Hiller Aviation Museum

The Hiller Aviation Museum, in San Carlos, California, offers a terrific aviation experience for flight fans of all ages.

Focused on the many historic achievements in flight from Northern California, the museum is filled with exhibits dating back to the dawn of flight in the 1800s, including the Avitor (an "aeroplane" that flew on the San Francisco Peninsula), a replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer, and the Buhl Autogiro (a precursor to helicopters). The present includes a Pan Am Clipper, Boeing SST, and an exhibit about Women in Aviation. The future looks to the Oblique Wing, Blended Wing, and NASA Swing Wing. Engines are displayed, as are jet packs.

But the museum is not just about looking, it is also about experiencing. Visitors can try their virtual hand at flying and landing a flying platform and a helicopter, and check out the Flight Sim Zone.

Just outside the museum building sits the front end of an actual Boeing 747, where visitors can climb into the cockpit and see the incredible amount of switches, levers, and controls pilots use to keep a commercial jet going.

A children's area is provided downstairs with riding airplanes, coloring, and other hands-on activities for little ones.

For those interested in learning how old aircraft are brought back to life, the museum has a restoration workshop where visitors can watch through huge windows the dedicated craftsmen preparing new exhibits and lovingly restoring aviation's past.

For more field trip ideas,
check out GHF's Virtual Field Trips pageal Field Trips page.

The museum also provides many education and scout programs, as well as a monthly reading time and the Captain Michael King Smith Research Library. The museum store offers an extensive selection of aviation books, posters, crafts, gifts, and toys.

For airplane and helicopter watchers, the museum sits right next to the San Carlos Airport, and even has a raised observation area.

Finally, just down the road is a flight-themed Burger King, complete with an actual helicopter for children to play in and have their imaginations take flight.

Location, directions, admission hours, tickets prices, and membership information can all be found at the Hiller Aviation Museum's website.

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

"The 10 Things All Future Mathematicians and Scientists Must Know (But are Rarely Taught)"

With great power comes great responsibility.[1]

Budding mathematicians and scientists would be best to remember this. Simply because one can understand complex theories, does not preclude one from making common errors.

The Ten Things All Future Mathematicians and Scientists Must Know (But are Rarely Taught), by Edward Zaccaro, lays out ten concepts to guide students to more critical and honest thinking. Students don't need to become mathematicians or scientists to benefit from these ideas.

By discussing actual events that were affected by the misunderstanding or delibrate disregard of facts and calculations, Mr. Zaccaro brings home the importance of understanding and accepting what numbers mean.

We adults can probably think of tragedies in our lifetime that ultimately came down to math or science: the Challenger explosion, the Kansas City Hyatt Regency walkway collapse, the death of Aaliyah. The Ten Things explores how these events could have ended differently, had the numbers and facts been taken seriously.

Fortunately, not just tragedies are covered. Mr. Zaccaro uses the strange world of average speed, cold fusion, the Mars Climate Orbiter, ulcers, psychic surgery, doctors who were fooled, the Bermuda Triangle, how ethical decision-making saved a company, knee surgery, and more to discuss why mathematicians and scientists (and, arguably, all of us) need to move beyond the cold facts and figures, instead utilizing them to make better decisions, safer choices, and strongly-founded conclusions.

Each chapter supplies several examples of incidents which support the topic. Each example is reviewed, the mistakes laid out, and then followed by discussion questions. The questions range from specific (why was something done) to open-ended (what do you think).  Along the way, mathematic and scientific concepts are introduced and explained, never assuming the reader is an expert, but always teaching. Additional questions are given at the end of each chapter, ranging in difficulty from "Level 1" to "Einstein." Answers and explanations are in the back.

Lest all this sound overwhelming, rest assured that the book is appropriate for middle-school and higher. Of course, don't hold back the book if a younger child is interested in reading it. (My eldest son first read it when he was seven.) I would also encourage parents to read it, as we could all use a refresher course in critical thinking, especially when we're inundated with "facts" and "truths" through media, the Internet, and "friends of friends."

The Ten Things All Future Mathematicians and Scientists Must Know (But are Rarely Taught) is an excellent companion to any math or science program. It also works as a stand-alone book for inviting family discussions, a part of family life-long learning.

[1] This quote, in various forms, is attributed to Jesus of Nazareth, Voltaire, Rudyard Kipling, Karl Marx, FDR, Stan Lee, among others. (http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2005_10_06.html; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Ben#.22With_great_power_comes_great_responsibility.22)

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

Space Station Sighting Opportunities

Nothing ignites the flame of learning like real-life experiences. To bring the excitement of human space flight home, not much beats watching the International Space Station (ISS) flying overhead.


Additionally, during the month of March 2011, the Space Shuttle is visible alongside the ISS (depending on your location). What a rare opportunity to see two of man's greatest achievements.

For more field trip ideas,

check out GHF's Virtual Field Trips page.

Both will visible with the naked eye, and details may be seen with a good pair of field binoculars. The objects move too quickly to view with a telescope.


For sighting information, go to http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/.


And for terrific general information, educator ideas, and student pages, go to the NASA website.


Article by Sarah J. Wilson