Informal formative assessments are an essential component of my teaching practice. They provide me and my students with instant feedback such that I can adjust my teaching strategies and they can see where their comprehension and competencies stand in relation to the learning targets. Additionally, these assessments can turn a passive lecture into a more interactive student-driven lesson. They are […]
Category: STEM
The QHPM Scientific Framework
Many scientists, including me, struggle to ask interesting questions. In part, I think it’s because we are not taught an explicit framework for asking good questions. For example, a simple web search of the “scientific method” turns up dozens of various techniques, all of which are aimed squarely at elementary school students or laypeople. How does one go from “making […]
How to swap the bearings in a Leybold Turbovac 150 turbo pump
The bearings went out on our reactor turbo pump. It started making a loud whine. A rebuilt Leybold 150 costs like $4000, so swapping them out myself seemed like the only real option. Here’s how it went: Step 1: Remove the heatsink and housing. Use a metric allen wrench to remove the housing. It’s got a rubber o-ring holding it […]