How to see underwater and learn about refraction

Our eyes (and all other optical devices) depend on a behavior of waves called refraction. Refraction is the bending of waves when they enter a new medium at an angle and change speed.

In this video, we'll consider the issue of how our eyes work, why they don't work so well underwater (wtihout goggles), and just generally "what is all this refraction business?" We've got lasers, black lights, fog machines, fish tanks, and ancient alien artifacts - come learn with me!

Snell's Law video (for us math nerds): youtube.com/watch?v=HGx83-jFPds

This is my first video in months. For those who follow along, I wanted to give a little update. I've been teaching science for 12 years, and about a year ago I decided that I wasn't going to be a classroom teacher until I retired. I spend the spring and summer considering other careers I might pursue. Data science really appealed to me, but I didn't feel like I had an "in". I did some job shadowing and a whole lot of online learning about programming (I'm not sponsored or anything, just giving a shout-out to Udemy, which has the best collection I've found of reasonably priced online courses). I had a few interviews, but nothing that fit very well (for me or the company who was hiring) In the fall, I went back to my classroom, nothing having really panned out on the job-switch. In October, my school district posted a brand new position: Instructional Data Analyst. One of the two people hiring for the job was my former principal, with whom I'd discussed my interest in making a career change and, coincidentally, my thoughts on a few of the things I would like to see our district do with data. I interviewed twice and was offered the job. It meant I'd have to leave my students at semester, which was hard, but I accepted.

I miss some of my life as a teacher, but would be remiss if I didn't celebrate the positive changes. Having never had a profession other than teaching before now, I think I didn't realize how different other careers are. It was terrific to work with young people who wanted to learn and build relationships. The men and women I have worked with in education have been, without a doubt, the finest people I have known, and I miss seeing them daily and solving impossible problems together.

It was also soul-crushing to see some of these same young people go through the turmoil they did. At a certain point, the emotional strain of teaching began taking its toll on me and my relationship with my family. At that point, it made sense to find something where I could make a difference without feeling like I had to be a martyr to do it.

I'm thrilled with where I am now. I have so much less stress and more free time when I'm not at work. I'll work summers and school breaks, but I think the fact that I don't generally have to work when I'm not AT work will more than make up for those times. One perk of that extra time - I finally got around to editing and posting this video, which I filmed in August.

I don't know that I'll ever grow out of my love of science and sharing that love with others. My wife is probably sick of it by now, but at least I have you, YouTube!