Nature’s Cool Solution In our last post, we examined how Antarctic fish survive freezing waters using antifreeze proteins, which prevent ice formation in their bodies. But what about the opposite case? What if we could make water freeze more easily at slightly warmer temperatures, using less energy? Isabel Pulido solved that puzzle after experiencing firsthand… Continue reading From Frost-Forming Bacteria to Off-Grid Refrigeration:
Tag: Design Thinking
Ice is Cool!
How Water Freezes (and Why It Matters) Ice—Simple Yet Strange Ever wondered why ice cubes float or why sidewalks become slippery when they’re covered in frost? Ice might seem ordinary, but it’s packed with fascinating mysteries. In our recent post, we introduced Isabel Pulido’s groundbreaking invention, NanoFreeze, which uses special proteins to freeze water at… Continue reading Ice is Cool!
Colder Ice:
Isabel Pulido’s Cool Innovation One afternoon in rural Colombia, Isabel Pulido watched a mother throw away half-eaten beans and rice. The family had no refrigerator—not because they couldn’t afford one, but because they had no reliable electricity. “I realized then that the biggest problem wasn’t just access to power,” Pulido recalls. “It was about food… Continue reading Colder Ice:
Design Thinking: A Guide to Innovation
Many people say that kids are the future, but we are here now, and we can make a difference —Gitanjali Rao, at age 11, in 2017 I’m excited to share a preview of my new book, Design Thinking: A Guide to Innovation. The following excerpt showcases how young innovators applied design thinking to solve real-world… Continue reading Design Thinking: A Guide to Innovation
The Catapult Project:
How Supporting a Neurodivergent Student Sparked a Hands-On STEM Challenge The clatter of wood and excited student chatter filled the air as a small projectile arced across the courtyard. At the center of this commotion stood Maya as she demonstrated her handcrafted catapult to her delighted classmates and sparked an evolution in our physics unit.… Continue reading The Catapult Project:
When Robots Meet Reality:
Lessons from the “Confused” Waymo Taxis of San Francisco For weeks, Randol White dealt with a persistent and annoying problem right outside his San Francisco condo. His building overlooks an open-air parking lot that Waymo recently leased to store its vehicles. He and other residents were repeatedly roused at 4 a.m. by honking car horns.… Continue reading When Robots Meet Reality:
Unlock Your Creativity: Practical Tips and Exercises
“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” — Mary Lou Cook “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” —Maya Angelou Creativity isn’t only for artists and inventors. We are all creative, even if we think we aren’t. It’s a skill that anyone can… Continue reading Unlock Your Creativity: Practical Tips and Exercises
Enabling Technologies
Raspberry Pi Sometimes one good idea leads to many others and the Raspberry Pi computers are a great example. The Raspberry Pi is a set of small, single-board computers created for to help teach computer science in schools and to other interested learners. Released in 2012 by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, an educational charity focused… Continue reading Enabling Technologies
Book Review: A Young Innovator’s Guide to STEM
How do some people accomplish so much? TIME magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year, Gitanjali Rao, gives us a glimpse of her techniques in A Young Innovator’s Guide to STEM: 5 Steps to Problem Solving for Students, Educators, and Parents. As with everything she does, Gitanjali Rao delivers a great guide to the innovation process. … Continue reading Book Review: A Young Innovator’s Guide to STEM
Hello World
Explore the world. Nearly everything is interesting if you go into it deeply enough. –Richard Feynman Welcome! Welcome to my Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) blog! If you’re interested in what is going on in STEM, this blog may be a place for you. I’m a science teacher writing on what I learn about… Continue reading Hello World