School Extra: Read all about it By Bob Zimmerman- December 5, 2018

Back in my high school days I enjoyed a comic strip called “The Inventions of Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts”. I had no idea that gorgonzola was a kind of cheese, but I knew who the cartoonist was. Rube Goldberg stopped drawing that strip in 1964, and is mentioned here because of the “Rube Goldberg Machine” contest at the school Science Fair. Mr. Jeff Kubian coordinates the event and it is the science teacher’s favorite school project. He told me 7th grade students are tasked with “controlled experiments” for their part of the fair and 8th graders are challenged with “Invention.” Having watched a gymnasium long, deviously complex and impractical apparatus create a sequential chain of events demonstrating both kinetic and potential energy resulting in the intermittent projectile application of a pie to a student’s face, I can understand the reward of seeing student creativity used to achieve educational outcomes. And, it looked like fun! Mr. Kubian has been teaching science at MLHS for 19 years and enjoys sharing his passion for the subject with his students. He agreed that ionic bonding, the periodic table, chemical energy and wave speed equations might not be everyone’s favorite topic of discussion but his students are able to master the concepts. One of the tools he has developed to make his subject matter more interesting taps into the competitive nature of many of his students. First, second and third finishers in events such as the “Writing Formulas” race and the “Density Challenge” are recognized for their achievements. The basics of the Science curriculum have not changed much since Mr. Kubian began teaching in our school. He mentioned the increased emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) classes started about 10 years ago and has been a positive development. He noted that the sample size of chemicals used in lab experiments has gotten much smaller than when he was in high school. Teaching about 150 students spread over five classes each day keeps Mr. Kubian fairly busy. He is also the school’s chemical hygiene officer, lead Q Comp advisor and he teaches some GED classes in the evening. When asked about what he likes about his job, he talked about several rewards and told me about meeting former students out in the community who recognize him and share memories about time spent in his classes. It’s a pretty good day when a successful business owner buys you a beer and thanks you for being a good teacher, even though he knows he was the north end of a horse headed south in chemistry class. Why study science? When Mr. Kubian is asked that question by his students, he talks about the importance of having a fundamental understanding of how the world works in order to be an informed citizen. His school website has links to the Minnesota DNR and Pollution Control Agency because of the essential role science plays in protecting the environment. He uses the “Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide” effort as an example of the need for scientific literacy. This chemical causes thousands of deaths from accidental inhalation every year and is a major factor in the erosion of our natural landscape. For anyone who becomes dependent on the colorless, odorless and tasteless substance, withdrawal means certain death within days. Should the government take action? Understanding that Dihydrogen Monoxide is a scientific name for water will help you decide whether or not to call your elected representatives. A small cosmic coincidence. The Mars probe, InSight, had just landed and was beginning to transmit data back to Earth as I was talking with Mr. Kubian. It had taken over six months to travel about 300 million miles and in less than seven minutes used some very sophisticated brakes to find a safe parking spot after slowing from its 12,300 mile per hour trajectory. Travelling at the speed of light, the radio signals announcing success took longer than that to reach mission control. One more reason to study science

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Kubian’s science room at Maple Lake High School looks and feels like a real laboratory. (Photos by Bob Zimmerman)

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