![Some examples of biomass](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2021-01/biomass_icon.png?itok=6lz_OKwA)
Generating Electricity: Biomass
Backgrounders
Learn how biomass can be used to generate electricity.
![Coal and natural gas fueled generator near Hanna, Alberta, Canada](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-12/coal_power-generating-station.jpg?itok=cFUVGxpm)
Generating Electricity: Fossil Fuels
Backgrounders
Learn how energy from fossil fuels can be used to generate electricity.
![Platinum crystals](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-02/Platinum-crystals.jpg?itok=CIVtGM1E)
Catalytic Converters
STEM Explained
Learn about how catalytic converters make vehicle emissions less harmful.
![Browning apple](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-03/Browning_apple.jpg?itok=0ChBaFX8)
Why Do Apples Turn Brown After You Cut Them?
STEM Explained
Has your fresh juicy apple turned an unsightly brown? Learn about the redox reaction behind the transformation.
![What speeds up a chemical reaction?](/sites/default/files/2019-08/what-speeds-up-a-chemical-reaction.jpg)
What speeds up a chemical reaction?
Hands-on Activities
Learn about the role of yeast in this fun decomposition reaction.
![Screen captures from embedded Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell videos](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-02/pros_cons_nuclear_energy.png?itok=NVvZ7d08)
What are the Pros and Cons of Nuclear Energy?
STEM Explained
These two “point-counterpoint” videos provide arguments for and against using nuclear energy to generate electricity.
![Charging a cell phone](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-02/charging_a_cell_phone.jpg?itok=ugTEHYXD)
What If You Could Charge Your Phone Using Radio Waves?
STEM Explained
Could we use radio waves to charge electrical technologies in the future?
![What is an exothermic reaction?](/sites/default/files/2019-08/what-is-an-exothermic-reaction.jpg)
What is an exothermic reaction?
Hands-on Activities
Things are heating up! Explore the temperature change that occurs in an exothermic reaction and the role of catalysts is this chemistry activity.
![Thermal images of people and objects](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2019-10/Thermal_images_of_people_and_objects.png?itok=5vLkf21V)
Thermopower and the Body Heat-Powered Flashlight
STEM Explained
Can your body be a source of electricity generation? Maybe, if you understand heat transfer. Explore this concept through a 2013 invention by a Canadian teen.
![A person’s hand holding a cold pack on an ankle](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-06/person_holding_ice_pack.jpg?itok=01sj50jv)
The Cold Pack: A Chilly Example of an Endothermic Reaction
STEM Explained
When you hurt your ankle, thermodynamics can help you heal! An endothermic reaction reduces the swelling by cooling your injury.
![Bacteria can be used to generate electricity](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2019-09/Microbial_fuel_cell_icon_1.jpg?itok=tkWwcU0G)
Microbial Fuel Cells
STEM Explained
In a few decades, some of the electricity you use might be generated by bacteria.
![orn ethanol plant next to corn field](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2019-09/ethanol_plant_and_corn_field.jpg?itok=eSz-wZxP)
How is Ethanol Made?
Backgrounders
Ethanol is a biofuel that can power a car. Learn about the enzymes, catalysts and processes like fermentation involved in ethanol production.
![Carillon Hydroelectric Power Station, Saint-André-d'Argenteuil, Quebec](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2019-11/Carillon_Hydroelectric_Power_Station.jpg?itok=wwBKKBX5)
Generating Electricity: Hydroelectric Power
STEM Explained
Learn how moving water can be used to generate electricity. This is called hydroelectric power generation.
![illustration of a hydrogen car](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2019-10/Hydrogen_car.png?itok=-Ul7H9-e)
The History and Uses of Hydrogen
STEM Explained
Hydrogen’s tendency towards combustion is what makes it both a dangerous chemical element and a useful energy source.
![Hand with screwdriver “repairing” DNA](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2019-09/DNA_repair.png?itok=jwH_hm9z)
DNA Damage and Repair
Backgrounders
This backgrounder explains the different ways that cells repair damage to DNA.