Assignment:
Discussion 1: 150 words
The Evolution of Science and Sports
Sports have likely been around as long as there have been people. Every society has its favorite pastimes, and today with ever-advancing technologies, there is the ability to design high-tech equipment and utilize a host of specialists to help athletes perform better. It is such an important part of society that there are now fields dedicated to the study of sports medicine and fitness. No matter what sport or type of recreation you enjoy, the principles of science are involved.
Take a look at how science helps in different sports from football, to swimming, to NASCARTM.
• National Science Foundation. (n.d.). Science of speed: friction and heat.
• National Science Foundation. (n.d.). Science of the 2010 summer Olympics.
• National Science Foundation. (n.d.). Science and engineering of the 2014 Olympic winter games.
• National Science Foundation. (n.d.). Newton's first law of motion: The science of NFL football.
You are encouraged to conduct additional research to learn more about a sport or other recreational activity that you enjoy.
During the unit address the following questions:
1. Share some information about the science behind your sport or recreation of choice.
2. How can you categorize the scientific information that you learned about your sport/recreation? For example, does it involve physics, chemistry, and/or biology?
3. What technological advances have been made in your favorite activity during its history?
4. Have there been any previously held beliefs or customs in your sport/recreation that have been dismissed by scientific research? If so, please explain.
5. Now that you have done some research on the science involved in your favorite activity, do you think you can use that information to perform better? Why, or why not?
Discussion 2: 150 words
Citizen Science
There are many great research projects already in place that use volunteers and modern technology to harness the help of citizen scientists like you. It is a great way for people to learn more about a subject that they are interested in while helping researchers gather important information.
In this unit, you have reviewed various resources to learn more about Citizen Science. Using the assigned readings for this unit and conducting some research on your own, investigate other citizen science projects currently in place.
To get started, explore the following sources:
Scientific American. (2017). Citizen science.
SciStarter. (n.d.). Project finder.
In your posts this unit answer the following questions:
1. What is "citizen science"?
2. What is the benefit of using regular citizens to assist with scientific research in this way?
3. What citizen science program(s) interests you the most? Please provide a specific link and information about your chosen citizen science program.
4. Would you be interested in giving any of the citizen science programs a try? Why, or why not?
5. Formulate at least one way you would use media to advertise the citizen science program you are interested in and describe why you think the advertisement would be successful.