Science Matters

For most of us the beginning of 2021 has involved a lot of headlines about the coronavirus, vaccine distribution, and some tense political news. For astronomers it’s also included tons of new information from this winter’s American Astronomical Society conference!

Join biochemist and Miss America 2020, Camille Schrier, as she uses her kitchen as her laboratory. Explore the science of semipermeable membranes and osmosis and experience a chemical reaction that breaks down the shell of an egg. Discover what happens when the chemical reaction is complete. Developed for grades 6-8 and correlated with Virginia Standards of Learning.

A lot of art is made to be seen — but what if you could touch, hear, and even smell works of art? Join host Lauren Paullin to make paints that smell like pastries, turn sounds into sketches, and learn what happens when the brain links multiple senses together.

Join Sarah Adewumi, former NASA eClips™ Intern and Aviation Sciences and Management graduate, and explore the world of extremophiles- organisms that live in the most extreme settings on Earth. Developed for grades 4-7.

Explore the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and discover how you can be a Backyard Baysaver! Investigate how we are all connected to a watershed and find out what you can do to protect rivers and streams near you. Developed for students in grades 4-6 and correlated to Virginia Standards of Learning.

Living through a pandemic and all the other compounding stresses of life has been challenging to say the least. In the past we’ve heard that old saying about stress making you go gray.

We're starting the new year with three coronavirus vaccines approved for use and slowly starting to make their way to people, but we still have a lot of folks left to vaccinate. This means a lot longer that we'll need to continue social distancing, wearing masks, avoiding crowds, and washing our hands frequently in order to protect our families, communities, and the limited resources of our hospitals.

Learn about Earth’s Moon and all about NASA’s new Artemis mission for us to go back to the Moon to stay. Build your own lunar lander with items you can find around the house.

2020 was certainly an unusual year here on Earth. The planet was basically put on pause as the pandemic impacted more and more communities throughout the year. This obviously had a big impact on the news everywhere.

Science Matters features three episodes created in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Virginia Zoo and the Science Museum of Virginia. Journey through "Your Moving Mind", learn all about "Zoo-vival" at the Virginia Zoo and learn how to become a "Backyard Bay Saver." Developed for students in grades 4-6 and correlated to Virginia Standards of Learning.