June 1996 — Features
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Universal Access to Science Study via Internet
The challenge is to organize the data being produced so that it elucidates basic concepts of science. At the same time, the accessibility of this information lets students share in the excitement of the quest to solve one of the great problems of our age ¬ producing unlimited energy! Efforts are underway, with the leadership of Dr. William Davis, to use this data to elucidate the study of energy, heat, electric and magnetic fields, radioactivity and fusion itself.
A particularly exciting and original feature of this project is the creation of a "virtual fusion machine" on a Plasma Lab Web site. At this site, students can set the controls and specify the parameters for a "shot," during which electrical energy is pulsed into a plasma to see what temperature will be achieved and to observe the amount of fusion that a mathematical model predicts.
Example 2: DNA Research at Rutgers
http://morgan.rutgers.edu
The field of molecular biology is developing at a staggering pace. Almost as soon as a college text is published, new research demands a revision. The problem of keeping up is particularly severe for pre-college educators and students.
A remedy is being developed by professor William Sofer and his colleagues at the Waksman Institute of Rutgers University. They have been inviting students and teachers to learn about molecular biology and its implications in genetics for several years through summer programs. During this past year, working with the NJNIE, materials are being developed on the Web that will help students gain direct access to tutorials on modern genetics and to opportunities to explore challenging questions and conjectures in that field.
The Waksman Institute has created a Web site with a tutorial on modern genetics called "Morgan," named after the early 20th-century scientist, Thomas Morgan. The Web site is also being developed to lead students to various genome data bases. By examining the genetic sequences of living creatures with similar biological features, interesting research questions can be examined.
Through the Web and Internet, students are again able to enter into the world of the research scientists and engage in a virtual visit in which the same data and the same issues being explored on the frontier of knowledge are also pursued by students from their homes and schools.
Associating with Experts
In all of the examples discussed above, it is extremely valuable, if not crucial, to have a scientist available as a consultant to the project. Teachers cannot be expected to have the background and knowledge needed to guide all aspects of such student work.
