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 18 results in Life Science, most recent entries shown first.

Title	Excerpt	Products Used
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
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
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
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
Investigating Airport Sound Levels	Sound levels of airplanes at take off and landing Anyone who lives along the flight path of a major airport knows that sound pollution is an unpleasant fact of life. Riley Wilson, Tim Horton, and Mario Bautista, 8th grade students at Hughes Middle School in Long Beach, California, know this all too well, often having instruction interrupted as planes fly over their school. Airplane noise in the Long Beach area is a frequent topic ... [more] Science Subjects: Earth Science, Engineering, General Science, Middle School Science, Physics, Technology, Environmental, Life Science	Sound Level Meter LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3
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
The Volume of a Person	Eric Koser and his 9th grade physical science students at Mankato West High School in Mankato, Minnesota, had spent a lot of lab time doing experiments studying mass, volume, and density with overflow cans. When the discussion of the density of a person came up, Eric took on the challenge to measure it. Fortunately, one of Eric�s colleagues is married to a welder, and she had her husband build a human-sized overflow can out of a 55 gallon drum. Eric placed four Vernier Force P... [more] Science Subjects: General Science, Life Science, Physical Science, Physics, Chemistry	Force Plate LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3
GIS Mapping Enhances Salinity Study	Students gathering data on Laguna Madre In March 2005, Olathe North HS (Olathe, KS) students Kevin Skov and Greg May, along with teacher Steve Obenhaus, took a trip to the southern reaches of Texas to explore Laguna Madre's hypersaline characteristics. Laguna Madre, a large body of shallow water separating Padre Island from the South Texas mainland, is one of only a few hypersaline lagoons in the world. Using a Vernier Salinity Sensor, LabPro, and a laptop PC running L... [more] Science Subjects: Water Quality, Environmental, Life Science, Technology	LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3 Salinity Sensor
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
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
Vernier LabPro Goes to Denali	Pete Monte of Forest Grove, Oregon, recently climbed the highest peak in North America, Denali (also known as Mt. McKinley). Pete carried a Vernier LabPro, temperature probe, and a Gas Pressure Sensor all the way to the (20,320 ft, 6,194 m). He recorded temperatures well below freezing (in June), and pressure down to 54 kPa - approximately half of standard atmospheric pressure. ... [more] Science Subjects: Earth Science, Environmental, Life Science	Gas Pressure Sensor Surface Temperature Sensor LabPro Interface
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
LabPro's Antarctic Adventure	Heike Robinson, physics teacher, and sea kayaker, measures the temperature of Antarctic waters with a LabPro, Palm, and Stainless Steel Temperature Probe. Four years ago, Heike Robinson started sea kayaking. The more she learned about paddling, the more she discovered about the physics behind it. She started using examples from boating to help her students visualize many concepts, such as force, resistance, heat-flow rate (hypothermia), vector addition, and moment of inertia. In... [more] Science Subjects: Earth Science, Environmental, General Science, Integrated, Life Science, Water Quality	Conductivity Probe Light Sensor Stainless Steel Temperature Probe UVA Sensor UVB Sensor LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3