducts a hands-on workshop, Science Fair 101, for high school students. Science Fair 101 helps students develop, plan and present their science fair project. A workshop for teachers is also provided to help train teachers in science fair procedures and the scientific method.
Community Outreach
Super Science Field Trips

Field trips to the Laboratory are available to local 5th grade classes Monday through Friday, LLNL holidays excluded. The half-day morning program includes a visit to the Lab's Discovery Center and an interactive, hands-on Fun with Science presentation by a Lab scientist. Registration is required, and one class at a time participates.
Scout and Science Club Field Trips

Scouts and Science Clubs are invited to experience a science adventure at the Laboratory's Discovery Center. The Discovery Center has a variety of displays relating to the Lab's incredible science and engineering in support of national and homeland security and other important areas of science. Visitors can create their own earthquake, generate energy on an energy bike, and handle the lightest substance ever made - Aerogel - created right here at LLNL. The Discovery Center is open Tuesday - Friday from 1:00 to 4:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
High School Science Tours

High school science classes can tour some of the nation's most exciting research facilities located at LLNL. Tours are offered free of charge on Tuesday mornings from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Certain restrictions apply. Registration is required, and one class at a time participates.
Expanding Your Horizons in Math & Science Conferences

Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) are one-day conferences for middle and high school girls designed to encourage girls to consider careers in math and science related fields. Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories co-sponsor two annual EYH conferences: Tri-Valley EYH (San Ramon) held in the February/March time frame and San Joaquin EYH (Stockton) held in October. Registration is required.Fun with Science
Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) travel to your school site to conduct interactive science presentations and demonstrations in chemistry, physical sciences, and environmental sciences. The presenter engages students in discussions about scientific and technological concepts, while asking questions and providing interactive, hands-on experiments to enhance learning and scientific thinking skills. Fun With Science presents to students and teachers at the grade 3-6 level. The presentations are educational and enjoyable and students learn that science is fun! Registration is required. One school site is visited at a time.
MATHCOUNTS
MATHCOUNTS is an enrichment, coaching, and competition program offered by the Livermore Valley Unified School District that promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement. Volunteer coaches meet with students at their school for one hour each week to help students solve math word problems. Students are highly motivated, and the work is fun and rewarding!











"Providing Teachers With a Real World Context to Teach Science"


The Teacher Research Academy (TRA) offers middle- and high-school science teachers unique professional development experiences at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The TRA program provides teachers a continuum of standards-based instruction, taking participants from novice to mastery in exciting scientific disciplines

Franchise Sales


Mad Science® is a brand with global exposure and appeal—and a dependable and rewarding business to own. Mad Science franchises provides a variety of fun, entertaining and educational science programs to children in schools, homes, camps, libraries, community centers—wherever children are found in their communities. The highly sought-after innovative and engaging programs we developed are easy and profitable to deliver


Mad Science offers you a unique opportunity to build a successful business while contributing to your community. Our services are in high demand. Teachers, parents, school administrators, businesses and government have vested interests in enriching children’s science experiences. Mad Science franchises realize the benefits of providing programs that make science fun and accessible.


Our franchisees focus on promoting their business and scheduling presentations to be delivered by their staff of part-time instructors. A client-base is quickly built and Mad Science customers keep coming back—and referring us to others. Over 50% of Mad Science business is repeat business! With gross margins of 60-80% per presentation and a relatively low initial investment, Mad Science is smart business.


Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Recently in Swine Flu Category

With a few countries in the Southern Hemisphere reporting a dramatic jump in swine flu cases, the World Health Organization is inching closer to declaring a full-scale, phase 6 pandemic. But WHO, acknowledging that its phasing system needs fine-tuning as it relies only on geographic spread of the novel H1N1 virus, soon plans to institute a severity index to make its warning system more useful to member countries. WHO also wants to provide more tailored guidance to individual countries to help them respond appropriately.

As of 2 June, 64 countries have reported nearly 19,000 confirmed cases of swine flu to WHO, including 501 from Australia, which now has the widest detected spread of the disease outside of North America. At a press conference today, Keiji Fukuda, WHO's assistant director-general, characterized Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Spain as countries “in transition” from limited to sustained community spread of the virus. “Globally, we believe that we are at phase 5, but are getting closer to phase 6,” said Fukuda.

A phase 6 alert requires sustained community spread in two WHO regions, and some epidemiologists contend that has already occurred. But WHO, following criticism from member countries that declaring phase 6 could cause undue alarm about a virus that appears no more dangerous than seasonal flu strains, has been reluctant to declare this a full-scale pandemic. Yesterday, however, WHO consulted with influenza experts and public health officials from 23 countries who backed the continued use of a phasing system based on geographic spread of the virus. To improve its usefulness, the consultants also encouraged WHO to “modify this kind of movement to phase 6 with assessments of severity,” said Fukuda.

Severity is tricky to define as it includes everything from the virulence of a particular influenza strain to the vulnerability of a particular population and its ability to respond, Fukuda said, which means it can differ from place to place. “We will build flexibility into the assessments of severity,” he said. One possibility he said is to develop a three-point scale for severity that is country specific. So WHO might decide that one country is at phase 6, level 3, while others are at phase 6, level 1. “The trick is not going to be so much coming up with the three levels of severity, but it’s really how to do it in a way which can be implemented across a lot of different countries,” he said, noting that the levels might change over time.

Currently, Fukuda said the severity level of the global epidemic is “moderate.” Much uncertainty still remains about the number of people with serious illness, he said, and it’s clear that the novel H1N1 can kill perfectly healthy people. “We do have some hesitation in calling such an infection 'mild,' ” he cautioned. And WHO remains acutely concerned about the spread of the virus in the Southern Hemisphere, which is cooling down as it enters winter, the season that typically allows influenza viruses to thrive.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee

NSAC is an advisory committee that provides official advice to the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) on the national program for basic nuclear science research. NSAC is chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The NSAC Charter and website are managed by DOE, together with the responsibilities for organization and meeting logistics. The lead responsibility for the direction of NSAC itself, selecting members, putting together meeting agendas and developing charges will continue to be shared by the two agencies.