Keystone Weekly
volume 3, issue 30        May 6, 2002

This week's Key Points: *Kit Use Compilation,* *Web Pick of the Week,* and *Awesome Science!*
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Kit Use Through a KSN Teacher's Eyes: The Compiled Articles
http://keystone.fi.edu/kituse.shtml

If you've enjoyed the mini-articles featuring Keystone Science Network teachers showcasing their experiences with kits, you might be interested to know that all of the articles are now accessible through a single page on the website. The link directly to the page is listed above, and you'll always be able to reach this page through the Teacher's Community ( http://www.keystone.fi.edu/teachers.shtml) section of the website.

Many thanks to all of the teachers who were kind enough to take the time to give us a peek into their practice.

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No, this isn't a science site, strictly speaking. But in the spirit of knowledge-seeking nature of science, this site is unparalleled in its straightforward and humorous debunking of all of those cultural myths and legends that float around, clouding people's understandings of how things really work, and what's really true.

Come to this site to investigate emails that you think may be hoaxes, or rumors you've heard that you suspect can't possibly be true. I'm sure many of you have heard tales of organ harvesting, gang initiation rites, missing children, marketing mistranslations, and pop-top collecting for causes. These are just a tiny fraction of the stories researched and explained here by folklore experts Barbara and David P. Mikkelson. If you're familiar with this site already, you'll probably agree that it's pretty neat. If you haven't ever visited it, take a look; I suspect you'll find it absorbing.

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Beginning on May 1, titan arum, began flowering at Kew Gardens in England for just the fourth time in the garden's history. The link above will take to you the special titan arum site and an impressive slide show detailing the flower's progress.

The website states:
"The massive crimson giant of the plant kingdom, the vast Amorphophallus titanum, has just burst into flower and is currently giving the sexual performance of its life in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. Last week the shoot began to swell dramatically and soon reached a height of over two metres, growing at a rate of 10cm a day. The huge phallic flower has now unfurled to reveal its blood-red interior. The central spike-like spadix has begun to heat up, giving off a pungent aroma described as a mixture of rotting flesh and excrement."

Definitely worth a look—especially from afar!

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 9819641.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

webteam@keystone.fi.edu

© 2003. All rights reserved.