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

Find Innovative Uses

Favorites

Search

Filter by Subject

Showing 13 results in Physiology, most recent entries shown first.

Title	Excerpt	Products Used
Studying Biomechanics with Vernier	If you have ever wanted to introduce your students to the study of human biomechanics, we have found a great product for you. While attending the Annual Meeting of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS), we came across two excellent interactive models that use Vernier sensors and our LabQuest to study human biomechanics. The company, Denoyer-Geppert, in collaboration with Daniel Lemon and Joe Griswold from the City College of New York, developed fully articulated models of the ... [more] Science Subjects: Engineering, Physiology	Low-g Accelerometer Dual-Range Force Sensor Vernier LabQuest Logger Pro 3
Test Hearing Response with LabQuest	LabQuest App v.1.2 includes a separate application called the Audio Function Generator. This application generates audio signals through the LabQuest internal speaker or through external stereo speakers. To start the application, tap the Home icon in the tool bar and then select Audio Function Generator. Explore the relationship between frequency and pitch either with the internal speaker or an external speaker. Start the application. Tap the icon that represents the link between the... [more] Science Subjects: Middle School Science, Physics, Physiology	Vernier LabQuest
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
Getting a Grip on InspireData�	Brendon Walters, a 7th grade student at Patton Middle School, McMinnville, OR, recently spent the day at Vernier as part of "Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day." We put him to work collecting data that he could graph and model using InspireData software from Inspiration Software. Brendon's experiment combined sensor data and survey questions to investigate relationships among grip strength, hand temperature, gender, handedness, and perception o... [more] Science Subjects: Middle School Science, Physiology	Hand Dynamometer Surface Temperature Sensor Vernier LabQuest
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
Get Ready for the Ring	Comparing hand strength Nick La Rosa, a Level 2 boxing coach from Victoria, Australia, found he could use Vernier data-collection technology to improve the performance of his boxers. Nick has developed various tests to help him evaluate fitness levels of the boxers, as well as effectiveness of the training program. Nick uses the Force Plate to evaluate jump and arm strength power rates. One boxer more than doubl... [more] Science Subjects: Physiology	Force Plate Hand Dynamometer 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
Sound Level Meter Experiments	Our Sound Level Meter (SLM-BTA, $209) offers lots of possibilities for the kind of investigations that students really get into. Here are some ideas: Some hair dryers are really noisy, and the noise source is right next to your ear. This inspired us to do a little checking. We tested five hair dryers, recording the sound level with the dryer about 2 cm from our Sound Level Meter (about the closest distance the hair dryer gets to your ear). The noisiest hair dryer read around 101 de... [more] Science Subjects: Environmental, Physics, Physiology	Sound Level Meter LabPro Interface
Accelerations in Snowboarding	I've often wondered about the magnitudes of accelerations as I ride my snowboard at Mt. Hood in Oregon. Last summer I did some experiments, and here is one data set from those trials. (And yes, I did say summer- we have snow year- round on the glaciers of Mt. Hood.) While this discussion is about snowboarding, it also illustrates how you can take data in the field for any experiment. When making deep, carved turns on skis or snowboard there is a significant feeling of co... [more] Science Subjects: Physics, Physiology, Technology	Logger Pro 3 LabPro Interface 3-Axis Accelerometer
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
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