STEM Digital

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STEM Digital Images in Geoscience Investigations: Teaching Analysis with Light (STEM DIGITAL) was an NSF ITEST project. It enabled secondary STEM teachers and students to conduct environmental research aided by the analysis of images from digital cameras, scanners, and the Internet. The Analyzing Digital Images (ADI) created by John Pickle enabled students to extract spectral (color), spatial, intensity, and temporal information from digital images. The free software and related materials are available at http://www.globalsystemsscience.org/software/download

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Recent Submissions

  • Publication
    Natural Organic Matter in Water
    (2011-01-01) Reckhow, David
    Formation in Watersheds and Removal in Water Treatment
  • Publication
    Using ADI to Quantify a Color Change In Crayfish
    (2011-01-01) Welborn, Jennifer
    Do Crayfish Change Color If Their Environment Changes? A Guided Inquiry Lab for 7th grade Life Science Background: There is anecdotal evidence from bass fisherman that crayfish are able to change color depending on their surroundings. A (cursory) literature review of this phenomenon showed that no formal research has been done in this area. Students had an additional informal lesson about research funding (or lack thereof) because of this finding. Students designed and conducted a controlled experiment to see the effect of changing environment color on crayfish color. ADI was used to quantify a color change.
  • Publication
    Measuring Albedo with ADI - an Intensity Application
    (2011-01-01) Sternheim, Morton
    Why are Polar Regions more affected by global warming than other parts of the globe? One reason (there are others) is that as sea ice melts and more open water appears, more energy is absorbed, and warming accelerates. This is a form of positive feedback and it makes the polar climate change faster than the climate in temperate areas. Increasing vegetation on land also has a similar positive feedback effect. This effect is a change in the albedo – the fraction of the incident sunlight that is reflected back to space.
  • Publication
    Measuring Lengths and Areas with ADI. Student guide
    (2011-01-01) Sternheim, Morton
  • Publication
    CO2 Diffusion Through Gelatin Experiment
    (2011-01-01) Welborn, Jennifer
    An example of measuring lengths.
  • Publication
    Institute Overview
    (2011-01-01) Sternheim, Morton
    Digital cameras and computers are widely available for students and teachers. However, they are mainly used for documentation: creating PPT presentations, handouts, posters, etc. STEM DIGITAL shows how digital image analysis can be applied to environmental (and other) research in STEM courses. Application to studies of air quality, water quality, arsenic contamination, climate change, diffusion, etc.
  • Publication
    STEM DIGITAL and ADI in the Classroom
    (2011-01-01) Welborn, Jennifer
    Applications of ADI by students at Amherst Regional Middle School
  • Publication
    Evaluation Report
    (2014-01-01) Peterfreund, Alan
    This evaluation report synthesizes the results of evaluation activities conducted by SageFox Consulting Group of the STEM DIGITAL project led by the UMass STEM Ed Institute for its no-cost extension year, covering the period September 2013 to August 2014. The goals of the program are to facilitate the participants’ abilities to stimulate student interest in STEM careers while engaging them in ways to think critically about their environment. Participating teachers incorporated digital cameras and Analyzing Digital Images (ADI) software into lab activities focusing on environmental science. STEM DIGITAL materials focused on three strands related to (1) ozone and air quality, (2) arsenic and soil contamination, and (3) water quality.
  • Publication
    Measuring Angles with ADI
    (2011-01-01) Schneider, Stephen
  • Publication
    Analyzing Digital Images (ADI) Resources
    (2011-01-01) Snyder, Rob
    Basic introduction to installing and using ADI
  • Publication
    Proposal Narrative
    (2010-01-01) Sternheim, Morton; Schneider, Stephan
  • Publication
    ABC's of DEW (ADI) Software
    (2009-01-01) Pickle, John
    Introduction to three color light, pixels, DEW (ADI) tools
  • Publication
    Water Treatment Experiments
    (2011-01-01) Reckhow, David
    •The water industry spends a lot of money and effort on removal of natural organic matter (NOM) from drinking waters •Problems with NOM (the more NOM the bigger problem) –NOM interferes with the ability of water treatment systems to remove substances that cause disease •Pathogenic organisms •Toxic chemicals –NOM reacts with chlorine‐based disinfectants forming carcinogenic organic byproducts
  • Publication
    Arsenic project topics
    (2011-01-01) Tyson, Julian
    How do analytical chemists make light work in tracking potentially harmful chemicals?
  • Publication
    Experimental Design for Ozone Projects
    (2011-01-01) Carlisle, Deborah; Schneider, Stephen
  • Publication
    Measuring the Acceleration of Falling Objects
    (2011-01-01) Pickle, John
    Earth's gravity pulls all objects toward its center, and near the Earth's surface. Objects in free fall accelerate at 9.8 m/s2 vertically downward, provided air resistance is negligible. This value of acceleration is often referred to as "g". There are many ways to measure this rate of acceleration, and most require a timing device. Typically, stopwatches are the least expensive technology, so these are commonly available in high school science classrooms. With the recent addition of movie cameras on cell phones and digital cameras, another timing tool is available at moderate cost (free if the school policy allows students to use their personal cell phones during class time). The following set of experiments provide four ways to calculate g using (1) a 10-meter (25-yard) tape measure, (2) a brightly colored ball, (3) a stop watch, (4) a digital camera with movie mode, (5) a tripod, and (6) free software called MovieTracker (http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/gss/rev/ip/index.html).
  • Publication
    Measuring G with Movie Tracker
    (2011-01-01) Schneider, Stephen
  • Publication
    Digital Camera Basics
    (2011-01-01) Schneider, Stephen
  • Publication
    Air Quality: Carbon Dioxide
    (2011-01-01) Carlisle, Deborah; Schneider, Stephen
    Measuring CO2 with BTB and ADI.
  • Publication
    Human Variation in Skin Color and Race as a Social Construct
    (2011-01-01) Welborn, Jennifer
    This lesson is part of evolution unit which follows heredity and genetics The lesson is interdisciplinary in nature in that I discuss the concept of race as a social construct and the idea that there are “black, white, red, yellow” skinned people is something that people developed. It is not based on biology. Race groupings are human-made groups. Students first learn about mixing light and how to determine black and white from an ADI analysis. They learn that red and green = yellow, etc. They then photograph each other’s forearms and analyze the images using ADI. We then discuss skin color as an adaptive advantage. I reinforce the idea that people’s skin color (before there was sunscreen, folic acid, and Vitamin D supplements) was an adaptation which enabled people to survive. I point out to the students that they come from a long line of WINNERS (otherwise they wouldn’t be here!