Category: Science

Business owners, especially solopreneurs, often experience symptoms of overwhelm. This often feels like not enough time, energy drain, being pulled in several directions at once, and an inability to focus. Overwhelm feels debilitating and stressful.

If you feeling like you’re “spinning your wheels” perhaps the following analogy will help. Winter driving can sometimes involve getting stuck, and if you accelerate while your vehicle is stuck in the snow, you only dig yourself in deeper! The same is true for your business; the harder you work, the more effort you expend, the more stuck you end up feeling. If you are working harder and spending longer hours on your business while continuing to feel stuck, the overwhelm comes with trying to balance everything while wanting to move your business forward, and as your focus and energy diminish, your sense of overwhelm increases.

The solution? Evaluate your work, your habits, and your willingness to make positive changes. Here are some brain science-based suggestions to help business owners move out of overwhelm – or avoid it completely:

1. Develop a plan. This may seem obvious, but many solopreneurs operate spontaneously according to external demands. This is particularly true of creatives; however, it’s important to have a business plan that keeps you grounded and operating from that level.

In order to create a workable plan, you’ll need to harness the power of your will to make changes in your business. The brain is capable of forging new connections to hone skills and modify old habits, but also likes to conserve energy by resisting new neuronal connections, so you’ll need to ignite your will to change by forming a clear purpose. Ask yourself what might happen if you don’t create change. What opportunities might be lost? What benefits will come with your proposed plan and changes? What will it be like when your changes become a habit?

2. Operate from priorities. Once you have a plan in place it’s important to work from focused priorities, which helps to keep your energy focused. Without priorities it’s easy to be in reactive mode. If your priorities are clear, you can stay task-focused, which will help you to be calmer and more focused energetically.

If you want to experience enhanced clarity and focus in your business, you’ll need to develop neural pathways in your brain. One way to do this is to ask yourself: How does a clear and focused person sound when speaking, laughing, acting questions? How does a clear and focused person listen, walk, sit, gesture? What does a clear and focused think about?

3. Develop systems for your business. Create systems and a process that works for you and your business. You might try using a journal to record your creative impulses so that you can stay task-focused. This way you’ll be taking action, but still staying focused on your current task.

If you become distracted from your stated direction by feelings of anger, annoyance, confusion, jealousy, or other such feelings, brain research provides a way to deal with your distraction – by labeling the feeling. Neuroscience calls this “labeling the affect”, and as we do so, the part of the brain feeling the emotion is calmed, so that we can return to clarity and purpose. Practice making mental notes throughout the day such as “I am eating” or “I am pleased” or “I am thinking about the proposal.” As your facility with this practice increases, you will find yourself able to remain calm in the eye of the storm.

4. Estimate realistic time-lines for your business goals and projects. The timelines allow you to feel as though your business development is unfolding at the proper pace, without feeling pressured to have everything done at this moment. If you mentally rehearse how you will feel once your goals and project timelines are complete, your skill levels improve and your brain is changed. Mental rehearsal is an effective tool for self-leadership.

5. Give yourself the gift of support. Successful business owners are willing to accept outside support and create systems of accountability. Without support your unproductive habits (those that are your ‘default’) and “inner” obstacles will continue to create bottlenecks in your business. A mentor or coach can give you an invaluable and objective perspective, assisting you to change the course of your direction by managing your inner resources, attaining optimal living strategies and expanding your influence, leveraging your time – and working less – to contribute and achieve more.

Editing is a significant part of the writing process. This is the stage when the manuscript is checked for errors. It is better if the person who writes the manuscript is different from the one who edits it. This way, the document can be improved from a different perspective. Important documents, especially those that will be published, should be thoroughly checked. Before you submit your research to a journal, make sure that it undergoes science paper editing.

Research companies and scientists around the world are hiring editing companies that provide science paper editing to be certain that the manuscripts are ready for publication. Although publishers say that edited manuscripts do not guarantee acceptance, a well-edited research paper is more appealing to reviewers compared with unedited ones. It is best to look for a good science editing firm that will help improve both the language and content of the manuscript.

Below are the factors that you should consider when looking for a Science paper editing firm.

Look for an online editing company that offers scientific, medical and academic editing. Firms that provide this service employ editors who have solid backgrounds in the fields of Science, Medicine and Technology.
Native English speakers make good editors. Although some ESL speakers are proficient in English, a native English speaker can easily identify mistakes and make appropriate corrections to the document.
Opt for experienced science editors. Unlike regular editors, science editors are familiar with the requirements and standards that your manuscript should meet. In addition, experienced editors are trained and qualified in editing scientific documents.
Hire the services of an established online editing company. There are many companies and individuals that offer science paper editing. However, not all of these providers are legitimate and reliable. Choose firms that show the testimonials of previous clients.
Make sure that the document you submit for editing is confidential and secure. Plagiarism is rampant online so the security of your manuscript is very important. Online companies that offer science paper editing should give you a secure webpage where you can upload and download your documents. The information in the manuscript should not be shared with third parties.

Science paper editing has many advantages, especially for first-time authors and ESL speakers. Choose a suitable provider that will help you improve the overall quality of your research paper. Inquire about the services offered by OnLine English, the pioneer in scientific and academic editing online.

Uncontrolled fires are catastrophes that can cause damage to property and belongings as well as potentially have psychological impacts on its victims. Ultimately, fires can affect how people go about their daily lives. It is often argued that those who risk the lives of themselves and others should have a degree in fire fighting or at least have an understanding of how fires work.

What Do You Learn On a Fire Science Degree?

There are key areas that a degree in fire science looks in to. Firstly, students will tend to consider analytical approaches to fire protection and learn how to investigate whether a fire is likely. Most fire science degrees also incorporate a discussion of disaster and fire prevention planning. This normally includes topics such as problematic materials that might cause a blaze as well as further the spread of flames. The management of certain materials is considered in order to provide the clearest directions for use and maintenance.

Other key subjects that are studied on online fire science degrees include the role of the fire service within the community, the technical legal and social aspects of arson, the application of technology to firefighting and, also, the psychological effects of fire dynamics. Understanding of the water supply also forms part of several online fire science courses as well as determining what constitutes fire-related human behavior.

Can It Prepare Your For A Career In The Fire Service?

Most Firefighters will have some kind of qualification either done previously to joining the force or on the job. An online Fire Science degree can equip you with everything you need to begin a career in the fire service. Most online schools provide options where the student can learn about fire behavior and combustion including the basic concepts of fire, how it spreads and how to control it. Introductions to the various states of matter, the various constituents of fire and the physical and chemical properties of fire, should also be touched upon. Most online degrees will explore the fundamentals of constructing buildings, their types of structure and designs as well as the impact of buildings on firefighting.

Do You Need A Degree To Fight Fire?

Whilst you dont necessarily need a degree to become a firefighter, it is highly advised to study an online fire science degree if you intend to have a rewarding career in the service. If you apply to your local fire brigade after successfully completing high school you will be given advice on the best route for you to take. To progress in your career a Fire Science degree or Emergency Management degree would be necessary to reach the upper levels of the service.

Online fire science degrees are available at various levels. An Associate of Fire Science degree is the first level a student completes although if they have certain qualifications with sufficient credits they are able to enter at the Bachelor of Fire Science level. Once qualified graduates can then expect to earn a salary of around $45,000 per year. It is customary for a firefighter to earn an increase in salary each time they achieve a promotion a fire chief can earn anything up to $100,000 per year.

The Big Bang Theory” on CBS promotes that “smart is the new sexy” This sitcom features two socially awkward scientists but brilliant who unstoppably receive real world lessons when an attractive female, Penny moves in next door to the guys. Leonard and Sheldon have the stereotype of “geek” with both having high IQs and their love of comic books, video games, science fiction and Thai food from takeout restaurants. And because of this sitcom the word “geek” as become synonymous with “cool”. “The Big Bang Theory” takes on another form of science, one that can be fun.

Much of the show “Big Bang Theory” focuses on science or physics really. The main four male characters are employed at Cal Tech and have occupations that are science related. The two roommates Sheldon and Leonard actually have

Leonard is an experimental optical physicist and works with lasers and tries to disprove that dark matter even exists and is unsuccessful at doing so. Leonard has a Ph.D.

Sheldon is a theoretical physicist and is spending his time trying to prove string theory over loop quantum gravity. Sheldon has two PhDs.

Raj is from India and is an astrophysicist who has discovered a planetary object beyond Kuiper Belt. After being named in a magazine and becoming sort of a celebrity. After his research on the composition of trans-Neptunian objects failed, he was scared of being deported and joined forces with Sheldon and working on the string theory. Raj has a Ph.D.

Howard is an aerospace engineer. He developed some devices for International Space station, but uses them for his own reasons and has results that are disasters. While trying to impress a girl, he gets the Mars rover stuck in a ditch. Howard invented a space toilet for the space station but after it was put into space he figured out that it had a flaw: the toilet would fail after it had been flushed so many times and the waste would come out. So he stayed up all night with Raj and Sheldon to try to fix it and when they were done it was still not working right. Howard has a Master’s from MIT.

Science also was also thrown into the boys relationships, the four boys dated women throughout the show who are experts and skilled in science-related fields. Howard and Leonard both had casual sex with an experimental physicist at Cal Tech, Leslie Winkle. Bernadette a microbiology major and is employed at Cheesecake Factory as a waitress is Howards girlfriend. And Amy, a neurobiologist, who Sheldon started a relationship with.

Science had also intrudes with the guys’ lives romantically when Leonard sided with Sheldon on his string theory and not with his girlfriend on her support of loop quantum gravity. Leonard’s work was interesting to Bernadette and that made both Howard and Penny jealous and that ended up with Howard approaching Leonard and Penny asking Sheldon to help teach her physics. Sheldon and his girlfriend broke up because she thought neurobiology was better, if not superior over theoretical physics.

The stage of “The Big Bang Theory” also has props that deal with science. Electromagnetic Spectrum Chart, a DNA model, Terminal block of Antique Fuses diagrams, science equations and math equations are written on whiteboards and are used as props on the set. Oh and who could forget the Periodic Elements Shower Curtain. And for the dialogue or script of the cast also has science innuendoes. In one scene they described a kiss as a “bio-social exploration with a neurochemical overlay.” The cast uses scientific dialogue to say things like “can be a major pain in the posterior.”

Information about the future comes from the strangest places. Apparently, if you want to know what the future of communications will be, you need to consult producers of adult material. They were the first to exploit videotape, CD-Rom and the Internet. Whatever technology they are working on right now is likely to be the next big thing. Is it Blue-Ray? 3-D? Even 4-D?

A comparison of with educational publishers may seem a little tenuous. But maybe, like them, the publishers know something. It is significant that there was not any new primary science equipment on the stands at the 2010 ASE Annual Conference in Nottingham this January. Actually, there were not even any old ones. After the years when the stands would be full of files and glossy books and discs, there was nothing for primary teachers to lust after, or even browse on. Whatever the educational publishers are working on, it ain’t primary science.

There may be good reasons for this. Many resources are now available online. It’s possible to look up a lesson plan on one of a hundred websites that offer the full Monty – from planning to assessment. Many staff libraries are already groaning with primary science resources – some of them regularly used. Government publications cover a lot of the ground, and don’t have to make a profit like commercial ones. So it’s a tough time for publishers, waiting to see whether the Rose Report will be adopted – or even if there is a change of government which might put Rose-related publishing in the recycling bin. How do you publish for a curriculum that is significantly local, individual and eclectic? Much safer to print for the National Strategies – go for core sales in language and numeracy. So no new primary science publishing – yet. It wasn’t always so. I recall travelling to Wales, twenty years ago, to talk about the publication of a new primary science scheme. I was mobbed – literally. The talk had to be moved from the school (not big enough) to the village hall. A hundred teachers led me down the street.

It goes without saying that since those days, primary school science has been a huge success story. Through the work of enthusiastic teachers both in and out of schools, it has established itself as an essential part of a full primary education. It certainly helped that it was given core status alongside English and mathematics; that it was subject to SATs testing and to reporting, and importantly that both children and teachers hugely enjoyed it.

The key factor in establishing it so soundly in classrooms in the first place was the work of Education Support Grant teachers. ESG teams across the country worked in different ways to show primary teachers how to manage this ‘new subject.’ The ASE history of primary science makes no mention of these foot soldiers. It’s a shameful omission. The great and the good may have fought the political battles to establish science as a core subject, but the real grass-roots changes were the work of ESG teams and the curriculum leaders in schools, who encouraged and supported primary teachers. The work of science coordinators is the life-blood of the subject. The result of their efforts is the UK’s exceptional showing in international comparisons. We do it well.

I’ve worked for forty years in primary education – the last twenty-five largely in primary school science. When I started, my bible was the Nuffield Junior Science Project. A contributor to it was another enthusiastic young teacher called Jim Rose. Forty years later, the subject is in serious trouble, and ironically, his report is not helping. I’m unconvinced by arguments that primary science is about to enter a great new decade of exciting developments. I’d love to agree, but I’m a primary scientist and I work from evidence. I attended a recent regional ASE meeting on science and the new curriculum, excellently planned and executed, with some really helpful practical ideas. Eight teachers attended. Contrast that with my village hall experience.

A great new era in primary school science? Allow me a Victor Meldrew moment. I don’t believe it.

I’m not the only one to think like this. The Cambridge Primary Review remarks that ‘Worryingly, primary science, which was one of the success stories of the National Curriculum’s first decade, has been squeezed by the national strategies, retaining its albeit reduced place only because it was tested at the end of key stage 2. Science is far too important to both a balanced education and the nation’s future to be allowed to decline in this way.’

Rose reflects current primary practice, and this is welcome. We are assured, too, that primary school science will continue to be assessed and monitored. Nobody wants the SATs back in the form in which they could undermine the whole Year 6 experience – and sometimes science teaching throughout the school. But the loss of core status (even second division core), and of external testing, puts primary science back a couple of decades. This is a blow for enthusiasts; but it will come as a relief to teachers who have always found science difficult and those who have little empathy with the subject.

I find no comfort in the response of the opinion-makers – the QCDA, the SLCs, SCORE, NAIGs and the ASE. It’s not that they don’t have the subject’s best interests at heart. But they seem to have spent too long in the company of the converted. Of course the primary school science enthusiasts will ‘make strong and relevant connections between subjects to ensure meaningful and inspiring learning and full coverage of the whole curriculum’ as the ASE’s ‘Science in the proposed new primary curriculum’. But will this kind of optimistic curriculum-speak be reflected in real schools by real teachers who teach other subjects brilliantly but have no burning desire to teach science?

And where are the skills of science? The ASE response says ‘there is no longer a separation of ‘how to do science’ and ‘things to learn about’. Investigative skills are integrated throughout the area of learning. Children will learn by doing.’ (4) Again, sounds wonderful. No argument there, then. And yet there is. The skills of primary education are not the same as the skills of practical science. The whole point about science is that it’s not a skill common to other curriculum areas. Uniquely, science subjects ideas to practical testing. No other curriculum area does that. If science is allowed to slide into the cosy world of overarching skills and soft topics, a whole generation will lose out on its rigor.

So what should the primary science mafia, the school curriculum leaders, the local authority advisers (where they exist) and the college lecturers who have carried the flag so far, be doing? The optimists are planning for stand-alone science lessons. The pessimists are banking on a change of government. It would be nice to think that the Rose Report would be dropped in the dustbin of history. But that’s unlikely. ‘On 30 April 2009, the government accepted the proposals of the Rose review of the primary curriculum. Since this nominally independent review adhered to a narrow government remit, refrained from questioning existing policy and for good measure was managed by DCSF, its adoption was a foregone conclusion’. Oh, and its brief did not include assessment.

So it’s down to the foot soldiers again, folks. If primary school science is not to be sidelined and finally ditched in the future, they need to ensure that its presence is maintained. And I suggest three pragmatic strategies in your school.

First, aim for a high profile. Some subjects are naturally showy. Science is not. Like PE, the best moments in science are practical and often go unrecorded. The products of science are not as engaging as those of the arty subjects. So go for presence. Record on film, on tape, in pictures. Fill display space. Constantly remind teachers that this is a school where good science happens – and that children gain hugely from it.

Next, push for curriculum time. If there are six topics in a year, make two of them science. Argue that the skills and content can’t possibly be covered if they are given a small corner of a topic on pirates or Vikings. Avoid the super-topics, like ‘water’. We’ve been there before, thirty years ago. They sound like they can be full of science, but most offer great opportunities to relegate investigations to the back burner.

Finally, fight for funding. Science resources are essential for this practical subject. Ensure that consumables are replaced and breakages managed. Go for the exciting and spectacular. The science cupboard should not be a place where magnets go to die; it should be filled with engaging and reliable resources that will excite and engage. You can get amazing stuff these days that I could only dream of when I started.

I see everything I have worked for going down the plug. But don’t worry about me. I’ve got plenty to do. Over the past quarter-century, I’ve been lucky enough to have been involved in writing the primary science resources used in many of our schools – books, television, discs, websites. Nowadays my commissions come from abroad. In many countries, they are waking up to the idea that their children need a sound grounding in science – just as we are forgetting it. Their children want colour and excitement; their teachers can learn from our experience.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting a number of my ex-primary pupils at a school reunion. It was a complete joy, but I especially treasure a comment from one young man, once an enthusiastic ten-year-old, now director of a national professional organisation and an adviser to government. ‘When I was in your class,’ he said, ‘I used to walk to school thinking: Great! Something exciting is going to happen today.’ Just make sure that something exciting happens in your school, too.