Kids Can ‘Discover’ fun at science camp

Kids ‘Discover’ fun at science camp

By ANNA GOODWIN MCCARTHY

Correspondent

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Squeals erupt from the children as the black and white rat scurries through a maze of brightly colored foam puzzle pieces and cardboard boxes, searching for the elusive cheese.

Unable to locate the cheese, the rat is at a standstill, prompting Michelle McPherson, director of school programs at Port Discover, to encourage the Port Discover Sensational Science camp-goers to modify the layout of the maze.

Quickly the group of eight to 12-year-olds moves into action in an ultimate display of teamwork using their recently acquired knowledge of positive reinforcement and learned animal behaviors to construct a new maze.

The best way to learn is through hands-on activities, said McPherson, an Elizabeth City State University graduate and former high school biology teacher.

Port Discover is Elizabeth City’s hands-on science museum for children. This summer marks the first series of summer camps since the center moved into its expanded space on Main Street. Port Discover director LuAnne Pendergraft says the larger space is allowing the center to offer expanded activities for the children, such as this week’s science camp aimed at teaching kids a variety of scientific techniques.

Moses McDaniel, Port Discover educator and ECSU research associate, demonstrated “laboratory techniques” on Monday helping campers create their own bacteria slides.

“It is absolutely great to see

them excited about science,” said McDaniel.

Sensational Science Camp attendees were introduced to the themes of microbiology, animal science, space exploration, technology/design and water quality this week. Camper Chaz McDaniel, 11, was excited to design and launch a water bottle rocket during Wednesday’s space exploration day.

McPherson said the space exploration theme was a result of requests for space themed projects on surveys at the end of last year’s summer science camp at Port Discover. The surveys at the end of each camp provide valuable feedback for planning future events.

The success of Port Discover’s programs has been maintained since its creation five years ago through the collaborative efforts of the staff, local government, community sponsors and Elizabeth City State University, according to Pendergraft.

“We wouldn’t be able to do what we are doing without the guidance of the university,” said Pendergraft.

The university’s “expertise of faculty,” “shared resources,” and presence of faculty on the 2010 Port Discover Board of Directors has led to “true community collaboration.”

Pendergraft said Port Discover has also been able to thrive through the recently purchased property that previously contained the Pasquotank Arts Council.

After moving into the larger space in March, the program was able to increase the number of participants in programs, decrease off-site travel and provide children with a “freer space to learn in,” said Pendergraft.

The larger facility contains a computer area with two computers loaded with science software, science board games and an Interactive Gallery that is open to the public. Enticing games like the cell require users “to match organelles with their functions,” by pressing buttons as a large model of a cell lights up with each selection. Another game asks users to pull a lever as they watch two balloon like lungs fill with air in a torso.

Glass habitats provide the onlooker with a glimpse into the activities of fish, Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, toads, frogs, tadpoles and snakes. There is also a toddler area with “very basic” activities that provide an introduction to science, said Pendergraft.

Wendy Pierce, Port Discover director of community programs and ECSU graduate, said one of the best aspects of working with the program is the “ability to be creative in an informal learning environment.”

Pierce said the scientific method and North Carolina Standard Course of Study are used in the implementation of lessons and programs.

It is vital that we “spark a continued interest” in the areas of science, math and technology, said Pierce.

Port Discover will provide a Discovery Days camp for five to seven-year-olds June 28 to June 30.

Pendergraft said the Port Discover camps provide “quality fun” in a scientific environment.

Maze of Monkey Illusion – 2009
Optical illusion maze caused by conflicting horizontal and vertical lines.

Maze Illusion – Artwork by Yonatan Frimer

Brain replays control decision-making process

Replaying recent events in the hippocampus of the brain has more to do with active decision-making process than with creating long-term memories, according to a new study.

Conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Minnesota Medical School, the study of rats navigating a maze found that replays occurring in the hippocampus were not necessarily recent or frequent paths through the maze, as would be expected if the event was being added to memory.

On the other hand, the replays often were paths that the rats had rarely taken or, in some cases, had never taken, as if the rats were trying to build maps to help them make better navigation decisions.

Dr. Anoopum Gupta, and his colleagues said that their findings suggest replays in the hippocampus are not merely passive echoes of past events, but part of a complex, active process of decision-making.

“Our work provides clues into how animals construct a complete, fully navigable representation of their environment, even if they’ve only partially explored that environment. The cognitive maps created in this way may allow animals to plan novel routes or shortcuts. As we learn more about the neural mechanisms that enable animals to flexibly navigate through the world, we hope to apply those lessons to research in robotics that could improve autonomous navigation systems,” said Gupta.

The team used electrode ‘hats’ to record brain activity of rats as they navigated a maze. In particular, they monitored certain neurons, called place cells, which fire in response to physical locations.

That enabled the researchers to identify where an event that was being replayed was located based on which place cells were firing.

During an experiment, a rat might be in one portion of the maze, while the firing of place cells in the hippocampus indicated that the rat was replaying information about a different location.

On a task with two behavioral sequences, A and B, the researchers found that the animals would replay sequence B more often though they spent most of their time running sequence A.

This meant that the rats were most likely to replay the path they had experienced less often, which indicated that replay is not just a function of helping an animal remember what it has experienced most frequently or most recently, but an important function in helping it map its whole environment.

During the replay process, the research team also was able to observe the animal making connections between paths that it had never physically traveled before.

This further suggested that replay plays a role in helping an animal learn and maintain the entire map of its environment and make connections within it.

The rats were not just reviewing recent experience to move it to long-term memory.

The study was published in the journal Neuron.

Want to test the theory, try solving some of these mazes, created by Yonatan Frimer
The maze entrances and exits are marked by arrows.

Maze of the statue of david, by Yonatan Frimer

Maze Portrait Of Michalangelo’s David

Check out more mazes at these links
Maze cartoon – Team Of monkeys maze
maze art – inkblot mazes

Maze portrait of Madonna, by Yonatan Frimer

Check out more mazes at these links
Maze cartoon – Team Of monkeys maze
maze art – inkblot mazes

Maze portrait of Lilly Allen, by Yonatan Frimer

Maze of Lily Allen

Check out more mazes at these links
Maze cartoon – Team Of monkeys maze
maze art – inkblot mazes

Freemason Monkeys –
Illuminati’s building a wall – Maze

Click here to view the freemason monkeys maze larger

Check out more mazes at these links
Maze cartoon – Team Of monkeys maze
maze art – inkblot mazes

Monkeys For Justice – Team Of Monkeys Judicial Panel

Monkey Judges Maze:
“Trained to dispense justice in even the most difficult legal cases”
Click here to view the justice monkeys maze larger

Check out more mazes at these links
Maze cartoon – Team Of monkeys maze
maze art – inkblot mazes