Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology PROFILES - UCC Cork Scientific literacy enables all citizens to play an active role in decision-making concerning scientific and technological issues. In order to develop scientific literacy, science teachers need to promote the development of scientific knowledge and competences for analysing the consequences and problems related to rapid scientific and technological growth. The goal of this module is to enable students to learn about organ donation and to develop an ability to apply their knowledge and understanding so that they are to make an informed evaluation of the bioethical issues involved in meeting the demand for organs. The subject of organ donation is highly sensitive and should be handled with care. The module aims at promoting thinking competences, attitudes and values that enable students to play a constructive, participative and responsible role in society. There is currently a severe global shortage in the number of donor organs available for transplantation.
Building a seismograph from scrap By Panteleimon Bazanos Some earthquakes may be so slight as to be practically unnoticeable, but they can still be recorded. Each tremor produces different types of vibration, or seismic waves, which travel through Earth’s interior with different velocities. These waves can be detected and recorded by instruments called seismographs, which are often sited at great distances from the earthquake. By measuring the time that the seismic waves take to arrive at seismographs, as well as recording the amplitude and duration of the waves, we can calculate the magnitude of the earthquake and determine its epicentre. Monitoring local earthquakes Earthquakes are a daily occurrence in Greece (figure 1), sitting as it does at the boundary of two tectonic plates. Figure 1: Earthquakes in Greece during the first week of November 2011. Figure 2: The 1886 earthquake ruined Filiatra, while the 1986 earthquake damaged Kalamata. Building a seismograph Figure 5: How a loudspeaker works. Now it’s your turn Review