Pitt to DC: Gettin' Ready to Ride!

Cali and I typically have pretty cool vacations. We've traveled to Seattle, Paris, and Las Vegas. The last two summers we've been able to visit Utah for a month to see family and play. This summer we weren't so lucky. (Remember how most jobs don't give you the summers off?) Nevertheless, we wanted to have an adventure. Well, do we ever have one planned!

We are going to bike from Pittsburgh back to DC. That's right 350 miles along traffic-free rail/canal trails. We leave tonight for Pittsburgh and should arrive home on Tuesday, averaging about 70 miles a day. We did a practice run over the 4th of July by bike-camping along the C&O Canal trail; it was a pretty fun trip despite the rain. (See full trip report here). You can be certain I'll post up when we get back.

In the meantime, let's talk bike prep. Here's the rundown on our bikes:

Cranky's Bike: Singlespeed (40 x 16) 29er mountain bike with semi-slick tires and rack with panniers. The gearing is nearly perfect - light enough that I can cruise, tall enough to travel pretty fast. The tires have some knobbies for the C&O Canal trail; it's mostly gravelly double-track. I estimate I'll be carrying about 30 lbs among all the bags. The rear end is so heavy that the front seems awfully light and a bit squirrelly. (I could wheelie like crazy on this thing.)

Cranky's Weapon of Choice: Ready to Roll!

Mud Flap, for when it gets messy

Cali's Bike: 1x8 mountain bike with slicks and a seatpost-mounted rear rack. Cali'd been running her mountain bike as a single speed, but wanted a few more options on the trip. So I set her up with a rear derailleur and an 8-speed cassette. The suspension fork posed some real problems when I tried attach the clip-on fender. I gave up (eventually) and mounted the front fender to the back of the rack. It works beautifully, some of my best make-it-work cobbling. Let's hope it doesn't rain too much, though. Otherwise she'll miss that front fender!

Cali's Rig: Lookin' Sharp!

Rear Fender Attachment: Fender is easily detached and stowed when not needed.

Other Notes: On a trip like this I worry a bit about, well, everything. I put together a pretty thorough tool kit. (Cali's got another on her bike.) Let's hope we never need to use 'em!

Only thing missing: extra spokes!

One of my big bike decisions was to run flat pedals on this trip. Ever since I went with Speedplay pedals on my road bike, I've never ridden without being clipped in. (I ride Crank Brothers Candy's on my mountain bike.) At this point, it simply feels strange to ride flats. BUT, I wanted to travel light on this trip, so I installed some quality flats and have been "practicing" all sumer long with them. So, if you happen to be on the trail and see a tall, skinny cyclist pedaling along in Crocs, that's me! Give me a wave!

Loose Ends: Mr. E Science Theater 2008

This last school year I tried a new project with my Honors physics classes, called "Mr. E Science Theater." Inspired by an article I had read in an old copy of The Physics Teacher, I envisioned my students giving presentations on some physics-related subject of their choosing. I had a few goals in mind:

• High Quality: I wanted my students to put together a high quality presentation. Not only did I want clear and scientific explanations, I wanted interesting and engaging presentations.
• Student Choice: Very much related to my high quality standard, I wanted to give my student's some choice in what and how they presented. I offered three broad subject options: science fair presentations, physics problem re-enactments and explanations, and real life physics demonstrations. Likewise, they were given three options on when/how to present: in-class live presentation, in-class video presentation, and out-of-class live presentation.

The project went surprisingly well for a first-time, shot-in-the-dark attempt. (My motto in life: when doing anything for the first time, survival is success.) As expected, some groups absolutely loved it and ran with it. Other groups were decidedly less enthusiastic. To give you some idea of the quality of some of the presentations, check out this video one group made to preface their calculations of their cars' horsepower:



I LOVE it! One of the student's parents later told me how impressed he was that his son had been willing to spend Spring break making a physics video. Of course, there is very little obvious physics in the clip, but from the speedometer scenes the students' did calculations and came to reasonable results. Hooray!

As a follow-up to the project, I created a wiki about the project and had my students "edit" it. The wiki I created was really just an outline. Students were expected to add details and suggestions to the outline. You can see the wiki here. Responses were good, but many were somewhat repetitive and borderline (and not-so-borderline) silly. I like the wiki as a way to encourage collaboration, but I think I need to refine my (written and expressed) expectations.

This project is definitely in the schedule for next year. Now that I have some quality examples to show, I'm excited to see what my students will do!

Feeling Cranky: Tour de France Thoughts

Being the opinionated cyclist that I am, you may like to know what my thoughts are on this year's Tour de France. Well, here they are...

*crickets*

Yup, I've seen all of 5 seconds worth of Tour footage via the interwebs. Nevertheless, I, like many cycling fans, have been shocked that the doping dramas continue, despite the concerted efforts of the ASO to assure a clean race. Most shocking was the revelation that Ricardo Ricco, rising Italian cycling star, was caught using the blood thickener EPO. Since then, I've read many opinion articles and op ed's about the incident. None were as sensitive, thorough, or entertaining as the following:



This concludes my obligatory Tour de France post.

Thoughts from the Saddle: Grad School Reflections

Chillin' after class: VT Science Education Cohort 2007-2008

My graduate school experience is quickly coming to an end.

*attempting to control my excitement*

I'll finish my last classes in a couple of weeks and unofficially graduate mid-August. (Although technically, I believe I "graduated" in early May.) It's a natural time to look back. Let's do it in list format (the best kind of format, if you ask me).

Things I Liked About Grad School

• Cohort System: the VT science education program is set up so that all students entering at the same time take just about every class together. Part of this is simply that there is little variation on what classes the program requires and when they are scheduled. Nevertheless, I very much appreciate having familiar classmates. As reserved as I am, not having to get to know new faces each semester was a relief.
• Emphasis on Applicability: Jim, my program adviser, often explained to us that one goal of the program was to truly support the work that teachers do in the classroom. During the program, this sentiment translated into assignments and projects that had direct applicability to my classrooms: unit plans, lessons, activities, etc. By and large, I wrote very few research or educational philosophy papers. (The vast majority of the papers I've written have been reflections about the teaching profession and practice, which are quite helpful actually.)
• Mix of Online and Face-to-Face Classes: Personally, I can see the value in both kinds of classes and really I can enjoy both. But when I consider how different the program would have been if it had been totally one type or the other, I'm grateful that they mixed it up. (Trust me: Cali is grateful, too.)
• Short Duration: I began grad school last May and am finishing this August, a grand total of 14 months. That means I only had to take classes during ONE school year. (See below for my thoughts on balancing teaching and coursework.)
  

Things I Disliked About Grad School

• The Balancing Act: At moments during the program, I was going crazy trying to keep all the bowling pins I was juggling up in the air. Teaching, VT classes, homework, sponsoring the robotics team, keeping Cali happy, serving in the church, after school committees - at times I was only borderline insane. (Some might argue whether "borderline" is an appropriate adverb here.) The disturbing Law that I consciously avoid considering is the Second Law of Life: "Life never gets simpler. Entropy only increases."
  
• Virtual Flat Tire on the Bike Commute: While I anticipated a loosing a good bit of free time (read: bike time) during grad school, what I did not realize is how effectively it would prevent me from bike commuting. Between Robotics meetings on Thursday evenings and classes two nights a week, I had too much ground to cover in not enough time. That meant I got to know Rt. 7 from behind the steering wheel too well, much too well.
  

As you can see, the positives outweigh the negatives; overall, I think grad school has been a great experience. I definitely feel that I am a better teacher for having done it. Of course, the most convincing rewards won't arrive until the first paycheck of the new year does...

Update: Bonus Comic! Source: xkcd.com

American Folk Life Festival: NASA's Story

First, some wisdom...

You know what? Thanks. That really helps. Next time I'm caught in a storm, I'll know to avoid a tent. No, really, thanks.

At the end of last month, the Herndon High Robotics Team had the opportunity to run a booth at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall. If you are wondering why a robotics team would be invited to participate in a folklife festival, you're not alone. Technically, NASA, our primary sponsor, was invited which coincided well with its 50th anniversary. As near as I can tell, NASA was invited because it has some compelling stories to tell (of which robotics is one). Who else had compelling stories to tell? Texas and Bhutan, apparently.

Some pictures:

The Mall was boiling - very hot and humid - during the Festival.

Our booth, with the ever-popular Square Bot demo game we bring to all of our outreach activities.

A robotics student resenting the fact that I roped him into posing next to a mock-up of the Mars Rover for a blog pic.

We shared a tent with these guys. Of course, the professionals think they're so much cooler than us amateur roboticists!

In addition to running the booth, a few students participated in a panel discussion about what it's like to be on a robotics team. The representatives from our team did a great job! I just wish our competition, participating on another stage (see below), hadn't of stolen the spotlight.

Makin' it look easy...

Our competition: NASA scientists running the current Mars Rover mission, Phoenix. I tell ya: those guys got the ladies!

Finally, the only other interesting thing happening at the Folk Life Festival...

How's this for overcompensating? A Buddhist Temple! Bhutan obviously felt self-conscious about sharing the Festival with NASA.

Day-Dreaming: Cranky's Dreamy Mountain Bike

When I re-started this blog, I'd meant to post more often, but as it always does, life got in the way. For instance, this last week I started my last course for graduate school, Schooling in American Society. The professor who teaches the class is stationed in Blacksburg, but once a summer comes up to Falls Church to teach the graduate students working out of the National Capital Region campus, students like me. As he prefers to do it, we do the semester in two intensive weeks - each day for 4 hours, with all the reading and writing outside of class. This last week was pretty a lot of work: read 2 entire books, wrote a six page paper, and taught a 2 hour class. Next week will be crazier: two more books to read, two more six page paper,s and a twenty-plus page group research paper. The only thing getting me through this is knowing that the end is so close!

How am I supposed to get in the mood to blog when I'm already writing so much? I'll tell you how: ride 30 mi. and run 6 mi. (or however long it takes you to get tired) and then sit down to do research on the role that public schools play in preparing students for college. Suddenly, even doing laundry sounds appealing!

So, here I am avoiding the research...

Usually when I'm avoiding something, I surf the internet reading about bikes. I can kill several hours this way. I like to think it's a little more active than TV, but - let's be honest here - it's probably not. In any case, Cali cruelly dropped the hint that we might have some money to put toward a new bike for me, seeing as I'm actively trying to kill my current bikes. Well, it didn't take much prodding before I was researching like crazy for my dream mountain bike. (If only college prep were so interesting a topic!) Some background info:

Goals: For me, a good mountain bike ride has some flowy singletrack, some tricky technical stuff, some crazy climbs, and some fun descents. I'm not into super technical trails or insane stunts. I want a solid XC machine with solid components that I can ride aggressively. And I want options. Singlespeed, geared, rigid, suspended - I want a versatile frame. Also: steel frame, high volume tires, mechanical disc brakes, lockout fork.

Constraints: I would love to get a King headset and hubs, X.0 components, a custom Ti Independent Fabrications frame... But let's be honest: I'll never be able to afford the bling I lust after, so I'll settle for the value-oriented.

Additional Notes: I'd LOVE to build this bike up myself. I've never built up an entire bike, but I have always wanted to. I could spend a few months collecting parts (hopefully finding some good deals), then take a weekend to build 'er up. It'd be a blast and a great learning experience.

That being said, I'm proud to announce the results of my exhaustive and thorough study:

Cranky's Dreamy Mountain Bike

Frame: Vassago Jabberwocky (with optional GearPlug for setting up as a 1x9 transmission)
Fork: RST M29* (with lockout)
Wheels: Velocity Blunt rims laced to XT hubs, Kenda Nevegal tires
Drivetrain: Shimano LX crankset (single 32T chainring with bashguard), SRAM chain (with PowerLink), SRAM cassette (11-34), SRAM X.9 Derailer (medium cage), SRAM X.9 shifter (right/rear only)
Others: Avid BB7 disc brakes, Cane Creek headset, Carbon* handlebar and seatpost (probably Easton), Thompson* stem, Crank Bros. Candy pedals, comfy Oury Grips, tried-and-true WTB saddle
* = may change, depending on budget constraints

Not bad, eh? I'm planning on demo-ing a Jabberwocky, hopefully before the end of the summer. From what I've read, its got a great geometry - puts you comfortably "in" the bike, takes a bit of the sting out of rough trails, and is fast.

Now, onto my dream road bike...

(Come on?!? Do you think I could focus on school work all frothed-up with bike lust, like I am now?)