Don Cameron is Mad About Science

Steve Spangler visits Don Cameron's classroom at Lakewood High School

Steve Spangler visits Don Cameron's classroom at Lakewood High School
Any teacher who can inspire a group of students to get up at 4:30 AM in order to be on live television is an amazing person. But it didn’t take long to see why his students like him so much… “He’s just a cool teacher who makes coming to class fun,” says one of his students as she launches a rubber bug across the room. Mad About Science is a television news series that we created at 9News KUSA-TV in Denver almost ten years ago as a way to recognize science teachers in Colorado who are getting their students excited about learning science. Tom Andrews hits the mark as an amazing science teacher at Goddard Middle School in Littleton, Colorado. When you visit Mr. Andrews’ classroom, you can see that he practices what he preaches. “Science needs to be hands-on and engaging …
We are honored to periodically host the Carnival of Education. Hats off to our good friend Jane Goodwin for all of her work on the latest Carnival. - editor It’s time to put on our thinking caps and experience the 190th Carnival of Education, right here at Steve Spangler’s blog! All learning is scientific, you know. The world is a giant laboratory, and every day, we are all, regardless of our ages, making discoveries never before known to mankind. Perhaps some of you will make some discoveries right here at the Carnival of Education! Remember now, we don’t all necessarily have to agree on everything to appreciate it, or realize that it has a value. Let’s begin with some Games for the Brain. That will make us alert and ready for some educational action. Over at Three Standard Deviations to the Left, there is some discussion about low expectations. Mr. IB lets us know, in no uncertain terms, that HIS expectations are high.
Every once in a while I stumble across a new resource or website and say, “Why didn’t I know about this before now?” If you’re a teacher and you don’t know about The Carnival of Education, check it out! As I understand it, the Carnival of Education is hosted on a new education site each week, and it has an amazing readership. Brew a second pot of coffee because once you start reading, you’ll get roped in for a few hours (each time you check it out).
All this week on TV, I had the opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at Denver-based companies who each have a cool science twist to their business. The scientists at Gates Corporation invited our cameras on a tour of the hydraulic testing labs at Gates where they demonstrated how engineers test high pressure rubber hoses for commercial use. During the segment, Joel Edwards, Vice President of Fluid Technology & Product Development and Larry Kachinski, Senior Lab Engineer pressurized a hose rated to 6,000 psi with a safety factor of 4:1. The loud burst produced a perfect rupture at nearly 28,000 psi!
Anything that goes bang is fun, but… I was most impressed to speak with Joel Edwards, VP of Product Development, and his engineers who all share the same passion for getting students K-12 excited about careers in science and engineering. For more information about Gates Corporation, visit www.gates.com