What you can do:

1. The first thing you can do is purchase rhino key rings, stickers or arm bands from the Stop Rhino Poaching website. The money raised from this merchandise goes towards the training of Jack the Rhino dog as well as torches, knives and binoculars for park rangers.
2. Secondly, you can sign a petition to not allow rhino poachers bail. This can show the world that rhino poaching is taken seriously. This is a very easy way to make a difference. The target is 50 000 and so far they have received 7 554 signatures from people all over the world. This petition can be signed on the Stop Rhino Poaching website.
3. Thirdly, spread the word. Join Facebook groups, follow Stop Rhino Poaching Twitter accounts, email your friends and family, share YouTube videos and blog about events happening in your area. Word of mouth is the best way to spread the word and raise awareness. Social media is a great easy way to do this.

Events happening around the world:

• The London Save the Rhino Marathon

This event will take place on the 22 April 2012. It includes a race in a rhino costume, save the Rhino T-shirts as well as food and drinks after the race.

• Rhino Trek South Africa

This will take place in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is a 5 day trek, taking place from the 6 -13 May with an average distance of 18k/m a day. The group will travel through game reserves and see a variety of wild life. This is a true African experience and all adds towards rhino awareness.

• Rhino Mayday 2012

This event will be held at the Museum of Zoology in London on Tuesday the 1st of May. This event is aiming to raise awareness of rhino poaching. There will be a variety of speakers from conservation charities to zoo personnel, who will do presentations and confront controversial topics on the rhinos.

Volunteer

Volunteer work depends on the work load available, although anyone is able to volunteer at Save the Rhino events. Volunteer work could include selling tickets, running for a team, selling merchandise, cleaning up after a race. All you have to do is keep checking the Save the Rhino website in order to sign up. If you would like to get more radically involved, you can consider volunteering in an actual conservation in Kenya, they have a specific program set out for volunteers.

Nicole de Freitas loves the wildlife in the Kruger park and stays atleast once a year in the Shukuza area.

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The Science in Society Conference – Berkeley, CA, November 17 – 19

Science in Society is a scholarly journal, book publisher, and international community dedicated to dissecting the relationship between society and the pursuit of science. As a teacher, you have a responsibility to make this connection for your students. Work in science does not occur in a vacuum, but in the context of society as a whole. Teachers are welcomed and encouraged to attend the fourth annual conference held at the University of California at Berkeley (http://science-society.com/conference-2012/). Key topics to be explored this year include the impact of science on society, the ethics of science, teaching science, and the politics of science.

National Science Teachers Association – Indianapolis, IN, March 29 – April 1

The National Science Teachers Association, or NSTA, is the premier organization in the U.S. for science teachers. The annual conference  (http://www.nsta.org/conferences/2012ind/) will be held in Indianapolis this year and will bring together educators from around the country. Hundreds of sessions include presentations by teachers of every science subject and grade level and demonstrations from textbook publishers, lab equipment manufacturers, and companies bringing the latest technologies to the science classroom. This is the largest and most comprehensive gathering of science teachers in the country and provides an invaluable opportunity to learn about new methodologies in science education.

International Polar Year – Montreal, Canada, April 22 – 27

With climate change and its effects in the forefront of news, media, and politics, science teachers must stay up to date on this important topic. Students are curious and questioning about what they hear about climate change and their teachers should be informed and prepared to answer. The International Polar Year Conference  (http://www.ipy2012montreal.ca/program/overview.php) is an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest in climate change. Leading researchers and policy makers will be there to present the latest research and to lead discussions about solutions and ways to adapt to climate change.

National Science Foundation Grants Conference – Arlington, VA, October

Although many think of grants from the National Science Foundation as being for researchers and university academics, the NSF also awards money to educators. With funding in schools a constant concern, science teachers can turn to the NSF and other organizations to get grants for special projects and equipment. The NSF holds a few conferences each year to inform educators and academics about how to write and get grants. The Arlington conference (http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/outreach.jsp) represents a great opportunity for science teachers to find money for improving the quality of science education in their schools.

American Association of Physics Teachers 2012 Summer Meeting – Philadelphia, July 28 – August 1

The American Association of Physics Teachers, (http://aapt.org/Conferences/sm2012/) or AAPT, hosts a meeting each summer in a different location. The theme for 2012 is The Experimental Core. This event brings together physics teachers from around the country to share their experiences, ideas, and methods. Using experiments is an excellent way to engage students and to get them excited about physics, which can often seem like a daunting subject. Learning about new ways to engage and explain can help science educators teach physics in a much more effective way.

Mary Ellen Ellis is a certified high school science teacher and writes for Teacher Certification Degrees, a resource site providing information on how to become a teacher in each state and featuring interviews with current teachers.

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Schools use a considerable amount of electricity for lights, climate control, office equipment like copiers and computers, kitchen and cafeteria appliances, and more. Because of the high cost of electricity in many parts of the country coupled with high energy usage by schools, there is considerable opportunity for schools today to save money on this aspect of their budget.

While more and more schools across the country are taking advantage of electricity savings offered through solar energy power, some schools are leading the way. For example, the Santa Clarita school district in California is in the midst of a major solar panel installation. The school district is using space on vacant land owned by the school district as well as space in school parking lots to install solar panels.

The savings to the school district is estimated to be $400,00 for the initial year after installation, and savings will continue into the future. This school district is not alone in finding savings through solar energy. Campo Verde High School’s roof will soon be home to about 1,700 solar panels. The solar panels on this Gilbert, Arizona school’s roof is anticipated to provide about a quarter of the energy the school will use each year. This will equate to hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings over the next two decades.

Solar power is an increasingly popular form of energy, but it still very underutilized in both commercial and private sectors. There are numerous forms of solar technologies that can be used. In fact, there are fourteen different types of photovoltaic cells that may be used in solar panels. Because of how underutilized solar power currently is today, it is not clear yet which of these fourteen types of solar panel cells will become the most popular.

One thing is clear, however. Solar power has the ability to greatly reduce carbon emissions while providing energy customers such as school districts and others with considerable savings. These are savings that can be enjoyed as soon as solar panels are installed and hooked up to the grid, and the savings can continue on for years to come.

It’s a guest post by Maria Fortie. She’s a solar power professional and blogger. She blogs for the electric solar panels for homes blog. If you want her to express her discoveries about how to find good solar contractors with you, follow her on Twitter.

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The Offshore Wind Farm

The structure would be a hexagon shaped platform located 11 miles from shore. With seven windmills on it the wind farm will be situated in such a way that it can capture winds from all sides making the renewable energy to Malta quadruple. The platform can rotate a full 360 degrees in 30 minutes. A substation, linked to the offshore wind farm by way of a cable, will be set up in Maghtab to constantly monitor the station and its projections.

The project for the offshore wind farm was initially presented in 2006 but the technology was still in the experimental stages and nowhere near ready. Six years down the line and it’s set to become the newest feature to the shores just off Malta.

Due to the aesthetics of the wind farm there has been talk about what it would do to the views of the beautiful island but it’s been deemed fair and responsible to set it several miles offshore. The depths immediately surrounding the island are not suitable for the wind farm, which also suits the aesthetics of the proposal.

Currently the project’s timetable is dependant entirely on the funding application with the EU’s investment program. If successful it seems the project will begin in 2014.

Malta Resources Authority & Ministry of Agriculture, along with several other government agencies such as Cyprus’ Natural Resources & Environmental agency have assessed and analysed Hexicon AB’s wind farm, wave power and floating platform and thus far all seems to be in order.

The benefits of wind farms are obvious but there are concerns about the impact it would have on the environment. The companies concerned are currently conducting investigations into how the renewable energy wind farm will impact the migration of birds as well as the effects on marine life. One also has to consider the minimal amount of environmental discomfort a wind farm will cause as opposed to long-term fossil fuel energy damage to the entire planet.

Hopefully the report will come back saying wind farms in the ocean cause very little, if any, damage to marine life so all parties involved can give it the go head.

Vida Denning is a freelance writer who enjoys writing on a large variety of topics. She has not been to Malta but has friends who opened a business in Malta. It seems going through the correct Malta Law Firm makes life a lot easier when investing in the island.

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A bad reputation

Environmental groups and campaigners are often talking about the negative impacts of buildings on the environment and natural habitat.  Part of their argument centres around the destruction and dereliction of green land, however another aspect which is explored is the damage that certain building materials can cause to the environment.  The long term effects of degradation of buildings can be severe.  With this in mind, the construction industry is moving further and further away from using environmentally harmful products and practices, and is focussing a lot more of its product development and work towards greener, more environmentally friendly materials.

Growing concern

Governments, news agencies and other organisations around the world are becoming a lot more vocal over the environment.  Environmental issues are given a bigger platform than they have ever previously had, and with that in mind both designers as well as those working within the construction industry are forever exploring more innovative ways to adapt to the changing concerns of the global population.

Design and construction business are spending large sums of money around the world on research and development to ensure they’re able to build in a more environmentally friendly manner, using greener materials than before.  A lot of time is also put into researching greener methods and ways of working.

Products such as texlon are enabling designers and construction businesses to design and construct aesthetically stunning buildings at a low cost to the environment.  Although the product itself is very eco-friendly and a definite plus for those looking to go green, there are other far reaching effects which make this a truly green material.

The translucent properties of texlon enable natural light into the building at a rate suited by the building owner.  Texlon can be engineered to the needs of the building.  Due to its unique properties, this is an excellent environmentally aware solution for designers.

Further reaching impacts

As well as making the building itself greener there are amazing indirect impacts when using a material such as texlon.  As well as allowing in greater levels of natural light, natural insulation properties can have a massive impact on energy usage throughout the building.  Due to low pressure air within the texlon envelopes, the building will use a lot less energy in heating the building leading to significant cost savings as well as the environmental benefits.

Greener materials are revolutionising both the construction and design industries.  These materials are extremely popular as they offer added benefits to traditional building materials.

Vector Foiltec invented the use of Texlon© ETFE foil, an eco-friendly construction mateial, and have developed the use of this innovative technology worldwide in the design and constructive industry.

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Others rush forward without a proper plan, which often takes them off the path towards success until they give up too. Goals and ambitions in life can only be fulfilled with sheer dedication and fervor. Coupled with these, you need certain habits that work as your propellers and keep pushing you forward.

Value for time

Time is one of the most important things in life, partly because time once gone is gone forever and partly because there is no place for procrastinators in the present highly competitive world. So, if you want to achieve your goal, make it a habit to give time its due value. Plan your time, follow a schedule and capitalize on every moment available for you. In this age of speed, it is the fastest fishes that reach the end. However, take care not to be hasty because haste can cause a lot of monetary and non-monetary losses. Time management is the key to success.

Focus

You stand the risk of going astray if you remove your focus from the goal even for a second. So, make focus a habit. Keep your goal in view. Never lower the benchmark of your expectations. When you focus, you can find the best route to the destination more clearly. There is nothing that you can cannot achieve when you more forward with a focused approach and a positive attitude to go with it.

Discipline and organization

Discipline and organized approach are master keys that unlock any door and unveil the road that you take to success. Discipline helps you be focused and manage time well. It also helps you be organized. When your life is organized, uncluttered and clean, there are no distractions to divert you from the goal.

 Perseverance

Life is not always a sweet path of roses. It makes you slog. It is a tough taskmaster. Nevertheless, it is a generous paymaster as well. So, do not give up at the first roadblock. Probably, easier path lies ahead and probably all that is stopping you from achieving your goal is this one large rock. Instead of giving up, find a solution to the hurdle and move forward. You might just be an inch away from your goal.

Be your biggest critic

It is tough to criticize yourself because every little step that you take towards success fills you with a warm satisfaction. Nevertheless, this satisfaction sometimes bloats up and takes the form of overconfidence and when it does, there begins your downfall. Criticizing yourself helps you keep your feet firmly rooted on the ground, analyze every move you make and identify loopholes so that you can work towards correcting them. It not only helps you achieve your goals, it helps you achieve them with perfection.

 If you can develop these habits along with a positive never-say-die attitude and a practical approach, there is nothing that can stop you from reaching the summit.

 Author: Katie is a home manager and an avid blogger. She writes and enjoys working from home recommending the graduate training schemes

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It may come as some comfort then to know that, whilst we cannot afford to be complacent about climate change, most of the worst past predictions about the state our planet would be in by now have turned out to be wrong; Here are 5 great examples;

The Dead Sea

The American biologist Paul Ehrlich has something of a reputation for being wrong about the future. Following the publication of his book The Population Bomb in which he predicted increasing scarcity of many resources, he was challenged to a wager by economist Julian Simon, who bet that the prices of resources picked by Ehrlich would fall rather than rise. Ehrlich lost the bet comprehensively.

Just as well he didn’t have any money riding on the prediction he made in 1970 that, by the end of the decade, the majority of sea life would be extinct. Though many species are under threat from pollution and over fishing, today the sea is still home to the vast majority of life on earth.

Perpetual Twilight

Way back in 1970 Life magazine ran an article in which a theory was put forward making the seemingly outlandish claim that, by 1985, air pollution would be so bad that it would block out sunlight to such an extent that only half of present levels would reach the surface of the earth. A terrifying prospect…

Luckily, it turns out that they were way off. Though the levels of sunlight reaching earth did fall during the fifteen year period in question, it was only by 3% to 5%.

Oil is Over

Ecologist, Kenneth Watt, predicted in 1970 that by the year 2000 there would be no more crude oil left. Whilst, undoubtedly oil, by nature of being non-renewable must eventually run out, that day is still someway off and Watt is just one of many to have put the wrong date to the inevitable event. Here’s hoping we can kick our addiction before it does actually arrive…

The World Will Freeze/Overheat

Interestingly environmentalists have managed to be wrong about climate change in both directions. The previously mentioned Kenneth Watt thought in 1970 that the world would get colder by 11 degrees by 2000. In fact, it rose by a single degree.

By the same token the Atmospheric and Environmental group predicted in 1989 that by 2010 the world would be warmer by 2 degrees. As it happened global temperature only rose by about a quarter of that figure. Still, at least they went the right way…

American Starvation and the End of England

I mentioned earlier that Paul Ehrlich has a tendency for being wrong about the future. But that didn’t quite cover it. He really goes to town with his doom-mongering, so it’s only right to end with some more of his thoughts.

We already drew attention to his erroneous forecasts for the fate of sea life and the cost of resources, but these are just the tip of the ice berg. In 1968 he predicted that, by 1990, more that 65 million Americans would die of starvation (more than ten times the number of lives lost in the holocaust) and that by the year 2000 England, wouldn’t exist at all. Thankfully, he was utterly wrong on both counts…

Steve Waller is an environmental blogger who writes on a number of topics on his site, GreenSteve, from the facts about fuel efficient cars, to the drawbacks of monocrops.

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With the job market in a more troubled state than ever, postgraduates are losing out. Companies are making existing employees redundant or cutting back drastically on recruiting new people. This is not just a problem in Europe but also globally.

International organisations and blue-clip companies are looking to make cuts in their business infrastructures where possible. Unfortunately for students, the many academic training programmes offered by these companies to graduates are being axed.

Companies that house graduate training schemes do so with the development of their staff in mind. These programmes are designed to develop junior members of staff into industry professionals that harbour a unique skill set based around the company needs. Due to the time consuming training, and outgoings with no short term return on investment, companies are looking to drop the schemes in order to invest money in other areas of the business that will be more financially beneficial in the short term.

With the job market being so competitive in the current climate, student graduates need to be taking that extra step independently to develop their skills and experiences in order to launch their careers.

Taking the next step

For graduates still eager to learn, a post graduate degree is generally the way forward, but for those who would like to ‘earn, while they learn’ there is always the option of graduate training schemes.

Graduate training schemes are a surefire way to gain crucial experience in an industrial field. The majority of the scheme offers an hourly wage or annual salary, and in most cases there is promising career prospect waiting at the end.

Launch your career with FDM Academy

FDM Group is an international service provider, who boast a prestigious client list of over 200 blue chip clients.

FDM Group clients include: HSBC, RBS, UBS and Barclays

FDM group runs an award winning independent training programme that’s designed to train and prepare IT, mathematical, numerical sciences and engineering graduates to suit a number of IT specialised roles that are in high demand in the industry.

You will be committed to a two-year, full time contract of employment while joining the FDM academy. During this time you will be sourced by FDM Group to clients sites in order to implement the skills practiced during your time at the FDM academy.

When the two-year contract with FDM expires, consultants can either stay employed by FDM group or simply go their own way and follow their own career path. It is, however, more usual that consultants generally make the transition into full time employment with the prestigious clients that the placement has been with while representing FDM group.

The FDM Academy can offer graduates the advantages to further their career and pursue success in their chosen field. Tto find out more please visit the FDM academy website to launch your IT Career.

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In December 2010, tech websites were abuzz with news that 19 schools in Daegu, South Korea were using robots to teach English. The initiative was part of a major project to have robots in every single kindergarten class in the country by 2013. These particular robots are called EngKey (because they teach English) and cost about US$8700 each. That makes the initiative a very costly undertaking, but the Korean Institute of Science and Technology is sure that it can bring the price down.

At any rate, the government seems to consider the expense worth it. This might have something to do with cutting down on the cost of paying generous salaries and covering the living expenses of English teachers imported from all over the world, as well as an unsaid ambition to be the most technologically advanced nation in the world.

South Korea isn’t the only country investing in robotic teachers. The US has several projects on the go that will (if all goes well) see robots in classrooms as teachers’ aids and working with special needs kids to help bring them out of their shells and stimulate learning with what the NY Times calls repetitive therapies. At the moment, the robots are best suited to teaching languages and basic tasks, like setting dining tables.

What is quite interesting is that researchers at the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington have found that children respond better to robots that don’t closely resemble humans than to humanoid robots. Human robots are ‘creepy’, apparently. The important thing, according to neuroscientist Dr Terrence J Sejnowski,n from the University of California, is the robot’s behaviour and response timing.  In a way, robots have to ‘learn’ appropriate social responses for a variety of learning scenarios, especially in therapeutic situations or when children are very young.

Unlike parents in South Korea, who seem perfectly comfortable with the idea of robots as teachers, many parents in the US have voiced concerns about the long-term effects being taught by robots will have on their children. A typical concern is that children will learn that humans are in some way inferior to technology. The difference between the mindsets of the two cultures is telling.

On the other hand, children in east and west are very excited by the prospect of interacting with real live robots.

Sandy writes on behalf of Now Learning, which promotes a variety of online learning opportunities in Australia, including IT courses, MBAs and beauty therapy.

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Get Creative with the Costumes

Complete the look and feel of the science themed birthday party by providing costumes for the kids. On the invites, ask the boys to come in collared shirts and provide cute and colourful bow ties for them to wear during the party. The reason that scientists wear bow ties instead of neck ties is so their ties don’t find themselves dipping into Petri dishes, getting nibbled by lab rats, or catching a flame from a Bunsen burner. For the little girls, you can provide white lab coats for them to wear during the party.

Choose the Right Decors

A successful theme party is determined by the tiny details that truly bring out the theme and make it come forth for the guests to be transported into another world. Stretch your imagination when it comes to the party decors. For instance, pick a science-themed piñata. If you can’t find one at the store, there are places that offer customized party decors. Some suggestions for piñata designs include a microscope, a test tube, a light bulb or a beaker.

The invitations can also reflect the science theme by using paintbrushes dipped in milk to write out the party details on white paper. Indicate in visible ink how to decipher the message (heating the paper over a candle). Be sure to emphasize parental supervision to avoid any accidents.

Fire up the Food and Favours

Make the eating experience an unforgettable one by laying out sandwiches and providing a variety of beverage mixes of different colours that the children can experiment with and create personalized combinations of. They are sure to spend more than a few minutes at the food table having fun with this. You can also order an erupting volcano cake at a bakery that offers personalized cake designs for when it’s time to blow out the candles.

Party favours can include throwing in magnifying glasses, magnets, gel pens and notebooks in an environment-friendly bag for the kids to take home and enjoy.

Get Giddy with the Games

Fingerprint Lift – the kids will surely get a kick out of lifting their own fingerprints and examining them with this game. For this game, you will need a pocket mirror for each child that will be participating in the game. Instruct them to press their fingertips against the surface of the mirror. Then they will need to brush the print with graphite dust. Graphite dust can be created by rubbing a pencil with sandpaper and collecting the dust that is produced. Afterwards, they will need to apply a strip of tape to the print and gently peel it off. Stick the tape to a piece of white paper and the print should appear clearly.

What am I? – This is the classic party game with a scientific twist. Depending on the age of the guests, choose science-related words and write them down on strips of cardboard paper. Tape a different word on each guest’s back without allowing them to read the word. Their goal is to guess the word that has been assigned to them by asking the other guests questions that can be answered with a yes or a no. The first person to guess their word correctly wins the game.

These are some among the countless ideas that you can use to throw a brilliant science themed birthday party. Be sure to ask your child about any ideas he or she might have. You can also him or her to weigh on in some of the decisions you will be making because after all, it is your child’s birthday that you will be celebrating.

Olivia Nicholas is a busy mom to two boys.  She has thrown more parties than she cares to recall, but through her experience she has learned a thing or two.  She loves to share her experiences with others while wirting for Storkie.

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