8/24/00
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I have been promising to redo a webpage on women and minorities in science and engineering, and it is finally ready for release. It is divided into the following categories:
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Congress Project
http://www.acs.org/government/scproject/index.html
“The ACS Science & the Congress Project proudly presents streaming video of Bill Nye
the Science Guy on Science Education & You.
“This is an experimental project for the ACS Science & the Congress Project. We would appreciate your feedback on the quality and usefulness of these video files. Please click here to send us your comments.
“To view the program you must have either RealPlayer or Windows Media Player.
“Pre-college science, mathematics, and technology education is imperative to enabling young people to understand and evaluate today's headlines, gain basic work skills, and succeed in today's competitive, technological economy. People experience science and technology as integral components of everyday life – using computers at home and work, driving automobiles controlled by computer chips, watching weather reports with satellite images, and taking medicines based on biotechnologies unknown a decade ago.
“Attendees joined Bill Nye the Science Guy, as well as Representatives Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) and Rush Holt (D-NJ). For the past several years, Bill's television show has won acclaim for teaching children science and making it fun. The discussion centered around instilling passion, beauty, and joy of science in our young people and the importance of good science education to our future.”
Additional presentations available at the ACS site are:
“Two innovative new Internet tools have been created in collaboration with several government agencies that improve access to scientific and technical research information across the Federal Government. Developed by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), GrayLIT Network (http://www.osti.gov/graylit) Federal R&D Project Summaries (http://www.osti.gov/fedrnd) provide the capability to search documents with a single query across databases of many Federal agencies to find and combine information regardless of where it happens to reside. With these new tools, it is no longer necessary for a user to know which agency is working in a particular area or discipline.
“GrayLIT Network provides a portal for over 100,000 full-text technical reports located at the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Collections in the GrayLIT collaboration include the DOE Information Bridge; the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) Report Collection; the EPA National Environmental Publications Internet Site (NEPIS); the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab Reports; and the NASA Langley Technical Reports.
“Federal R&D Project Summaries includes more than 240,000 research summaries and awards by three of the major sponsors of research in the Federal government. The Federal databases available via this tool are the Department of Energy R&D Project Summaries; the National Institutes of Health (NIH) CRISP (Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects) Current Awards; and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Award Data.
“These tools support an interdisciplinary view of science by providing scientists and engineers the opportunity to look beyond their Agency's specializations and to access relevant information from other disciplines. They are the early successes of a new information infrastructure in the physical sciences. From a recent workshop of distinguished experts in science and information held at the National Academy of Sciences, a vision emerged of a future information infrastructure for physical sciences that will benefit not just the scientific community but the national good (http://www.osti.gov/physicalsciences)
“GrayLIT Network and Federal R&D Project Summaries are being made available to the public in partnership with the Government Printing Office through GPO Access (http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs)”
From Hannah King,
US DOE Energy Library
Preprint Server
http://www.chemweb.com/preprint?url=/CPS
We are officially launching The Chemistry Preprint Server (CPS) on the 21st August at the ACS.
As a ChemWeb.com member you can get a sneak preview today of one of our newest features.
CPS is a major new initiative for the chemistry community, powered by ChemWeb.com. It is a freely available and permanent web archive and distribution medium for research articles in the field of chemistry.
Submission to the CPS is open to all and can include fully prepared articles or works in progress. Even if you don't have a paper to submit, you can use the CPS to gain access to some of the latest chemistry research.
If your submission is one of the first 1000, you will become a “Preprint Pioneer” and be awarded a commemorative certificate in recognition of your contribution in making the Chemistry Preprint Server a success and revolutionizing chemistry communication.
To submit or view go to http://preprint.chemweb.com/
Journal of Turbulence
http://jot.iop.org/
A new, peer-reviewed electronic-only title from Institute of Physics Publishing
Journal of Turbulence (JoT) is a digital forum for theoretical, numerical and experimental concepts aimed at understanding, predicting and controlling fluid turbulence. It is essential reading for those interested in turbulence arising in aero- and hydrodynamics, acoustics, hydraulics, aeroelasticity, combustion, turbo-machinery, heat transfer, two-phase flows, MHD and fusion, internal geophysics, oceanography, meteorology and astrophysics.
Benefiting from all of the value-added features that our award-winning Electronic Journals service has to offer, JoT includes impressive multimedia functionality (computer simulations, video clips, data sets etc), reference linking to other publishers' online content and handy personalization options such as E-mail Alerting and online Filing Cabinets.
A number of free Featured Articles have been made available on the JoT website to give both readers and authors an insight into the type of high-quality papers that the journal is already attracting. Visitors to the site can also take a look at examples of turbulence-related multimedia enhancements free of charge. Additionally, they can benefit from related links to other publications and conference websites and gain access to relevant news stories.
ChemWeb.com (free registration required) is pleased to announce the addition of 31 Elsevier Science Biochemistry titles to the Library at http://www.chemweb.com/library/esbiochem.shtml. All of the journals listed below are FREE to ChemWeb.com members until 30 September 2000.
JSTOR General Science Collection Update
The third release of General Science Collection titles is now available! This release includes the years from 1960 through 1979. A list of the titles with up-to-date coverage information is included below.
Note: Titles in JSTOR's General Science Collection are being released in chronological increments rather than on a title-by-title basis. The more recent increments will be made available first; increments of older material will follow in later releases.
Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences
Current coverage: Vols. 329-351, 1990-1996
Moving Wall: 5 years (starting in 2002)
Journal URL:
http://www.jstor.org/journals/09628436.html
Publisher: Royal Society
(continues: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London: Series B, Biological Sciences)
Current coverage: Vols. 242-328, 1960-1990
Journal URL:
http://www.jstor.org/journals/00804622.html
Philosophical Transactions: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Current coverage: Vol. 354, 1996
Moving Wall: 5 years (starting in 2002)
Journal URL:
http://www.jstor.org/journals/1364503x.html
Publisher: Royal Society
(continues: Philosophical Transactions: Physical Sciences and Engineering)
Current coverage: Vols. 332-353, 1990-1995
Journal URL:
http://www.jstor.org/journals/09628428.html
(continues: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London: Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences)
Current coverage: Vols. 252-331, 1960-1990
Journal URL:
http://www.jstor.org/journals/00804614.html
Proceedings: Biological Sciences
Current coverage: Vols. 241-263, 1990-1996
Moving Wall: 5 years (starting in 2002)
Journal URL:
http://www.jstor.org/journals/09628452.html
Publisher: Royal Society
(continues: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: Series B, Biological Sciences)
Current coverage: Vols. 151-240, 1960-1990
Journal URL:
http://www.jstor.org/journals/00804649.html
Proceedings: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Current coverage: Vol. 452, 1996
Moving Wall: 5 years (starting in 2002)
Journal URL:
http://www.jstor.org/journals/13645021.html
Publisher: Royal Society
(continues: Proceedings: Mathematical and Physical Sciences)
Current coverage: Vols. 430-451, 1990-1995
Journal URL:
http://www.jstor.org/journals/09628444.html
(continues: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences)
Current coverage: Vols. 254-429, 1960-1990
Journal URL:
http://www.jstor.org/journals/00804630.html
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Current coverage: Vols. 46-94, 1960-1997
Moving Wall: 2 years
Journal URL:
http://www.jstor.org/journals/00278424.html
Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
Science
Current coverage: Vols.131-266, 1960-1994
Moving Wall: 5 years
Journal URL:
http://www.jstor.org/journals/00368075.html
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
More information about the new journals may be found on their journal information pages.
The moving wall for Demography, published by the Population Association of America, has been reduced from 5 years to 2 years. Issues of Demography are now available in the JSTOR database through 1997.
Demography
Current coverage: Vols. 1-34, 1964-1997
Moving Wall: 2 years
Current Anthropology has been updated so that there is now no gap in coverage between the content currently available in JSTOR and the content available through University of Chicago Press.
Current Anthropology
Current coverage: Vols. 1-40 (Issue 4), 1959-1999
Fixed Wall: JSTOR coverage of this title presently ends with Vol. 40 (Issue 4), 1999.
Project 2061: Science Literacy for a Changing Future
http://www.project2061.org/
The American Association for the Advancement of Science's effort to reform science, mathematics,
and technology education. Online publications include Science for All Americans, recommendations
on essential understandings and ways of thinking in a world shaped by science and technology;
Benchmarks for Science Literacy, recommending what all students should know and be able to do by
the time they reach certain grade levels; Blueprints, an examination of educational issues
involved in instituting reform; Evaluations of Science & Mathematics Textbooks On-Line; and
Dialogue on Early Childhood Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education. Portions of the site
are available in Spanish. Searchable. - rs
(From
Librarian's Index to the Internet)
Create Change: Reclaiming Scholarly Communication
http://www.arl.org/create/home.html
Subtitled “a resource for faculty and librarian action to reclaim scholarly communication,”
this polemical but academically credible Website serves as an educational and resource center dedicated
to issues of scholarly publishing in an environment characterized by increasing commercialization of
traditional publishing and decreasing institutional support. For those uninformed about this current
quiet crisis, the site provides plenty of facts and analysis, starting with statistics about increasing
costs and decreasing library acquisition of scholarly publications and journals. The Website also
addresses the issue of electronic publishing, inveighing against naive assessments of it as a panacea.
The site has separate information for librarians and scholars; it includes both a webliography of
resources on the subject and an advocacy kit, which features tools for presentations and on-campus
advocacy of the issue, as well as advice on intervening in the scholarly publishing process. An online
version of a pamphlet is also posted; it gives a concise outline of the problem and advises librarians
and scholars how to advocate for change in the current system. Create Change is sponsored by the
Association of Research Libraries, the Association of College and Research Libraries, and the Scholarly
Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition with support from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation. [DC]
(From the Scout Report)
Nobel E-Museum [RealPlayer]
http://www.nobel.se/
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Foundation in June, the Foundation has redesigned and
renamed its official Website. The main feature of the site is its archive of Nobel Prize Laureates.
Complete listings of the winners in the six categories of economics, English, physics, chemistry,
medicine and peace are provided at the site, as are profiles, detailed press releases summarizing the
Award Committee's rationale, bibliographies, autobiographical statements, photographs of winners
receiving their Nobel “diploma,” and, in the case of recent winners, video files of their
Nobel lecture or exclusive interview. There is also an interesting piece on Peace Prizewinners whose
selection generated political controversy, including Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Carl von Ossietzky
in 1935, a German prisoner of conscience under the Nazis. Background information in text and video form
about the history of the Foundation, its prize, and the Nobel Museum is also posted. We encourage users
to visit the site map for the clearest source of an overall directory to this valuable Website. [DC]
(From the Scout Report)
FindSounds
http://www.findsounds.com/
This easy to use search engine looks for sound files on the web. Not limited to science sites, it will
find all kinds of (relatively short) sound files. Any number of animal calls, including bird calls, and
other nature sounds can be found with this easy engine. Unfortunately it does not direct you to the
sites describing the sound files, but with a little manipulation of the URL you can get there on your
own.
FreeTranslation.com
http://www.freetranslation.com/
This online machine translation service has a few things going for it that make it the first choice for
this type of translation. Rather than doing word-for-word translating, it attempts to translate entire
phrases. It's very fast. It also completely translated a Web page with more than 15,000 words. In
contrast, AltaVista's Babel Fish translated only about the first 1,500 words and Go Translator did about
4,400. Remember, though, machine translation is just to provide basic comprehension of text or Web pages.
Currently translates English to French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Norwegian and French,
Spanish, and German to English. - cl (From
Librarian's Index to the Internet)
Ethical Legal and Social Issues in Science
http://www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/ELSI.html
Aimed at middle and high school students and teachers, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's ELSI in
Science program is a pilot project designed to stimulate discussions on the implications of selected
areas of scientific research. Onsite you will find information on the issues surrounding the likes of
breast cancer screening, genetic patents, personal medical privacy and sustainable development. Don't
let the outdated web page styling put you off – content is still king after all.
(From
New Scientist Planet Science)
Search Engine Targeted Toward Academic Resources
http://www.allacademic.com/
“This search engine catalogs free (only free) academic publications on the Internet. The search
interface looks rather standard but there are a couple of vital differences. Beneath the search box
you'll see the words:
Search by: Keyword, Author, Publication Title, Article Title
Each of the words after ‘search by’ are clickable and lead to other search interfaces. The page you're on is the keyword search. The Author, Publication Title, etc. look exactly the same. (It would be nice if this were not the case. Perhaps you'd be less likely to lose track of which search page you were on.) There's also a separate search for MLA citations only.
No matter what search interface you choose, the results are nicely presented. Search results include the name of the paper found, name of publication, publication type and description, and some information about the author. There's also a direct link to the paper itself.
The engine appears to be rather small at the moment, but its hosts are willing to host academic papers which are not yet online (this is a free service.) They also are willing to host journals and convention papers. (This appears to be a paid service.) A nice idea; it'll be interesting to see how/if it grows. Worth a look.” (From Research Buzz)
This database is really small as yet. I searched for several keywords and got no hits, so I then switched over to an author search for “Smith”. There were only four hits. The resources were all high quality, but the sample size very small …
Bright Sparcs
http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/
“A register of over 3,000 people involved in the development of science, technology and medicine
in Australia, including references to their archival materials and bibliographic resources. Explore
the roles these people played. Find out where they worked, who they worked with, what they worked on
and what they achieved.” Very brief biographies of historical and current Australians.
The Last Word
http://www.newscientist.com/lastword/lastword.html
Did you ever wonder … if you did, this site is for you. Readers of NewScientist Magazine, a
weekly publication from the UK, write in with unanswered science questions. Have you noticed brown
bread toasts more quickly than white bread … several reasons are suggested. If your students
are in search of interesting science fair projects, this may be the place to begin.
(From
Blue WebN)
Ecological Footprints of Nations [RealPlayer, .zip]
http://www.ecouncil.ac.cr/rio/focus/report/english/footprint/
In the wake of the 1997 Earth Summit (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development),
Dr. Mathis Wackernagel and other experts wrote this report comparing the ecological impact
(“footprint”) of 52 large nations containing 80 percent of the world population. The
report, featured on this Webpage, shows the extent to which each nation's consumption can be
supported by its local ecological capacity. One key finding is that “today, humanity as a
whole uses over one third more resources and eco-services than what nature can regenerate.”
This site contains all sections of the report, and includes (in addition to the detailed
methodology and results) a glossary, a RealAudio interview with lead author Mathis Wackernagel,
and the capacity to download (.zip) the text portion of the report. [LXP]
(From the Scout Report)
Cloud forest alive
http://www.cloudforestalive.org/
A great site from the Central American Commission for Environment and Development. Colourful,
informative and easy to navigate, it includes ornithological webcams of hummingbirds and the
fabulously named Resplendent Quetzal. There's something for everyone – identify ‘The
Monday Insect’, listen to the sounds of the cloud forest, learn about current scientific
research or try out the quiz. (From New Scientist Planet Science) Folks, this is a great website.
They also offer stunning cloud forest wallpaper for your computer screen, a field guide to Costa
Rican hummingbirds, a newsletter, and more. Truly a fun and interesting site!
Atlas of the Body
http://www.ama-assn.org/insight/gen_hlth/atlas/atlas.htm
This site from the American Medical Association will help you get to know the back of your hand
like, well the back of your hand.and chart any other part of your body for that matter. All the
usual cutaways are here – male and female reproductive systems, muscles, nerves, the whole
body in fact. The site navigates upwards to the wider AMA Health Insight, which discusses health
and disease and, for US visitors, provides a means to finding medical resources such as doctors
and hospitals. (From
New Scientist Planet Science)
iProtocol – A free service to publicize research protocols used in bioscience
http://iprotocol.mit.edu/
This site put online by MIT provides protocols in the fields of:
“Launched in the summer of 1999, iProtocol has become an innovative solution for bench-top researchers to enhance their scientific exploration. Serving as an open platform for researchers to share their protocols and expertise, iProtocol is positioned to stimulate global scientific collaboration.”
Genetic Science Learning Center
http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/
Although the name perhaps sounds rather daunting, the Genetic Science Learning Centre is a
great place to start if you want some up-to-date info on any aspect of genetics, with a strong
educational flavour. Whether you're a teacher wanting teaching aids, a student looking for
career information, or a parent interested in knowing how genetic diseases could affect a
family, the information presented is clear and helpful. Under the “Most Requested”
link, you can discover how to extract naked DNA from virtually anything greenish living in your
fridge. They use green split peas, a blender, and some washing-up liquid – Jamie Oliver
eat your heart out! (From
New Scientist Planet Science)
Stalking the mysterious microbe
http://www.microbe.org/
A simple introduction to microbes from the American Society for Microbiology. Pay a visit to find
out, with the help of “Sam Sleuth” all about the microbes on your hands and in the
Himalayas, the world of landfills and oilspills and what you need to know about common colds and
uncommon cures. There are lots of amateur microbiology experiments that can be carried out with
readily available materials such as your teeth, where biofilms of bacteria form, and a loaf of
bread, on which the most outrageously colourful moulds can grow, given time. It is also available
in Spanish. (From
New Scientist Planet Science)
Australia's Biodiversity [RealPlayer]
http://www.austmus.gov.au/biodiversity/
From Australian Museum Online comes this informative presentation on biodiversity. This searchable
site allows visitors to learn fun biodiversity facts (such as the evolutionary history of the
platypus and the secret life of kelp forests), how to conserve biodiversity through sustainable
living practices, and what's happening at the Australian Museum in Sydney. Many of the pages can
also be downloaded in .pdf format. Features of the site include RealMedia films on such topics as
the Lizard Island Research Station and Sydney's Coastal Reefs; a page about the interpretive
strategies of the museum's exhibition, Biodiversity: life supporting life; and biodiversity and
forestry case studies in Australia. Well organized and readable, this site will be enjoyable for
both Aussies and non-Aussies interested in the science and wonder of life's diversity. [HCS]
(From the Scout Report)
BioInteractive
http://www.biointeractive.org/grants/lectures/biointeractive/index.html
This site is filled with bio activities and tools for students of all ages. For younger children,
choose “Cool Science for Curious Kids.” For older students, especially AP students,
access the latest virtual tools for the geneticist, physician, and immunologist in the virtual
labs. Take 20 minutes to be introduced to the tools of the trade (Flash required). Take part in a
sequencing a strand of DNS, and identify the virus it belongs to. Request FREE CR Roms of these
activities if you are bandwidth challenged. (From
Blue Web'N)
AgBiotechNet
http://www.agbiotechnet.com/
AgBiotechNet publishes current information about biotechnology and biosafety for researchers and
policy makers world-wide. The site provides rapid and convenient access to research developments
in genetic engineering and updates on economic and social issues. The site's creators also claim
that their resources tackle the very limited access of scientists and policy makers in the
developing world by providing critical information about biotechnology and biosafety. AgBiotech
itself has been around for about ten years but the site now provides news updates, information on
books and conference proceedings via the Web. (From
New Scientist Planet Science)
The Computer Vision Handbook
http://www.cs.hmc.edu/~fleck/computer-vision-handbook/
A work in progress, this site outlines resources for computer vision techniques, including
societies and funding; general references and lab procedures; and indices and programs for
mathematics, computer science, graphics and physics. The goal of this electronic handbook is
to provide graduate students and others new to computer vision research with a useful tool
because, “…the computer vision literature is vast and diverse. Furthermore,
computer vision research depends on techniques from a wide range of other fields. Therefore,
it is difficult for newcomers (e.g. graduate students) to assimilate enough background
material to do their research,” says the site's collaborative authors, scientists from
the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Harvey Mudd College, and the University of Iowa.
This metasite is well-organized into subheadings: The Computer Vision Community, Computer
Vision, Mathematics, Computer Science, Hardware, and Allied Fields, and a glossary is also
available. Because it collects so much of the literature and so many Websites, the Computer
Vision Handbook is an indispensable tool for graduate students and faculty in the field.
[HCS] (From the Scout Report)
Dictionary of Storage Networking Technology
http://www.snia.org/English/Resources/Dictionary.html
The dictionary contains almost 1,000 terms used in the storage industry.
… and this page loads like a snail, so click the link and go get a cup of coffee. When you come back, you'll see that its loading was snaillike because the entire dictionary is on this page! That means you can browse the whole dictionary in one spot, from 8B/10B encoding to Zoning. Each definition includes the word, context, and definition. There is some hyperlinking from within the definitions, and some cross-referencing, but not a lot. (From Research Buzz)
Virtual Tour of the MSU Power Plant
http://www.egr.msu.edu/che/html98/classes/321/PowerPlant/
There is nothing fancy about this site, it is simply a description, heavily illustrated, of
the power plant that provides electricity for Michigan State University. Some of the
pictures are pretty slow loading, so it takes some patience to view the site, but the
pictures are eerily beautiful and the text is very readable. A nice example of a very simple
website that manages to be both classy and informative.
On Time
http://americanhistory.si.edu/ontime/
This new exhibit from the Smithsonian “explores the changing ways we have measured, used,
and thought about time over the past 300 years.” Periods include:
1700-1820 – Marking Time
1820-1880 – Mechanizing Time
1880-1920 – Synchronizing Time
1920-1960 – Saving Time
1960-Now – Expanding Time
The exhibit is brief and has a US bias, but it is visually stunning and quite interesting.
Mining Environment Database
http://www.laurentian.ca/www/library/medlib.htm
“The database provides references and abstracts to over 20,000 journal articles, books,
and government reports dealing with abandoned mines, acid mine drainage and land reclamation.
Topics include reclamation planning, design and costs; tailings, heavy metals; disposal of
hazardous wastes, including acid mine drainage, sulphide-based tailings and asbestos particles;
chemical reactivity and oxidation affecting pyrite and pyrrhotite tailings; leaching;
radioactive hazards of uranium tailings soil and water contamination; soil stabilization;
liming; fertilizers; seeding techniques; mine closure techniques; and other related topics.
Subject coverage focuses on hard rock mining topics and is international in scope.” I
tried the WEB catalog which is available in English, French and Spanish. The interface was very
user-friendly.
The Official Site of the Hunley
http://www.hunley.org/new/main_nav.htm
Site describes the tragic history of the H.L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink a ship in
battle (Charleston, South Carolina, February 17, 1864), and the people who developed it and
lost their lives in it. It also discusses and illustrates the ongoing efforts to recover and
preserve the wreck. Includes an animation of the raising of the Hunley (in QuickTime format),
pictures, and archived articles. Searchable. - nbh (From
Librarian's Index to the Internet)
Atmospheric Science Quiz
http://www.enn.com/features/2000/08/08082000/atmosphericsciencequiz_14852.asp
“Just as an organ has a unique structure and function, so does our atmosphere …
There is a real possibility that the health of this organ has been compromised,” by the
thinning of the ozone layer and the accumulation of greenhouse gases. The Environmental News
Network provides this educational and inspirational quiz about our precious atmosphere. Each
question comes with an explanation of the answer, fantastic related links, and statistics
about the percentage of participants who answered correctly. For example, only 30 percent of
the quiz takers knew which layer of the atmosphere contains the most ozone! This quiz is a
unique way to learn about the science of global warming and other human-influenced
environmental threats. [HCS] (From the Scout Report)
Life Along the Fault Line
http://www.exploratorium.edu/faultline/index.html
The Exploratorium (San Francisco, California, USA): Life Along the Faultline is a multimedia
website dedicated to the well-documented history of seismic activity in the state of California.
The website contains six webcasts and interactive multimedia reports about specific catastrophic
earthquakes. Be sure to see “1906 – The Great Shake”, which contains many
excellent photographs of the 8.3 Richter magnitude earthquake that destroyed much of San
Francisco. There are also educational subpages about the basics of seismology and geotechnical
engineering within an active fault zone. (From
Websurfer's Weekly Earth Science Review)
Paleomaps
http://www.scotese.com/
The goal of the PALEOMAP Project is to illustrate the plate tectonic development of the ocean
basins and continents, as well as the changing distribution of land and sea during the past 1100
million years. This website contains a lot of interesting paleogeographic images, but my
favorites are the “Future Maps”, which are predictions of how the continents will be
arranged 50 million years from now and 250 million years in the future, and animations of the
continent's future movements. (From
Websurfer's Weekly Earth Science Review)
Computational Fluid Dynamics – Computational Technology Area (NRL)
http://www.lcp.nrl.navy.mil/cfd-cta/
“The Computational Fluid Dynamics CTA employs digital computers and numerical methods to
solve the equations describing fluid and gas motion. CFD is used for basic studies of fluid
dynamics, for engineering design of complex flow configurations, and for predicting the
interactions of chemistry with fluid flow for combustion and propulsion. It is also used to
interpret and analyze experimental data and to extrapolate into regimes that are inaccessible
or too costly to study.” The project type described include:
Student Guides to Physics
http://physics.about.com/cs/studentguides/index.htm
David Harris at About.com has put together lists of websites in the various areas of physics
and linked them to the appropriate educational level, from primary grade students through
professional resources. The sites are well chosen. About.com always has a nice list of high
quality sites on any topic under the sun, but this is the first one I have seen that has
them divided by such a nice layout of appropriate level of expertise and interest.
Definitely worth looking at!
Heat Transfer Picture Gallery – A Visualization of Heat Transfer Phenomena
http://www.me.utexas.edu/~heatran/pgallery.html
“The motivation for publishing these photographs is to draw attention to, and
illustrate, the aesthetic qualities of thermal processes. The accompanying explanatory text
for each photo display is kept to a minimum to focus attention on the visualization. The
photographs include phenomena of natural and forced convection, boiling, and combustion.”
Some are lovely, all are interesting.
Materials Subject Center
http://ltsn.materials.ac.uk/default.htm
“The Materials Subject Centre hopes to become a valuble resource for all teachers of
materials, whether they be in a specific materials department (for example materials science,
ceramics, textiles, paper or polymer technology) or in one of the many other science or
engineering departments which teach materials as part of their core curriculum.” The
‘Resources’ link on this page provides you with links to a variety of interesting
materials science teaching resources.
A New Historic Chemical Landmark
http://www.chemweb.com/alchem/2000/news/nw_000811_priest.html
The Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Chemical Society have declared Joseph
Priestley's UK home an Historic Chemical Landmark to commemorate his discovery of oxygen
on 1 August 1774. (From The Alchemist – free registration required.)
Additional links on Joseph Priestly, provided in the Alchemist article, are:
Joseph Priestley Biography– http://www.spaceship-earth.de/Biograph/Priestley.htm
Another JB Biography– http://www.woodrow.org/teachers/chemistry/institutes/1992/Priestley.html
Bowood Estate– http://www.bowood-estate.co.uk/
American Chemical Society– http://www.acs.org/
The Royal Society of Chemistry– http://www.acs.org/careers/empres/conduct.html
Citizen Kurchatov
http://www.pbs.org/opb/citizenk/
Citizen Kurchatov is the story of the physicist who became the driving force behind the
Soviet Union's race to develop the atomic bomb. It is the story of Igor Kurchatov, born
in 1903, who believed the Russian revolution would lead to the bright future of
scientific socialism. Stalin's bomb-maker ultimately invested his time in the promotion
of peaceful uses for nuclear energy and even shared Soviet information about nuclear
fusion with the West. He died an “old man” at the age of only fifty. (From
New Scientist Planet Science)
The Physics of Tsunamis
http://www.geophys.washington.edu/tsunami/general/physics/physics.html
This succinct website describes the mechanisms of tsunami generation and propagation and
includes Quicktime animations.
Space Educator's Handbook – One Small Click for All Mankind
http://vesuvius.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/
The SPACE EDUCATORS' HANDBOOK site features more than 2,000 files. Jerry Woodfill of
NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas developed this program for educational
use. You will find everything here, from a space coloring book, to microgravity
effects on the human body, to debates about space, to sports on the moon, and more! A
listing is provided indexed by appropriate grade level. What a site!
UFO Document Index
http://nsa.gov/docs/efoia/released/ufo.html
From NSA, this website contains full text of “The documents listed on this page
were located in response to the numerous requests received by NSA on the subject of
Unidentified Flying Objects. In 1980, NSA was involved in Civil Action No. 80-1562,
Citizens Against Unidentified Flying Objects Secrecy v. National Security Agency.”
Documents from that civil action are so identified.
NESSTAR: Network Social Science Tools and Resources
http://www.nesstar.org/
The long awaited NESSTAR system, dubbed the “Social Science Dream Machine”
by some (see the September 10, 1999 _Scout Report_), has moved from a beta
version into operational mode. Currently, NESSTAR has three main components: 1. NESSTAR
Explorer, a search engine for social science data and resources that allows users
“to find data across organisational and national boundaries” and browse and
download both data and metadata; 2. NESSTAR Publisher, a “collection of tools and
resources that enables data publishers and distributors to disseminate data via the
Internet;” and 3. an overview of the NESSTAR System Architecture, showing how
NESSTAR builds on “state-of-the-art technology like Java, XML, CORBA, etc.”
Most researchers will be interested in the Explorer, which currently allows users to
retrieve descriptions of data and, in many cases, the data and metadata from the Danish
Data Archive, the Finnish Social Science Data Services, the Norweigan Social Science
Data Services, and the UK Data Archive. Search options include simple, field, and
advanced, and results contain information on location, description, and accessibility
of the data. When data are available they display in HTML with a framed table of
contents. A User Guide is available to help researchers navigate the Explorer. Already,
NESSTAR is an excellent resource for instant access to a wide range of social science
data, particularly on European topics, and plans are to add more major archives in the
future. Caveat: The Macintosh version of NESSTAR Explorer requires a Java 2 virtual
machine, but unfortunately, none are currently available for the Mac OS. [DC]
(From the Scout Report)
Geography Network
http://www.geographynetwork.com/
The Geography Network bills itself as “a global network … [that] provides
the infrastructure needed to facilitate the sharing of geographic information between
data providers, service providers, and users around the world.” With a roster of
some two dozen participating members that includes both private firms and government
agencies, the site allows access to a wide variety of geographic materials, including
basic maps as well as more sophisticated map data intended for use with GIS software.
A tool called the Geography Network Explorer allows users to browse the maps and data
by publisher or content, or to search the collection by location, type of content,
and/or data theme. Some of the maps are designed for dynamic viewing online, with
zoom-in capabilities and other features, while other static map images are available
for download. The site also offers a discussion forum and a map exchange service, as
well as instructions for providers who wish to include their own geographic information
in the network. Both serious users of GIS information and more casual map buffs are
likely to find this site interesting and useful. [SW]
(From the Scout Report)
Intimate Partner Violence – Bureau of Justice Statistics [ASCII]:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/ascii/ipv.txt
Spreadsheets [.zip]
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/sheets/ipv.zip
Abstract:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/ipv.htm
.pdf format (11 pages):
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/ipv.pdf
Released earlier this summer, this report on intimate partner violence from the Bureau of
Justice Statistics “provides information on violence by intimates (current or former
spouses, girlfriends, or boyfriends) since the redesign of the National Crime Victimization
Survey (NCVS).” “The report covers trends in intimate violence, characteristics
of victims (race, sex, age, income, ethnicity, and whether the victims live in urban,
suburban, or rural areas), type of crime (physical assault, verbal threats), and trends for
reporting to police. Intimate victimizations measured include rape, sexual assault, robbery,
aggravated assault, and simple assault. Data on murder by intimates are also given.”
Data for the report came from the NCVS and the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports. [DC]
(From the Scout Report
The 50 most influential policy books of all time
http://policy.com/newsstand/books_classics1.html
These are the 49 classics chosen by the staff of policy.com, and an invitation to readers to
nominate the 50th. Each book is illustrated with a brief description of its time and
influence, and includes links, if available, to full text (and a link to Amazon.com should
you wish to order from them.)
7 August 2000 EPA Back On Line, More Security Minded
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), whose site has been down since February due to
security problems, is coming back on line with a new stance on security. While the agency
once considered all information public unless there was a compelling reason to secure it,
now the reverse it true: information is considered sensitive unless officials deem otherwise.
(From Government Computer News)
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‘THE GRID’ IS NEXT WAVE OF COMPUTING, LABS HOPE
Scientists at the CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland, where the World Wide Web was
created in 1989, are now working on the next level of computer interconnection –
the Grid. As with the Web, the CERN scientists are building the Grid to meet the
data-processing needs of a specific project, in this case, the data that will result from
the Large Hadron Collider, which will recreate conditions immediately after the Big Bang.
The Grid will distribute this data among a network of computers through a system of
multiple tiers connected through fiber-optic cables. Data will move from the main
laboratory to regional and sub-regional centers to universities and departments and
finally to individual researchers. What makes the Grid so revolutionary is that a
university researcher, even using a standard PC, would have access to data from the
original supercomputers. That much data would overwhelm a computer downloading it from
today's Web. The CERN scientists admit that the Grid is still a project very much under
development – the Large Hadron Collider itself is not due to begin work for another
five years – but they are very optimistic about its potential.
(International Herald Tribune, 14 Aug 2000 via Edupage)
THE INTERNET IS PLAYING A PRINCIPAL ROLE IN RECALL OF TIRES
The Internet is playing a vital information-providing role to the consumers, companies,
and lawyers involved in the recall of 6.5 million Bridgestone/Firestone tires used on
Ford SUVs. Research organization Safetyforum.com says it has recorded 2 million hits
over the past two weeks. “The promise of the Internet for issues is much greater
than for e-commerce,” says Safetyforum founder Ralph Hoar. The rush for
information about the recall was so great at Firestone's Web site that the site crashed
the day the recall was announced. The site, which normally averages no more than 90,000
hits on a daily basis, was swamped with 6.9 million visitors on Thursday. Firestone's
Christine Karbowiak touched on the Internet's role of information disseminator, noting
that consumers who go online can view Firestone's comments in unedited form.
(Wall Street Journal, 16 Aug 2000 via Edupage)
SWITCHING THE LIGHT FANTASTIC
Scientists are still working to fully understand light, particularly its enigmatic
ability to exist as both a wave and a particle. Waves and particles display
contradictory behaviors, for example, in terms of interference patterns, which make it
seemingly impossible to exist in both states. Yet quantum physics dictates that light
behaves as a particle when treated as a particle, and as a wave when it is handled as
a wave. Investigating this phenomenon known as quantum weirdness, a team of researchers
in Geneva recently divided a beam of light into two identical parts, transmitting the
beams via fiber-optic cables to detectors that were over 10 kilometers apart. By forcing
one of the beams to polarize in a certain direction, the researchers found that they
could force the other beam to immediately assume the opposite direction. Although much
work remains to be done in this field, inventors are already imagining the potential of
technology such as quantum encryption. Another potential application for quantum
weirdness is in quantum computers, which would use the superposed particle/wave states
to carry out vast numbers of calculations at a tremendous speed.
(Forbes ASAP, 21 Aug 2000 via Edupage)
SCIENTISTS ADVANCE ON PATH TO MAKE ELECTRONICS TINIER
Scientists at the University of California at Los Angeles are using organic molecules
called catenanes to build an electronic switch with reversible on/off capability. The
scientists will detail the project in the issue of “Science” to be published
today. The molecular switch is a major breakthrough in the emerging field of
nanotechnology, a focus of corporate research and a $500 million a year initiative of the
Clinton administration. Nanotechnology could produce faster, less expensive computers and
other machines with the ability to assemble and repair themselves. UCLA scientists James
Heath and J. Fraser Stoddart chose to work with catenanes because of their structure. Each
molecule is two interlocked rings of atoms. The scientists were able to change the state
of one ring in relation to the other by stimulating it with either electricity or light.
The use of light as a stimulant may lead to the development of optical computers, the
scientists proposed. The next step for nanotechnology researchers is to discover how to
control each molecular switch individually rather than in unison.
(New York Times, 18 Aug 2000 via Edupage)
FOR THIN, FOLDABLE MONITORS, ONE WORD: PLASTICS
University of Arizona, Tucson optical sciences department assistant research professor
Ghassan Jabbour is attempting to develop a display screen so thin and flexible that it
can be folded and unfolded repeatedly. The technology is in its early stages, but Jabbour
and his team are already able to fabricate screens 1,000 times thinner than a human hair
on plastic film using simple, inexpensive printing techniques. Using a frame, a fabric, a
design stencil, and a squeegee, the team deposited an “ink” of carbon-based
molecules on the plastic film; these molecules comprised three diodes that emit blue,
green, and red light when activated by an electric current. The diodes make up single
pixels that form a monitor image. Jabbour's program is part of a Defense Department-funded
consortium that plans to apply the technology to the marketplace. The plastic film
monitors differ from liquid crystal displays in that they emit their own light, and can be
viewed from almost any angle. The foldable monitors will be cheaper to produce and more
efficient, Jabbour believes.
(Los Angeles Times Online, 14 Aug 2000 via Edupage)
SCREENSAVERS COULD SAVE LIVES
Several companies are offering PC users screensaver programs that analyze scientific data
while their computers are idle. For the companies, the advantages are clear. For example,
Distributed Science, which is studying the storage of nuclear waste, boasts that its
Process Tree network of over 100,000 users is more powerful than the ASCI White
supercomputer, which can complete 12 trillion calculations per second. Parabon's screensaver
simulates the interaction between cancer cells and possible treatment drugs, while Popular
Power's program tests drugs for influenza. Parabon CEO Steven Armentrout, explaining why
users should consider joining the network, says, “It allows individuals to directly
contribute to cancer research and may lead to important discoveries.” Most of the
companies are also offering some form of payment. These companies have based their programs
on the remarkably successful Seti@home project. That project, which uses a screensaver
program to process data from the Arecibo telescope on idle PCs, has more than 2 million
users.
MESSAGE FROM THE PEOPLE: GET ONLINE!
Most Americans support an increase in online government services and would feel comfortable
voting over the Internet, according to a recent survey from Andersen Consulting. Sixty-one
percent of respondents said they would vote online in the upcoming presidential election if
an Internet-based voting system were available – a significant increase over the 49
percent of eligible voters who actually cast their votes in the 1996 election. In addition,
at least half of the respondents said they would be comfortable using the Internet to renew
driver's licenses, register for classes, register to vote, pay fines, and apply for jobs,
says Andersen's David Wilkins. The survey also reveals that 69 percent of respondents favor
face-to-face or online interaction with government agencies over communicating via phone or
U.S. mail. By increasing online services, governments could better serve citizens, cut
costs, and increase efficiency, the survey says. Still, 93 percent of respondents cite
privacy and “the protection of my information from unauthorized access” as major
concerns relating to online government services.
(MSNBC, 7 Aug 2000 via Edupage)
COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENTS ARE DEPLETED AS MORE PROFESSORS TEST ENTREPRENEURIAL WATERS
Computer science departments at colleges and universities across the country are encountering
staffing problems as more professors move on to lucrative positions at high-tech companies.
Although the turnover has not reached the crisis level, smaller schools and schools that are
not situated in markets with high-tech corridors are suffering the most. Industrial research
labs were the big lure 10 years ago, says Ed Lazowska, chairman of the Computer Science and
Engineering Department at the University of Washington in Seattle. “Now it's the lure
of startups,” he says. Although schools can offer computer science professors tenure,
Peter Freeman, the John P. Imlay, Jr. Dean of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology,
acknowledges that they cannot compete with stock options. He says schools can offer a newly
minted computer science Ph.D. about $100,000 a year, counting summer research grants, which
should be “within striking distance for IBM and Intel.” However, Internet startups
offer the potential for dot-com millions. Still, some professors find their way back to the
classroom after giving industry a brief try. Some schools, such as University of Texas at
Austin, are fortunate to have companies such as Dell Computer and Motorola nearby so they can
have local professionals serve as adjunct professors.
(New York Times Online, 9 Aug 2000 via Edupage)
PROJECT WILL EXTEND HIGH-SPEED NETWORKING TO LATIN AMERICA
Abilene and other high-speed research networks in the U.S. and other countries will reach
Latin American universities and research organizations by mid September as the result of
a $30 million backbone network project. Americas Path, a new consortium created by the
Florida International University in Miami and Internet communications firm Global Crossing,
is supplying fiber-optic cable and high-speed circuits to link over 250 Latin American
universities and research facilities to the high-speed networks. The project will benefit
researchers around the world by facilitating the flow of information. For example, the
Gemini South telescope in Chile, which generates some of the best images available to
astronomers today, will be easily accessible to scientists from any location. Without the
high-speed networks, researchers have been forced to conduct scientific exchanges via
satellite and standard Internet connections that lack sufficient bandwidth. To complete
the Internet gateway to Latin America, Global Crossing is providing 10 high-speed circuits
and installing fiber-optic cable along most of Latin America's coast. Meanwhile, Lucent
and Cisco are providing high-speed switches and routers.
(Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 14 Aug 2000 via Edupage)
APS Physics Limerick Contest
http://www.aps.org/apsnews/11855.html
“A total of 190 limericks were received since the contest was announced in the December issue
of APS News. … Some are acknowledged ‘groaners’ – but punsters have to live
too; some don't scan so well, but had other redeeming qualities.” These can be pretty esoteric
…
Top Ten Reasons for Peer Review
http://news.bmn.com/hmsbeagle/84/xcursion/topten
HMS Beagle's editors say, “In our previous issue, we asked you to give us your opinion in favor
of the peer review process. Many thanks to our voters. Here are your randomly ordered top ten
responses, in your own words.” Biting and tongue-in-cheek replies from the scientific community.
Grease Car
http://www.greasecar.com/
“In the proud tradition of the Veggie Van comes the Grease Car, a converted VW Westfalia van that
runs entirely on used cooking grease. As it turns out, the first diesel engine exhibited in the 1900
World's Fair ran on peanut oil. Who knew? Your intrepid hosts Justin Carven and Skip Wrightson are
currently on a grease-fueled road trip across the United States. Check out photos from the road
(including some nifty engine shots), read diary entries in the trip tracker (they just did a segment
for Ripley's Believe It Or Not), or learn how to create your own bio-engineered, four-wheeled wonder.”
(From Yahoo's Picks of the Week)
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