Lightning Harvester

In last week's class we all began to learn about lightning and the power each bolt wields. It is often thought that harvesting this power would bring great energy to the masses all around the globe. The question is, of course, how do we capture that power generated by a lightning bolt? How do we harvest that energy to be used later? That is this week's problem - and we will tackle it in our next design and explanation segment.

 In this week's class we finished writing sentences using lightning vocabulary. Then we answered some questions relating to lightning. All of the answers were poignant and well thought out.  We are all now designing our lightning energy harvesters. I showed you some information on the Internet, including drawings and schematics from brilliant thinkers like Nikola Tesla. Lightning energy is out there, all around us. It is ready for the taking, as Tesla surmised. However, the question remains - how do we get that energy and turn it into useful power for our light bulbs, hair dryers, washing machines, and cell-phone chargers? Is it possible? I'm willing to bet it is. And I think that if you can devise a ground-breaking way to harvest that energy, you too will be as famous and wealthy as Nikola Tesla himself.

Good luck!

Nuclear Power

Many people fear nuclear energy because you can't see it, taste it, smell it, or feel it. It can creep up on you from miles away, but you can't detect it yourself. It can cause many health and environmental problems.

This is one scary notion. Nuclear energy has both fascinated and scared me from my earliest days of childhood.In fact, in my state, Pennsylvania, a nuclear accident occurred at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in 1979. I won't tell you my age, but I do remember that incident. Ever since then I've been awed and terrified by nuclear power.

After the Tohoku earthquake in March of 2011 which dessminated the town of Kessenuma and the Fukushima nuclear power plant, we all became more aware of the power, and danger, of nuclear energy. After the Kumamoto earthquakes, too, we all became fearful of what might happen in our own neighborhoods after a devastating earthquake. 

In the class about nuclear energy we watched a short movie about the dangers of nuclear energy, but not only about the dangers - about the potential of nuclear energy as well. Of course nuclear energy is dangerous, but it also has the capability or producing vast amounts of never ending energy. Isn't that we we need to help humanity evolve? Isn't that better for progress? For advancing to the next level of awareness, of creating the next generation after generation of society?  This is something we all must ask - are the benefits worth the risk? Perhaps only time and advances in nuclear technology will tell.

Think about it!

Ecosystem Model Explanation

This is my ecosystem under a dome. It is located in (                     ) and contains five elements: a water system, which has three species of fish and ocean-life ( _____ , ______ , _____); a forest, which has two kinds of trees ( _______ , _______ ) and four kinds of animals ( _____ ,_____, ______, ______); a plain, which contains three species of insects ( ____ ,_____,_____), and two larger animals species (_____, ______), and a mountain, which contains two plant species (______,______) and three insects species (_____,_____,_____). This ecosystem model will be placed in (                       ) Museum, and will be used to teach the public about (                             ).

Ecosystems

Ecosystems are a necessary part of our earth and our global environment. With the advent of chemicals and machinery, however, some parts of our ecosystems may break down. This is why we must be careful of our ecosystems from now and into the future, for the good of humankind.

With that said, ecosystems are quite easy to understand. With understanding comes the need to be able to explain to those who wish to know. Actually, the world's population is a good target for which to teach the fundamentals of ecosystems. To do this, we need to be able to view the ecosystem up close, and to study each element, as in a model. Many museums already have model simulations of the biosphere, oceans, plant life, ancient animal life, not to mention archeological wonders like the pyramids, ancient temples and structures, and found artifacts.

For this reason, our next project will be to design your own ecosystem under a dome for use in educational purposes such as a museum, a library, or an elementary school. Creation of such a dome for educational purposes can also help solidify your own understanding of the wonderful and complex world of the ecosystem.

Back to Environmental English

Welcome back students of SE! I hope you all had a good summer. This semester we will do much of the same procedure as last semester, although we will have solo presentations this semester! We will spend a bit of time practicing, but largely we will begin presenting at least once a month on the topics given in the textbook. You will be responsible for creating your own work; that is, coming up with your own ideas, writing the explanation, drawing the picture, and of course, presenting it to the class in English using the same techniques we worked on last semester (showing your drawing, eye contact, loud and clear voice).

This week's class will largely entail looking at the syllabus, re-examining the textbook, and getting on to the first topic. Of course, I will answer any questions you may have about the text and the class. We will probably begin working on Unit 7, if there is time. We will also look at some related content on the Internet.

Please challenge this semester. The work will be similar, but everyone should try to rise above what you've done last semester. Presentations are hard, but they are very good for you. They will almost definitely help you in your futures, so don't take them for granted, and don't miss the chance to better yourselves. Please ask your other professors and see. They will all say the same thing I'm sure!

Pollution

The homework for this class was to design you own disaster warning system and create it on google slides to share with me. I believe most people have created their slides and have shared them with me. There were many interesting, useful, and well-thought out designs. I enjoyed reading them all, and will keep them to show next year's class! In the next class, I may ask a few people to share them with us at the front of the room. Are there any takers out there? I will make sure you get some extra points for your efforts! 

One of the world's biggest problems in the is pollution. We can't escape polluted air, rivers, streams, oceans, forests, grasslands, and the like these days. Unfortunately, pollution has become more and more widespread with the advent of machinery, cars, trucks, tools, and factories, all of which came to fruition during the rise of the industrial age. All of these aspects cause pollution in our green world (making it more brown than green), so much so that it has become difficult to turn back the pages. However, that does not mean that turning back the pages is impossible. It will take hard work, careful planning, and eve ending attention to the way we manufacture, control, use, and discard waste at the end of the day.

In the next class we will focus on this very problem and the negative effects that can lead to bad health, low aptitude, body fatigue and problems that arise in many natural areas. Many negative effects can be harmful to health and hard on the environment as well. Even some things we do not consider pollution, such as noise or light, can be considered pollutants because they affect our health in negative ways. Too much noise and light can cause stress leading to coronary problems and high blood pressure.

Our next design will be a pollution measurement and control center, in which we will focus on how to determine the effects of pollution and how to adequately measure, control, and end pollution forever. Why? Because the first step in ending pollution is measuring it and its effects. Then we can take steps in controlling it, and finally in ending it altogether.

Natural Disaster Warning System

About a year ago, we had a natural disaster in Kumamoto - the 2016 earthquakes. As everyone recalls, on Thursday, April 14th we were hit with what is now called the "foreshock," or the quake before the real earthquake. The real quake hit on Saturday morning of April 16th, and was very large and destructive. It harmed many buildings, shops, and homes, so much so that many had to be torn down. Well, a year later we are re-bounding from the earthquakes of last year. One thing that made the earthquakes so scary is the happened suddenly, as earthquakes normally do. They can't be seen, heard, or tracked. Many times they just simply, hit.

Actually, natural disasters come in all shapes and sizes, and we even had a hint of one yesterday - a typhoon, which was actually quite large. I saw many downed tree branches, fallen bicycles, and knocked over signs on my way to school yesterday. In fact, it was so powerful that morning classes were canceled at most universities in Kumamoto.

With the threat of natural disasters comes the need to somehow be warned of them in advance, if at all possible. Sometimes it is impossible to know of an impending earthquake, but researchers had known about the large fault lines in Kumamoto for many years. Other natural disaster, such as typhoons, are able to be seen and tracked across the ocean sometimes for many days. Hurricanes, or large typhoons, can be seen as well, as can storms, solar flares, approaching asteroids, and the like. Tsunamis can also be seen coming from a long way off, but this may not mean that escaping a tsunami is possible

Is is possible to make a disaster warning system? It must be, for the sake of all humankind. So, your task for this design topic is to create your own natural disaster warning system. First you must decide on what kind of disaster you want to create a warning system for. Then, you must think of all the possible elements that you need to include. For example, you must include a way to warn the entire area, not just one or two places. Then you need to think about how you will warn them, and what steps they need to make in order to escape or to stay where they are safely.

Recycling Center

Good afternoon Science English students! In this class we will begin designing and extend our design work for the recycling center. There are many types of recycling centers; some are multiple, containing three or four stages, some are very simple and just house one building and one machin, and others are incredibly complex and contain many stages.

The first thing you need to think about if you haven't yet is what you want to recycle. Please think about the end product here. You should decide whether you want to make a brand new product from a used on (with other parts), or if you want to use the old parts or materials on which to base a new idea, item, or product.

Please draw a picture of it along with a location map. Be detailed with your stages so the reader can understand what you are trying to convey. Please write an explanation that is simple, yet instructive in English. If we finish in class and have time, we will present in smaller groups and perhaps two large groups. If we have no time, we will finish and present in the following week.

Please think that this product might be invented and used some day! I'm looking forward to your designs!

More on Recycling

Recycling is normal and useful. I think recycling is the wave of the future. In the next class, we will begin to design our own recycling centers. You must decide if you want to recycle something old for a new purpose, or create a new product from existing parts. After all, this is the aim of recycling.

In order to complete this project, you must draw a location map, a center with at least 5 stages, and describe what you will recycle in detail. Let's look forward to it!

Introduction to Recycling

Akin to alternative energy is recycling. What is recycling? Recycling can be a process containing two veins of thought. One vein is to make something new from something old, such as making new paper from old newspapers or boxes. The second vein is to use something old for a new and different purpose, such as making a bag from old blue jeans. This process is often called repurposing, and is a different form of recycling.

The reason we need to recycle is to take old products and re-use them rather than using dirty resources, such as oil, and sparse natural resources, such as trees, for making new products. If we were to use dirty resources continually  or cut down trees continually for making new products, our earth would soon become barren, dirty and would soon break down. Therefore, recycling is very necessary for the future of our planet. The big blue marble, planet earth.

What is Alternative Energy?

Hi SE students for the week of May 29. In last class we presented in two large groups which went very well I think. In this week's class we will move ahead with the alternative energy topic. There are many kinds of alternative energy sources. But what exactly is alternative energy? The word 'alternative' means 'another' or 'substitute.' And this is exactly what alternative energy is: a substitute form of energy, ranging from methane gas to biomass to hydrogen energy forms. There are even energy forms such as sidewalk power generation, wave power, and lightning energy power.

Your task in the upcoming design feature is to think of your own alternative energy source. That means you must be creative. I won't say that you can't use one already in existence, but if you do so, it must be uniquely yours. Try to include some new feature or interesting part of the source. For example, don't just design a hydro-electric plant. Design a hydro-electric plant combined with a wind turbine. What you can do is to create an energy source that we have never seen before. Can you do it? I think there are still ideas out there waiting to be found. So put on  your creative hats, and try to think outside the boundaries!

Alternative Energy

Good morning SE students! Last week you practiced presenting your work in larger groups and it went well. In this week's class I'll have you present in half-class groups. This is so you can feel what it is like to present in front of a larger group of people. It will take some time, but it is very beneficial for you. The more you present in English, the more comfortable you become.

After the practice presentations we will begin the next topic: Alternative Energy. Everyone knows that we humans must get away from fossil fuel use for the safety and sustainability of our planet. Fossil fuels are very dirty and contribute to air, land, and water pollution. We know of several types of alternative, clean energy sources: wind, solar, wave. But what about others? Can you think of other types of alternative energy sources? In this week's class we will do just that: begin to create your own clean, alternative type of energy source. You may think this is a difficult topic, but once students start to think about their topic and get creative, they come up with very unique and original ideas! For this topic there are no holds barred - anything that can generate energy, large and small, is acceptable. So the task in this week's class is to get creative, use your knowledge, start creating, and have fun!

Atmospheric Cleaning

Good day SE students! Last week found us wrapping up our topic on the atmosphere, and your assignment for this week was to at least start to design an atmospheric cleaning device. I think such a device will be very necessary in the future as our atmosphere becomes more and more polluted. Of course, countries now are slowly starting to change their tune on atmospheric pollution, but I think it will be long in coming before our atmosphere can return to the way in once was. It's amazing how short a time it took to make our air polluted, our rivers and streams dirty, and our forests barren. In just over eighty years (a blink of an eye in the time frame of the universe) many parts of our earth has gone from being clean and pristine to dirty and disheveled. But it can be changed. It will take time, that's all. That is where you come in. As young environmental scientists you will have the power to make decisions, change opinions, and create new opportunities. This is a major part of the thinking of this project - to think and plan how to readily clean our atmosphere so it will allow us as humans to keep living, striving, breathing, and fighting long into the future. Your designs and ideas can help those in the future to correct those immediate problems that we should address now before it's too late.

Atmosphere

Hello SE students! In the last class we practiced presenting our ideas in front of small groups. I remember listening to everyone's presentations, and they were all okay. Some of you had good ways of showing your pictures while you explained your ideas. Some of you made good eye contact, had good memorization, and had loud voices. As we practice more and more, your skills at presenting in English will improve.

In the last class we also began to learn about the atmosphere in English. We practiced reading together, and also practiced reading silently. We began to learn words associated with atmosphere discussions in English, and wrote the meanings in Japanese and provided an English synonym.

In this week's class we will write missing vocabulary words into the sentences, and write our own sentences using the vocabulary words which will then be checked on the board. After that we will practice listening, and move on to writing answers to the questions in English. Finally, we will begin our next design project: designing your own atmospheric cleaning machine. This is a very important device and will be very practical in the upcoming years. We will start to think about the design in the upcoming class, and you will have until the following week to prepare your ideas.

That's it for this blog Science English Troopers! Remember, English is useful and easier to learn when combined with other subjects. Please use this class as a good opportunity to not only learn more and further your English, but also to hone your skills in general science, and Japanese as well! See you in next class.

Welcome to SE!

Good day new Science English students! Last week I introduced the class by describing what we will do every week; that is, what kind of topics we will learn, what kinds of activities we will do, what homework entails, and other useful bits of information. I also distributed the textbooks we will use in the class. I wrote the textbook last year after trialing it in each class, correcting it, and finally revising it to be used this year. You do not have to pay for the textbooks; the texts are free of charge. However, don't lose your books! If you do, I must put you on the chopping block! In the last class we started the first project, "What is environmental science?"

The textbooks are designed to have students read passages, learn vocabulary, practice writing sentences, answering questions, and finally, designing something unique.

In the first class we read a passage about environmental science. Then we looked up the word meanings in both Japanese and English and then wrote the meanings in English. We then wrote the words we learned into the sentences. In today's class I will explain the blog, Gmail, and English Central.

Also in the class today we will practice listening. After listening we will think about questions with a partner and write your answers in English. After this we will continue on to one of the biggest activities we will do in the class: design and presentation. The first design project will be an environmental resource center will be used for educational purposes. You must write an explanation and design the center, and explain it to your classmates in small groups.

 We will present our designs and research to the entire class after much practicing. You may be nervous, but please remember it will be a good experience for all of you. We will be completing two presentations per month and will done when we finish each unit.

All the activities in each week's class will be checked after finishing. Please bring your textbooks, pens, pencils, and erasers to each class. Please try to come to every class, bring all the materials, try to write and speak your best in English, and try to use English rather than Japanese! In addition, please follow this blog. Speaking of blogs, we will all have a chance to make a blog about an environmental issue and also will complete some homework using blogs, google drive, and e-mail. We will also be using English Central in this class. I will write a new blog entry every week, and it will cover past homework answers/comments, things we will do in the upcoming class, and new and interesting information.

Let's have fun in SE! That's all for now. See you all later.

More on Environmental Economics

Environmental economics is one very important quadrant in the future of the environment that affects all living creatures on the earth. With the advent of human technologies, and the broadening of such aspects as travel, agriculture, city expansion, and utilization of resources, environmental economics can help us to conserve resources while enjoying them at the same time. The economic world can help upkeep environmental control and therefore save resources for the future. A positive aspect of environmental economics is that park entrance fees, travel fees, and paid guides can put money into maintaining natural areas so our children and grandchildren can enjoy them too. In addition, taxes placed on pollution, or trading of credits for less pollution are important in environmental conservation as well.

One negative aspect of environmental economics, however, is that if too much focus is spent on money, then perhaps less focus gets placed on the pure enjoyment of nature and the environment for what it is. This is perhaps why we should keep environmental economics in the background; that is, we should keep park entrance fees, travel guide costs, and taxes placed on land usage and pollution the way they are without saying too much. All in all when people travel and visit parks and recreation areas, they are happy to pay whatever fee is required of them. Probably most people today are unhappy to clean up after themselves and keep the wondrous natural areas of our planet unspoiled.

Environmental Economics

Good day students, welcome to 2017. As you probably know, this Friday's class has been cancelled, and there will be a make-up class on Saturday, January 28. This means we will have two classes in a row - on Friday, January 27, and on the following day!

In the next class we will start discussing an interesting aspect of environmental science - environmental economics. What is environmental economics? It is the study of the value of the environment around us. Environmental economists research environmental topics such as renewable energy, construction of power plants, and pollution control measures. It is the study of how humans use and throw away things made from environmental resources and how this action affects the environment. In everyday life, humanity uses resources from the environment, and sometimes overuses these resources. Environmental economics is related to assigning a cost to these aspects which humans use and break down - costs can sometimes be controlled by regulations such as pollution taxes and erosion prevention.

Environmental economics also has to do with the monetary cost of up keeping environmental related travel destinations, and the cost of maintenance. Often, cost is determined by how willing people are to pay to travel to a certain environmental spot or to engage in activities such as eco-tourism. One job of environmental economists is to assign a monetary value to natural resources and this is done through computer programs that analyze the costs and benefits to environmental management. Another job is to analyze an environmental aspect that has some economic related outcome to it to sense what the impact may be.

More on environmental economics in the next class!