Today, the safety and effectiveness of new medicines, medical devices and vaccinations are on peoples’ minds and in the news media. Clinical trials enable researchers to study new treatments and to determine whether they work as intended or cause dangerous side effects.
Walk into an upper-level college physics classroom almost anywhere in the country, and you’ll see students sitting down, listening to the professor and taking notes. Despite years of education research showing that students learn better by being active, the common curriculum for juniors and seniors in physics still emphasizes passivity. At Oregon State University, advanced physics instruction has already made the transition.
In this package of lessons and activities, students will learn what causes a tsunami, the physics behind its movement, and how scientists know when one is forming.
Wave machines and miniature towns reveal secrets of tsunamis.
Something about César Chávez grabbed Gabriel’s imagination and wouldn’t let go.
Kevin Ahern, who teaches introductory and advanced biochemistry classes to many of Oregon State University’s pre-med students, has another reason for wanting to drive science into his students’ minds. “These kids will be treating me sometime. I don’t want to have one of them as my physician and think, ‘oh man, you got a D in my biochemistry class.'”