9/26/00
NOTE: If you are not already receiving the Newsletter by e-mail, and would like to, contact sbianchi@nsf.gov. PLEASE STATE WHETHER YOU PREFER THE FULL NEWSLETTER OR JUST THE TABLE OF CONTENTS.
This newsletter is available to the public at the following locations:
http://library.stanford.edu/depts/swain/nsflibnews/
http://www.eevl.ac.uk/scitechnews/
http://avel.edu.au/scitech.html
PrePrint Archive
http://www.sciencedirect.com/preprintarchive
This exciting new database from ChemWeb is now available, free. It contains abstracts and full
text, and also has author contact information! It is easily searchable, offering both
a basic search and advanced search screen.
“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 revolutionising chemistry communication.”
Federal R&D Project Summaries
http://www.osti.gov/fedrnd/
This database is a cooperative effort between the National Science Foundation, the Department of
Energy, and the National Institutes of Health. NOTE: This database contains excellent contact
information for the principal investigators.
Federal R&D Project Summaries provides a portal to information about Federal research projects, complete with full-text single-query searching across databases residing at different agencies. The public may use this tool to stay better informed as to how its investment in research and development is being utilized. It also provides a unique window to the Federal research community, allowing agencies to better understand the research and development efforts of their counterparts in government.
Using research summary and awards data (over 240,000 records) from the Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation, OSTI has applied a unique cross-searching capability developed by Abe Lederman, Innovative Web Applications, Inc., called Distributed Explorer. This tool allows users to select any or all of the databases containing research information and input key terms for the search query. It will then search complete, full-text records for matches from all databases selected and provide results almost instantaneously. Results can then be culled, compiled, and assimilated into useful sets of information.
Also visit GrayLIT Network [.pdf]
http://www.osti.gov/graylit
“the world's most comprehensive portal to Federal gray literature,” with information
on 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).
The National Research Register
http://www.nrr.nhs.uk/
The National Research Register (Great Britain) : Current Health Research Projects
“The National Research Register (NRR) is a register of ongoing and recently completed
research projects funded by, or of interest to, the United Kingdom's National Health Service.
Information is held on over 50,000 research projects and is expected to grow further, as well
as entries from the Medical Research Council's Clinical Trials Register, and details on reviews
in progress collected by the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination.
As the most comprehensive register of current research in the NHS, it has enormous potential to:
Records held on the NRR can include details on the research title, research question, methodology, sample group, outcome measures and research project contacts. Projects are indexed on an ongoing basis, using the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) thesaurus of the National Library of Medicine.”
Records include contact information for the PI.
International Consortium for the Advancement of Academic Publication Journal List
http://bluesky.icaap.org/journallist.php
In association with Sociosite, the International Consortium for the Advancement of Academic
Publication (ICAAP) offers a database of “full text, freely available, peer reviewed
(and clearly identified) scholarly journals.” In sum, the site features over 70
periodicals – many of them in the fields of the social sciences and humanities.
Relevant subject headings include environmental studies, history, humanities, philosophy,
political science, religious studies, and sociology. Each listing features a basic and
expanded entry that includes information such as the type of periodical (journal, newsletter,
magazine, etc.), the type of review process, the publisher, a link to the publication, and in
the expanded version, the periodical's start date, country of origin, and a brief description.
In point of fact, many of the titles listed are not refereed journals, but magazines on
scholarly topics with editorial, rather than peer, review. And, as is so often the case with
Internet publications, some are updated more frequently than others. Nonetheless, there is
much here to take advantage of, and perhaps as the field of electronic scholarly publishing
evolves, this ambitious Website will evolve along with it. ICAAP “is a research and
development laboratory and standards organization devoted to the advancement of electronic
scholarly communication.” [DC] (From the Scout Report)
IEEE Intelligent Systems
http://computer.org/intelligent/
IEEE Intelligent Systems, a bimonthly publication of the IEEE Computer Society, covers new tools,
techniques, concepts, and current research and development activities in intelligent systems. The
magazine serves software engineers, systems designers, information managers, knowledge engineers,
and professionals in finance, manufacturing, medicine, law, and geophysical sciences.
Featured full-text articles are available in PDF format without a subscription. Complete access to full-text is available to members of the Computer Society who have an online subscription and an E-account.
Electronic Engineering Times
http://www.eetimes.com/
EE Times is the industry newspaper for the men and women who create the future of the business by
developing a steady flow of new products. The print and online charter is to provide this audience
with a trusted source of timely information to help them create competitive products and speed the
development process. EETimes' editors deliver a combination of business and technology news and
provide analysis of the most important trends, events and market forces-factors impacting the
product development process, as well as the careers of the engineers and managers involved.
channel-e
http://www.channel-e.de/
channel-e presents news and know-how articles which consults electronics engineers, system
integrators and the technical management in the area hard and software development. channel-e is
an original internet supply which isn't tied to a Print magazine.
channel-e has a mirror in russian (http://www.channel-e.ru/) and will reach developers and management target groups not only in the GUS but also in the “Russian enclaves” in Israel and the USA.
channel-e provide an daily newsletter in German and Russian.
American Journal of Neuroradiology
http://www.ajnr.org/
American Journal of Neuroradiology (AJNR) publishes more than 200 fully reviewed scientific papers,
case reports, and technical notes in a typical year. Subject matter covers the spectrum of diagnostic
imaging of the brain, head, neck, spine and organs of special sense, including aging and degenerative
diseases; anatomy; the cervicothoracic junction; contrast media; experimental studies; functional
imaging; iatrogenic disorders; imaging techniques and technology; inflammatory diseases;
interventional techniques and technology; the larynx and lymphatics; the nasopharynx and skull base;
neoplastic diseases; the nose and paranasal sinuses; oral and dental imaging; ophthalmologic and
otorhinolaryngologic imaging; pediatric ENT radiology; pediatric neuroradiology and congenital
malformations; the phakomatoses; radionuclide imaging; the salivary glands; seizure disorders; stroke
and cerebrovascular diseases; the temporalbone; tissue characterization and trauma.
There is currently a free trial period for access to AJNR, which will be available until March 2001.
Seed Science Research
http://hort.cabweb.org/
ISSN: 0960-2585
An official journal of the International Society for Seed Science (ISSS).
This print and Internet journal from CABI Publishing has established itself as the major source of original papers and review articles on fundamental aspects of seed research.
The journal also publishes short communications, book reviews, letters, editorials and research
viewpoints dealing with recent and exciting developments in the field. Emphasis is on the physiology,
biochemistry, molecular biology and ecology of seeds, covering the following key topics:
* Seed and embryo development * Seed biotechnology * Maturation * Dormancy * Germination * Viability
* Longevity * Vigour * Chemical and structural defences * Reserve mobilization * Establishment *
Ecophysiology * Seed-soil and seed-animal interactions * Computer modelling.
Free back issues This title is available to organizations with a print or Internet only subscription. Sample the 1998 issues for free on the Internet at http://hort.cabweb.org/. Subscribe today for access to issues from 1999 onwards http://hort.cabweb.org/.
American Journal of Sociology
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/AJS/journal/home.html
ISSN 0002-9602
The American Journal of Sociology is an electronic version of the print journal of the same title
published by the University of Chicago Press.
Established in 1895 as the first U.S. scholarly journal in its field, the American Journal of Sociology remains a leading voice for analysis and research in the social sciences, presenting work on the theory, methods, practice, and history of sociology. The journal also seeks the application of perspectives from other social sciences and publishes papers by psychologists, anthropologists, statisticians, economists, educators, historians, and political scientists.
Intended audience: psychologists, anthropologists, statisticians, economists, educators, historians, and political scientists.
As of January 2001 only subscribers will be granted access to the journal's electronic version. The current issue is available to browse until then.
Current Issues in Economics and Finance
http://www.ny.frb.org/rmaghome/curr_iss/2000.html
Current Issues in Economics and Finance a newsletter focusing on specific public policy issues.
Recent Articles Include:
Abstracts can be viewed in HTML format. Full-text articles can be viewed in PDF format.
Freedom's Journal
http://www.shsw.wisc.edu/library/aanp/freedom/index.html
“We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us.”
Thus declare Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm on the front page of Freedom's Journal, the first African-American owned and operated newspaper published in the United States. The Journal was published weekly in New York City from 1827 to 1829. John B. Russworm edited the journal alone between March 16, 1827 and March 28, 1829. Later, Samuel Cornish served as co-editor (March 16, 1827 to September 14, 1827). Freedom's Journal was superseded by The Rights of All, published between 1829 and 1830 by S. E. Cornish.
Freedom's Journal provided international, national, and regional information on current events and contained editorials declaiming slavery, lynching, and other injustices. The Journal also published biographies of prominent African-Americans and listings of births, deaths, and marriages in the African-American New York community. Freedom's Journal circulated in 11 states, the District of Columbia, Haiti, Europe, and Canada.
The newspaper employed subscription agents. One of these, David Walker, in 1829 published the first of four articles that called for rebellion. Walker's Appeal stated that “ … it is no more harm for you to kill the man who is trying to kill you than it is for you to take a drink of water,” this bold attack was widely read. Walker distributed copies of his pamphlet into the South, where it was widely banned.
All 103 issues of the Freedom's Journal have been digitized and placed into Adobe Acrobat format. We have placed the first 20 issues on the website and will add the rest over the next few months.
“NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress: Three Decades of Student Performance”
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/main1999/2000469.shtml
“Projections of Education Statistics to 2010”
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000071
The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) released two new reports this week. The
first, a 138-page report from NCES's National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP),
presents long-term trends in the performance of nine-, thirteen-, and seventeen-year-olds in
reading, mathematics, and science. The NAEP has administered assessments in these three areas
since the early seventies (1969 for seventeen-year-olds in science), and this report
summarizes the findings, including overall national trends, trends analyzed by student subgroup
(e.g., ethnicity, gender, parents's level of education), and data on experiences at school and
home that may have an impact on achievement (e.g., classroom equipment, television watching).
Generally speaking, the NAEP reports that math and science performance declined in the 1970s
but increased during the 1980s and early 1990s, remaining mostly stable since then. Students
made modest gains in reading, and improved most clearly across the assessment years in
mathematics. The second report listed is part of an ongoing series begun in 1964. The 179-page
report revises projections made in last year's “Projections of Education Statistics to
2009” (see the August 20, 1999 Scout Report), and includes national data
covering the last fourteen years and projections to the year 2010 for enrollments, teachers,
graduates, and expenditures; and state-level projections for enrollment graduates to the year
2010. [TK] (From the Scout Report)
Experimental Science Projects: An Introductory Level Guide
http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/SciProjIntro.html
David Morano, Associate Professor at Mankato State University, has put together this introductory
resource on experimental science projects. Organized into fourteen sections, this guide walks the
user through the basics of hypothesis testing, from the inception of an idea through its
experimental test. For each section, a brief summary is provided: Observations, Information
Gathering, Title, Purpose, Hypothesis, Procedure, Materials, Data, Recording Observations, Results,
Calculations, Questions, and Conclusions. To illustrate the process outlined in the guide, the site
includes an example of a science project (The Effect of Salt on the Boiling Temperature of Water),
with explanations of how thinking is formulated (or tested) at each stage. This resource is simple
in format and will be a useful learning tool for honing critical thinking in beginning scientists.
[LXP] (From the Scout Report)
Managing the Digital Future of Libraries: Proceedings [PowerPoint]
http://www.rsl.ru/tacis/menupceedings.htm
The Moscow Manifesto
http://www.rsl.ru/tacis/manifesto.htm
Russian State Library Information Project
http://www.rsl.ru/tacis/Home.htm
English and Russian translations of the proceedings from last spring's Managing the Digital
Futures of Libraries conference held in Moscow are available from the Russian State Library
Information Project Website. The proceedings contain over 50 papers representing speakers
from more than 20 countries addressing trends and issues related to digital libraries, as
well as reports on specific projects. Among other topics, papers cover electronic serials
services, electronic document delivery, digital audio collections, and digitization efforts.
In addition to HTML documents, several of the papers link to PowerPoint presentations. The
conference represented the final phase of a joint European Union - Russian State Library
project through Tacis, an EU initiative designed to foster development in the New Independent
States and Mongolia by cultivating links with organizations in the European Union. The Moscow
Manifesto presents the recommendations that resulted from the conference. Users can access
the Russian-language version of the site (click on Russian Federation flag) from the Russian
State Library Information Project Homepage. [AG] (From the Scout Report)
CompletePlanet [.pdf, .zip]
http://www.completeplanet.com/
CompletePlanet concerns itself with the “deep” Web, “content that resides in
searchable databases, the results from which can only be discovered by a direct query,”
and thus cannot be indexed or queried by traditional search engines. The site offers a number
of resources related to the “deep” Web, including a listing of approximately 13,000
“deep” Websites (out of an estimated 100,000 total) organized in 20 subject
categories. Each category breaks down into numerous topical headings, and listings for the
individual sites include a description and rankings for relevance, popularity, and links.
CompletePlanet's database is also keyword searchable. The site notes both new additions and the
most popular sites and offers a detailed search tutorial. Users who would like to learn more
about the “deep” Web are invited to read CompletePlanet's 41-page white paper,
“The Deep Web: Surfacing Hidden Value,” offered in HTML, .pdf, and .zip formats.
Users can also download a free 30-day trial version of a new utility (Lexibot) that can search
the “deep” Web. The registered version costs $89.95. [MD]
(From the Scout Report)
CRS Reports – A sampling of the newly added and updated Congressional Research Service Reports as of August 22, 2000
http://www.cnie.org/nle/crsnew.html
Groundwater biology
http://www.geocities.com/~mediaq/index1.html
Extremely comprehensive and of potential interest to both scientific researchers and
recreational cavers. A number of sections on cave biology and geology (biospeleology),
a selection of speleological abstracts and links to relevant organisations such as the
National Ground Water Association and Ground Water Protection Council. (From
New Scientist Planet Science)
Odyssey of Life
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/odyssey/
The Odyssey of Life comes from the US science program Nova, which provides invaluable
teaching material. The site shows various species’ embryos ‘morphing’,
and has an interview with pictures from a leading endoscopic photographer. Great
photographs combined with eye-catching links to performing your own virtual heart
transplant, or discovering that 1,000,000,000,000 bacteria live inside your body make
this an entertaining site for anyone interested in life. (From
New Scientist Planet Science)
Transgenic Crops: An Introduction and Resource Guide [Flash]
http://www.colostate.edu/programs/lifesciences/TransgenicCrops/
Developed by four professors in the Soil and Crops Sciences and Life Sciences Departments
at Colorado State University, this site aims to “provide balanced information and
links to other resources on the technology and issues surrounding transgenic crops (also
known as genetically modified or GM crops).” None of the authors is affiliated with
companies involved in transgenic crop development or with groups campaigning against such
crops. The site covers topics such as plant breeding, how transgenic crops are made –
including a Flash demo (not working at time of review), regulation of transgenic crops,
current and future transgenic products, risks and concerns, and news updates. The authors
deliberately steer clear of the moral or ethical implications of transgenic technology,
staying focused on the scientific issues. Throughout the site, links are provided to related
sites and other resources. Other sections include a bibliography, quiz, and FAQ. [MD]
(From the Scout Report)
Wellcome Trust Picture of the Week
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/en/1/pow000925.html
The mission of the Wellcome Trust is “to foster and promote research with the aim of
improving human and animal health”. Each week their website has a new picture of the
week, emphasizing the research and interests of the trust. There is also a picture archive.
These images are startling, beautiful and high quality. Images include everything from the
central nervous system of Drosophila, to robotic artworks. Definitely worth a look!
(Thanks to New Scientist Planet Science)
National Institutes of Health Guidelines for Research Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/stemcellguidelines.htm
“The Guidelines establish procedures to help ensure that NIH-funded research in this
area is conducted in an ethical and legal manner. These Guidelines are effective on August 25,
2000. The moratorium on research using human pluripotent stem cells derived from human embryos
and fetal tissue put in place by the Director, NIH, in January 1999, will be lifted on August
25, 2000.”
Palynology
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/palynology/
This excellent Website from the University of Arizona focuses on the branch of science known
as palynology, in which researchers study the microscopic remains of plants and organisms to
reconstruct ecological conditions of the past. The site features a wealth of information,
including research projects (and publications) from the University of Arizona; background
information (and illustrations) describing palynomorphs and archaeological, Quaternary, and
stratigraphic palynology; links to scientific and general palynology Websites; a
subject-organized list of select palynology references; links to international palynology
organizations; and much more. [LXP] (From the Scout Report)
Botany for Kids
http://www.rbg.ca/cbcn/en/kids/kidsindex.htm
This nice site from the Canadian Botanical Conservation Network presents brief explanations,
with suggested simple experiments, from various aspects of botany, from invasive exotics to
plants without flowers.
Steller Sea Lions
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/stellercam/
A live-cam and more site from National Geographic. If there is nothing visible at the site
when you check out the live cam, do not despair, there is plenty more to see, including a
collection of interesting video clips, postcards you can e-mail, and a resources and links
page.
Algorithms, Thermodynamics and Databases for RNA Secondary Structure: Zuker Lab
http://www.ibc.wustl.edu/~zuker/rna/
This virtual and digital library contains the following sections:
(From InfoMine What's New)
Ken's Bio-Web Resources
http://www.hoflink.com/~house/index.html
A huge collection of hyperlinks to biology sites aimed at students and teachers indexed
under such sections as microbiology, Mendelian genetics, evolution, human physiology,
general biology references, cell chemistry, molecular genetics, ecology, and animal
anatomy and physiology. Take for instance “Plant physiology”, which is broken
down into a further selection of headings, such as basics, carnivorous plants,
classification, hormones, tropisms, among others. Under each heading some of the best sites
on the subject are filed, some themselves libraries of hyperlinks to further websites on
that subject. Whether you're looking for jellyfish sites or rigor mortis sites, there are
some absolute gems here, of far higher quality than a search engine might throw up. Ken's
site is easy to explore via a handy navigation bar at the bottom of each page. (From
New Scientist Planet Science)
The Golem Project
http://golem03.cs-i.brandeis.edu/index.html
Tired of using the idle CPU cycles on your networked computer to search for intelligent life
in a cold, unfriendly universe? Maybe you'd prefer cultivating a little artificial intelligence
closer to home. The
Golem@Home
Project is a distributed computing experiment that uses the Internet environment to automatically
design, evolve, and manufacture prototype robotic lifeforms. You participate by downloading a
screensaver designed by scientists at Brandeis University, then, whenever your machine is idle,
you sit back and watch the colorful tubular entities evolve all by themselves. Golem (Genetically
Organized Lifelike Electro Mechanics) is actually named for a legendary giant clay man. (From
Yahoo's Picks of the Week)
Preliminary Release from “Surveying the Digital Future” – UCLA Center for Communications Policy
http://www.college.ucla.edu/InternetReport/
Press Release
http://www.uclanews.ucla.edu/Docs/LSHL379.html
“Trust and Privacy Online: Why Americans Want to Rewrite the Rules” – PEW Research Center [.pdf, 29 pages]
http://pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=19
Press Release
http://pewinternet.org/releases/release.asp?id=6
UCLA's Center for Communications Policy released last week a brief excerpt of their report
forthcoming in October. “Surveying the Digital Future,” funded by “an
unprecedented alliance of corporations and foundations,” is part of the World Internet
Project, a series of international studies, which aims to give a vision of the Internet's
worldwide impact. This initial release, which shows the responses of users and non-users
side-by-side, focuses on four main areas: political participation and the Internet, the
relative importance of different mass media sources, the credibility of information on the
Internet, and online privacy. Among the findings, 63.6 percent of users and 76.1 percent of
non-users agree that “people who go online put their privacy at risk.” The second
report listed above, the PEW Research Center's “Trust and Privacy Online,” details
Americans's feelings about this latter concern in a 30-question survey conducted in May and
June of more than 2,000 people (over 1,000 of which are Internet users). The survey covers the
gamut of privacy issues, and PEW reports that two-thirds of respondents don't think that
Internet companies should be allowed to track users's activities. When online respondents were
asked who would do the best job setting rules governing user tracking, half said users
themselves would be best; 24 percent said the federal government; and only 18 percent said
Internet companies would be best. The director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project
Lee Rainie explains that, overall, the survey shows that “Internet users want … a
presumption of privacy when they are online.” [TK] (From the Scout Report)
Circuits Archive
http://www.ee.washington.edu/circuit_archive/
A database for electrical engineering students and professionals, the Circuits Archive provides
diagrams of radio, computer, and other miscellaneous circuits (ASCII, .gif, and HTML formats).
The archive is just one part of this metasite housed at the University of Washington's
Electrical Engineering site. In addition to the circuit diagrams, a searchable database of
transistor cross-references, a component reference page (both in the Data Sheets section), and
links to models and microprocessors are featured. Other useful tools included are the Reading
Capacitors page and links to software sites. Diagrams and links are voluntarily contributed and
seem to be updated regularly. Note: the site includes a page on software in the Circuits Archive.
[HCS] (From the Scout Report)
RoboCup Official Site
http://www.RoboCup.org/
… and now for something completely different. Never mind the World Cup, it's the RoboCup
– that's the Robot (Soccer) World Cup. RoboCup is an international joint project to promote
AI & robotics, using the game of soccer as its central topic of research. The project hopes to,
by 2050, develop a team of fully autonomous humaoid robot that can win against the human world
champion team in soccer. A realistic ambition? Perhaps not, but the technology involved is
certainly of fascinating. (From
New Scientist Planet Science)
Evolution of Flight – commemorating 100 years in the air
http://www.flight100.org/
“In commemoration of the approaching 100th anniversary of flight, AIAA launched the Evolution
of Flight, a campaign to recognize the achievements of the men and women who challenged history and
invented the future-while changing life on Earth. Through the campaign, AIAA and its partners, will
celebrate the legacy of flight, encourage new talent, and define and promote the next 100 years of
aerospace innovation. We hope you will use this site to celebrate the centennial of flight as well
as learn about the men and women who made it possible.” This attractive site presents an
aeronautical timeline, easy experiments, and animations to demonstrate various concepts in flight
engineering.
The Sun Times Global Sun/Temperature Project
http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/tempproj/
Sign up now to participate in a project where students collect local data on temperature and number
of minutes of sunlight per day (the week is November 27 – December 1, 2000 for this round).
After collecting the data, the classes then submit their data to an online database and compare and
contrast their temperature and sunlight data with results from classes all over the globe. Register
prior to October 30; the project runs until December 15, 2000. (From
Blue WebN)
New Zealand Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences [.pdf, .mpeg]
http://www.gns.cri.nz/Default.htm
New Zealand Origins and Evolution, Fossils, Dating Rocks, Ancient Environments, Minerals, Plate
Motion, and Deformation are just a few of the pages featured at this geologic Website. In the How
We Can Help section, under databases, users will find the New Zealand Fossil Record File, a
registration scheme for recording fossil localities in NZ and nearby regions, including the SE
Pacific Islands and seafloor, and the Ross Sea region of Antarctica; the Record File gives an
index map of registered fossil localities and email addresses of regional geological surveys. The
Earth History section features several useful resources: a series of eight schematic palinspastic
reconstructions of New Zealand paleogeography from the Latest Cretaceous period to the present
(from the New Zealand Origins and Evolution page), summaries of ongoing basin evolution research,
and more. Other links include a What's New section, a page on isotopes, and the New Zealand Hazard
Watch site. [HCS] (From the Scout Report)
NASA's Visible Earth – A searchable directory of images, visualizations and animations of the Earth
http://www.visibleearth.nasa.gov/
“The goal of Visible Earth is to provide a consistently updated central catalog/collection
point to the superset of Earth science-related visualizations and images. These images will be
useful to the interested public-at-large, as well as representatives of the media, scientists,
and educators. Whether it be for personal use or for presentations, hopefully this collection and
its organization will provide maximum benefit.”
These often stunning, always useful images are presented in subject categories, but are also searchable using Boolean logic. There are currently 860 images in the database. Each image is presented in thumbnail with a detailed and interesting description, the data source, and credits. There is also a feature for viewing images recently added to the database. A fantastic resource!
1. “Scientists Say Polar Ice Cap Melting” [RealMedia, Java]
http://abcnews.go.com/onair/WorldNewsSaturday/wnt000819_polar_icecap_feature.html
2. “Arctic Warming Gathers Pace”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_880000/880228.stm
3. “Slowly But Surely, Iceland Is Losing Its Ice: Global warming is prime suspect in meltdown”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/200008/21/MN106275.DTL
4. “Arctic Ice Revealed”
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast22aug_1.htm
5. “Satellite Tracks Arctic Meltdown” [RealMedia]
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/planetearth/radarsat_arctic_000822.html
6. “Climate Clues in the Ice”
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/ClimateClues/
7. “Climate Impact of Quadrupling Atmospheric CO2”
http://www.gfdl.gov/~tk/climate_dynamics/climate_impact_webpage.html
8. EPA's Global Warming Website
http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/
9. Global warming in the twenty-first century: An alternative scenario
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/170278997v1
On a recent expedition from Norway to the North Pole, a group of scientists and tourists
aboard a Russian icebreaker found about a mile of open water right at the North Pole.
This caused great alarm for the passengers, including paleontologist Malcolm McKenna,
because it indicated the harsh reality of global warming. McKenna took photographs and
spoke to the media about the finding. Since that startling report, scientists at Lamont
Doherty Observatory have suggested that the polar ice was broken apart by wind, and not
melted by rising temperatures, but stressed that thinning of polar ice is real and should
not be ignored. A number of research teams have been recording the changing sea surface
temperatures and thickness of polar ice using satellite imaging and other technology.
Findings show that average winter surface temperatures in the Arctic have increased by two
degrees centigrade during the past century, melting ice caps, glaciers, sea ice, and
permafrost. This week's In the News observes the thinning polar ice, investigates the
technology behind climate study, and visits clearinghouses for information on global
warming. The first three sources are news articles. ABC News (1) provides a RealVideo
report containing footage of polar ice and an interactive java applet on global warming
along with the story of the melting ice. A good general overview of the incident at the
North Pole comes from the BBC News site (2). Startling facts can be learned from the
San Francisco Chronicle's story, (3). For instance, the article tells us that
Arctic sea ice shrank by 14,400 square miles per year from 1978 to 1998, a six percent
reduction overall, and the average rate of sea ice thinning is four inches per year! The
technological aspect of research on ice cover can be found at the next three sites. Site (4)
is a press release from NASA about the RADARSAT satellite. Says NASA, “NASA researchers
have new insights into the mysteries of Arctic sea ice, thanks to the unique abilities of
Canada's RADARSAT satellite. The Arctic is the smallest of the world's four oceans, but it
may play a large role in helping scientists monitor Earth's climate shifts.” Also focused
on the satellite, site (5), from Space.com, features a RealPlayer movie about NASA's Terra
spacecraft mission and .gif images displaying computer models of ice thickness predictions. A
summary of research institutions studying sea ice thinning trends and a brief look at satellite
technology are posted at site (6), from the NASA Distributed Data Archive center. This resource
also has figures and graphs displaying various ice data. A series of experiments examining the
possible climatic impact of a quadrupling of atmospheric CO2, a “greenhouse gas”
commonly formed by automobile emissions, were undertaken at Princeton's Geophysical Fluid
Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL). The results of the GFDL's model, including a figure of predicted sea
ice thicknesses, are displayed at site (7). The Environmental Protection Agency's Global Warming
Website (8) is an excellent place to learn about the causes and controversy of global warming;
news, events, information on education, along with greenhouse gas and emission data are available
at this site, which was featured in the February 21, 1997 _ Scout Report_. Readers
with access to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science's preprint server (many colleges
and universities have institutional subscriptions) can peruse the final resource (9), a research
article arguing that rapid global warming in recent decades is caused mainly by non-CO2 greenhouse
gases, such as CH4 and N2O. This news has implications for future legislation on fuel burning.
[HCS]
Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity
http://www.aip.org/history/curie/
The daughter of Polish schoolteachers, Marie Curie struggled to gain an advanced scientific
education, then went on to pioneer the study of radioactivity, discover the elements
polonium and radium, earn two Nobel prizes, and survive tragic personal loss and professional
rivalries. She successfully combined love, marriage, motherhood, and a demanding career in
the public eye. The American Institute of Physics presents a picture-book biography of
thoroughly-modern Marie Curie (1867-1934), whose heroic, oft-romanticized life set the stage
for our own atomic age and continues to serve as a model for women of science.
(From Yahoo's Picks of the Week)
The Second Superstring Revolution
http://theory.caltech.edu/people/jhs/strings/
“Once upon a time string theory was regarded as a passing phase in physics. Now the
field is booming more than ever before, as deep mathematics wielded by string theorists have
given us insights into black hole thermodynamics while telling us that strings themselves may
not be the whole story!” says this site's author, Professor John H. Schwartz of
California Institute of Technology. Ideal for undergraduate physics students, the text defines
and presents string theory and the arguments supporting supersymmetry, and explores
contradictions between the physical theories of quantum mechanics and relativity. A brief
history of string theory and the second string revolution is also presented, in which Schwartz
discusses his role in the theory's development. Also available is a reference list with links
to the text. Note: the equations are presented in Java webEG format. [HCS]
(From the Scout Report)
Mathletics
http://www.richmond.edu/~ed344/webunits/math/sport.html
Mathmatics + Athletics = Mathletics … a natural combination. One math application is
given for baseball, basketball, bowling and football. Part of the previously reviewed Blue Web'n
site “What Good is Math?” (From
Blue Web'N)
Sun Spots Max in 2000
http://www.sunspotcycle.com/
This fun site from NASA is the place to go for brief current information on sunspots. It will
tell you the number of sunspots for today, and provides images and animations, a discussion of
sunspots in history, how sunspots affect the earth, and more, and have links to information on
other aspects of solar research.
Space Day 2000
http://www.spaceday.com/
This site is for children, who are granted access via a pretend thumbprint security scan from
the screen. The homepage then opens impressively as you dock onto a space station and see
various clickable objects – dog, compass, apple, and others – floating in the
absence of gravity. The site is designed to inspire youngsters to get amazingly excited about
space travel and astronomy. There are also downloadable classroom materials for teachers. The
day in question, “Space Day”, has been happening once a year since 1997, this year
the Fourth Annual Space Day was on May 4. A live webcast took place featuring interviews with
John Glenn and other astronauts. From comet photos and astronaut wallpaper to the virtual Mars
mission and childen's space art, there's plenty here for yet another cloudy night when
enthusiasm is dwindling for the brand new telescope. Although a lower-tech version of the site
is available, it looks best with the free Flash plug-in. (From
New Scientist Planet Science)
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/
Like so many NASA Websites, this is a huge sprawling site packed with all kinds of information
about this project, including slides, images, movies, lesson plans, ask Dr. Soho, links to solar
resources, databases, news stories and so much more!
Sport!Science at the Exploratorium
http://netra.exploratorium.edu/sports/index.html
Although we reviewed this site some time ago, and have also dealt individually with some of its
component parts, what better time to draw it to your attention again than at the start of the
2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. Among other features, it covers Hockey, Cycling & Baseball –
there's even a section on Skateboarding Science. As with all sites from the Exploratorium, it's
well put together, good looking, and great fun. (From
New Scientist Planet Science)
Tennis Sport Science
http://muttley.ucdavis.edu/Tennis/
In honour of the Olympic Games, another site related to the science of sport. This time, it's
tennis. In their own words, the Aerodynamics in Sports Technology is “an interactive study
of sports designed to help students understand aerodynamics, physics, and mathematics, as part of
NASA's educational outreach mission via the World Wide Web. The project team is recording data
from professional tennis and some of the top players in the world, focusing on how the tennis ball
flies: its speed, how it spins, what happens when the ball hits the court, how it moves through
the air, and the strokes of the players that generate this flight.” And so on. You can find
out more about the project and follow its progress at this UC Davis site. (From
New Scientist Planet Science)
PBS Kids Democracy Project – teaching the value of a free society
http://www.pbs.org/democracy/kids/
This excellent website from PBS introduces kids to government, how it works, how it
interweaves with our daily lives. Sections include:
How does government affect me?
President for a Day
Inside the Voting Booth
Classroom Resources
Another quality site from PBS.
Global Macroeconomics and Financial Policy Site
http://www.stern.nyu.edu/globalmacro/
Nouriel Roubini, associate professor of economics and international business at the Stern
School of Business, New York University, has updated his award-winning Global Macroeconomics
and Financial Policy Site (first reviewed in the November 6, 1997 Scout Report for
Business and Economics). A necessity for any economist, the newly redesigned site is
much easier to navigate. The information is divided into three main sections: Interesting
Readings, Hot Topics, and Current News. The content of each section is listed chronologically
and includes the title and date. The menu along the left side of the screen offers
information-rich resources on a variety of topics including the Asian crisis, exchange rates,
academic research on currency collapse models and the Asian crisis, and international
financial system. Each subtopic links to a vast compilation of resources. Here users will
unearth a gold mine of information on global macroeconomics. [EM]
(From the Scout Report)
A Journalist's Guide to Economic Terms
http://www.facsnet.org/tools/ref_tutor/econo_term/glossary.html
A four-year old project of FACSNET reporting tools, A Journalist's Guide to Economic Terms
was created to give reporters and journalists a headstart in understanding economic terms.
All 213 current terms are concisely, but clearly, defined and are organized in alphabetical
order. This glossary will give any economics novice the basic terms needed to begin to
comprehend news briefs and articles about economics. [EM] (From the Scout Report)
On the Job – National Archives of Canada
http://www.archives.ca/exec/naweb.dll?fs&0516&e&top&0
This photographic exhibit from the National Archives of Canada documents the diverse places
of work of Canadians in the 20th century. The images are organized into six categories:
Natural Space, Work Camps, Man-Made Space, Industrial/Mechanical Space, Office/Technical
Space, and Working in the Home. After selecting a category, several thumbnail shots will
appear, along with a paragraph explaining the significance of the work space. Click on a
thumbnail to look at larger image of the photograph, complete with bibliographic information
including the subject of the photo, place, date, author, catalog number, and a short
description of the work. The image can be enlarged again, for a closer, more detailed look
at the photograph. [EM] (From the Scout Report)
What in the world
http://www.upenn.edu/museum/Games/whatintheworld.html
The precursor of BBCs ‘Animal, Vegetable or Mineral’, ‘What in the
World’ was a popular 1950s programme televised from the University of Pennsylvania's,
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Unidentified objects were presented to experts to
identify. This site allows us to play ‘What in the World?’ online and also has
‘Celebrity in the storeroom’; an eclectic mixture of celebrities (Kevin Bacon,
Archbishop of Canterbury, Big Bird!) choose their favourite object from the museum.
(From
New Scientist Planet Science)
Archeology of Teotihuacan, Mexico
http://archaeology.la.asu.edu/teo/
An exploration of this historic site in Mexico. Included are a description, chronology,
maps, and photographs. There is extensive information about the Feathered Serpent Pyramid
(Templo de Quetzalcoatl). Additionally, there is information about the Templo Mayor. Some
information from the Centro de Estudios Teotihuacanos is available only in Spanish. Brief
films (require QuickTime) are also provided. From the University of Arizona. - dl
(From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
Psych Web
http://www.psychwww.com/
Created and maintained by Georgia Southern professor of psychology Russell Dewey, this
Website offers a wealth of materials for students and researchers in the general field
of psychology. Perhaps the site's most impressive feature is a searchable journals
database offering a directory of annotated links to hundreds of online journals in
psychology and related fields – some of which offer free, full-text access. But
there's a great deal more on the site as well, including annotated links to metasites
in the field and APA style guidelines and tutorials; links to departments of psychology
around the world; and a directory of annotated resources on various subfields and
related topics such as statistics, social psychology, abnormal psychology, language and
speech, memory, testing and assessment, behavioral psychology, career issues, cognitive
science, and hundreds of others. There are also instructional materials on specific
topics posted here such as hypnosis and lucid dreaming, sports psychology, psychology of
religion, and cognitive therapy. Definitely a site for any undergraduate or graduate
student of psychology to visit and bookmark. [DC] (From the Scout Report)
Aboriginal Languages of Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages – World Wide Web Virtual Library
http://www.dnathan.com/VL/austLang.htm
This WWW Virtual Library site features annotated links to over 130 resources for nearly 40
of Australia's indigenous languages. The resources are categorized by type of resource,
language, and region (i.e., Australian state). Included here are links to dictionaries,
word lists, complete texts – some with translations, bilingual education resources,
language courses, academic papers, bibliographies, relevant libraries, indigenous songs
and sounds, language rights and policy Websites, and more. The resources are succinctly
and informatively annotated with graphic icons to represent sites with original text and
bibliographies or catalogs as well as dates-of-posting to the directory. Updated in late
July, Aboriginal Languages of Australia is created and maintained by David Nathan of the
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and sponsored by the
Linguistics department of the University of Melbourne. [DC]
(From the Scout Report)
Geographers.com
http://www.geographers.com/
Biogeography.com
http://www.Biogeography.com/
CulturalGeography.com
http://www.culturalgeography.com/
UrbanGeography.com
http://www.urbangeography.com/
Though still very much under development, the Geography Hub will likely become a major
resource and online community for geography students and professionals. The core of the
present offerings is the directory of geographers offered on Geographers.com. The
directory is divided into three categories: Physical Geographers, Human Geographers, and
Technical Geographers. Each is searchable by keyword or name, and full search results
include name, school, Website (when applicable), field notes, and publications. A
prototype search engine, scheduled for release in October, will allow searching by name,
with modifiers for country, research field, region studied, and level of education. All
geographers are welcome to add themselves to the directory. An additional feature at
Geographers.com is Geography Times, designed to be an online professional news services
for geographers. At present, the Times offers related headlines (last updated August 31)
and conference announcements (last updated August 13). Future plans for the site include
online forums. Content available at the other three sites in the Geography Hub is
primarily limited to (fairly detailed) collections of organized links. Anyone interested
in geography should bookmark one or more of these sites and trace their development. [MD]
(From the Scout Report)
The following items are from Edupage. To subscribe to Edupage: send mail to: listproc@educom.unc.edu with the message: subscribe edupage Anonymous (if your name is Anonymous; otherwise, substitute your own name). To unsubscribe send a message to: listproc@educom.unc.edu with the message: unsubscribe edupage. (If you have subscription problems, send mail to: manager@educom.unc.edu.)
CHOOSING A SALARY OR TUITION
The wealth of tech jobs and the attractive salary packages they offer is compelling
some talented high school students to skip college and enter the job market. These
young workers say a college education can actually hurt their long-term chances
because the tech field changes so quickly. Many computer-oriented young people
dislike high school, where they are perceived as uncool outsiders, and have no wish
to continue into college. They see the computer industry, where producing results is
more important than fitting in, as an ideal and profitable environment for their
talents and interests. The median weekly salary for computer analysts and
programmers is nearly twice the overall population's median salary, according to the
Census Department's Current Population Survey. There is little evidence to show
whether this direct movement of high school students into the tech field is a
statistically significant trend or merely a collection of isolated incidents.
Educators and parents worry, however, that short-term economic gain may create
long-term disadvantages for these young tech experts. Not having a college degree
may hurt them when they compete for promotions or try to land a better job.
(New York Times, September 7 2000 via Edupage)
SURFING FOR THE RIGHT SCHOOL
The Internet is fast becoming a helpful tool for college-bound high school students
researching prospective institutions. More than 80 percent of seniors went online for
their college search last year, according to marketing firm Stamats Communications,
compared with 57 percent in 1996. Some guidance counselors are glad to see students
become more proactive in their college search. Web sites such as CSUMentor and
CollegeView.com often operate as search engines with rosters of colleges and
universities, finding the schools that match the criteria of students who have answered
a series of questions designed to determine what kind of school they would like to
attend. Some colleges and universities observing the trend have turned their Web sites
into stylish marketing tools, with live Webcams of labs and dining halls, professors'
curricula vitae and descriptions of research programs, and the latest edition of the
campus newspaper. However, the slick Web sites also concern some educators who feel
that students will receive the wrong impression of campus life.
(U.S. News & World Report, September 11 2000 via Edupage)
BIGGER, BETTER, FASTER: HERE COMES INTERNET2
The Internet2 consortium and the Next Generation Internet Initiative (NGI) are
developing a new Internet that will eclipse the capabilities of today's commercial
network. Since 1998 the two groups, along with several private industry partners, have
been working on the project. The government-led NGI created an ultra-fast network, vBNS
(very high-performance backbone network service), which now links almost 200 campuses.
The network handles powerful new applications, allowing astronomers, for example, to
remotely manipulate telescopes at an observatory in Hawaii from anywhere in the world.
Meanwhile, the University of Illinois at Chicago's Electronic Visualization Laboratory
is working on technology that allows users to walk around and inspect 3D images. The
next Internet will link these virtual spaces, called “caves,” allowing
designers in Germany to look at a car model located in Detroit, for example. Students are
expected to benefit from Internet2 technology, as universities such as Northwestern allow
them to send and receive video from their dorm rooms. Meanwhile, the universities leading
the Internet2 consortium created the Abilene network, and are working to improve quality
of service on the Internet so collaborative medical procedures, for example, will not be
disrupted by email traffic.
(Interactive Week, August 28 2000 via Edupage)
VOTER PROFILES SELLING BRISKLY AS PRIVACY ISSUES ARE RAISED
Aristotle International, a political consulting company that maintains a database of
publicly accessible personal data on 150 million registered U.S. voters, is drawing the
attention of privacy advocates and others concerned about online privacy. Aristotle
markets the data it collects to politicians who use the information to target highly
specific segments of the voting population via pop-up ads on the Internet. Aristotle's
clients include 45 senators, more than 200 House representatives, 46 Republican and
Democratic state parties, and top presidential candidates. William Dal Col, manager of
Rick A. Lazio's campaign to represent New York in the Senate, says Aristotle is one of
the first firms to exploit technology for political purposes. Aristotle combines its
data with other types of information that it finds on the Internet; privacy groups such
as the Center for Democracy and Technology believe this tie-up of data could harm the
election process. Both Microsoft and America Online have abandoned plans to partner with
Aristotle during the past year due to privacy concerns.
(New York Times, September 9, 2000 via Edupage)
A NEW PROTOCOL HELPS RESEARCHERS SHARE LARGE DATA SETS
Scientists might soon be able to exchange large sets of data over high-speed research
networks more easily with the help of an Internet protocol now being developed at the
University of Illinois at Chicago. The data-space-transfer protocol moves large data
sets over research networks quickly enough to sustain a computation running on Linux and
Windows NT systems at the other end, says Robert Grossman, director of the university's
Laboratory for Advanced Computing. The protocol divides the data and transmits it over
multiple open network connections at the same time. Using the protocol eliminates the
need for scientists to develop complex relational databases and allows them to post data
in a simple format called a flat file, says Ted Hanss of the Internet2 consortium. The
new protocol could eventually become a standard for scientists publishing data on the Web,
Grossman says.
(Chronicle of Higher Education Online, August 25 2000 via Edupage)
DICTIONARY PUBLISHERS GOING DIGITAL
Dictionaries are redefining themselves by going digital. Merriam-Webster and Microsoft's
year-old Encarta dictionary is now embedded in the software company's new Reader application,
and it is being touted as the digital age's first lexicon. Online linguistics are expected to
spread greatly. Houghton Mifflin expects to garner over $1 million in profit by licensing its
digital dictionary for Web sites, software, and digital publications, while Merriam-Webster's
Web site may soon be displayed on Palm devices. Also online is a wealth of material for
linguistic research, with scholars gaining the opportunity to track the creation of new words
as they arise and spread through online discussion groups. Even the most traditional of
dictionary publishers are adapting to the Internet Age. The 20-volume Oxford English
Dictionary was revised for the first time since 1928, thanks to the Internet. Twenty more
volumes are planned for the online edition, which will be updated completely by 2010. Yet the
industry change has met some resistance from linguists.
(New York Times, 21 Aug 2000 via Edupage)
ALABAMA PILOTING VIRTUAL HIGH
Alabama recently launched the Alabama Online High School (AOHS), a $10.3 million project that
is being tested in five counties and might soon be available to all high school students in
the state. AOHS offers 29 required courses and several electives, with all courses approved
by Alabama's Department of Education and led by certified teachers. The project, originally
intended to share teaching resources among rural schools, will allow students to take courses
such as Spanish that would otherwise not be available to them. AOHS will also provide GED
assistance and remediation. The project is a joint effort among the state's Department of
Education, the governor's office, University of Alabama's Program for Rural Services and
Research, local school systems, and state education associations.
(Federal Computer Week Online, September 6 2000 via Edupage)
FIRMS TO CREATE LAB FOR LINUX TESTING
A group of industry giants, led by IBM, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, and NEC, has announced an
initiative to create a laboratory in which programmers can test Linux applications on
high-end computer systems. The lab is intended to help Linux gain a higher profile among
large companies, as Linux software is most often tested on desktop computers rather than
on the sophisticated systems common in the corporate world. Along with the four leading
sponsors, Dell, Silicon Graphics, and Linux providers Red Hat, Turbolinux, Linuxcare, and
VA Linux Systems have also pledged support for the lab, which will open by the end of the
year. The founding companies said a nonprofit organization will choose which projects will
be tested in the lab.
(Associated Press, August 29 2000 via Edupage)
FLORIDA'S LEAPS AND BOUNDS INTO ONLINE EDUCATION
Parents, teachers, and school administrators across the United States are watching Polk
County, Fl.'s Daniel Jenkins Academy, the nation's first school to offer a completely
online curriculum in a classroom. There will be no classroom teachers at Daniel Jenkins
Academy, although there will be counselors, school facilitators, and resource teachers
on hand to guide students, and the online teachers will visit students periodically.
“The whole idea is customizing education and services for students,” says
Carolyn Baldwin, area superintendent. “No one wants a one-size-fits-all curriculum
anymore. We need to be examining what a child's needs are and designing education to
meet those needs,” which can be accomplished much more easily with an online school.
Daniel Jenkins Academy will admit 250 students in middle and high school levels.
The learning environment will be paced flexibly, with students having a larger input into
when and what they learn. High school seniors will gain the opportunity to obtain
networking certification from the Cisco Academy. Provided that funding can be arranged,
student enrollment will be raised to 500 to 600 students by 2004.
(Government Technology, Aug 2000 via Edupage)
IN U.S., DIGITAL HAVES OUTNUMBER HAVE-NOTS
The Internet continues to integrate itself into the day-to-day routines of Americans,
according to the results of a random telephone survey of 65,000 Internet users by Nielsen
NetRatings. U.S. home Internet penetration reached 52 percent in July-the first time more
than half of all Americans had home Web access. Home access rates jumped 35 percent from
July 1999 to July of this year, from 106.3 million home users to 144 million users.
Likewise, the time Internet users spend online is going up. The average Internet user spent
9 hours 41 minutes online this July compared with 7 hours and 39 minutes last July, an
increase of 26 percent. Internet users are also looking at fewer Web sites, meaning that
larger sites are successfully leveraging their brand to hold users' attention. Cheaper Web
access is enabling Americans to go online in ever-increasing numbers, says NetRatings' Sean
Kaldor.
(Washington Post, August 24 2000 via Edupage)
HIGH-SPEED NET LINKS BENEFIT URBAN RICH
Broadband Internet links are reaching affluent, urban areas more quickly than poor and
rural regions, according to a Federal Communications Commission study released this week.
The report indicates that 90 percent of the wealthiest zip codes have high-speed links,
compared with 42 percent of poor neighborhoods and 19 percent of rural areas. The findings
fuel the ongoing controversy over the digital divide and deregulation of the telecom
industry. Over the last year, legislators have been debating whether to change the 1996
Telecommunications Act, which prevents Baby Bells from entering the long-distance market
before they open up local markets. Advocates argue deregulation would allow these companies
to bring high-speed DSL access to rural areas sooner. However, opponents contend deregulation
would allow Baby Bells to move into the long-distance market without opening local networks
to competitors. In addition to revealing the inequities in high-speed access, the report
shows a 375 percent increase in the number of households with broadband service, bringing the
number to 1.8 million households.
(Financial Times, August 25, 2000 via Edupage)
GIVING THE DISABLED INCREASED E-ACCESS
The federal government has ordered its member agencies to improve their Web sites'
accessibility for people with disabilities. Among the innovations being advocated are alt
text, which allows a blind computer user's screen-reading device to interpret graphics and
read them, and close-captioning to accompany streaming video and voice-operated commands.
The scope of the project is enormous, with the Architectural and Transportation Barriers
Compliance board estimating costs between $85 million and $691 million. That represents a
significant new market for Internet solutions providers such as Optavia, which says it will
concentrate nearly one-quarter of its efforts this year on disability-related business.
Although the government has not extended this new policy to commercial Web sites, court
precedent suggests the Americans with Disabilities Act does apply to the Internet.
(Washington Post, August 24 2000 via Edupage)
NEW STANDARDS GET US CLOSER TO DATA MINING ON THE WEB
A coalition of universities and businesses, including IBM, Oracle, and NCR, are working to
develop open standards that will allow users to access and manipulate data stored on
disparate database servers. “I think it's what people for a long time have been
looking for,” says IBM's Claudia Gardner. First, data must be presented in predicted
model markup language (PMML), enabling it to be manipulated by the dataspace transfer
protocol (DSTP), which was just released last week by the Laboratory for Advanced Computing
at the University of Illinois in Chicago. “We want to make it simple to publish data
so other people can do meaningful things with it,” says Robert Grossman, the
Laboratory of Advanced Computing's director. The relationship between PMML and DSTP is
similar to that of HTML and hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). Using PMML and DSTP, an
Internet user could access data on sunspots, for example, from one database, and compare it
to data on global warming from another database.
(New Scientist Online, September 1 via Edupage)
U.S. NET DEMOGRAPHICS SET TO SHIFT
The demographics of the U.S. online population will change over the next several years,
becoming more representative of the population as a whole, according to a recent study from
International Data. About 103 million users from all age groups and economic levels will go
online for the first time by 2004. These new users will bring the total U.S. Internet
population to about 210 million users in 2004. Older Americans are now the fastest-growing
community of users, and the number of online adults 55 and above is expected to more than
triple from 1999 to 2004, reaching 34.1 million users. As a result, observers say online
marketers should begin to target older adults. The changes in the online population will
force marketers that have not yet gone online to do so, and will also offer opportunities
for new online firms to win the loyalty of novice users, says International Data's Barry
Parr.
(E-Commerce Times, August 30 via Edupage)
GET SERIOUS ABOUT EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
States wanting to speed the use of information technology to improve education, should work
to share the most qualified teachers and the best resources by developing a collaborative
environment that supports e-mail, videoconferencing, and Web hosting. Otto Doll, chief
information officer of South Dakota, says the collaborative environment should also support
portable group computing platforms, which combine Internet, TV, and personal computing. Each
school needs a server and ample local storage and processor cycles. States should form an
intranet that links K-12 schools with colleges as well as state and local governments,
providing access to the Internet and to legacy systems. To connect the whole infrastructure,
states should use high-speed, scalable communication lines. Another important consideration
in using IT to improve education is teacher training. Each teacher and administrator should
have at least 200 hours of network and computing training. In addition, public teaching
universities should train all future educators to use technology, Doll says.
(Government Computer News, August via Edupage)
TECHNOLOGY SAVVY SCHOOLS
Digital educational tools in public schools across the country may prove to be a disappointment
if educators are unable to incorporate the technology into their curriculum. Getting the most
out of computers and Internet access in schools is a major challenge for teachers because many
do not have the skills to use the technology effectively. The first step in making the technology
effective in schools is for teachers to master the digital tools. Teachers could then focus
their attention on preparing digital content and coursework for their students. However, teachers
will need to determine how appropriate digital content would be for particular subject areas,
grade levels, and developmental stages of students. Teachers and school boards may find it
difficult to gauge the usability, appropriateness, and educational impact of digital content.
Finally, school systems that place a greater emphasis on making use of technology could play a
major role in closing the digital divide.
(Business 2.0, September via Edupage)
NASA SCHOOL COULD PUT GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGY ON THE MAP
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has teamed up with the Southwest
Georgia Chamber of Commerce, a group of educators, and several agencies to establish a school
focusing on geospatial and satellite technology that will serve four of Georgia's poorest
counties. The school would train students in Clay, Randolph, Quitman, and Stewart counties to
work for NASA and other high-tech enterprises. The students would receive a high school
diploma and certificates in geospatial technology. The four counties are impoverished both
financially and educationally. Almost 25 percent of all adults over 25 years old received less
than a ninth-grade education in 1990, compared with 12 percent for the state. Local organizers
are trying to raise $3.6 million to build the school, which may open in two or three years.
The facility would initially serve students from sixth to eighth grades, but would later be
expanded to grade 12.
(eSchool News, August via Edupage)
ONLINE LEARNING: THE COMPETITIVE EDGE
Companies across all industries have come to view e-learning initiatives as essential to
continued success. IBM's James Sharpe says the e-learning market has matured. He says,
“E-learning is one way to be smarter than the competition.” Communications and
marketing firm Burson-Marsteller agrees. The company employs a five-person training department
to develop skills development curricula for whatever business disciplines the company deems
important, including media relations, writing, strategy, and presentation. The training
department delivers the educational content to Burson-Marsteller's 75 global locations via
on-site seminars and online programs. “Our product is our ideas,” says the
company's chief learning officer, Barbara Smith. “E-learning is an option that provides
us with a real competitive edge-it helps us maximize our intellectual capital.” IBM's
Sharpe says the best e-learning initiatives are those that are integrated with ongoing
training processes. Companies are projected to spend $11.5 billion annually on e-learning
initiatives by 2003, according to International Data, up from the $3 billion spent on
e-learning last year.
(InformationWeek Online, August 28 via Edupage)
COLLEGES FORM PARTNERSHIP TO MEET DEMAND FOR TECH WORKERS
Three California schools formed a partnership on Tuesday to provide the high-tech labor force
with more skilled workers and teachers. Officials from the University of California-Santa Cruz,
Foothill and DeAnza Colleges, and San Jose State University say the partnership will help to
solve the shortage of trained workers in the tech industry. Besides training students in
engineering and other fields, the program will provide real-world work experience for teachers.
The participating schools will now develop a program infrastructure with the help of a $100,000
grant from the Packard Foundation. Each school will commit $50,000, faculty, and staff to the
early stages of the project The agreement may also allow students to train with NASA as part of
its proposed NASA Research Park in Mountain View, CA, involving non-profit groups and
private-industry firms in the study of numerous science and technology issues.
(http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/front/docs/nasa090600.htm,
September 5 via Edupage)
INTERNET AT SCHOOL IS CHANGING WORK OF STUDENTS-AND TEACHERS
Nearly every school in the United States now has some form of Internet access, and education
experts believe the Internet is changing the classroom dynamic. Educators claim students who
once struggled in the traditional classroom – shy or learning-disabled students, students
still learning to speak English, “visual learners” – feel more confident with
and are learning more from Internet-based lessons. Students can use the Internet to communicate
with students all over the world, to visit interactive museums and historical sites, and to
investigate “real-world” topics such as cloning or forensic science. Educators
believe Internet use encourages creativity while freeing teachers to spend more time coaching
and less time lecturing students.Ninety-five percent of the nation's schools now have Internet
connections, thanks in large part to the federal government's $6 billion e-rate program. But
efforts to instruct teachers in the use of the Internet are lagging behind. According to a
recent survey by the Department of Education, almost two-thirds of teachers do not feel
confident using computers or the Internet.
(Washington Post, September 5 via Edupage)
OUT OF SIGHT NEED NOT MEAN OUT OF MIND
A longtime leader of distance-learning programs, the United Kingdom is now seeing the growth
of Internet-based distance learning as several major universities and private firms attempt
to capture a share of this booming market. Cambridge University, for example, will offer a
Web-based MBA degree that will include online simulations, e-mail and chat-room discussions,
and virtual seminars. FT Knowledge, Cambridge's partner in the online venture, will host a
24-hour help desk for the MBA students. British online MBA programs, however, could face
stiff competition from similar programs in the United States. Universities such as Babson
College in Boston are now operating for-profit distance-learning programs, reaching a far
wider audience of MBA students than traditional programs ever could. Babson's CEO Tom Moore
says making the venture profit-oriented was key to retaining faculty, many of whom have been
receiving attractive offers from other online distance-learning ventures.
(Financial Times-IT Review, September 6 via Edupage)
LAPTOPS ARE NO LONGER A LUXURY FOR STUDENTS
A number of U.S. schools, mostly private but some public, are abandoning computer labs with
desktops and requiring students to have laptops instead. The number of high schools that have
switched from computer labs to laptops has jumped to over 500 across the country in less than
four years, says Albert Throckmorton, director of technology curriculum at Episcopal High
School in Alexandria, Va. Episcopal started requiring freshmen to have laptops four years ago
and will become a laptop-only institution this school year. The laptops help Episcopal
students continue their education outside of the classroom. For example, students use digital
probes in science classes to gather data in real time, which is then loaded into a spreadsheet
and analyzed at home, says Throckmorton. Although schools that have implemented laptop
requirements declare the move an educational success, asking parents and students to purchase
$1,500 laptops is controversial in many cases. Critics are concerned that the laptop push will
leave students from poorer families at a disadvantage. Schools are trying to address the cost
issue by offering buy/lease options, used laptops, and financial aid.
(USA Today, August 31 via Edupage)
INITIATIVES FOR DISABLED UNVEILED
President Clinton told an audience at Mott Community College in Flint, Mich., that providing
access to the Internet and other new technologies for the disabled “is not just the
morally right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.” Clinton announced several new
research and training initiatives aimed at assisting the disabled with technology, including
$16 million in grants from the Department of Education and $9 million in grants from the
Americorps volunteer program. Clinton also announced that officials from 25 major universities
have promised to conduct research into improving access to technology for people with
disabilities and that executives from 45 major high-tech firms have agreed to design their
products with the needs of the disabled in mind. Clinton also toured the Assisted Technology
Access Center, where he saw some of the devices that may soon assist the disabled. One of
these devices is the Eyegaze system, which allows access to computer and Internet functions
through the movement of a person's eyes.
(Washington Post, September 22 via Edupage)
SATELLITE WEB LINKS LET INDIAN TRIBES TAKE TECHNOLOGICAL JUMP
Many American Indian reservations in the Southwest received satellite dishes and other
equipment for high-speed Internet access earlier this month as part of a Starband
Communications pilot program. Starband, which will officially launch its two-way satellite
Internet service later this year, joined with Northern Arizona University and the Southwest
Navajo Nation Virtual Alliance to bring Internet access to 120 locations on Havasupai, Hopi,
and Navajo reservations. One Hopi reservation plans to use the Internet connection to provide
its police department with access to the FBI's National Crime Information Center, while the
Havasupai plan to use the Web to promote tourism, the tribe's main source of income. Moreover,
the Havasupai hope the Internet will make college education more accessible to tribal members
through distance learning. Sally Tisouli, director of the Havasupai's Head Start School, says
the Internet will prepare the tribe's children for life outside of the reservation, and will
allow those who leave to stay in touch with the tribe more easily.
(New York Times, September 21 via Edupage)
SURPRISING DATA ON DIGITAL DIVIDE
U.S. Internet users with an annual income of $21,000 to $33,000 spend up to three more hours
online per month than the average Internet user, according to a Nielsen/NetRatings report.
The report examined Internet statistics during June, finding that the group spent 11 to 12
hours on the Internet during the month, the most of any socioeconomic group, while Internet
users whose annual salary falls between $53,000 and $136,000 spent the least amount of time
online. Overall, Internet users averaged nine hours online during the month. NetRatings
analyst Peggy O'Neill says that Internet users in the $21,000 to $33,000 income group often
work blue-collar jobs and do not have Internet access at work, which would explain their
higher Internet-use rates at home. O'Neill says the study concludes that a digital divide
does exist, with minority groups lacking representation on the Web.
(New York Times Online, September 25 via Edupage)
FEW FUNDS FOR POOR SCHOOLS
A new study from the U.S. Department of Education concludes that small, poor, mostly rural
schools cannot afford Internet access even with the 90 percent discount provided by the
government's e-rate program. The program has already helped wire 95 percent of the nation's
schools to the Internet, but the study suggests that it may have to be modified to reach the
poorest areas. It suggested that the bureaucratic complexity of the e-rate application
process and small schools' meager staff make it harder to apply for the e-rate discount.
Signaling changes, the Universal Service Administrative Corp., which oversees the program,
has introduced a toll-free telephone information service, training programs, and an online
application form, all designed to make applying for the e-rate easier. Poverty, however,
remains the greatest obstacle that these schools must overcome, and few can afford to pay
the 10 percent matching fee.
(New York Times Online, September 20 via Edupage)
Computer Gender
A language instructor was explaining to her class that Spanish nouns, unlike their English
counterparts, are grammatically designated as masculine and feminine. Things like
“chalk” or “pencil,” she described, would have a gender association.
For example, House is feminine – la casa. In English, of course, common nouns are
generally of a neutral gender.
Puzzled, a student raised his hand and asked, “What gender is a computer?”
The teacher said that depending on which Spanish you used, that of pain or Latin American Spanish, it could be either one: el ordenador or la computadora. But she thought it would be good to decide on one of them to use in class, so she divided the class into two groups and asked them to decide if a computer should be masculine or feminine. One group was composed of women, the other of men. Both groups were asked to give four reasons for their recommendation.
The men decided that computers should be referred to in the feminine gender (la computadora) because:
The group of women, however, concluded that computers should be referred to in the masculine gender (el ordenador) because:
(Thanks to Kurt Hoffman)
Physics Jokes Archive
http://www.xs4all.nl/~jcdverha/scijokes/2.html
Physicists perceive the world as a place of order. I know this, because even the joke archive
is not random, as are other science joke archives, but presented in an elegant classification
scheme …
Also, the About.com “Physical Universe” newsletter (http://physics.about.com/) now includes a “joke of the week” feature:
“Starting this week, we will give you something that some people could conceivably call funny – especially after 36 hours of trying to align an optical cavity experiment with the results needed for a conference presentation … As such, the quality may vary – and if you don't get the joke, you should probably be glad!
Copernicus' parents: “Copernicus, young man, when are you going to come to terms with the fact that the world does not revolve around you?!”
All items from the Scout Report are copyright Susan Calcari, 1994-2000. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the Scout Report provided the copyright notice and this paragraph is preserved on all copies. The InterNIC provides information about the Internet to the US research and education community under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation: NCR-9218742. The Government has certain rights in this material.
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Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this newsletter are those of the participants (authors), and do not necessarily represent the official views, opinions, or policy of the National Science Foundation.