SCIC Science Is Cool Unconference - July 24

    Science is Cool is hosting the 15th FREE virtual unconference for cool teachers on July 24 featuring Paul Andersen, Steve Spangler, Chris Kesler and so many more great guests!

    "Everyone's a Science Teacher"    Starting at 10am ET / 7am PT

    ScIC15 is a full-day virtual professional development event hosted by Science is Cool and PocketLab, offering an enriching experience for K-12 teachers.

    Whether you're about to teach your first science lesson or you’ve been leading labs for years, together, we’ll explore the essentials every science teacher should know—and then some. Through practical strategies, simplifying standards, to running a science lab with everyday materials, hands-on activities, and collaborative sessions, you’ll gain tools that actually work in real classrooms, across grade levels and experience levels. We’ll help you build confidence, clarify your approach, and walk away prepared for your students.

    Come for the fun, stay for the free PD, and leave with tons of ideas and resources to share with your students this fall.

    Everyone is welcome. There will be concepts and resources that teachers of all grades and subjects will be interested in!

    All live attendees will receive a free professional development certificate.

    Register today for free to get all the details.

The “Walk & Flip” Innovation in Reading & Exercise

The “Walk & Flip”: The Formation of an Innovative Approach to Reading & Exercise

Research paper submitted by Ryan Ting, Lab Intern and graduating senior at BASIS DC High School.

Introduction

I like to read as much as I can. Furthermore, as a high school student, I often have to read — reading textbooks to prepare for lessons, reading novels for literature classes, etc. I also like to exercise, which includes cardio exercises using a treadmill. When I walk on the treadmill, I often listen to audiobooks or watch videos. I rarely read. There lies the conflict. Reading physical books is difficult, especially when walking on a treadmill. Being at a different speed than the book means flipping pages often leads to ripping them out. Even worse, reaching out to carefully flip a page may lead to a lapse of focus on walking — subsequently falling and being injured. 

Literature Review

In the United States, 80% of people aged 6 years and older fail to perform enough exercise (Piercy, 2018). To get more exercise, many use treadmills. However, many also choose to watch screens for entertainment as they use treadmills. Excessive screen time is linked to poor sleep quality, stress regulation, and mental health (Nakshine, 2022). Therefore, there is value in discovering options for screenless entertainment.

Reading is a means of screenless entertainment, but is inconvenient because the book may not be supported by the treadmill and the act of flipping pages may lead to page tears because the reader is in motion while the book is stationary. Even worse, trying to slow down one’s walking speed to carefully flip a page may lead to falls and injury. 

The solution described below includes a shelf to hold the book in place, a system of servo motors to flip the pages automatically, and a hands-free trigger to flip the pages when the reader is done. The device is unlike

Innovations in Posture Correction

Revolutionizing Posture: The micro:bit Posture Tracker 

Jayden Adomako, Stafford County High School

    Many of us spend a lot of time sitting with poor posture, whether at work desks, using our phones for browsing, or watching TV. In all of these, we're likely to be slumped with our neck pushing our head forward, which can cause various body aches and pains, especially in our back and neck. The World Health Organization reported that over 1.7 billion people suffer from problems affecting their muscles, bones, and joints (WHO, 2021). This blog post is a first step in helping yourself or others to learn how to sit and stand correctly to avoid future posture-related problems.

What is Good Posture?

    Good posture refers to the alignment of the body, and particularly in the spine. Good posture allows for optimal functioning of muscles and joints, or what a teacher or medical professional would have you call the musculoskeletal system. Perfect posture is uncommon or rare, but would involve positioning the body in a way that minimizes strain and maximizes the efficiency of movements of your body. In standing posture, the ears, shoulders, and hips should ideally align vertically, with the body weight distributed evenly on both legs. When sitting, the spine should be in a relatively neutral position, with the lower back also supported. Your feet should also be flat on the floor, and knees at a 90 degree angle. These positions help reduce the risk of strain and discomfort and prevent long term musculoskeletal issues (Gorman et al., 2020).

The Problem with Poor Posture

    Correct posture is something that many individuals struggle with nowadays, often without realizing it. The dependency on today's technology in the modern world makes slouching hard to avoid, Whether it be at work, school, or simply at home after a long day. These slouching habits creep up on everyone, and it can lead to discomfort usually in the back area, pain, and in decreased productivity. O'Keeffe et al. (2019), reported that 80% of people who have claimed to have poor posture have also experienced chronic pain or discomfort. Other research supports this connection with poor posture and musculoskeletal pain.

The Invention: A micro-bit-Powered Posture Tracker

    My innovative wearable technology offers a non-invasive way for people to position themselves for alignment on a daily basis.My engaging invention is a wearable device created to assist in keeping the posture of your spine in check by detecting your body position in real time. It features and is powered by the micro-bit microcontroller. The micro-bit is a nice compact, inexpensive  piece of technology that integrates a sensor and can be programmed in

Invention Virginia / Invention DC Regional Expos - April 5 (UPDATED)

 Acknowledging regional educators' concerns for scheduling between seasonal holidays, Invention Virginia and Invention DC have rescheduled one week earlier on April 5, 2025.  

The deadline for registering for the online Virginia Statewide Convention remains April 21, 2025. 

Participation in a regional expo is not required to register for the state convention.

All programs are FREE to students, teachers, and schools!

More details are available at https://inventionvirginia.net/ or by email at team@InventionVirginia.net. 

Mailing list: Click here!

Virginia Tech STEM Discovery Fair - March 1, 2025

See the newly opened Innovation Campus building while learning about great STEM education opportunities in the Northern Virginia Region.

The VT STEM Discovery Fair, which will take place on Saturday, March 1, 2025, from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM. 

The event will be located at Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, 3625 Potomac Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22305  The Campus is a 4-minute walk from Potomac Yard Metro, and paid parking is available. 

This event is collaboratively organized by College Access Collaboratives, College of Engineering, the College of Sciences, and the Innovation Campus.

The Effect of Leading Edge Slot Angle on NACA 2412 Airfoil’s Critical Angle of Attack

by Ian A. Ledford

Introduction

An aerodynamic stall occurs when the critical angle of attack is surpassed, producing insufficient lift for flight. They continue to be a significant, often disastrous problem in modern aviation. STAT Over the past few decades, several technologies have been developed in an effort to reduce the number of stalls that occur. On the leading edge of an airfoil, movable slats can both increase the camber of the airfoil and direct high pressure air towards the upper surface to delay boundary layer separation at higher angles of attack (AOA’s). Still, like most control surfaces, slats increase drag thus reducing efficiency so they are designed to retract. Unfortunately, these retracting systems add weight, potential for failure, and complexity in manufacturing.

Leading edge (fixed) slots apply the same principles as movable slats but cannot retract. Their simplicity solves the issues with slats outlined above, but they have no way of reducing the drag they create. This investigation will determine the best angle for a leading edge slot to improve an airfoil's lift at higher angles of attack, potentially delaying the onset of a stall.

Figure 1: Annotated diagram illustrating fluid movement over an airfoil. Sourced from Aerospace Engineering Blog.

Theory

Fluid traveling closely to an object is subject to the no-slip condition (the fluid has zero velocity relative to the object) because of the high decelerating effects from its viscosity. Farther away from the