The Caliper

Bits & Bytes

Graphical Analysis Receives Award of Excellence
Vernier Software & Technology is the recipient of Technology & Learning magazine's 2002 Award of Excellence for Graphical Analysis 3. The Award of Excellence recognizes the best K-12 educational software and related technologies. This year, 27 winners were selected from over 120 product submissions. Graphical Analysis is available for $80 and includes a school and student site license.

Fifteen Years Ago in The Caliper
We introduced our first pH Sensor and we had a detailed comparison of the game ports on various models of Apple II computers. Most of our data collection was done via the Apple II game port in those days.

Ten Years Ago in The Caliper
We introduced two new sensors-a Heart Rate Monitor and our Student Force Sensor. We also reported that Coleman lantern mantles were no longer being made with thorium compounds. This meant science teachers had lost one of their favorite radioactive sources for demonstrations. Fortunately, other brands of mantles are still made with thorium, even today, so you can still get a good radioactive source at most outdoor supply stores.

Five Years Ago in The Caliper
We announced that our Serial Box Interface and sensors could be used with the new eMate computer from Apple. Logger Pro was a fairly new program in those days, and we were proud to announce that it won the "Software Award of Excellence" from Technology & Learning magazine.

Modeling in Mathematics
A new book (with CD), Lessons in Mathematics-A Dynamic Approach by Diana M. Fisher, includes lessons to help teachers of math or science incorporate modeling activities into their curriculum. Many of the lessons involve motion detector data capture and icon-based model building with STELLA software. This book is available from High Performance Systems, Inc., www.hps-inc.com.

Vernier Welcomes NSTA to Portland!
We encourage you to attend this year's Northwestern Regional NSTA in Portland, OR November 14-16. There are many reasons to visit Portland. Not only is it a beautiful city (even in the rain!), but it is the home of Powell's Books, the biggest bookstore in the country. AND, we have more microbreweries than any other city in the United States! Oh, and did we mention that Portland is the home of Vernier Software & Technology?
To celebrate your arrival in town, we have planned the following events. You are cordially invited to all of them!

• In partnership with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), Vernier Software & Technology will host a gala "Evening at OMSI" on November 14. Dinner will be served and you will have the opportunity to explore OMSI's exhibits, the OMNIMAX theater, and the OMSI Planetarium. Tickets are $10 if purchased by October 11. (Use the order form on p. 27 of the NSTA Area Convention Advance Program or go to www.nsta.org/conventions.)
• Tour the headquarters of Vernier Software & Technology on Friday, November 15 from 1-4 p.m. See demonstrations of Vernier's newest products and visit Dave Vernier's personal museum of products past. The tour tickets are $5. (Use the order form on p. 27 of the NSTA Area Convention Advance Program or go to www.nsta.org/conventions.)
• Visit us in Booth #514 in the Exhibit Hall.
• Attend one of our five free hands-on workshops on Friday. We look forward to seeing you in November!

Vernier Celebrates Mole Day 2002!
Back by popular demand, the Vernier Mole Day Contest is on for 2002. Here is how it works: You and your students (minimum 1 teacher and 5 students) gather on Mole Day morning, October 23. The first class to call Vernier at precisely 6:02 a.m. in your time zone wins. (Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific Time Zones only...if you live outside of these time zones, use the one nearest you.) We will have our clocks set according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. They can be found at http://nist.time.gov/. The winning class in each time zone will receive a Vernier Mini-Slinky for each student (maximum of 40) and a Vernier t-shirt for the teacher. But remember, no fair calling us early. After all, would you accept 6.01 x 10²³ for Avogadro's number?

Science Humor

Q: What did the nuclear physicist have for lunch?
A: Fission chips.

Q: What did the thermometer say to the graduated cylinder?
A: "You may have graduated, but I've got many degrees."

Mike Adams (Eastern Connecticut State University) has done a fascinating study of The Dead Grandmother/Exam Syndrome. He has found that a student's grandmother is far more likely to die suddenly just before the student takes an exam, than at any other time of year. He backs this up with charts and graphs. For details, go to http://biology.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/People/ConnRev.