South Kingstown Mathlete had their first Quest Competition. It was an huge success with 75 third graders from all four elementary schools. The students were put into mixed teams allowing students from Matunuck, Peace Dale, Wakefield, and West Kingston to work together in the competition. The first four rounds of fast questions went quickly. The teams shared their responses on whiteboards to the audience of family, friends, teachers, and judges. The competition let the students show what they have been learning in math. The final round was a tie breaking round. Students had to work on extended problem solving task. The lime green team won the competition.



I got my information from:
http://fc.skschools.net/elementarymath/Mathlete%27s%20Quest%20

Jamie Harshman and eighth grader at Sebring Middle School logged into the competition Friday at his home for five hours. In his best one-minute stretch, he answered 32 questions on his way to about 4,500 correct answers half-way through the competition.The quota of 50 million correct answers from a million students around the world was reached after 12 1/2 hours. The event actually was 48 hours long. It ended 6 a.m. Thursday with more than 182 million correct answers recorded. When a student goes onto the World Math Day Web site they are brought into a small group of other students in the world to complete a series of math problems in a two-minute period. As the students race to finish the same problems, a bar graph shows the progress of each student in the competition. The competition is for kindergartners through high schoolars to compete with other students at their own grade level. World Math Day's Web site and event was created by 3P Learning. That is an Australian company that created an online math program. Last year no one in the United States was ranked in the top 100. This year two United State students finished in the top 100 . Trophies will go to the student who correctly answered the one-millionth problem, two-millionth problem, etc




I got my information from:
http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2008/mar/06/local-students-competein-world-math-day/?news

Do snowflakes contain bacteria?

Most snow and rain forms in cold conditions high in the sky.Under most conditions, the moisture needs something to cling to in order to condense. Now the so-called nucleators turn out to be bacteria that can affect plants. In some studies 85% of the neclei's were bacteria. The most common place where the snow had bacteria was France than Montana than Yukon. Also, bacteria in the snow was also found in Antarctica. In Louisiana there was bacteria found in the rain. Scientist are trying to eliminate the bacteria but they are worried that if they do there will be less rain and snow. the bacteria is very effective in weather which is about a few degrees below freezing.

i got my information from

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/02/28/snow.bugs.ap/index.html#cnnSTCText

Judith P. Klinman is a biochemist. She was born in Pollack in 1941. Judith grew up in Philadelphia and had a young intrest in science. She always did very good in school. Her parents couldn't afford collage for her so it was great that she got a partail scholarship to the University of Pennslyvania in 1966. Judith P. Klinman graduated the University of Penslyvania, i ivy league school second in her class. She completed her graduates at the New York University. There she meet Norman Klinman who became her husband in 1963. Her husband and her than transfered to the University of Penslyvania to complete their doctorates. While a graduate student, judith gave birth to her first son. Next, her and her husband worked at the Weizman Institute in Rehovct, Israel. There Judith studied the way diggerent isotopes of the same element behave in certain chemical reactionsin the human body.After 16 months at the institute, she joined her husband briefly in London, where he had accepted a research position at University College. She was allowed to do research while there, but unlike her husband, she didn't get paid for her work. Than she came back to the United States and she joined the Cancer reaserch. In 1978 she became the first woman professor in the chemistry department of the University of California, Berkeley, where she continues to do research on enzymes today.



i got my information from:
http://www.chemheritage.org/women_chemistry/body/klinman.html

Judith P. Klinman- about her life.

Global warming is destroying coral reefs. The rise of carbon dioxide emissions and that results the climate to get warmer cause the burning of fossil fuels are making oceans warmer and more acidic therefor its triggering widespread coral disease and stifling coral growth toward "a tipping point for functional collapse." Coral reef have already took a negative hit from global warming. The coral reefs can be gone within decades.

Pictured at left is the typical coral reef today on the southern
Great Barrier Reef, which has endured a rise of 1 degree C and
375 parts per million of atmospheric carbon dioxide
concentration. The middle frame shows what a reef would look
like if global temperatures rise one more degree and CO2
concentrations increase, as predicted. The right frame
shows what a reef would like if temperatures and CO2
levels rise even more.
(Credit: Image courtesy of Cornell University)








http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213152600.htm



science daily
Global Warming Is Destroying Coral Reefs, Major Study Warns