How’s this for a science experiment? Take your dog for a walk in the woods, let them run around a bit, and have them come back. And that’s it; you’ve scienced! OK, so that’s not really the science part. For that, you add a GPS collar to track the dog’s movement, and you repeat the process with a couple dozen other dogs over hundreds of walks. Then, when you look at all the data from those various jaunts, you might find evidence that the dogs are orienting themselves to the Earth’s magnetic field.
[Read more…] about Science Corner: All Dogs Go to the Magnetic North Pole
navigation
Science Corner: Of Rats, Roaches and Men
Academic life regularly involves travel to new cities. Most common are the conferences; the information superhighway can connect people in lots of ways, but some actual face time with peers, colleagues, friends and mentors within one’s discipline is still valuable. (Speaking of which, if you are in the sciences you’ll want to know about ESN’s presence at the upcoming American Scientific Affiliation conference.) One of my favorite parts of a conference is the simple pleasure of walking around a different city. I’ll usually look at a map to pick out some possible destinations of interest, then set out and just see what I can see. Although it happens every time, I’m still kind of pleased and amazed that I wind up knowing my way around, at least for a few blocks around the hotel or conference center. True, the human tendency to arrange cities in grids helps, and there is often a river or ocean or other notable body of water to help provide orientation. Still, I think it’s nifty how well our brains can internalize all that spatial information and navigate from it.
[Read more…] about Science Corner: Of Rats, Roaches and Men
Scholar’s Compass: Navigating Themes
ESN’s new devotional for scholars launches September 7, and we’re planning the themes or threads that it will feature across the year. In keeping with our title of Scholar’s Compass, we’ve chosen the idea of navigation to tie these threads together. We’ve tried to incorporate your ideas, though some we’re saving as potential names or threads if we do another devotional in future. Glance through our list, then suggest your ideas in the comments.
Scholar’s Compass Themes So Far
- Navigating Knowledge: Integrating Faith and the Details of Your Subject
- Navigating Research:Â Becoming well-versed in your field
- Navigating Home: the Household and Academic Vocation
- Navigating a Path: Shaping Your Career in Light of Vocation
- Navigating the Work of Your Hands: Learning about Academic Vocation through Physical Work
- Navigating Place and Vocation: Your Geography and Your Vocation
- Navigating Transitions: Your Vocation during Change
- Navigating the Rapids: When it doesn’t go as you expect
- Navigating Teaching: How Vocation Shapes Pedagogy
- Navigating Justice: Your Academic Vocation and Seeking Justice
Call For Topics
We’re so grateful for your responses to our Scholar’s Compass posts. They’ve made the project richer, deeper, and more engaging. Tell us what else you’d like to see or write on the theme of navigating.