The 2016 Summer Olympics: Ready, Set…Technology? 0

By Jennifer Swanson

The Summer Olympics are just about to start. Hundreds of athletes are converging on Rio de Janeiro for the most important event of their athletic careers. These athletes have trained thousands of hours, honing their skills, pushing their bodies to the limit over the span of many years for just this moment. They are focused on one goal: taking home an Olympic medal.

While of course the athletes’ preparation is paramount, the equipment they’ll be using is also very important. In my latest book, Super Gear: Nanotechnology and Sports Team Up, I examine how high-performance sports are using cutting-edge technology to enhance athletes’ performances in Olympic competitions. Nanotechnology is the science of the very small…microscopic even. A nanometer is nearly 100,000 times smaller than a single human hair and yet it can be used to make amazingly strong materials. That’s what the Olympic athletes are counting on—high tech equipment to aid them in their quest to win a medal. So as they are packing their shoes, their swimsuits, their tennis rackets and golf clubs, their bicycles, and running suits, let’s consider the technology behind the equipment the athletes will be bringing along.

What type of technology might we be seeing in the 2016 Olympics?

Sports gear companies hire experts and technicians and spend hundreds of millions of dollars creating the most high-tech equipment possible for athletes. Speedo, Nike, and Under Armour have actually used wind tunnels at NASA to help create their swimsuits and running gear.

Compression-swimsuit technology at work for US swimmer Missy Franklin.
From Super Gear. © BrunoRosa/Shutterstock.com

Speedo has updated their LZR swimsuits by creating them with a high-compression fabric. The suit is designed to push in on the muscles around the hips and upper thighs, thus making the swimmer more streamlined like a shark. The women’s suits have a specially designed “X” seam across the body. This is supposed to make the core (stomach, abdomen muscles) work more effectively and keep the swimmer’s body level in the water. This reduces drag, the force that pulls back on the swimmer as they glide through the water, which slows them down.

Click here to see what the US men’s and women’s Olympic swimming teams will wear.

Bobolat, Wilson, Yonex are using nanotechnology in the form of carbon nanotubes to make their tennis rackets stronger and more durable.

 Runners are also utilizing the cutting-edge technology. Athletes like the US’s Allyson Felix will be wearing specially designed techno uniforms that have raised bumps to make her more aerodynamic (like an airplane). This reduces drag and helps her to speed through the air faster.

And golf is not left out of the technology craze. Graphite and carbon fibers are added to golf clubs to help athletes hit the ball farther and longer than ever before.

Nanofibers are added to the resin of the golf club shaft
to close up the gaps between the strands of graphite.
From Super Gear. © Sophia M. Gholz

Why is technology being incorporated into sports events?

Money. It comes down to the fact that all of these sports companies are hoping that if you, the regular consumer, watches an Olympic athlete win a medal, you will want to go out and buy their equipment. The swimsuit industry is worth over $1 billion. Spending a few hundred million to get the most out of your equipment is not much for some of these big companies.

Is it actually worth it?

The answer is YES! In the 2008 Olympics, the swimmers who wore the nanotechnology-enhanced swimsuits not only won all of the medals, but broke over 100 new Olympic speed records. The swimmers in the 2015 Championships who wore either Speedo or Arena suits won the greatest percentage of medals.

Roger Federer, a world-class tennis player has used his nanotech tennis racket for the past several years to great success. Serena Williams uses a carbon-fiber racket.

US tennis star Serena Williams with her “enhanced” racket.
From Super Gear. © Neale Cousland/Shutterstock.com

Is using this technology fair?

That is a question up for debate. It is true that the athletes that have the equipment appear to be performing better than the athletes that don’t. Is that solely due to the techno-enhanced tools? No one knows for sure. Training. Diet. Health of the athlete. Temperature and weather at the time of the event. These are all factors. To say that the technology of the equipment was the only thing responsible is not possible.

One factor that may make the use of technology seem unfair is that poorer countries may not have access to it for the major championships or the Olympics. That might affect the outcome of their event. However, much of this equipment is available for purchase before the event so it’s possible that it could be purchased by these countries. It depends on how much money they can invest in their athletes. It is definitely an interesting point to consider.

Is using technology-enhanced equipment the same as using performance-enhancing drugs?

Again, another interesting question. Everyone knows that performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) are banned from all competitions. In fact, athletes have to undergo blood or urine tests to prove that they haven’t used drugs to help them. If they are found to have tested positive for drugs, the athletes are then banned from participating in the sports.

Some people have stated that using technology-enhanced equipment does the same thing as a PED. After all, the technology can make your muscles work better, help you to run or swim faster by reducing drag, enable you to hit the ball harder and farther. So…maybe they are the same? At the moment most new technology is not being regulated by the sporting agencies. Other than the swimsuits in the 2008 Olympics, which clearly benefited the athletes to a huge extent, nothing much has been said on the Olympic level. Mostly that is because until the technology is used, no one knows how much impact it will have.

There have been instances of regulation on a smaller scale. As noted in Super Gear, Major League Baseball does not allow nanotech bats to be used by their players. The bats make the ball fly dangerously fast and can injure players.

So what do you think?

Should technology in sports be controlled? Should it be continued and pursued? Perhaps it is a question that you could debate in your school, library, or home.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for some amazing equipment in the Olympics! Go Rio 2016!

Watch Jennifer Swanson’s in-depth discussion about the nanotech equipment at the Olympics on the Jacksonville, Florida TV show “The Chat” from July 28, 2016:

Jennifer Swanson is the award-winning author of more than twenty-five books, including BRAIN GAMES (National Geographic Kids) and her latest book, Super Gear: Nanotechnology and Sports Team Up. She and her sports-minded family live in Jacksonville, Florida.

Gardens—Nature, Science, and Surprises 0

By Ranida T. McKneally

A peculiar thing happened in our garden last summer. My family and I are avid composters, and adding to the compost pile had become a daily habit. Throughout the winter and spring, our banana peels, eggshells, and other kitchen scraps fed the scores of soil microbes and other organisms that break down organic matter—nature’s recyclers. As the days grew longer and warmer, bits of green began to poke out from the dark, heavy heap. First tender and tiny, the leaves grew. And grew…until they covered the entire compost bin (a homely, slatted wooden structure built from leftover fencing). “How handy!” I thought, grateful for the eye-pleasing green cover that disguised the utilitarian structure situated a bit too close to the front gate and public attention.

The mystery plant starting to take over the compost bin.

The identity of the unplanned compost plant was yet to be confirmed. It looked like a squash, for sure, with its broad, lobed leaves. But what kind? What squashes had we eaten the year before and tossed into the compost?

Soon, bright yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers appeared.

The flower had the color and shape typical of squash.

By then the giant leaves had grown out of the compost bin and over the gate, spilling into the front yard.

Over the fence!

What was this monster plant? We were amused. Apparently, so were our neighbors. People strolling by would often pause to wonder at the giant green thing taking over our property. We couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride. Though we could not claim to possess green thumbs, the luscious growth was a testament to the richness of our compost. What had started out as slimy food waste had transformed into beautiful, dark, earthy matter filled with nutrients that allowed plant growth to take off.

As summer wore on, the vines bore fruit and continued to creep farther along, eventually reaching the sidewalk.

The unintended ground cover in the front yard.

At one point, the plant’s tendrils even started to ensnare our neighbor’s car while they were on vacation. Yikes!

Parked cars, beware!

At last, the identity of the accidental plant was revealed. Hidden under the giant leaves were very big fruits (botanically speaking, squashes are fruits), pale greyish blue in color with bumps all over. They were Blue Hubbards.

A Blue Hubbard!

The Blue Hubbard squash is a variety of hard-rind winter squash, Cucurbita maxima, a species that includes some of the largest pumpkins in the world. (Think gargantuan state fair–worthy pumpkins.) Our family loves to try new foods, and is particularly tempted by the array of colors, shapes, and sizes of the produce found at farmers' markets. Blue Hubbard, of course! We had carried one home the year before; we were intrigued by the squash’s bumpiness and its unusual size and color, and inspired the by farmer’s enthusiastic, mouthwatering description of its sweet tastiness in pumpkin pie. It has become our pumpkin pie standard.

The fall harvest was astounding. Our giant compost monster had produced seven enormous squashes, each weighing over 20 pounds!

Huge yields.

Our friendly garden Squash-o-saur. Diet: compost.

For a household that loves to plant things but is not necessarily good at keeping them from turning brown and crispy, that’s a lot of squash—and pie!

“Pumpkin” pie with Blue Hubbard squash—yum!

For me, gardens—and farms and orchards—are a wonderful way to introduce young children to nature, science, food, and healthy eating. Not only are the results good to eat, but they serve as a source of wonder, too. Roots, stems, and leaves are abuzz with insects and other critters to be discovered by little naturalists digging around in the dirt. There are also many life processes to be observed as leaves unfurl and blossoms open right before their eyes. Science lessons abound: Why are fruits so colorful? Why are so many vegetables green? What’s the difference between a fruit and a vegetable? Why do I have to eat my vegetables, anyway? What else makes up a healthy meal? These are just some of the questions addressed in Our Food: A Healthy Serving of Science and Poems, and represent only the beginning of limitless inquiry into the natural world. Gardens provide continuous inspiration as tiny seedlings grow and develop—sometimes into big, magnificent surprises.

Our Food: A Healthy Serving of Science and Poems. Text copyright © 2016 by Grace Lin and Ranida T. McKneally. Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Grace Zong. Published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

 Ranida T. McKneally also co-authored Our Seasons with Grace Lin. She lives in Medford, Massachusetts, near many wonderful farmers' markets, farms, and orchards.SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

Happy 10th Birthday, Lola! 0

By Anna McQuinn

After I decided to take a break from publishing in 2003 (I’d been Publisher of my own list for the previous six years prior to a takeover), I returned to working directly with children. I was really lucky to get an almost full-time position with Sure Start (an organization like Head Start) in Acton in West London, and I was tasked with reaching out to the community and encouraging families to join and use the library. Acton has a particularly diverse community and in some areas quite a deprived one, and my organization felt that the community was not accessing enough of the library services.

To achieve this, I started up a Family Book Group (we started each session with the choice of a very easy craft, puzzles, or small play, then tidied up for some songs and rhymes). Then I went about the community visiting baby clinics, drop-in clinics, free milk days, and play groups to let families know about the library. However, I discovered that many of the arguments around books and very young children are not yet won.

Families Anna worked with at the library.

Having worked in children’s publishing for almost twenty years, I thought that everyone knew how important it is to read with young children. However, when I started doing outreach, I realized that I had to make these arguments all over again; moms had to be persuaded that it was not silly to read a book to a toddler who can’t read; parents had to be persuaded that it was appropriate to bring a little child into a library and that they would be welcome and find things to do; moms had to be reassured that if their baby made a noise in the library, that would be okay…

Anna's library gang, 2012.

So, like Lola herself who solves all of life’s problems with a book, I decided to write a simple story about a little girl who goes to the library—to show her choosing books, to show story time and rhyme time, and to show her mommy read to her. I feel so lucky that Charlesbridge saw the potential of this simple little story and decided to publish it—Lola at the Library came out in 2006, ten years ago this year!

Lola at the Library. Text copyright © 2006 by Anna McQuinn. Illustrations copyright © 2006 by Rosalind Beardshaw. Published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

Lola en la biblioteca. Text copyright © 2008 by Anna McQuinn. Illustrations copyright © 2008 by Rosalind Beardshaw. Published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

People often ask me why I decided to make Lola a little girl of African heritage. In fact for me, there was no big decision—I don’t think there needs to be some special reason to make a child of color the star of a story. On the contrary, I would say “Why not?!”

I strongly believe that the range of books on offer are not diverse enough. And, I believe that we can’t fix this if we wait around for some special reason to feature a child of color in a story. Folktales are beautiful and books which deal with issues are necessary, but I think if you are three and a half, don’t you ache to see someone just like you in a story? So when I had the thought, “Could Lola be a little girl of color?” I immediately felt, “Why not?!”

Lola was of course much loved by librarians when she first appeared—how could any book enthusiast resist this tiny book-loving hero? As her story developed, (Daddy appeared in the second title and she got a new baby brother, Leo, in the next, who now has his own series for even younger readers) the series found a wider audience—though booklovers are always her biggest fans.

Lola Loves Stories. Text copyright © 2010 by Anna McQuinn. Illustrations copyright © 2010 by Rosalind Beardshaw. Published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

A Lola le encantan los cuentos. Text copyright © 2012 by Anna McQuinn. Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Rosalind Beardshaw. Published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

Lola Reads to Leo. Text copyright © 2012 by Anna McQuinn. Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Rosalind Beardshaw. Published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

Lola le lee al pequeno Leo. Text copyright © 2013 by Anna McQuinn. Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Rosalind Beardshaw. Published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

Leo Loves Baby Time. Text copyright © 2014 by Anna McQuinn. Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Ruth Hearson. Published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

A Leo le gusta Bebelandia. Text copyright © 2015 by Anna McQuinn. Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Ruth Hearson. Published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

Leo Can Swim. Text copyright © 2016 by Anna McQuinn. Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Ruth Hearson. Published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

Readers have also fallen in love with the illustrations, and I feel so privileged to work with two women who are as nice as they are talented: Rosalind Beardshaw (the Lola books) and Ruth Hearson (the Leo books).

Books and reading continue to be at the core of Lola's adventures—a story will fire her imagination and when faced with any difficulty, she always looks to a book to solve it: she dresses up and plays at being characters from the stories she reads; her mom uses stories to prepare her for the arrival of the new baby; she reads Mary Mary Quite Contrary in a book of garden poems and immediately wants to try to grow some flowers of her own (necessitating a trip to the library for some research of course), and in her next adventure publishing in Spring 2017, when she really really wants a cat, she proves to her mom that she’s ready to be responsible by finding out all about how to care for cats.

                                                        Coming in Spring 2017:

Lola Plants a Garden. Text copyright © 2014 by Anna McQuinn. Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Rosalind Beardshaw. Published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

Lola planta un jardin. Text copyright © 2017 by Anna McQuinn. Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Rosalind Beardshaw. Published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

Coming in Spring 2017:

Lola Gets a Cat. Text copyright © 2017 by Anna McQuinn. Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Rosalind Beardshaw. Published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

I think for that reason, book lovers everywhere see themselves in her stories. Certainly I see a lot of myself in her—I was one of those kids who read everything in sight (including the back of the cereal packet at breakfast and the back of the shampoo bottle while sitting on the loo). And I think this has contributed not just to her success but to her longevity. Lola at the Library is ten years in print this year and still going strong—and not just in the U.S., but in the UK, Netherlands, Denmark, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Brazil, and soon, Sweden!

The UK (left) and Ireland (right) versions of Lola at the Library.

The Netherlands (left) and Denmark (right) editions of Lola at the Library.

The Brazil (left) and Republic of Korea (right) translations of Lola at the Library.

You’ll see from the covers that Lola has different names around the globe. She began life as Lola and is still called Lola in the U.S.—in both English and Spanish editions. In the UK, not long before publication, Lauren Child’s book series, Charlie & Lola was acquired for children’s TV by the BBC. Afraid of possible confusion, I racked my brain for an alternative. She was called Layla for a time, but it’s funny, even though it’s just one letter more, it seemed too long for a little cutie like Lola. Then one day on my way to my library group, I heard a Somali mom beckon her little girl, “Lulu!” and there it was—a short name that still alliterated with Library! When the Dutch translation was underway, the publisher at Luister contacted me and asked if she could change the name. She too wanted it to alliterate with Library, which is bieb in Dutch, and she already had a proposal—Bibi. I thought it was perfect! In Denmark, they felt Lulu didn’t sound quite right and went for Luna, while in Brazil, they stuck with Lulu. And in the Republic of Korea—well, you tell me!

   Anna McQuinn has worked in children's books for more than twenty-five years as an editor, publisher, and writer. She has written more than twenty books for children, including the Lola series and books about Lola's baby brother, Leo. Anna lives in England.

Encouraging Inspiration and Invention: The WHOOSH! Backstory 0

From Chris Barton's Author's Note for Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions

A Super Soaker uses a pump to compress the air found in its water reservoir, which puts pressure on the water. When the trigger is pulled, the pressurized water can escape and . . . WHOOSH! If you search the internet for "how Super Soakers work," you'll find a lot more about what goes on inside Lonnie Johnson's most famous invention.* But if you want to better understand how Lonnie Johnson himself works, then you'll put this book down, step away from the computer screen, and get permission to take something apart so you can see those kinds of goings-on for yourself. You might even start with a Super Soaker.

This book began with a lunchtime conversation I had with a couple of librarians in Texas. They had recently gone to a seminar where attendees were asked to draw a picture of a scientist. The most common image was of a guy who resembled Albert Einstein—lab coat, wild hair, white skin. The point of the exercise was to draw attention to the fact that scientists are more diverse than that. The lesson those librarians learned rubbed off on me, and by dinnertime I had found the story of the African American rocket scientist who invented the Super Soaker.

What was most appealing to me about Lonnie Johnson's story was the fact that it was still unfolding. He didn't just take his Super Soaker money and retire young. Instead, he directed it toward hands-on efforts to solve one of the most important engineering puzzles of our day. His mission? To efficiently harness heat energy—from the sun and other sources—in order to generate the electricity we need without polluting the planet.

I loved talking with Lonnie Johnson for this book. I have never laughed as hard during an interview as I did when we discussed his work on Linex and how his family "put up with" his efforts—or rather, how they encouraged him. It's no surprise that today, even as he continues his own work, Lonnie Johnson makes time to encourage the efforts of tomorrow's scientists and engineers.

I hope that this book will encourage them, too.

*Throughout his life Lonnie Johnson has sometimes worked alone and at other times as part of a team. The water gun that began in his bathroom got some help along the way from a builder of prototypes named Bruce D'Andrade. The names of both men appear on the original patent for what became known as the Super Soaker. However, Bruce's widow, Mary Ann. told me that her husband considered Lonnie to be the inventor.

  Chris Barton is the author of Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions, illustrated by Don Tate, and Sibert Honor book The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors, illustrated by Tony Persiani.