Thursday, July 28, 2022  |  Category: Eduvation Insider

Dog Days of Summer

Good morning, and happy World Hepatitis Day! (Okay, maybe not “happy” exactly.) Today is also a day to celebrate Interns, Milk Chocolate, Chili Dogs, and other Refreshments.

With a long holiday weekend coming up shortly, I wanted to touch base quickly with loyal “Insider” readers like you. It’s hard to believe that almost a month has passed since my last issue, “Halfway through ‘22” (Jun 30). At the time, you might recall, I warned that my publications would become “a bit more occasional for a while” …but wow, July zipped past far faster than I expected!

Rest assured I have contracted neither COVID19 nor Monkeypox. As promised, I have devoted much of my energy this month (when not on a brief vacation) to developing “an exciting new experiment,” and I’ve got it in beta-testing now. Watch this space for more details soon!

Next week, I hope to be back to writing more consistently (or at least twice). There are a dozen great topics percolating, on top of everything else.

For today, just a light-hearted video to share, ICYMI!

#ICYMI

In this space I’ve shared some striking examples of faculty “micro-lectures” on social media, from “Psychology Quips” by MSVU profs Will Shead and Derek Fisher, and “Research Shorts” by George Veletsianos’ team at RRU, to the addictive video series by STU “Great Books Prof” Andrew Moore. But TBH, nobody I’ve seen so far in CdnPSE holds a candle to The Great Orbax…

Physics and Thor’s Hammer

Although no university owns the zany antics of Bill Nye the Science Guy, uGuelph comes close with the fast-paced, ofttimes silly physics demonstrations by “The Great Orbax” – Physics lecturer Jason Thomas. (You may recall I featured episode 3, “The Science Behind Space Travel in Star Wars and Star Trek,” back in May 2022.) This month, episode 5 of his “Reel or Unreal” series leverages YouTube’s enthusiasm for the Marvel cinematic universe by focusing on “The Science Behind Thor’s Hammer.” Thomas uses Asgardian references, fast cuts, comic book excerpts and a ton of special effects to keep our attention as he describes the physics of electricity and thunderstorms. His own energy level puts the 250,000 volts from his Tesla coil to shame!  YouTube  |  Check out the whole series here

As ever, thanks for reading!

Expect to see me back in your inbox on Tuesday with something a bit meatier. Until then, have a great weekend, stay safe – and stay cool!