On April 8, 2024, a large swath of Indiana was treated to a total solar eclipse, a rare event that last happened in 1869. And in May, parts of Indiana are experiencing another rare occurrence in nature – the emergence of two different cicada broods. In the north and southwest counties of Indiana there is… Read more »
Tag: science
To the moon and stars
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross the sky over Richmond, Indiana for four minutes, starting at 3:07 PM. The IU East campus is in the path of totality, which means that viewers of the eclipse will see the sun completely obscured. This is a rare event, and the next eclipse of… Read more »
Look, Up In the Sky
This year, eclipses are major news. On October 14th there will be an annular eclipse (that is, one where the moon is too far away to completely block out the sun, and you can still see the outer ring of it). On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be happening. For about four… Read more »
Resources for the Skies
On Christmas Day in 1758, Halley’s Comet appeared in the sky, sighted by Johann Palizsch. This time, though, its appearance had been predicted in advance by the man it would come to be named after, Edmond Halley, who realized the comet was subject to Newtonian laws of motion and successfully connected it to historical sightings… Read more »
Primary Science
The use of primary sources is a staple of academic research – these are sources created by someone involved in the matter being described. In the humanities, these typically take the form of letters, diaries, or the like – for the historian, a diary is usually valued more than a book written by someone who… Read more »
Separating Sense from Nonsense: McGill University’s Office for Science in Society
“Science looks like magic, until you know how it works.” That was one of the first things Dr. Joe Schwarcz said when IU East Coordinator of Library Instruction, KT Lowe, met him last month. Dr. Schwarcz is the director of the McGill University Office for Science and Society, one of the best fake news fighting organizations… Read more »
One People One Sky
April is Global Astronomy Month, sponsored by Astronomers Without Borders, a group dedicated to strengthening the bonds between nations by looking outward together. Their motto is “One People, One Sky”, and they focus on practical astronomy that you can participate with in your back yard over more esoteric theories. Astronomy is one of the most… Read more »
Wilier Than a Coyote
Wile E. Coyote gave many of us inadvertent lessons in science in his endless quest to dine on delicious roadrunner. The hazards of poorly understood physics (what goes up must come down), where you should stand during an experiment, and humorous cautions on not using proper safety precautions were all hallmarks of his schemes. Professors… Read more »
Science Questions
This summer, we’ve been looking at how to do insightful, quality research at IU East. And while there are great general sources and techniques available that benefit any researcher, each discipline has its own special sources and quirks. This week, we’ll look at the natural sciences. If you’ve been following these columns, you’ll notice that… Read more »
Endings and Beginnings
The month of July saw some ups and downs in the scientific community: on July 4, we heard about the discovery of the Higgs boson particle which the New York Times described as “one of the longest, most expensive searches in the history of science.”1 Then, on July 23, we heard of the sad death… Read more »