The recent 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan and the revelation that their nuclear power plants could have leaked radiation reminds me of past nuclear accidents. This post is not about the tragedy in Japan, as everyone has probably already heard or read, but about history. Or more to the point, lessons I remember of history.

I think many people remember the Chernobyl disaster of April 1986. The nuclear accident that I remembered first was the Three Mile Island (TMI) accident on March 28, 1979. TMI is near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the state capitol.

That is almost 32 years ago.  I was alive, but too young to remember that day.   It did affect my up-bring and schooling. I grew up within 10 miles of TMI, and in elementary school, we were required to have our parents sign “in-case of emergency” evacuation forms relating to any potential nuclear accidents from TMI.  We even took a field trip to TMI in elementary school to learn about nuclear power. When my family moved to the neighboring town a few years later, and we were outside of the 10-mile radius, the emergency forms were not required.

Growing up, the TMI accident was in the back of my mind, but it was never a major concern.  After college, I worked in Harrisburg for a number years, and I was at most six miles from TMI. Maybe I should worry about nuclear plants more.  Now that I live in California, my concerns are earthquakes. Oh, wait . . .

Jaime Escalante was a math teacher who made national headlines in 1982 when all 18 of his calculus students passed the rigorous AP Calculus exam.  The Educational Testing Service accused his students of cheating.  Twelve of them retested and proved they did not cheat.  These events were portrayed (with added Hollywood drama) in the movie, “Stand and Deliver,” with Edward James Olmos as Jaime Escalante.

Calculus Does Not Have To Be Made Easy – It Is Easy Already

- Banner in Jaime Escalente’s classroom

Mr. Escalante was born in Bolivia and came to the United States in 1963, taking odd jobs while studying English and earning his teaching credential.  He died on March 30, 2010 at the age of 79.

I believe the greatest gift Mr. Escalante gave his students was inspiration.  I was inspired by my own high school AP Calculus teacher.  She explained the most complex theorems with ease.  I know she was happy and pleased to learn that I became a math teacher, as I have kept in contact with her.  I hope to instill inspiration in my own Calculus students.

You can read more about Jaime Escalante’s life here, and here.  Obituaries can be read at the Los Angles Times and the New York Times.

To that end, I’ll be spending my President’s Day remembering our 11th President:  James K. Polk (1845-1849).

Why?  Not because I am mad about North Carolina (his home state), or his policy positions, but rather because History – at heart – is the study of the consequences of actions.  Historians need change to survive and nobody can accuse Polk of not doing enough! He accomplished the second-largest expansion of US territory through the annexation of Texas in 1845 and the establishment of the Forty-ninth parallel as the border between British Canada and Oregon Territory in 1846.  That expansion was further inflated by the successful prosecution of the Mexican War in 1848 – a war that was instigated by marching an American cavalry patrol into Mexican territory and then declaring war on Mexico for the unprovoked attack.  The new territories acquired by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1849, which ended the Mexican War, included the contemporary states of California, Nevada, and Utah, and parts of Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. Add those states to Texas, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington and it is clear that America’s continental ambition had met its great champion: James K. Polk.

If that is not enough to provoke some further examination of Mr. Polk on President’s Day, bear in mind that 1848 witnessed not only James Marshall’s discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill but also the Seneca Falls Convention where Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton launched the Women’s Rights Movement. Moreover, the acquisition of new territory after the Mexican War crushed the sectional compromises over slavery that had previously held the fragile nation together, thus precipitating the Civil War.  Polk also established an Independent Treasury providing order to the nation’s financial system and passed a tariff that appeased Northerners and Southerners.  And, he did it all in one term!  He died of cholera three months after his term ended, having chosen not to run for re-election.  1845-1849: now that was a period of action and consequence.

In a nice piece of symmetry, it was during Polk’s Presidency that construction began on the Washington Monument and the first American postage stamps went on sale, featuring a ten-cent stamp of…George Washington!  Washington’s Birthday indeed. President’s Day!  Polk’s Day!  You can visit his White House page for more information.

Hmm…, all those Presidents and only one day? Perhaps you have another suggestion?

The New York Times has an article on teachers defying gravity to gain their students’ interest in learning science and mathematics.  Northrop Grumman has partnered with Zero G Corporation to offer science teachers opportunities to experience zero gravity.

The Zero G Corporation also offers their Zero G Experience to the general public for $5,000 per person.

Anyone want to contribute to my zero G fund?

Read the full article at The New York Times.

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The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite was launched at 6:09 am (Pacific Time) on Monday, December 14 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.  It was carried aboard a Delta II rocket.  The WISE space telescope will use an infrared camera to map the entire sky every six months.  Of particular interest are comets and asteroids which may come close to Earth’s orbit.  The satellite will measure an objects’ infrared light.

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The Free Digital Textbooks initiative was launched by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to offer free science and mathematics textbooks.

You can download these textbooks at the California Learning Resources Network.

Enjoy.

From government to non-profit organizations, teachers to textbook publishers, we all have a role to play in leveraging 21st century technology to expand learning and better serve California’s students, parents, teachers and schools. This initiative will ensure our schools know which digital textbooks stand up to California’s academic content standards – so these cost-effective resources can be used in our schools to help ensure each and every student has access to a world-class education. Governor Schwarzenegger

Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have genetically engineered a bacteria to take in carbon dioxide gas and produce isobutanol, an organic solvent currently used as an additive in paints and varnishes, but also holds potential as a fuel. The modified cyanobacteria is powered by photosynthesis, making it literally cutting edge “green” technology.

As one might imagine, the applications of Synechococcus elongatus are quite staggering, especially given our current trend towards green technology, and is perhaps the most direct path from carbon dioxide to a usable fuel yet. Current methods involve biodiesel and other fuels obtained from algae, oils, and other sources, requiring several intermediate steps before a consumable fuel is obtained.

The process of engineering the bacteria is described below:

Using the cyanobacterium Synechoccus elongatus, researchers first genetically increased the quantity of the carbon dioxide-fixing enzyme RuBisCO. Then they spliced genes from other microorganisms to engineer a strain that intakes carbon dioxide and sunlight and produces isobutyraldehyde gas. The low boiling point and high vapor pressure of the gas allows it to easily be stripped from the system.

Read the full article at Science Daily.

(if only my bank account would do that!)

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On December 7, 1941, Japanese Naval forces attacked the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  In the aftermath, the United States entered World War II.

Students of history (should) know this; however, do most students remember the date December 7, which President Franklin D. Roosevelt called “a date which will live in infamy?”

What about July 4, 1776?  Or 1215.  Or 1492?  Or July 1-3, 1863?  Or November 11, 1918?  Or June 6, 1944?

How important are dates when learning about history?  Should students be required to memorized these very important dates?  I think the answer is YES.  Why do we study history?  To learn about our ancestors, to share our unique and different cultures, and to NOT repeat our mistakes.

Why do you enjoy studying history?