Vernier News
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.
By its name alone, LabQuest seems destined for adventure. When I decided to go on a National Geographic Expedition to Antarctica in January, there was no doubt in my mind that I would be taking mine with me. Sailing from Ushuaia, Argentina, we spent almost two days crossing the infamous Drake Passage.
The new Vernier Power Amplifier allows your students to drive a variety of devices, including speakers, lamps, small DC motors and RLC circuits. The Power Amplifier delivers ± 10 V and currents up to 1 A. It works with any waveform, including DC, sine, square, triangle and sawtooth.
Now when you collect sensor data around the globe with LabQuest or a computer, your students
can record their exact latitude, longitude, and altitude. Vernier’s new GPS Sensor is as small as your
thumb, and is affordably priced for school budgets.
Vernier would like to congratulate the 2009 award winners for their innovative ideas for the use of data-collection technology. These seven were judged by a panel of experts, appointed by NSTA, to be the best in their respective categories. The winners were formally recognized at the NSTA Awards Banquet in New Orleans.
It’s not too early to start planning your 2010 entry. Learn more about the award »
We celebrated Pi day one day early this year. Since we’re all taking Saturday off and no one wanted to wake up at 1:59 A.M., we decided to enjoy a variety of pies in the office on Friday afternoon instead. We hope everyone enjoys a slice of pie to celebrate with us!
13979 SW Millikan Way
Beaverton, OR 97005-2886