New Products
Vernier News
The Vernier LabQuest was used on Spike TV’s “Jesse James is a Dead Man” to test the effects of sub-zero temperature on the human body.
You’ll spot the LabQuest about nine minutes into the episode. Don’t try this at home or at school!
The Vernier Gas Chromatograph, or “Mini GC,” is an instrument for separating, analyzing, and identifying substances contained in a volatile liquid or gaseous sample.
It has all of the key components of a traditional gas chromatograph, including an injection port, temperature and pressure controls, a thin capillary column through which different substances pass at different rates depending on various chemical and physical properties, and a sensor for detecting the arrival of compounds.
The Mini GC also has the added benefit of a new patented MEMS chip sensor which allows for room air to be used as a carrier gas. Its compact size makes it an ideal solution for students to learn the principles of gas chromatography.
We have just kicked off our annual summer fitness challenge at Vernier! The goal of the eight-week challenge is to inspire everyone at Vernier to exercise at least 30 minutes for five days of the week.
This year’s theme is “Challenge for Causes.” Vernier has dedicated the challenge to three local charities: Oregon Food Bank, Start Making a Reader Today (SMART), and Sisters of the Road. For every hour an employee exercises, Vernier will donate sixty cents to the cause the employee has chosen.
Vernier employees are excited to exercise this summer for the benefit of their own health and to also contribute to our local community’s needs.
Chart of our contributions from 6/8/2009 to 7/31/2009:
Vernier Software & Technology was awarded the #9 position on the “100 Best Green Companies to Work for in Oregon” list at a ceremony held on June 1.
This award was given to Vernier for its 128 solar panels, recycling practices, providing transit passes to all employees, LEED-EB Gold building, and other sustainability practices.
David and Christine Vernier were presented with an Innovative Business Leadership Award from Oregon State University at an awards banquet on May 7, 2009.
As stated by Sherm Bloomer, OSU’s dean of the College of Science, “The company is known for its employee development, family-friendly policies, commitment to sustainability and community philanthropy.”
Win one of seven $3,000 Vernier/NSTA Technology Awards by telling us your innovative use of data-collection technology in your science classroom. Each award will consist of $1,000 in cash for the teacher, $1,000 in Vernier Products, and up to $1,000 toward expenses to attend the 2008 NSTA National Convention.
Apply online by November 30, 2009 on the NSTA web site »
Investigating Chemistry with Inquiry is a new lab book which contains 25 inquiry-based chemistry investigations. Each experiment includes a preliminary activity, teacher information, sample researchable questions, and sample data for those researchable questions.
Now you can charge and store your LabQuests with the new LabQuest Charging Station. You will find it both affordably priced and scalable.
There are so many powerful features available in our Logger Pro software, it is easy to miss one. One such feature is the ability to display vectors using an Animated Display meter. Data from accelerometers, force sensors, and motion detectors are perfect for creating a 2-D animated vector display. You can even display an animated vector right on a video used in video analysis.
Continue reading Exploring Animated Vector Displays in Logger Pro…
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.
Integrated-Science students Erin Smyers and Nicole Loughner from Homer-Center High School in Homer City, PA, worked with their science team leader, Mark Shopland, to investigate the pH changes in an oxidation-reduction reaction. The students chose to work with Thionin based on the demonstration “Thionin – The Two-Faced Solution” published by Flinn Scientific Inc. (Publication No. 0815.00).
Vernier and Ocean Optics will team up again this summer to offer a two-day spectroscopy workshop, entitled “Spec 101”. The workshop will be held on June 17 and 18 at the Ocean Optics headquarters in Dunedin, Florida.
It is an excellent opportunity for teachers to see the latest in spectroscopy technology and obtain valuable hands on experience with a wide variety of laboratory experiments. Last summer’s inaugural workshop was a rousing success, and this year’s is shaping up to be even better. Please visit the Ocean Optics education website for all the details and registration.
Now you can choose exactly which Vernier labs appear on your LabQuest. Simply select your favorite experiments from over 400 Vernier labs and download them to your classroom set of LabQuests. Customizing your LabQuest has never been easier.
In celebration of Earth Day, we held our annual “Swap It,” where employees swapped used books, shirts, and videos with each other. A recycling bin was provided for old tennis shoes, and everyone brought healthy snacks for the afternoon.
We also worked with SOLV to pick up trash and debris around Beaverton Creek. Dave Vernier and Jim McBride took a LabQuest with the Vernier GPS sensor to collect the location of the trees Vernier planted in Beaverton Creek a few years ago.
Did you celebrate Earth Day with Vernier technology? Let us know at info@vernier.com.
In the latest edition of The Caliper, we take a LabQuest to Antarctica, investigate spectroscopy at a grocery store, and study the diving reflex! Read it online or join our mailing list to have The Caliper delivered to your school or e-mail inbox twice a year.
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. With this setup, you might want to explore the hearing response of your students. What is the lowest frequency that your students can hear? What about the highest frequency?
John Melville, one of our Biology Staff Scientists, 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.
Continue reading Studying the Diving Reflex in the Laboratory…
The hoop spring bumpers in the Bumper and Launcher Kit are excellent examples of Hookean devices. To investigate Hooke’s law, we’ll use the Bumper and Launcher Kit, Dual-Range Force Sensor, Vernier Dynamics System, and Motion Detector to determine how the length of the hoop spring is proportional to the force applied.
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.
Recently, a few of us at Vernier drove from our office in Beaverton, OR to Seattle, WA for a conference. We attached a Vernier GPS Sensor to a LabQuest and collected data throughout the trip. LabQuest not only records the latitude and longitude of each point, but the speed, direction, and altitude, as well.
13979 SW Millikan Way
Beaverton, OR 97005-2886