Tag Archives: Lynn K

Welcome to Something About Science; another Canadian science blog

Lynn K, the Something About Science blogger is a (from the online profile),

…  Ph.D. candidate in biochemistry at the University of British Columbia. Biochemistry is the chemistry of life. I am interested in things that happen inside our bodies, such as what happens when you drink alcohol, what does it mean to have mutations, and how can we treat diseases like cancer and heart failure. Through this blog, I hope to intrigue your curiosity by sharing some bits of facts and stories about science in everyday life!

Lynn posts once a week on a variety of topics,

Top Posts

I have a personal fondness for the July 11, 2012 posting, What is a flame? — When a house catches fire…,

“FIRE!!” In the middle of the night last week, I was woken up to find a neighbor’s house fast ablaze. The entire framework crackled and was engulfed by flames which glared bright orange against the night. Fortunately, no one was hurt, as the house was under construction, and the neighboring houses had been evacuated before they, too, caught fire.

Here are some images that recapitulate the (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime experience.

But this being a science blog, my question to you is, “What is a flame?” And better yet, can you explain flames in a way everyone, including children, can understand and enjoy learning?

Alan Alda and the Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, New York, have asked the same question to scientists. The Flame Challenge invited scientists to communicate science clearly to the public by explaining what flames are in a way simple and fun, yet educational. The challenge received over 800 entries, which were judged by over 6,000 children aged 11.

Lynn goes on to announce the winner, Ben Ames, a PhD student in Austria and includes the challenge-winning video animation. You can watch the video and find out where you can post a question for next year’s challenge in Lynn’s What is a flame? posting.