STEMLabs

Data Collection      Microbit.org has provided a great resource for using the Microbit for data collection.  They have an excellent introduction, complete with video tutorial and sample code, for Data Collection, and a number of suggested experiments involving collecting data.  Each experiment has an Overview, Setup, and Procedure section - again with video tutorials and sample code.  The experiment topics are: Population Traits, Temperature, Soil Moisture, Gravity, Motion and Waves, Body, Electrical and Waves, Electricity, and Rocket Acceleration.  Material needs are minimal, usually a microbit, batteries, cable, copper wire, and access to a spreadsheet program for data analysis.  Some of the experiments make use of two Microbits and the Radio code blocks that allow Microbits to communicate with one another.      The overview is here (there are links to all the experiments in a sidebar): https://makecode.microbit.org/courses/ucp-science/data-collection Online Learning      Micro

         Bob Bumgarner, a Physics teacher at King George High School, programmed a Micro:bit so that it could be used as a photogate, a device for very accurate timing.  He also designed a holder for the bit using Tinkercad, and 3D printed it.  Bob was generous enough to provide his description of the project, the Micro:bit code, and the .stl file for the holder.  This is a very practical use for both the micro:bit and 3D design/printing.  As Bob points out, it is a way to save a good bit of money on lab equipment.  To read Bob's report click here , the code is here , and the .stl file is here . Photogate Photogate code for Micro:bit Photogate holder in Tinkercad

This is a link to the Colonial Beach STEM Club site.  Lots of good resources, videos, and handouts.

         In this post you'll find links to the documents provided by Nancy Stalik and Daria Blom, educators from the Friends of the Rappahannock . The introduction to E-STEM PowerPoint The Stormwater Sediment Filter Design Brief The Sediment Filter Data Sheet The  soil that was used during the workshop

     I'll be doing additional posts for our April workshop including some great design briefs created by  participants, session handouts, and some additional information about Biomimicry.  This post will provide some information about Ozobots and links to the documents Emily Sheckels provided for her sessions.      Ozobots are small robots that can be used to teach pre-coding skills (The Bit) or programming (The Evo.)  The Bit is a line following bot that can also "see" red, blue, and green.  You can program the bot by adding a variety of color sequence blocks (red-blue-red) to the black line the robot follows.  There are a number of sequences and each one causes the bot to execute some command, such as Reverse, Speed Up, or Turn Left .  The programmer creates the route for the bot by drawing a black line and then adding color sequences as needed.  The route is created using standard markers and paper.  The kits have a lot of materials including code sheets, pointe

     A recent post on the SparkFun website introduced the idea of using a 3D printer to produce a Lithophane. As the post explains, lithophanes are "...a specific kind of artwork that can only be seen clearly when backlit, meaning light is an element of this creative technique. Traditionally, a lithophane is a thin porcelain tile with an etched artwork on one side. Porcelain has a translucent quality when the walls are thin enough, so by carving into a thin tile, artist were able to make lithophanes by hand."      The post provides a link to a free lithophane generator here: http://3dp.rocks/lithophane/ ,  It's very easy to use, you upload a photo, choose a format (flat, curved, cylinder) and it quickly creates an .stl file for downloading. The Sparkfun post provides some example pictures and they turned out pretty well. I decided to try this out with a color photo of my own. I chose one that was a bit complicated, a photo of my granddaughter painting at her easel,