Biology News
Our biology staff scientist, John Melville, has been working with our new LabQuest Mini and has found a way to integrate video analysis into a simple muscle physiology experiment. EKG sensors are attached to the bicep and forearm muscles to record muscle activity. A Low-g Accelerometer is then attached to the wrist to measure joint angle. The video capture feature in Logger Pro is then used to synchronize video from a DV camera and the physiological data from the LabQuest Mini. The subject is filmed performing a simple bicep curl. Students can then clearly see that muscle activity precedes movement of the arm and that the forearm muscle activity precedes activation of the bicep.
Fluorescent molecules are compounds that absorb light of one wavelength, then re-emit light at a longer wavelength. This emitted light can be quantified using fluorescence spectroscopy. Molecular and cellular biologists use fluorescent compounds to label proteins, gels, and even cellular organelles. In many ways, fluorescent compounds have revolutionized research in the life sciences.
Continue reading Use the SpectroVis Plus to Explore Fluorescence Spectroscopy…
With its increased frequency response and external grounding pin, our new and improved Instrumentation Amplifier can now be used to record the electric signal from an electric fish with four easy steps.
Continue reading Record Electric Signals from an Electric Fish!
Vernier has updated its popular spectrometer with improved features:
- Improved range: 380-950 nm (VIS-NIR)
- 1 nm between reported values
- Improved optical resolution (~2.5 nm)
- New support for fluorescence
Available March 2010
This double-junction pH sensor is compatible with Tris buffers and solutions containing proteins. The flat shape is also useful for food and soil pH measurements.
Available February 2010
The White Digital Bioimaging System allows you to view non-fluorescent, visible stain gels, capture the image digitally on a computer and analyze the data using Logger Pro software, making gel analysis less tedious and produce better results.
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. As part of the 2009 Earth Day activities, David Vernier and Jim McBride checked on the trees. They used a LabQuest and our Vernier GPS Sensor to note the position and type of each surviving tree.
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 to those questions.
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.
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.
Continue reading about Capturing Monarch Metamorphosis in Logger Pro…
Having an array spectrometer is now affordable for each of your lab stations! Connect SpectroVis to a LabQuest or to a computer running Logger Pro using a standard USB cable (included) and see the results in full color.
The Vernier LabQuest just received a wonderful review in MultiMedia & Internet@Schools, an educational publication. The review gave the LabQuest a 5-Star rating (out of 5) with the following grades:
- Installation: A
- Content/Features: A
- East of Use: A
- Product Support: A+
“Students will enjoy using LabQuest…. I was impressed by the rugged construction. This is definitely a tool that will last, which makes it an excellent buy—especially with today’s tight funding…. I have no doubt that LabQuest is going to get plenty of use in my classroom. I would highly recommend it for every classroom that is serious about engaging students in meaningful scientific investigations.”
Multimedia & Internet @ Schools
Sally Finley
Country Hills Elementary School
Coral Springs, Florida
Read the full review »
Learn more about the Vernier LabQuest »
Our new Advanced Biology with Vernier lab book contains all 12 recommended AP* Biology labs and other advanced-level labs. Appropriate for introductory college biology courses.
*AP and Advanced Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board, which was not involved in the production of and does not endorse this product.
Vernier Software & Technology is proud to sponsor two awards given at the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) 2007 Professional Development Conference in Atlanta in November.
The recipient of the 2007 Ecology/Environmental Science Teaching Award was David D. Glenn. Mr. Glenn teaches biology, conservation, and ecology courses at Rochester Adams High School in Rochester Hills, MI.
The 2008 Ecology/Environmental Teaching Award will be given to a secondary school teacher who has successfully developed and demonstrated an innovative approach in the teaching of ecology/environmental science and has carried his/her commitment to the environment into the community. Vernier’s sponsorship of this award includes $1,000 toward travel to the Professional Development Conference, and $500 of Vernier equipment. The recipient also receives a plaque to be presented at the NABT Professional Development Conference, and a one-year complimentary NABT membership. The nomination deadline is March 15, 2008.
The winner of the 2007 Student Poster Competition of the Four-Year College Section of NABT was Melissa Kopp of the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. Her poster, “Founding Mitochondrial DNA Lineages in Ancient Maya from Tipu, Belize” took top honors.
The O2 Gas Sensor measures oxygen concentration in air, and with its wide measurement range, the O2 Gas Sensor can also be used to monitor oxygen concentration during human respiration.
Perfect for everything from the respiration of peas to the respiration of humans. Our new CO2 Gas Sensor now has two ranges: 0-10,000 ppm for plant respiration and photosynthesis, and a high range of 0-100,000 ppm for human respiration.
Vernier is again sponsoring the NABT Ecology/Environmental Teaching Award that will be given to a secondary school teacher who has successfully developed and demonstrated an innovative approach in the teaching of ecology/environmental science and has carried his/her commitment to the environment into the community. Our sponsorship of this award includes $1000 toward travel to the NABT National Convention and $500 of Vernier equipment. The recipient also receives a plaque to be presented at the NABT National Convention, and a one-year complimentary NABT membership. Nomination deadline is March 15, 2008.
Download the application from the NABT web site.
Vernier announces breakthrough data-collection technology for science education—the Vernier LabQuest.
LabQuest works as a stand-alone device or as a computer interface, providing the versatility to excel in the classroom or in the field.
The Vernier LabQuest includes built-in software for data collection, graphing, and analysis, and on-board applications such as a periodic table and stopwatch. Use the powerful and intuitive software from the vivid color touch-screen—all packed in a rugged and water-resistant exterior.
The freedom to inquire. The technology to excel. The Vernier LabQuest.
We’ve upgraded our ProScope kits with the high-resolution ProScope HR. Get over 4 times more detail in every photo and video with the ProScope HR!
Vernier brings its cutting-edge technology to your biotech lab! The new Blue Digital Bioimaging System allows you to illuminate your gels, capture the image digitally on your computer, and analyze the data using Logger Pro software. The Blue Digital Bioimaging System includes the BlueView Transilluminator™, Imaging Hood, ProScope digital USB camera with 1-10X lens, and a ProScope Stand.
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