Showing papers on "Applied science published in 2000"

Where is the science

Abstract: SPECIAL The aspartame debate is raging, due to the proposed inclusion of artificial and 'diet' sweeteners in school tuck shop food, and a number of severe reactions to aspartame recently reported in news headlines. Who to believe? The NZSFA says it's safe, so your children could soon be downing copious quantities of the often Chinese-produced chemical. Fitness Life tracked down world expert Dr Woodrow Monte to tell the real story behind this potentially lethal lollipop (Abby Cormack is a young lady from {` Wellington, who recently made headlines because of serious adverse reactions attributed by her physician to her use of the artificial sweetener aspartame. She sent me an email asking for help. I was happy to assist, as I have seen hundreds of similar complaints over the years. the composition and safety of foods. For 25 years, I have had serious concerns about the consequences of consuming aspartame. In 1983, I filed the first petition to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking its removal from foods. My 287-page petition, containing copious documentation from published research, was denied without explanation. In 1984, I wrote the first scientific article warning of the effects of the methanol produced when aspartame is ingested. The trouble is, the issue of aspartame safety is embedded in a quagmire of politics. Its approval by the FDA was championed by the former US secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld. At the time, he was president of the company that invented the chemical, and which stood to make considerable financial gain from its manufacture and sale. NZFSA public relations and the beverage industry The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) has endorsed aspartame safety in all its handouts, for the most part paraphrasing the claims of the sweetener industry. And, despite vigorous protest, it has maintained this pro-aspartame stance, at the same time choosing not to allocate resources to study the many hundreds of scientific works that comprise the methanol toxicity literature alone. Based on the NZFSA's recommendation, the New Zealand government is currently considering a measure that will promote diet sweeteners as a replacement for sugar-sweetened beverages in schools. Inexpensively produced aspartame from China is most likely to be selected to play that role. And the fizzy drink manufacturers are happy — they stand to reap a substantial profit from the money saved substituting aspartame for sugar. What will be the likely cost to the public …

Defining computer science

Abstract: This paper explores the use and purpose of a definition of computer science from the perspective of an undergraduate student. In order to gain access to the topic, the nature and purpose of definitions are explored. Historical examples of computer science definitions are given. The paper concludes with an examination of how students define computer science and how we should use these definitions in computer science education.

Identification of matrices in science and engineering

Abstract: Engineering science is a scientific discipline that from the point of view of epistemology and the philosophy of science has been somewhat neglected. When engineering science was under philosophical scrutiny it often just involved the question of whether engineering is a spin-off of pure and applied science and their methods. We, however, hold that engineering is a science governed by its own epistemology, methodology and ontology. This point is systematically argued by comparing the different sciences with respect to a particular set of characterization criteria.

Science and Engineering Ethics

Abstract: Science and Engineering Ethics is a multi-disciplinary journal that explores ethical issues of direct concern to scientists and engineers. Coverage encompasses professional education, standards and ethics in research and practice, extending to the effects of innovation on society at large. Recent controversies and instances of misconduct in science have attracted considerable media attention. In addition, the power of new technologies developed through science and engineering especially as portrayed by the media have inspired growing popular concern. Science and Engineering Ethics offers a forum for the examination and discussion of ethical issues arising in the practice of scientific research and engineering, and in the practical application of that work. Although the focus of this publication is science and engineering, contributions from a broad range of disciplines are included.

Applied Mechanics in Science and Engineering

Abstract: This article traces the development of applied mechanics and its relation to science and engineering by reviewing first the history of mechanics from 1600 to 1900, the physics of the 19th century, and the engineering education in the same period. The review is followed by a discussion on modern physics and modern engineering, and the formation of applied mechanics as a discipline in science and one in engineering, which is classified into 94 subjects in 10 categories by Applied Mechanics Reviews. The article concludes with a chart to summarize the relation between science and engineering, and the interactions of applied mechanics with other disciplines. There are 15 references included in this article.Originally published in Applied Mechanics Reviews, Vol. 51, No. 2, February 1998

A History of Science Approach to the Nature of Science

Abstract: My interest in teaching the nature of science came from attempts to integrate history into physics courses for teachers at the Bakken Library and Museum beginning in 1985. My background in the history of science and in teaching physics appeared ideal for helping teachers transform the science of facts and equations they typically teach into science as a human activity. Michael Matthews labels this a distinction between “technical” and “liberal” science. The trouble was that many course participants had degrees in biology or chemistry, and were unfamiliar even with “technical physics.” Having no foundation to build on, I choose to teach both, and the question was how to do it. By that time, I had already been convinced that physics could be taught to all students by shifting the emphasis from the memorization of facts to developing skills of thinking, reasoning, and systematic purposeful work by students. I decided to try investigative laboratory experiments as one of the main vehicles for achieving this purpose. Teachers conducted experiments in groups and individually. When they brought the new labs to their schools, they appealed to the majority of students and raised their interest in learning science. The peculiar feature of these laboratory activities was that many of them recreated historical experiments. The idea of reproducing historical experiments in the classroom came from Devons and Hartmann (1970). I could have achieved my goal with other experiments as well, but I wanted to use history as much as possible, and the historical experiments did have an advantage over the “real -life investigations” practiced by some teachers, such as finding the cause of the clogged classroom sink or determining which paper towel is most absorbent. First, with the historical approach, the result is always known to the instructor, which is not the case with the sink and towels. Second, a historical experiment can be chosen so as to help teach a narrow scientific topic, while most real-life phenomena are too complex and complicated for students’ study. Third, for the first two reasons, the students’ chances to succeed are higher with the historical experiments than with the other ones. Finally, a success in repeating a historical scientific discovery may boost students’ self-confidence much more than in fixing the plumbing. It is not that technological problems are unusable; if carefully chosen, they are. However, it is easier to learn the necessary investigative skills in historical scientific experiments and then use them to tackle the frequently more complicated problems in technology. 177

CAL-laborate: A Collaborative Publication on the Use of Computer Aided Learning for Tertiary Level Physical Sciences and Geosciences.

Abstract: Editorial The Science community has been using, or trying to use, computers within teaching for many years. There has never been much conformity in how this was to be achieved, and the wheel has been re-invented again and again, as enthusiast after enthusiast has 'done their bit' towards getting computers accepted. Computers are now used by science undergraduates (as well as their peers in other disciplines) not necessarily to aid their learning, but rather as everyday tools for word processing (mostly), data processing (or at least presentation) and entertainment (in large quantities). They are also used to a considerable extent as mathematical modellers in computer laboratories and data loggers in experimental laboratories. Nevertheless the use of computer systems by science undergraduates to aid learning and understanding is still very limited. When the Windows environments were first available, there was a time when it looked as though the homespun computer learning aid was a thing of the past. The preparation of programs with visual quality that matched that of the Windows system itself was quite definitely moving out of the enthusiastic academic's ability range. This had the potential advantage of having to rely on professionally produced materials, which would automatically result in better quality and less reliance on enthusiasts to implement the courses using the software. The consequences that some of us saw from this trend were the better embedding of good quality learning aids in courses, with resulting stability of use. Whilst this has happened to some extent, there have been several counter influences. New development systems have appeared that can easily produce visually attractive materials. But even worse, there has been the steady development of the Web. While the Web has contributed many undoubted benefits to teachers – particularly in the management of their teaching – it has also contributed to the return of the enthusiast, with idiosyncratic teaching materials, often of poor pedagogic quality, that are promoted by those who should know better merely because they form part of the brave-new-World Wide Web. Couple this to the general trend of the modern world that presentation is far more important than quality of content, and it will become clear that the science student of tomorrow maybe in for a difficult time. This newsletter is brought to you at a time of increasing change within the higher education sectors around the world. In the United Kingdom the CTI Centres, which …

Conception of Frontier and Top Priority Fields for Mechanical Engineering & Science

Abstract: It is pointed out that advanced mechanical engineering and science frontier possesses obvious features,on one hand,mechanical engineering and science is intersected with informatics,material science,life science and management science,on the other hand,it is progressing and developing through solving creatively key scientific problems of mechanical engineering.The future development and the scientific frontier of mechanical engineering and science are described,the conception of top priority fields during the coming five years is proposed as well.

The Light Meter: A Powerful Tool in Physical Science

Abstract: science are challenging for students and teachers because they are difficult to understand and to demonstrate. Two such concepts that appear repeatedly in several contexts, across various disciplines, can become a unifying-concept approach to teaching physical science as stated in the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council 1996). The first is the concept of a ratio; the second is the concept of inverse-square variation. Arons (1983) identifies a lack of proficiency in reasoning involving ratios as posing a serious impediment to student progress in science. The concept of inverse-square dependence on the distance between objects is central to an understanding of forces, to the concept of the field, and to the propagation of electromagnetic radiation (including light). These areas comprise a large bulk of the material studied in physics, earth science, and astronomy, and their importance can be seen by their prominent appearance in the tasks of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The new standards in science education clearly advocate teaching based on exploration, calling for student-centered activities, long-term projects, open-ended laboratory investigations, and a general “hands-on” approach to learning science. Because textbooks are less relied upon, teachers can benefit from techniques and activities that promote exploration while stressing content knowledge in the areas under exploration. An excellent resource for demonstrating difficult concepts is a light meter. Teachers can carry out long-term projects with inexpensive equipment, and they

Earth System Science: representing a diversity of disciplines

Abstract: Earth System Science as an integral component of global change aims to "describe and understand the interactive physical, chemical and biological processes that regulate the total Earth system and the unique environment it provides for life". This includes the changes that are occurring in the system and how these changes are influenced by human actions. The challenge is to foster collaboration among a broad range of disciplines and embrace substantive contributions on relevant topics that are essential for fulfilling this undertaking. At the university/college level, overviews of Earth System Science and the breadth of interest involved vary considerably among departments, colleges and universities. While building on the disciplinary foundations of the basic and applied sciences to provide academic strength and rigor, Earth System Science must embrace the multidisciplinary relationships needed to fulfil the needs of global change just described. The aim of educators and researchers should be to promote collaboration among traditional disciplines rather than bounding Earth System Science by an exact definition. Meaningful multidisciplinary collaborations including life and social sciences as developed under the NASA/USRA Earth System Science Education (ESSE) program are needed to ensure diversity and realize the full potential of Earth System Science. In this manner, the knowledge base for Earth System Science is evolving as multidisciplinary educational resources are developed.