Netbooks, or subnotebook computers, are a great low-cost solution for a classroom on a limited budget. They are feature-packed computers and you can add data collection to their capabilities with Vernier software and probeware!

We’re offering free data-collection software for three popular netbooks, the Classmate PC powered by Intel, the One Laptop Per Child XO Computer, and the Asus Eee PC.

Visit our netbooks section to learn more »

We were thrilled and honored to have Senator Barack Obama visit Vernier today. It was a private event for Vernier employees and the press. Senator Obama’s comments were about the economy. He then answered our questions about NCLB, how to better fund education, how to make college more affordable, etc. It was exciting from the moment the secret service arrived to the time he and the press left.

Christine got a phone call on Wednesday night, May 7th, asking if we would be interested in hosting Obama at Vernier. Well, yes, we would! The Obama advance staff came out to the office an hour later and looked over the office. They said we were in the running and that they would call that night. No call. The next morning, they called and said we were it. We had 24 hours to get ready. The staff came out with a Secret Service guy dressed in a black suit and looking like the Secret Service. He walked the office with our newly-appointed Head of Security (David Vernier) and all the plans were made. We were not allowed to tell anyone, not even our employees. (Of course some suspected something, especially when the fancy flagpoles and six large American flags arrived.). About a dozen Obama staff arrived at 4:30 pm Thursday and they worked until 8:30 pm, setting up seating, special lighting, and a powerful sound system. They set up two stages with drapery and flags for the press to conduct interviews.

Sound and lighting equipment setup.

Press stage in the gym.

The morning of the event, 10 Secret Service people and the Obama staff arrived, along with a ton of police officers. They kicked us all out of the building for an hour so they could check it with dogs. The press were milling around outside asking us questions. (Amazingly, it wasn’t raining.) There were about five huge press satellite trucks in our parking lot and some people lining up on the street. The word had gotten out.

Setting up a satellite signal from our parking lot.

We had to evacuate the building for an hour and had sniffer dogs search the building.

We filed back into the office through a metal detector–employees only. We were all set up in the main lobby of our building. The press were then allowed in–about 7 big cameras and 75 press people. (It was pretty crowded in our lobby!) Senator Obama arrived on a bus and chatted with both of us for a little while. We also met his brother-in-law, who is the new basketball coach for Oregon State University. We talked about our company, our basketball court (Barack likes basketball), our green building, the company culture, etc. Then we walked in with him to where all the employees were sitting.

Only one entrance was opened, with security guards and a metal detector.

The press surrounded us with their microphones, cameras, and camcorders.

One of our tech support people, Verle Walters, introduced him, and then Senator Obama gave a 20 minute speech about the economy. Our employees asked some really good questions–about education, health care, his running mate, etc. Obama was just as we expected: smart, funny, and so gracious to our employees. He shook hands, signed autographs, and had pictures taken with everyone who wanted to do so.

Vernier tech support specialist Verle Walters introduced Senator Barack Obama.

Obama spoke about current issues and answered our questions.

Obama finished his visit with us by shaking hands, signing autographs, and taking pictures.

He then went into our small conference room (set up with flags and a backdrop) for individual press interviews. He was here for another hour or so doing those. Again, the press were milling around interviewing us and getting statements. He thanked the two of us again as he left and we had our picture taken with him. We even got him to sign a LabQuest.

Wow, what a day!
Christine & Dave Vernier

Read more about Obama’s vist:

• Oregonlive.com
• Portland Tribune
• Willamette Week
• YouTube Clip 1
• YouTube Clip 2

Vernier and Ocean Optics will team up again this summer to offer a two-day spectroscopy workshop, entitled “Spec 101”. The workshop will be held on June 18 and 19 at the Ocean Optics headquarters in Dunedin, Florida.

It is an excellent opportunity for teachers to see the latest in spectroscopy technology and obtain valuable hands on experience with a wide variety of laboratory experiments. Last summer’s inaugural workshop was a rousing success, and this year’s is shaping up to be even better. Please visit the Ocean Optics education website for all the details and registration.

Aloha!

There are free, hands-on Vernier workshops coming to the Hawaiian Islands this summer. Vernier trainer and former physics teacher, David Carter, will be conducting a series of workshops to teach you how to integrate data-collection technology (probeware) into your chemistry, biology, physics, math, elementary science, middle school science, physical science, and Earth science curriculum. David is also the co-author of Elementary Science with Vernier and an avid science enthusiast. Look out Hawaii, David’s technology training will jump start your summer!

All workshops will feature Vernier’s state-of-the art interface, the Vernier LabQuest. Participants will have a chance to collect data with LabQuest in stand-alone mode as well as connected to a computer. Looking to collect data with a TI calculator? Just let David know, and he will be happy to show you.

Oahu at the Mid-Pacific Institute
June 12th from 1-5 pm
Join us for four hours of engaging activities. Geared toward high school and college sciences, this workshop will increase your technical skill with sensor technology and spark new ways to develop your students’ data analysis skills. Do you teach elementary or middle school? Feel free to attend and ask for activities appropriate to your grade level.
Register for this workshop »

Oahu at the Mid-Pacific Institute
June 13th from 8am-12 pm
This four-hour workshop will teach you how to use sensors in your K-8 science studies. You will explore topics including temperature, light, magnetism, force, and motion using Vernier probes. Do you teach high school or college science? Feel free to attend and ask for experiments suited to the subject you teach.
Register for this workshop »

Maui at Seabury Hall
June 16th 1-5 pm
Liven up your summer plans with a four-hour workshop with Vernier. Science teachers from middle school through college will have the chance to explore data-collection technology specific to the science disciplines they teach.
Register for this workshop »

Big Island of Hawaii at Hawaii Preparatory Academy
June 19th 1-5 pm
Liven up your summer plans with a four-hour workshop with Vernier. Science teachers from middle school through college will have the chance to explore data-collection technology specific to the science disciplines they teach.
Register for this workshop »

Mahalo!

From our solar dashboard, you can see a live camera view of the roof solar panels, our weather station data, and a live display of the power production of the panels. There are also tables and graphs you can use to investigate the energy production of the panels over time. It is our hope that you will be able to use this information to facilitate the study of solar energy production with your students.

You can download the background information, complete with data and sample questions from our Solar Dashboard »

Brian Lamore, physics teacher at the Chinquapin School, Highlands, Texas, has his students build a “Beakman’s” Motor to study electromagnetic induction. This simple motor can be built in a single class period and the activity is always a favorite of his students. But nothing makes an activity more interesting than a little competition, so Brian challenges his students to build the motor that will spin the fastest.

Continue reading about Measuring Motor Speed…

10 year-old Ben Carter of Nashville, Tennessee, was curious about the light given off by a firefly. Ben has inherited his natural curiosity and love of science from his father, Vernier consultant David Carter. Ben borrowed his dad’s Vernier Spectrometer and used it to capture the emission spectra of the fireflies.

Continue reading about Spectral Analysis of Fireflies…

Ben Carter, a 12-year-old from Nashville, TN, captured a beautiful time-lapse video of a monarch caterpillar pupating into a chrysalis using Logger Pro and a ProScope HR camera.

Continue reading about Capturing Monarch Metamorphosis in Logger Pro…

Clarence Bakken, a retired physics teacher from California, explored insulating capabilities of different wall materials. Clarence used an Infrared Thermometer to study the rate at which heat is transferred through the walls in a model house.

Continue reading about Hot House…

Have you ever seen an LED-based headlamp that has selectable brightness? Sometimes the brightness change is from turning on more or fewer LEDs, but sometimes the individual LEDs seem to change brightness. How does this work? Usually when you reduce the voltage across an LED, it just goes out. We looked into this question using a Vernier Light Sensor and a LabQuest.

Continue reading How Do You Dim an LED?

Peter O’Connor, a teacher from Boonsboro High School in Maryland, described a situation facing many teachers—lots of students and only a few computers.

“Having used Logger Pro for many years dating back to the ULI days, my school has been happy using it in our labs. However, as class size increased, we have had issues with maintaining a small lab group size for each lab. This is a large issue when it comes to doing Vernier labs with computers.”

Continue reading about Creative Classroom Solutions…

With the recent writers’ strike, there have been a rash of new reality programs, and Vernier Software & Technology has even gotten involved. We were selected to participate in the new Fox television series “Please Help Me!” The show matches the technical support teams of different companies in a five-week competition. The technical support teams come from many different types of industries.
Continue reading about Vernier Tech Support on National TV Series!…

We are pleased to announce the 2008 Vernier/NSTA Technology Award Winners. The winners are awarded for their innovative use of data-collection technology using a computer, graphing calculator, or other handheld in the science classroom.

Read the synopsis of the winners’ submissions »

Elementary
Allison Needham
5th Grade Teacher
J. B. Watkins Elementary School
Midlothian, VA

Middle School
Mary Cook
8th Grade Science Teacher
Roosevelt Middle School
Glendale, CA

Sherlynn Davis
Science Teacher
Crossroads Second Chance-North
Roswell, GA

High School
Steve Ahn
Science Teacher
Watauga High School
Boone, NC

Rebecca Runnels Morrison
Science Teacher/Administrator
Runnels High School
Baton Rouge, LA

Danielle Spaete
Physics Teacher
Pleasant Valley High School
Bettendorf, IA

College
Irina Lyublinskaya
Associate Professor
College of Staten Island
Staten Island, NY