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And this invitation from the National Science Foundation and the 2014 Olympic Winter Games: The National Science Foundation has partnered with NBC Learn (the educational arm of NBC News) to release the “Science and Engineering of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games”--the latest installment in the Emmy Award-winning "Science of Sports" series. This enlightening 10-part video collection, narrated by NBC Sports' Liam McHugh, delves into the physics, engineering, chemistry, design and mathematics behind the world’s foremost sporting event: • Physics of slopestyle skiing: Nick Goepper • Engineering the half pipe: Shaun White • Engineering competition suits: Shani Davis • Injury and recovery: Lindsey Vonn • Science of ice: J.R. Celski, Britanny Bowe, Gracie Gold • Science of snow: Ted Ligety, Heather McPhie • Engineering faster and safer bobsleds: Steve Langton, Steve Holcomb • Alpine skiing and vibration damping: Julia Mancuso, Heath Calhoun • Figure skating physics: Evan Lysacek, Gracie Gold, Ashley Wagner, Meryl Davis, Charlie White • Olympic movement and robotic design: Meryl Davis, Charlie White, Julie Chu, Shaun White The series' diverse topics reveal how key engineering and science concepts and cutting-edge technology play an integral part in each athlete’s respective sport and help maximize their performance at the 2014 Sochi Games. Each episode is available cost-free to teachers, students and the public at NBCLearn.com and NSF websites (nsf.gov, Science360). "These stories demonstrate the interplay between sports and engineering, in areas from robotics to medical treatments," said Pramod Khargonekar, NSF’s assistant director for engineering. "We hope the impressive feats of athletes and engineering researchers will engage and inspire young people, as they see how engineering technologies can change many facets of our lives." posted from NSF announcement by patty

NSTA has a great new blog: http://nstacommunities.org/blog/ Science of the Winter Olympics: Science of Ice with Videos and Lessons http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2014/01/17/science-of-the-winter-olympics-science-of-ice/ I'll copy the initial info here for you to consider: The phrase “a level playing field” has a lot of different meanings. But for the skaters, curlers, hockey players, lugers, and bobsledders in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games it means just one thing—ICE. And how is it that all of these athletes can slip and slide over such a surface? Watch Science of Ice from the latest NBC Learn video collection crafted with partner NSF to see if your thinking aligns with current ideas! The Science and Engineering of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games is a collection of ten short videos focused on the science and engineering design efforts behind Olympic and Paralympic athletes and the tools that each hopes will help them bring home the gold. Use the NSTA-developed lesson plans, available in editable Word format, to spark ideas for incorporating the videos into your course. You’ll find suggestions for activities ranging from bellringers to full-fledged hands-on inquiries. To get started, watch the video, available cost-free on www.NBCLearn.com and www.science360.gov. Link to it and the downloadable lesson plans at the links below. The Integration Guide suggests strategies for detailing the STEM concepts of the video while the Inquiry Guide supplies BOTH a hands-on science inquiry AND a hands-on engineering design inquiry. With Miami barely reaching the 60s today and most of the country much colder, there’s no better time than now to shiver your way through Science of Ice. Take a look and leave a comment to let us know what you think! Video Science of Ice discusses some of the physical and chemical properties of solid water—ice—and how this substance is produced to optimize performance for a particular ice sport. Lesson Plans Science of Ice Integration Guide spells out the STEM in the video and gives you mini-activities and ideas for research, teamwork, projects, and interdisciplinary connections. Science of Ice Inquiry Guide models a science inquiry into the structure of ice and freezing point depression AND models an engineering design inquiry in which students solve a problem related to the qualities of ice in rinks. Image of the 2010 gold medalist, Yuna Kim, who will compete in Sochi. Photo courtesy of Queen Yuna. You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans: go and sign up to receive the great information ~patty

related posts: Related posts: Science of the Winter Olympics: Slopestyle Skiing Science of the Summer Olympics: maximizing the long jump of Bryan Clay Science of the Summer Olympics: Missy Franklin & fluid dynamics Science of the Summer Olympics: engineering for mobility Science of the Summer Olympics: the strength and flexibility of Oscar Pistorius

What a wonderful topic to be introducing at this time Adah. I love Patty’s list of resources available on the http://nstacommunities.org/blog/ The materials are rich and engaging for students. One of my favorite resources is Teacher Vision. https://www.teachervision.com/olympic-games/physical-education/64877.html What I appreciate about this site is there are cross curricular content ideas as well as really interesting links for students to follow. I had a group of my middle school students check it out the other day and they were totally hooked. It was exciting to see them find something they couldn’t wait to share with someone in their group. It has been a really long time since I have had one website that hooked every student in the room. They were disappointed the period was over.

From the AAPT (American Association of Physics Teachers): The Physics of Winter Olympics Sports .

Thanks for these timely posts and sharing of information. The Olympics begin this Friday, Feb. 7 The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics will be kicking off in just two days with athletes from 88 countries gathering to compete in the games. NBC will be providing complete back to back coverage of the games, which will be available on its Olympic website, NBCOlympics.com, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, and CNBC. Fans can find complete profiles of U.S. athletes heading to the Winter games on the NBC Olympics page. http://www.nbcolympics.com/ U.S. residents can find local television listings here. http://www.nbcolympics.com/tv-listings The official Olympic Opening Ceremony will not be held until Friday, Feb. 7, 2014, but some events will begin a day earlier. NBC will begin primetime coverage at 8p.m. ET on February 6, 2014. Bob Costas will host the Olympic primetime and late night shows. NBC's live weekend and NBCSN's live weekday coverage will be provided by Al Michaels, while the weekday daytime show will be hosted by NBC News' Lester Holt. Analysis and commentators include former Olympians Sarah Hughes, Tara Lipinski and Nancy Kerrigan.