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A biweekly podcast from NSTA on science teaching, science news, and anything else with “science” in it.
Science teachers Brian Bartel and Dale Basler discuss science news and science
education with leading scientists, researchers, science writers, and
other important figures in the field. A selection of links and notes
accompanies each episode, enabling the listener to dig deeper into the topics discussed.
Check out Brian and Dale's reporting from the NSTA National Conference on Science Education at the NSTA Conference Blog.
Episodes
- Lab Out Loud 42: SOFIA—A Telescope on a Plane (2010.02.08)
Dana Backman is the Outreach Director for SOFIA—The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. Essentially, SOFIA is a modified 747SP with telescope in its fuselage. A joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (NASA supplied the aircraft and the telescope was built in Germany), SOFIA is the largest airborne astronomical observatory that will allow astronomers to peer into the visible, infrared and submillimeter spectrum of space—above most of the water vapor in the atmosphere. Dana talks about the aircraft, the mission, and some exciting opportunities for science teachers.
- Lab Out Loud 41: NY Times Science Writer Nicholas Wade (2010.01.25)
Nicholas talks with Brian and Dale about his new book (The Faith Instinct), recent science breakthroughs, and what to expect in the coming year.
- Lab Out Loud 40: Being Sean Carroll (2010.01.11)
Dale and Brian have us hearing double as they kick off the new year: two guests named Sean Carroll! Sean Carroll (physicist) and Sean B. Carroll (biologist) talk about their respective science fields, science education, and being Sean Carroll.
- Lab Out Loud 39: Standards and Science Education (2009.12.21)
Brian and Dale speak with Barry Cartwright, the Science Content Specialist for the Colorado Department of Education. In November, Colorado released the Final Draft of the Colorado Academic Standards in Science. Barry discusses some of the highlights of the new Colorado science standards and the future of standards in science education.
- Lab Out Loud 38: National Lab Day (2009.12.07)
Dale and Brian's guest this week is Jack Hidary, chairman of National Lab Day. Designed to encourage partnerships between scientists, engineers, teachers, and students, National Lab Day emerged from a partnership between NSTA, the American Chemical Society (ACS), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Jack D. Hidary Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation. Jack talks about the program and website, and what educators and other scientists can do to get involved.
- Lab Out Loud 37: Science Because We Can (2009.11.16)
Dr. Theo Gray has some serious accolades that would make any geek proud: he has won an Ig Nobel prize (2002), been referenced in a Foxtrot comic, and owns the domain name periodictable.com. Dr. Gray talks with Brian and Dale about his tables, science experiments and safety, Wolfram Alpha, and even answers some student questions.
- Lab Out Loud 36: The Scientific Method Starts with Curiosity (2009.11.02)
With the upcoming 2009 HHMI Holiday Lecture on Science in December (Exploring Biodiversity), Brian and Dale decided to talk with one of the presenters—Dr. Bonnie Bassler. The focus of Dr. Bassler's research is on how bacteria communicate with each other in a process called quorum sensing. This research earned her a MacArthur fellowship in 2002, and her work is being carefully watched for the development of new antimicrobial drugs. Dr. Bassler inspires us with her curiosity, her research, and science education.
- Lab Out Loud 35: The Quantum Frontier (2009.10.19)
With the Large Hadron Collider scheduled to come back online in November, Dale and Brian were able to talk with writer and physicist Don Lincoln again (see episode 8). Dr. Lincoln talks about the LHC and his new book, The Quantum Frontier.
- Lab Out Loud 34: Gene Therapy for Colorblind Monkeys (2009.10.05)
Lab Out Loud's guest this week is Dr. Jay Neitz from the department of Ophthalmology at the University of Washington, Seattle. Dr. Neitz and his research team successfully used gene therapy to replace a faulty gene responsible for red-green colorblindness in adult male squirrel monkeys. Brian and Dale talk with Dr. Neitz about his experiment, its implications for gene therapy in humans, and the process of science that led him to this breakthrough.
- Lab Out Loud 33: Meet NSTA’s Executive Director (2009.09.21)
Dale and Brian open their third season with Dr. Francis Eberle, executive director of NSTA. Francis talks about his role at NSTA and gives some insights into a few new initiatives from NSTA.
- Lab Out Loud 32: Neil deGrasse Tyson on Science Literacy (2009.05.11)
Dr. Tyson is has been described as the "Carl Sagan of the 21st Century" and named "Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive" by People magazine. He has appeared numerous times on The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, stars in the PBS series NOVA Science Now, and is the director of the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium. Dr. Tyson joins Dale and Brian in the Lab Out Loud season finale to talk about scientific literacy.
- Lab Out Loud 31: The AMS Education Program (2009.04.27)
Brian and Dale's guest this week is Jim Brey, Director of the Education Program at the American Meteorological Society. Jim talks about the AMS Education Program, which promotes the teaching of atmospheric, oceanographic, and hydrologic sciences through pre-college teacher training and instructional resource material development.
- Lab Out Loud 30: Lights, Camera, Sea Turtles! (2009.04.13)
Dale and Brian chat with Dr. Heithaus, director of the Marine Sciences Program at Florida International University in Miami. He has also worked with National Geographic's Crittercam, and you might recognize his name as the author of Holt Biology (the "cheetah book"). Dr. Heithaus talks about his research, his interest in science, and how there's more science than you might realize in marine science.
- Lab Out Loud 29: We're All Stellar Corpses (2009.03.30)
Brian and Dale's guest this week is Dr. Michelle Thaller. A research scientist at the California Institute of Technology, Thaller is currently the Manager of the Education and Public Outreach program for the Spitzer Space Telescope. Thaller talks to us about Spitzer, infrared light, and our origins in stellar corpses.
- Lab Out Loud 28: Who Watches The Watchmen? Scientists Do! (2009.03.09)
Dale and Brian's guest this week is Jennifer Ouellette, director of the Science and Entertainment Exchange. The Exchange provides entertainment industry professionals with access to top scientists and engineers to help bring the reality of cutting-edge science to creative and engaging storylines. Jennifer talks about her work with the Exchange and how scientists advise pop culture—including movies like The Watchmen and TV shows like Fringe and The Big Bang Theory.
- Lab Out Loud 27: Questions with Skeptoid (2009.02.23)
Brian and Dale welcome Brian Dunning to the show—the man behind Skeptoid. Skeptoid: Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena is a weekly proscience, antipseudoscience podcast. Brian talks about working on the podcast, practicing the scientific method, and using skepticism in the science classroom.
- Lab Out Loud 26: Stories of Evolution (2009.02.09)
Dr. Sean B. Carroll returns to the show this week to celebrate Darwin Day (Feb. 12, 2009). With two new books out (Remarkable Creatures and Into the Jungle), Dr. Carroll discusses the power of storytelling in teaching science offering along the way a story of how Darwin, Alfred Russell Wallace, and Henry Walter Bates all contributed in developing the theory of evolution.
- Lab Out Loud 25: Science in its Rightful Place (2009.01.26)
Dale and Brian speak with Jodi Peterson, Assistant Executive Director for the NSTA Office of Legislative and Public Affairs. They discuss what we might see for science and science education with the Obama administration.
- Lab Out Loud 24: The Bad Astronomer Returns (2009.01.12)
Brian and Dale welcome Phil Plait (aka The Bad Astronomer) back to the show. Phil talks about the International Year of Astronomy and highlights a few events planned for the IYA. As President of the James Randi Educational Foundation, Phil also discusses the role of skepticism in education.
- Lab Out Loud 23: The Periodic Table of Videos (2008.12.15)
Dr. Martyn Poliakoff, CBE—a research professor at the University of Nottingham—talks about The Periodic Table of Videos, an entertaining and informative set of short movies on each of the elements.
- Lab Out Loud 22: When Good Chemicals Go Bad (2008.12.01)
Maryann Suero and Ken Roy warn us of safety dangers lurking in schools—both in the science lab and beyond.
- Lab Out Loud 21: Dr. Kiki, Never Too Cool for Science (2008.11.17)
"Dr. Kiki" is Kirsten Sanford, Ph.D. (Neurophysiology), who is making her way in independent science media and journalism.
- Lab Out Loud 20: Ed Begley Jr. on Science and the Environment (2008.11.03)
Brian and Dale chat with Ed about science, the environment, and his show, Living with Ed.
- Lab Out Loud 19: Bioethics with Jeffrey Kahn (2008.10.20)
Dr. Jeffrey Kahn is Director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Kahn reminds us of the importance of ethics in science—from the classroom to public policy.
- Lab Out Loud 18: Science Matters 2008 (2008.10.06)
As we rapidly approach November 4th, Dale and Brian were able to talk with Lesley Stone from SEA (Scientists and Engineers for America) to discuss the role of science in the upcoming elections.
- Lab Out Loud 17: Sir Harold Kroto on Science Education (2008.09.22)
To open their second season, Brian and Dale talked with Sir Harold Kroto. Kroto won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996 (along with Curl and Smalley) for the discovery of fullerenes. He talks to us about a loss of hands-on experiences in our world and how to reform science education, and offers a new resource for science (and other) educators.
- Lab Out Loud 16: Building Connections in Science Education (2008.05.19)
In this episode, Dale and Brian chat with Dr. Karen Harpp, Associate Professor in Geology at Colgate University in New York. Dr. Harpp talks about her research, science outreach, and creating connections between science teachers and researchers.
- Lab Out Loud 15: Expelled Exposed (2008.05.05)
In response to the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, we decided to talk with someone who has invested her life defending evolution. Dr. Eugenie Scott, Director for the National Center for Science Education, talks to us about the movie, the NCSE response, and the place of evolution in science education.
- Lab Out Loud 14: Bill Nye Talks About Energy and More (2008.04.21)
For our contribution to Earth Day, we had the opportunity to chat with Bill Nye about his new show on the new Planet Green channel called Stuff Happens.
- Lab Out Loud 13: Scepticism and The Bad Astronomer (2008.04.07)
This week Dale and Brian talk with Terry Devitt from The Why Files: Science Behind the News, the popular website at the University of Wisconsin.
- Lab Out Loud 12: Skepticism and The Bad Astronomer (2008.03.17)
This week's guest calls himself The Bad Astronomer. Phil Plait is an astronomer, an author, and a well-known blogger at www.badastronomy.com. Phil talks to us about myths and skepticism in the science classroom.
- Lab Out Loud 11: Death of the Chemistry Sets (2008.03.03)
This week Brian and Dale talk with Steve Silberman, contributing editor for Wired magazine. Steve talks to us about the demise of the chemistry set (as related to his article "Don't Try this at Home") and what that might mean for the future of scientific curiosity in our children.
- Lab Out Loud 10: Boston, Here We Come (2008.02.18)
Get a preview of what's in store for you at the 2008 National Conference on Science Education, as we chat with conference chair Joyce Croce.
- Lab Out Loud 9: Blogging with PZ Myers (2008.02.04)
In this episode, we chat with PZ Myers, lead author of the blog Pharyngula (Pharyngula is hosted at Science Blogs—a project from Seed magazine). Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
- Lab Out Loud 8: The Future of Particle Physics (2008.01.21)
In this episode, Dale talks with physicist Don Lincoln of the DZero detector experiment at Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratories. Don talks about physics, Fermilab, his books, and some opportunities for teachers and students with QuarkNet.
- Lab Out Loud 7: Cloning Monkey Embryos (2008.01.07)
In this week's episode, we talk with Dr. Shoukhrat Mitalipov about his recent breakthrough in cloning monkey embryos and the scientific methods that got him there.
- Lab Out Loud 6: Adam Rogers from WIRED Science (2007.12.17)
Adam Rogers discusses the new PBS show titled WIRED Science.
- Lab Out Loud 5: Sir Alec Jeffries and DNA Fingerprinting (2007.12.03)
Professor Sir Alec Jeffries talks to us about the discovery of DNA fingerprinting, its uses/abuses, and its impact on society.
- Lab Out Loud 4: Science Education Myth? (2007.11.19)
This week we talk with Vivek Wadhwa, columnist for Business Week, Wertheim Fellow at the Harvard Law School, and executive in residence at Duke University. Wadhwa will be discussing his recent article (The Science Education Myth) regarding science education in the United States.
- Lab Out Loud 3: Steve Squyres and the Roving Mars (2007.11.05)
This week we talk with Steve Squyres, principal investigator for the science payload on the Mars Exploration Rover Project and Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
- Lab Out Loud 2: Biologist Sean B. Carroll (2007.10.22)
Dr. Sean B. Carroll (Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics and an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Wisconsin) talks to us about evolution, his new project, and science literacy.
- Lab Out Loud 1: Introductions and Gerry Wheeler (2007.10.08)
Meet the hosts of NSTA’s Lab Out Loud podcast—Dale Basler and Brian Bartel. Later, Dale and Brian chat with NSTA Executive Director Gerry Wheeler, who reflects on Sputnik and its impact on science education, the importance of science literacy and 21st century skills, and how NSTA is helping science teachers both young and old.
About Your Hosts
Dale Basler has been a teacher of science in Appleton, Wisconsin since 1998. He currently teaches physics and physical science at Appleton East High School. Across the river, Brian Bartel has been teaching biology and chemistry at Appleton West High School since 2000.
Since 2001, Dale has also been serving as webmaster for his state’s science teacher organization, the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers (WSST). In 2004, Dale was elected President-Elect of WSST and served for four years on the WSST Board of Directors. For two of those years, Dale served as President of WSST. In 2001, Brian joined Dale in the Publications' Committee of WSST by serving as the newsletter editor for WSST. Brian is currently the President of WSST (2007-2008).
In June of 2006, Dale and Brian started Periodicity, the podcast of the WSST. Together they produced 52 episodes that discussed topics in science news and science education by interview key leaders in science. As co-host, Dale has received both local and national recognition for his interviews.
Dale is also an independent consultant and web page designer who specializes in work for institutions and organizations in education.
Brian manages a blog at www.explodingsink.com and for the Wisconsin Discovery Educator Network.