Science is Fun !

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The Doctor Bones "Science Demonstrations Show" has seen action in K-12 schools throughout the United States. Doctor Bones helps clear up some of the misconceptions that students have about science. The Doctor also assists teachers in adding fun and excitement to the learning of biology, chemistry, earth science, engineering and physics. The show's theme is, "Science Really Can Be Fun!"


Doctor Bones
is part Educator___and part Entertainer!


As Doctor Bones, I work closely with the administrators and teachers who invite me to perform "Science Magic" for their school and after-school events. Each performance is tailored to the needs of the prospective science teacher.

The Science Demonstrations Show is not only fun and educational, it is also intended to be a continuing resource for science teachers. The science teaching techniques and demonstrations introduced in the show are made available for duplication by teachers.

The Doctor Bones website is also a useful resource for teachers. The information provided by the website is intended to help teachers sell the benefits of learning science to their students. Energize lethargic students with the action learning ideas, visual aids and other science learning tools suggested by Doctor Bones.

Let Doctor Bones, the Science Learning Specialist, assist you in making science more fun and exciting for your students!

The goal is to supplement rather than to supplant a school's science curricula. A number of fun, safe, kid-tested science projects are introduced to teachers in order for them to help reinforce the basic science concepts learned in the show. When the show is over, Doctor Bones may be gone, but the important science concepts and principles will not soon be forgotten.

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Why do I perform these Science Shows?


"The Need for a Science Educated Public"__

As the 21st century unfolds, we the people of the United States of America will undoubtedly witness many exciting scientific and technological developments. Scientists will continue their quest to unravel the complexities of the universe and engineers will create and develop new high tech gadgets to make our lives better.

Although many Americans appear to have a general fascination with science and technology, for the most part, they tend to lack a basic understanding of important concepts and principles in science and technology.

____Science
_______An Important Part of a Balanced Education.

Unless significant strides are made to teach science to the public in a way that they can understand and appreciate it is likely that the average citizen will continue to fall further and further behind the science and technology learning curve. With each passing year, it becomes even more pressing, I believe, that we as a Nation become more "science literate."

In using the term "science literate," I do not hope to suggest that the science literate person is one who has solely accumulated a set of science facts or trivia. Instead, the science literate person that I speak of, is one who can weave science facts into a tapestry of science knowledge and connect these facts with "real world" science and technology applications.

With continued motivation from the scientific community, I believe that we can create a more "science literate" populace. To keep the science literacy ball rolling, it is imperative that scientists like Doctor Bones get involved with the surrounding community (especially the K-12 crowd). In addition to being science information specialists, it wouldn't hurt if these same scientists proclaimed vigorously that "Science is Fun," because it really is fun!

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From Physics Central


http://www.physicscentral.com/people/2006/mueller.html

Don Mueller "aka Doctor Bones"

In a previous gig, Don Mueller was a chemical physicist. Nowadays, he is better known as Dr. Bones—educator, entertainer and crusader for reliable science and health information.

Transforming himself into Dr. Bones, Mueller dons what he calls his "bad hair day" wig, white lab coat and thick black plastic glasses. Now it's on to schools, hospitals and other venues throughout the United States to perform science and health shows.

Mueller’s mission is to show kids and adults that science is fun, along with its many practical applications. He chose the name Dr. Bones because kids learn about the bones of the body before they investigate other bodily structures. However, he adds, "I could just as well have chosen the name Dr. Science or Dr. Health or Dr. Whatever. ”

Dr. Bones’ science demos are fairly simple. "Safety comes first in my show. Nothing explodes or is set ablaze" says Mueller. A favorite demo of his to illustrate gravity and the curvature of space-time features a medicine ball at the center of several square yards of a stretchy black fabric and a number of small plastic or rubber spheres revolving around the center. He also makes batteries out of lemons to light LEDs, launches rockets to demonstrate thrust, spins bicycle wheels to explain angular momentum and torque, and juggles pumpkins while talking about the interplay between potential and kinetic energy. He isn't particularly concerned if his audience forgets the specifics of what he’s taught. "What's more important is that I'm encouraging them to think for themselves and explore their imagination," says Mueller.

Performing these shows takes brainpower and a lot of stamina. “If I had been one of the Knights of the Round Table they would have called me Sir Sweat-a-Lot,” he says jokingly in response to all the moving around and sweating he does during the show.

When he’s not playing Dr. Bones, Mueller takes on yet another persona. Wearing a big yellow hexagon on his head, a superhero-type shirt emblazoned with a circle and the equation A= pr² and a red cape adorned with brightly colored geometric shapes, Mueller becomes “Geometry Guy,” saving the world from math ignorance.

For instance, Geometry Guy shows kids how to make various shapes using Popsicle stick triangles. “There are so many interesting constructions you can form with, say, three to six separate triangles. The kids are just mesmerized when I do this,” says Mueller. “I’m mesmerized too, because I usually stumble upon a number of interesting shapes that I hadn't considered at the start.”

Mueller performs his Dr. Bones and Geometry Guy shows for kids of all ages, as well as for adults. In addition to his science shows, Mueller performs shows emphasizing reliable science-based health information, all while juggling plastic foods and informing his audience about healthy diets. All of his shows are sprinkled with jokes, puns and storytelling. “I probably have more fun than a person should have. But I love it!” he says.

As part of his crusade to educate the public about good science, Mueller performs “QuackBusters,” a show in which he delineates the basics of good science versus pseudoscience and other so-called junk sciences. He often brings the show to senior citizen groups, because they are particularly vulnerable to health quackery, he says. He teaches seniors how to spot quackery and avoid wasting their money on products such as magnetic and ionic bracelets and on the multitude of quack services offering miracle cures to common ailments.

Prior to the advent of Dr. Bones and Geometry Guy, Don Mueller was a chemical physicist, and before that a professional baseball player (although he didn’t reach the major leagues). After sustaining several injuries to his pitching arm, he left baseball and returned to science, which he had enjoyed as a kid. However, Mueller has not given up sports-- he continues to play ambidextrous tennis. Playing simultaneously with two rackets or switching the racket from one hand to the other, Mueller plays several times a week, and is always on the lookout for challenging matches.

As a graduate student at Rutgers University under the supervision of John Krenos, Mueller worked on a series of electronic energy transfer experiments involving metastable rare gas atoms and a variety of small molecule collision partners. After completing his Ph.D., Mueller did postdoctoral research in laser chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania and in Taiwan at the Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences. On Fridays, during the summer swelter of Taipei, he often found himself sneaking away from the lab to perform as Dr. Bones for the kids at National Taiwan University Children's Hospital in Taipei. He received an award from the hospital, which he says is without a doubt his most cherished.

Mueller now lives in Monsey, NY. Although he says that it is possible for him to make a living from his science and health show work, he also teaches physics and chemistry at Bergen Community College ( Paramus, NJ ). He has also developed a small line of educational products, including geometric cookies, lollipops and toys, a periodic table of elements cereal known as "Elementary" and “Nutri-Brain” physics cookies, which have various physics equations stamped on them. Lawyers representing the Kellogg’s company convinced the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office not to grant Mueller a registered trademark for Nutri-Brain, insisting that Nutri-Brain cookies infringed on their trademark Nutri Grain cereal bars. The decision does not prohibit Mueller from using the name Nutri-Brain as an unregistered mark. Stay tuned, he says.

Mueller will continue to perform his science and health shows and crusade against junk science for as long as he can. “There isn't a retirement bone in me,” he says. “People can say that I’m a savior or that I’m a fool.” He just laughs at both suggestions.

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Some Newspaper Articles about The Doctor Bones Science Show along with some of the nice letters of recommendation.

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Chemistry professor called 'invaluable'

RICH LOGIS
THE TIMES (Journal News Weekly)
(Original publication: March 26, 2004)

There's too much misinformation about science out there, according to Don Mueller.

And it's all Jerry Seinfeld's fault, the Manhattanville science professor joked. Well, maybe not all of it is Seinfeld's fault, Mueller said. But between the media, politicians and popular culture, too many unqualified people consider themselves science experts, he said.

So Mueller, a visiting chemistry professor at Manhattanville since last year, set out to combat pseudo science. He created "Science and Society," a course that looks at the influence of science on politics, business and technology.

Mueller said he likes to host debates in class because it's important to make students feel comfortable speaking about their opinions. It's also important to clarify any misconceptions about science that students may have. "I try to get them to see that the headlines they see in the paper don't always give them the knowledge they need."

Mueller said he's heard many politicians over the years talk about science and "the sad part is their audience listens to that and thinks they know what they're talking about." Such misinformation also pops up in entertainment, he said, citing a "Seinfeld" episode that wrongly explained the molecular make-up of a valet driver's body odor.

A Monsey resident, Mueller goes by the nickname Dr. Bones. The moniker is drawn from science experiment shows he holds for children called the "Doctor Bones Show." Since the human bone structure is one of the first science lessons children receive in school, Mueller said, he adopted "Bones" because children commonly ask questions about bones.

Paid for and hosted by schools all over the country, the shows include a variety of experiments. One experiment involved Mueller holding a hair dryer. While the hot air is blowing, a ping-pong ball is dropped in the hot air stream. As the ball appears to float, a 4-foot tube is placed over the ball, causing the ball to shoot out.

Mueller has taught at Penn State University, the University of Pennsylvania, the Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences in Taiwan and Rutgers University, where he earned a doctorate in chemical physics.

At Manhattanville, Mueller helped found the Science Club, which is open to students of all majors. Club members will participate in demonstrations, experiments, trips and, Mueller hopes, debates.

Emerald Shenk, a sophomore, founded the Science Club with Mueller. She said with few chemistry professors at the college, Mueller has been invaluable to the department. Aside from his knowledge, Mueller has brought equipment that the students otherwise wouldn't have had, Shenk said. "He always has the students' best interests in mind," Shenk said. "He always makes himself available, and he's an interesting guy." Shenk said with his leadership, the Science Club will be an enriching educational experience for members. "He's an important person here on campus. And he's a fun character."

Mueller's doctoral adviser at Rutgers, chemistry professor John Krenos, said Mueller was one of the finest students ever in the department. He described Mueller as relentlessly creative, motivated and self-sufficient. "He's blazed his own trail," Krenos said. "He was always serious and committed and didn't need a lot of guidance and supervision." Mueller's doctoral thesis, at 700 pages, was impressive in its scope and scholarship, Krenos said. He also praised Mueller for the children's shows he founded. "I'm amazed by what he's done since he left. He's one of a kind."

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Sarah Wells Girl Scout Council
162 Bloomingburg Road
Middletown, NY 10940

Don R. Mueller, Ph.D.
200 Kearsing Pkwy. Apt. H
Monsey, NY 10952


August 10, 2005


Dear Doctor Bones:

If the third time is truly the charm, then having you perform your Science Demonstrations Show for the Sarah Wells Girl Scouts for the third year in a row was just that. You were fantastic! The many hands-on science demos that you presented helped the girls learn important concepts and principles in biology, chemistry and physics in both fun and exciting ways. Your combination of science and showmanship was greatly appreciated by all.

It was wonderful how you offered the parents in attendance creative, inexpensive ways to help their kids do "real" science at home. It didn't take long for you to win over your audience judging by the wealth of participation by the girls in experiments involving energy, gravity, Bernoulli's principle, angular momentum and torque and plenty more!

The hot-air balloon experiment was particularly exciting as the girls helped you launch the 5-foot tall balloon upward using the hot air from the two hair dryers. It took awhile to get the balloon off the ground and all the way to the top of the gym, but we did it! Then you told the girls that persistence is important both in science and in life. I'm sure they will remember that.

Thanks again for encouraging the girls to take an interest in science, especially those girls who don't really like science to give science a try. Your science show surely backs up your saying, "Science is Fun!"

Together in Girl Scouting,

Deborah L. Palen

Deborah L. Palen
Programs Manager
Sarah Wells Girl Scout Council, Inc.

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