Innovative Uses of Vernier Technology

In addition to our large variety of experiments offered in our curriculum, teachers use their creativity to bring excitement to the classroom. Find out how our sensors have made the ordinary into the extraordinary!

Doing something innovative in your classroom? Tell us about it by e-mail at innovativeuses@vernier.com

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Showing 26 results in Biology, most recent entries shown first.

Title	Excerpt	Products Used
Studying Enzymes in the Laboratory	Enzymes are molecules that regulate the chemical reactions that occur in all living organisms. Almost all enzymes are globular proteins that act as catalysts, substances that speed up chemical reactions. Enzymes catalyze reactions by reducing the activation energy for a specific reaction to occur and yet are neither destroyed nor altered during this process. Understanding how enzymes work in biological systems is a critical and difficult concept for students to comprehend. Full wavele... [more] Science Subjects: AP/IB, Biology	Logger Pro 3 Vernier SpectroVis
Worm Bin Composting	Our newest environmental project at Vernier is composting with a worm bin. Our worm bin is a large, locally made, unfinished cedar chest with about 60 cubic feet of capacity. The bin is located in a shady spot on the side of our building, and contains a colony of red wiggler worms. We collect food scraps and coffee grounds, along with coffee filters, in a compost pail in our kitchen. Volunteers, called the "worm wranglers," empty the pail into the worm bin several times a day. We also add pape... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Environmental	CO₂ Gas Sensor Stainless Steel Temperature Probe Vernier LabQuest Logger Pro 3
Forestry Survey using a Vernier GPS	In late October 2005, employees from Vernier participated in a tree planting event in conjunction with the organization Friends of Trees. We planted 200 trees in the wetlands area surrounding nearby Beaverton Creek. Below is a table that shows the quantities of each type of tree that was planted, along with some general notes and estimated survival rates. Qty Species Common Name Estimated Survival Rate Notes 40 Alnus rubra Red Alder 50% fast growin... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, Earth Science, Environmental, General Science, Life Science	Vernier GPS Sensor Vernier LabQuest Logger Pro 3
Studying the Diving Reflex in the Laboratory	John Melville, our new Biology Staff Scientist, developed an innovative diving reflex laboratory exercise while teaching at Wartburg College. In the lab, students learn basic heart anatomy, histology of arteries and veins, and perform an EKG using Vernier sensors. The students then develop their own experiment, which often involved the diving reflex. Weddell Seal The diving reflex is an adaptation found in marine mammals for diving in cold water. During a dive, there is a reduc... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, Physiology	Vernier LabQuest Logger Pro 3 Hand-Grip Heart Rate Monitor
In The Best Light	Study sheds light on merchandise appeal using spectroscopy Have you ever noticed that the bananas you bought look different in the store than they do when you get them home? This is because not all lights used in grocery display cases are the same. The main reason for having different lighting is to improve shelf life of perishable products. Nevertheless, you can be sure some research has gone into determining the best light to entice you to make a purchase. Spectrum in grocery depa... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics	Vernier Spectrometer Vernier LabQuest Logger Pro 3
Monitoring Temperatures in a Reptile Enclosure	Robert O'Connor, biology teacher at Kenmore East High School in Tonawanda, NY, worked with student, Michael Starr, to set up a reptile enclosure to house a black and white tegu. The activity was Mike's senior independent study project. The enclosure included a waterfall and various shelves for basking spots. The lights and waterfall were equipped with timers so they would not run continuously. Once the enclosure was complete, Mike researched the tegu's specific needs f... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, Life Science	Stainless Steel Temperature Probe LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3
Vernier Used Around the GLOBE	Using the Infrared Thermometer to measure temperature Is the heat given off by 500 people enough to change the temperature inside a large auditorium? How does the temperature and salinity of a tide pool compare to that of the nearby ocean water? These were just two of the questions posed to about 250 students from 52 countries who gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, this summer for the GLOBE Learning Expedition (GLE). And of course, Vernier equipment was used to investigate the answers... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, Earth Science, Environmental, Water Quality	Dissolved Oxygen Sensor pH Sensor Salinity Sensor Stainless Steel Temperature Probe Vernier LabQuest Logger Pro 3
Spectral Analysis of Fireflies	10 year-old Ben Carter of Nashville, Tennessee, was curious about the light given off by a firefly. Ben has inherited his natural curiosity and love of science from his father, Vernier consultant David Carter. Ben borrowed his dad�s Vernier Spectrometer and used it to capture the emission spectra of the fireflies. It took a lot of patience and a bit of luck to capture the data. Ben wanted to be sure to note that no fireflies were harmed in doing this experiment. Download the Logger ... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, Earth Science, Life Science	Vernier Spectrometer Logger Pro 3
Capturing Monarch Metamorphosis in Logger Pro	Ben Carter, a 12-year-old from Nashville, TN, captured a beautiful time-lapse video of a monarch caterpillar pupating into a chrysalis using Logger Pro and a ProScope HR camera (order code BD-HRB, $275). After planting milkweed obtained from www.livemonarch.com, the monarch caterpillars began showing up in their yard. Ben used the 1-10X lens on a ProScope HR digital USB camera connected to a laptop computer running Logger Pro to capture this video, then shared his results with us. Show ... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, Life Science	Basic ProScope HR Kit Logger Pro 3
Human Respiration	We all know that when you inhale, some of the oxygen gas in that breath is converted into carbon dioxide gas and then exhaled. But how much CO2 gas is produced? Would more CO2 gas be produced if you held your breath before exhaling? We used our CO2 Gas Sensor on its high-range setting and a BioChamber 250 to answer these questions. First, a normal breath was exhaled through the neck of the BioChamber 250, filling the chamber. A #6 rubber stopper was placed in the top vent and a CO2 Gas ... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, Physiology	CO₂ Gas Sensor LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3 O₂ Gas Sensor
Osmosis Experiment	Finding examples of osmosis for the biology laboratory that promote student inquiry and offer relatively quick results have been hard to come by. A new osmosis investigation has been developed by Mike Collins, one of our staff biology teachers, that helps students understand this essential concept of cell homeostasis. In this easy to perform experiment, students use their sensory inputs of smell, touch, sight, and possibly taste in combination with software and technology to explore osmosis... [more] Science Subjects: Biology	Gas Pressure Sensor LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3
Forensics Death Scene Investigation	Students at Susquehanna Township High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, participated in a program where the students studied the life cycle of the blowfly and its relationship to the decomposition of a deer. This program motivated 9th grade student Drew Evans to do some further investigation for his science fair project. Drew was intrigued with the effect that temperature had on the activity of the insects. Knowing that death scene investigations focus on deter... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, General Science, Integrated, Life Science, Physical Science, Technology	Logger Pro 3 LabPro Interface Stainless Steel Temperature Probe
Measuring a Plant's Response to Gravity	Judy Day, with the Science House, a NC State University K-12 science outreach program, has developed an activity investigating a plant's response to gravity. Judy uses a ProScope USB digital microscope to record changes over time in a plant that has been placed on its side. For best results, Judy recommends using an Arabidopsis thaliana (the wild variety) having an inflorescence stem at least 10 cm long. Here is a brief description of Judy's procedure: ... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, Environmental, General Science, Life Science, Middle School Science, Physical Science, Technology	Logger Pro 3 Basic ProScope HR Kit
Determination of Chlorophyll in Olive Oil	Chlorophyll absorbance We bought some fresh spinach to add to our salad for a healthy lunch, and saved a few of the leaves. We then chopped up the spinach leaves and soaked them in ethanol for an hour, to extract chlorophyll. By filtering the liquid and diluting it with distilled water, we had our chlorophyll sample. We ran two tests. The first test was similar to the food dye/mouthwash investigation; we measured adsorbance as a function of wavelength. T... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental	Logger Pro 3 Vernier Spectrometer
Making the Invisible Visible	Reprinted with permission from the author Roger Delpech and the publication School Science Review. School Science Review (the ASE�s journal for science education 11 - 19), ASE, March 2006, 87 (320) Abstract This paper introduces the use of a gaseous CO2 sensor and data logging equipment, for a variety of purposes in the school laboratory, including measurements of respiratory and photosynthetic rates of animals, plants and microbes. Suggestions are made for taking... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, Life Science	CO₂ Gas Sensor LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3
Heart Rate of a Crayfish	In collaboration with researchers from the University of Kentucky, Heidi Anderson, AP Biology teacher at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, KY, has developed an inquiry-based investigation of heart rate. What makes her approach unique is she studies crayfish. Students connect a Vernier EKG Sensor to leads attached under the dorsal carapace of the crayfish, near the heart. Some sample data and images are shown. Heidi's students develop experiments, using the crayfish, to in... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, Environmental, Life Science, Physiology, Water Quality	EKG Sensor LabPro Interface
Thanksgiving Experiments	Michele Perin of St. Louis, Missouri gets pretty creative with her Vernier labs. She doesn't have a lab for EVERY season yet, but she has written some tasty experiments for Thanksgiving! How Quickly Does Your Potato Cool? Have you ever sat down to a Thanksgiving dinner only to find that the potatoes have gotten cold while other dishes were being readied? Does the size of the potatoes affect how long they stay hot? Download experiment (PDF 229 KB) ... [more] Science Subjects: General Science, Physical Science, Physics, Physiology, Technology, Biology, Life Science	Dual-Range Force Sensor pH Sensor Stainless Steel Temperature Probe LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3
Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams	Two of the 13 teams awarded grants by the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams program in 2005 used our products extensively. The West Salem HS, OR team developed several methods of testing the ripeness of watermelon. One method was to measure the frequencies in the sound of the "thump" when the watermelon was hit by an object. They used the FFT graph of Logger Pro for the analysis. The team's mentor was Michael Lampert, who is also a 2005 Disney Teacher Award winner. The Bow HS, NH team... [more] Science Subjects: Water Quality, Physics, Biology, General Science	Digital Control Unit Sound Level Meter Logger Pro 3
Feline Radiation	Half life graph from Kinsey'sradiation treatment Richard Taylor (The Hockaday School, Dallas, TX) has a cat (Kinsey) that needed radiation treatment for feline hyperthyroidism. Richard used our Student Radiation Monitor, LabPro, and a TI-84 to monitor the radiation from Kinsey over several days. Kinsey was injected with I-131, which has a half life of about five days. The count rated dropped off faster than the half life would imply, but Richard noted that the litter box was als... [more] Science Subjects: Earth Science, Physical Science, Physics, Biology	LabPro Interface Student Radiation Monitor
Student Chest Protector Study	Carolyn Purington, a student of Jacklyn Bonneau at Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science, Worcester, MA, did a study of the effectiveness of sports chest protectors in preventing commotio cordis, which is the sometimes fatal damage caused by a blunt impact to the chest of young athletes. She studied various materials and designs, using our Force Plate for many of the impact studies. ... [more] Science Subjects: Physics, Biology	LabPro Interface Force Plate Logger Pro 3
Two-Liter Creek	John Fischer, Ashwaubenon HS, Green Bay, WI, has created an artificial �Two Liter Creek� in his classroom for water quality studies in the middle of a Wisconsin winter. It is simply a 50-gallon aquarium with a pump that lifts water into an array of 15 two-liter bottles that have been mounted on a pegboard. This closed-loop creek has gravel in the bottles and in the aquarium. Over time, the artificial creek forms an ecosystem, as does a real creek. John�s students become experts at us... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, Environmental, Life Science, Water Quality	Dissolved Oxygen Sensor Conductivity Probe Calcium Ion-Selective Electrode Chloride Ion-Selective Electrode Ammonium Ion-Selective Electrode Nitrate Ion-Selective Electrode pH Sensor Stainless Steel Temperature Probe
Four-Color Oscillating Reaction	Not only does this exciting reaction change from green to blue to purple to red, in less than a minute, but then it repeats the four color sequence continuously for over an hour! This very famous reaction is known as the Belousov-Zhabotinsky Reaction, or simply the B-Z reaction. We thought it might be interesting to see if our sensors could be used to detect the repeating behavior of the chemical reaction. Some of the most interesting results came by using a Stainless Steel Temperatur... [more] Science Subjects: AP/IB, Biology, Chemistry	Colorimeter ORP Sensor pH Sensor Stainless Steel Temperature Probe LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3
Juggling with Logger Pro	Check out www.jug.net/wt/jgpl.htm for a remarkably complete collection of information about the science of juggling. William V. Thayer, (St. Louis CC at Meramec, Kirkwood, MO) even includes this sample graph made with Logger Pro showing the position of the balls during a juggling session. He made this graph using special gloves with aluminum-foil strips wired so that if adjacent strips were shorted out, the voltage goes to five volts. He then juggled metal-coated balls, reading the voltage fr... [more] Science Subjects: General Science, Integrated, Physics, Physiology, Technology, Biology	Logger Pro 3 Voltage Probe
Hot Biceps	Judy Day (The Science House, Raleigh, NC) has students and workshop participants use our new Surface Temperature Sensor to examine the increase of muscle temperature as a team member lifts a 2-3 lb (1 kg) weight. The Surface Temperature Sensor is designed for use in situations in which low thermal mass and/or flexibility is required. It has an exposed thermistor that results in an extremely rapid response time; therefore, it is ideal for this experiment. A student places the tip of the te... [more] Science Subjects: Biology, General Science, Integrated, Life Science, Physiology	Exercise Heart Rate Monitor Surface Temperature Sensor LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3
Temperature at Death Valley	Steve Abitz and John Sebranek (Southwest HS, Green Bay, WI) took our LabPro, a calculator, and a temperature probe to Death Valley, CA in July. The average temperature in the air was 118�F (47.8�C). The average temperature on the ground was 125�F (51.7�C). ... [more] Science Subjects: Earth Science, Environmental, Life Science, Middle School Science, Biology	Surface Temperature Sensor LabPro Interface
Mouse Support System	Gus Frederick with the Oregon Public Education Network has come up with a fascinating idea that ties into the Millennium Mars Project, a project supported by NASA and the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of this project is to design a viable Martian colony. Participants are further required to produce a visual representation of their design. Gus took this idea a step further and built a small-scale working model of such a colony using mice rather than people. His "Controlled Ec... [more] Science Subjects: Engineering, Environmental, General Science, Integrated, Life Science, Middle School Science, Physiology, Biology	CO₂ Gas Sensor O₂ Gas Sensor pH Sensor Relative Humidity Sensor Stainless Steel Temperature Probe LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3