11/19/01
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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
http://women.acm.org/search/index.php
“ACM-W is pleased to announce an on-line resource for articles on women and computing. This
database consists of approximately 275 articles, which can be searched by an author's name, a
keyword, and other appropriate fields. ACM-W will continually update the database. If you know of
articles that should be included in the database, please send their full reference information and
the keywords that best describes each article to
tcamp@mines.edu.
We appreciate any help you provide in making this database an excellent resource for everyone
interested in women and computing issues.” From the website.
From Scarcity to Visibility: Gender Differences in the Careers of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers.
J. Scott Long, Editors; Panel for the Study of Gender Differences in Career Outcomes of Science and Engineering Ph.D.s, Committee on Women in Science and Engineering, National Research Council. 340 pages, 6 x 9, 2001.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/5363.html?onpi_topnews_111301
U.S. Astronomy and Astrophysics: Managing an Integrated Program Committee on the Organization and Management of Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics,
Space Studies Board, Board on Physics and Astronomy, National Research Council. 94 pages, 6x9, 2001.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10190.html?onpi_listserv111601
Energy Research at DOE: Was It Worth It? Energy Efficiency and Fossil Energy Research 1978 to 2000.
Committee on Benefits of DOE R&D on Energy Efficiency and Fossil Energy, Board on Energy and Environmental Systems, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, National Research Council. 240 pages, 8 1/2 x 11, 2001.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10165.html?onpi_listserv111601
Diffusion Processes and Fertility Transition: Selected Perspectives.
Committee on Population, John B. Casterline, Editor, National Research Council. 288 pages, 6 x 9, 2001.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10228.html?onpi_listserv111601
American Field Guide
http://www.pbs.org/americanfieldguide/
“Over 1400 video clips enable you to experience America's wilderness firsthand. The database
is searchable by keyword, and may be browsed by state and the the following topics: animals,
ecosystems, human history, livelihoods, earth and space, plants, public policy, and recreation.
Produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting, this resource contains programming content from nearly 30
stations across the United States.” (From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
Intellectual Property
http://ip.nationalacademies.org/
“From Internet content protection to human gene patenting, intellectual property rights in
many forms have emerged from legal obscurity to public debate. A new Web site serves as a guide
to the National Academies' extensive work on intellectual property and a forum to discuss ongoing
work.”
The Dawn of Animal Life
http://geol.queensu.ca/museum/exhibits/dawnex.html
“This Canadian site goes back in time, not to the age of the dinosaurs, but much, much
farther. Three billion years, in fact, when things were classified as Archean, and
cyanobacteria were the primary living organisms. Layers of cynaobacteria formed stromatolites,
and while fossils of these are rare, three areas in Canada have examples. From there, the site
moves on to eurkaryotes, then to the Ediacaran fossils of Canada. Pictures of the multicellular
fossils found at Mistaken Point in Newfoundland, oldest collection in the world, offer a look
at the astonishing diversity of early life forms. They may lack the scale and drama of
dinosaurs, but they have the distinction of being here first. AD”
(From New Scientist Site of the Day)
I can do that!
http://www.eurekascience.com/ICanDoThat/index.htm
“This is a great way to introduce your children to the timely scientific issues of
cloning and genetic engineering. DNA and RNA come alive as a cast of friendly and
entertaining characters at I Can Do That. The site covers the roles of DNA and RNA, as
well as DNA polymerase, and also delves into photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
There is a small shopping site, where readers can purchase DNA isolation kits, as well as
other interactive science-based toys. Despite a somewhat sexist slant in the roles of the
characters, this is still an educational site, and a good resource for tools to help
children develop their scientific curiosity. SS”
(From New Scientist Site of the Day)
Color Vision – Color Deficiency
http://www.firelily.com/opinions/color.html
This webpage is primarily pointed at web designers, but the discussion of what causes
variations in color perception is detailed, well-illustrated, and fascinating.
National Geographic: SuperCroc
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/supercroc/
“With a nickname like ‘SuperCroc,’ you know this guy was one big,
bad fish-crushing reptile. The croc's remains, found in the Sahara, are almost
completely pieced together by paleontologist Paul Sereno and are the inspiration for
this fascinating web site. ‘As long as a city bus, and weighing in at about ten
tons,’ the croc (‘Sarcosuchus imperator’) lived 110 million years
ago and most likely consumed small dinosaurs as well as fish. Don't miss the photo
gallery for shots of the six-foot jaws and renderings of what this monster looked
like. Crikey! He's a big one!” (From Yahoo's Picks of the Week)
The Barbara McClintock Papers
http://www.profiles.nlm.nih.gov/LL/
Press Release
http://www.nlm.nih.gov:80/news/press_releases/mcclintock01.html
“Scientist Dr. Barbara McClintock had a long career during which she made several
important breakthroughs and earned distinguished awards for studying the genomics of
maize (corn). In 1983, at the age of 81, McClintock was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine for her work on so-called ‘jumping genes,’ or genes
that change position on the chromosome. The newest addition to the National Library of
Medicine's Profiles in Science online series (last discussed in the May 18, 2001 _Scout
Report_) is an exhibit of the Barbara McClintock Papers. This site is divided into
sections that focus on Dr. McClintock's life and major scientific contributions. Each
section provides text or images of original materials such as laboratory notes,
correspondence, journal articles, unpublished manuscripts, grant proposals, lecture
notes, photographs, and illustrations (.pdf). Students of genetics and anyone interested
in the history of science should browse this online exhibit. [HCS]”
(From the Scout Report)
Bioterrorism – Nova
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bioterror/
Biosecurity, Bioterror, and the Threat to Agriculture
http://www.nal.usda.gov/ref/biosecurity/
Bioterrorism Articles – JAMA
http://pubs.ama-assn.org/bioterr.html
As you would expect any site from this source to be, this is an excellent site. It has
excellent information, attractively arranged. It is a companion site to the Nova program
on this topic. It includes FAQs, links and books, agents of bioterrorism, and breaking
news from the McNeil Lehrer News Hour.
“The National Agricultural Library (NAL) has posted this page to help citizens learn more about bioterrorism and agriculture. The page consists of pointers to resources spanning a range of issues related to agriculture and terrorism, including conference proceedings, articles from government branches, government alerts, and contact information. The site is divided into six categories: Alerts, Agency Contacts, U.S. Government & Related Resources, State Governments, Organizations, and Academic & Journal Resources. Some of the sites are annotated briefly and others in a more in-depth fashion. Both researchers and members of the general public with an interest in these issues will find this site a useful gateway to resources. [TK]” (From the Scout Report)
“The Journal of the American Medical Association is offering free access to a large number of its previously published articles related to bioterrorism. Among the articles are five pieces by the Working Group on Civilian Biodefense, which are focused on Anthrax, Smallpox, Plague, Botulinum Toxin, and Tularemia. The remainder of the articles are sorted by subject, including these diseases plus Ebola and Brucella, as well as Clinical Articles, Epidemiologic Investigations, articles on Preparedness, and a section devoted to Policy, Historical, and Editorial Perspectives. Articles are available in HTML or .pdf formats. [TK]” (From the Scout Report)
WWF Expedition to Borneo
http://www.worldwildlife.org/expeditions/borneo/
“Into the Heart of Borneo
Three biological survey teams will mount an expedition into the rainforests of the Heart
of Borneo, some of the most diverse – and endangered – habitats on earth.
This survey will be the latest in a series of projects under WWF's Asian Rhino and Elephant
Action Strategy (AREAS), a cross-cutting action plan to save populations of these
endangered species and their habitats.” The website has dispatches from the
expedition, maps, information on the wildlife, ask the scientists, and more.
Computer Ethics & Professional Ethics
http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/ethics/
“This web site was developed as part of CS378 ‘Contemporary Issues in Computer
Science’ at the University of Texas at Austin. It contains materials useful for
classes and companies researching Computer Ethics and Professionalism.”
This is an excellent portal to topics in ethics, law, privacy, social issues, and more.
Internet Archive
http://www1.archive.org/index.html
“The Internet Archive is the ‘parent’ site for two sites previously
reviewed in the _Scout Report_, Election 2000 (see the July 13, 2001 _Scout Report_)
and September11.archive.org (see the October 19, 2001 _Scout Report_). The Archive has
been cataloging Webpages since its inception in 1996, and for their fifth anniversary
has opened the archive to the public by launching their ‘Wayback Machine.’
To operate the ‘Machine,’ users type a URL into the search box, which will
call up dated, archived pages of the site. The Internet Archive holds ten billion
Webpages, making it the largest known database. Since announcing public access to the
overall database, the site has experienced a great deal of traffic. They are in the
process of adding servers, but users should be warned that, in the meantime, access may
be tricky. The Internet Archive is a nonprofit, which has received funding from a number
of sources including the Library of Congress and the National Science Foundation. [TK]”
(From the Scout Report)
Internet Archive Wayback Machine
http://web.archive.org/
“A searchable archive of more than 10 billion Web pages dating back to 1996, with
new sites and new versions of sites added regularly. There are special collections of
sites about September 11, Election 2000, the United States Government, and Web
Pioneers.” (From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
Biocomputing for Everyone
http://www.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de/bcd/ForAll/welcome.html
“An average human scientist is made up of about 2.9 billion (2.9*109)
nucleotides! This orgy of reductionism presents problems which only big brother can solve:
How do I store all this information in a form which is universally accessible and
retrievable? What started as a cartesian dream is turning out to Bill Gates' satisfaction:
Computers are needed! Vast computer data banks accessible to you and me store this vast
quantity of information. There are a lot of different data banks where DNA and protein
sequence information are stored. A lot of complicated algorithms have been created. There
are tools to scan data banks for sequences as FASTA and BLAST are. There are programs like
Clustal and MSA for comparing sequences. There are hundreds more. Although the development
of new tools is more transparent because of the possibilities of the Internet, it is not
easy to keep up with everything. Exploitation of these possibilities requires a new breed
of scientist: those versed in information technology AND biology, and they may enable us
go where no man has gone before. Through a new surge of interdisciplinarity it may be
possible to transcend the limits of reductionism; from the vast quantities of bytes and
pieces, the contours of complex structures and relationships might emerge from the genetic
alphabet soup as life itself once emerged from the primordial soup.”
Webcast of NAS Education Symposium
http://www.nas.edu/nas/sandiego2001
Scientific advances ranging from the Internet to the oceans will be discussed in a
symposium sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences at the University of California,
San Diego at 1 p.m. PST Thursday, Nov. 29. The symposium is open to the public and free
of charge, and we extend a special welcome to students and postdocs. In addition, a link
to the live Webcast will be available.
Iron Science Teacher!
http://www.exploratorium.edu/iron_science/index.html
“Every weekend during the summer, crowds gather at San Francisco's Exploratorium
to watch the ‘Iron Science Teacher’ game. Based on the wildly popular Japanese
TV show, Iron Chef, in which chefs compete to see who can whip up the most
creative and delicious meal with the day's ‘secret ingredient,’ Iron Science
Teacher asks primary and secondary science educators to whip up a science lesson based on
a ‘secret ingredient’ – be it PVC pipe, pantyhose, toothpicks or even
marshmallow peeps! The goal of the project is to celebrate science education and to
demonstrate that teachers can teach the $10 million state science standards on a $10 budget.
Web surfers who can't make it to the Exploratorium can view this wacky yet totally
educational program online. An archive of 25 broadcasts from June 1999 to the present is
available (RealPlayer). [HCS]” (From the Scout Report)
Transatlantic Cable Connections
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/cable/
“In an age of instant messages and the Internet, the use of telegraphs and Morse code
seem like ancient history. Yet there was a time when the desire to communicate drove many
scientific discoveries and engineering solutions that resulted in the Transatlantic Cable,
a milestone in the development of world communications. Discover here the social, business,
and scientific thrusts that defined the Transatlantic Cable project, a timeline of events,
some of the historic messages passed along its route, and the stories of the people who
made it happen. One of the most intriguing aspects of this site is the slice of history it
contains, with photos and information about the daily life, along with a list of other
inventions during that time which were revolutionizing the world. The Resource Centre
includes a self-assessment quiz, a word search game, a glossary and a brief list of online
resources, designed to help teachers incorporate the site into lesson plans. The video
clips require QuickTime, and the site provides a link for downloading it. CK”
(From New Scientist Site of the Day)
The Brooklyn Bridge
http://www.lihistory.com/6/hs601a.htm
The Brooklyn Bridge
http://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/bbridge/bbridge.html
The Brooklyn Bridge
http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/brooklyn/
Brooklyn Bridge Engravings
http://www.railroadextra.com/bbpage.Html
The Brooklyn Bridge was the dream of civil engineer John Roebling, although he died of
lockjaw resulting from an accident while checking out possible locations for the bridge's
tower. Although he did not live to even see the beginning of bridge construction, the
bridge stands as a monument to his vision. The Brooklyn Bridge was the first suspension
bridge to use steel for its cable wire. It was the first bridge to use explosives in a
dangerous underwater device called a caisson. At the time it was built, the 3,460-foot
Brooklyn Bridge was also crowned the longest suspension bridge in the world. These
websites introduce you to the interesting history of this remarkable feat of 19th century
engineering and include pictures, photographs, FAQs, poetry, even a free screen saver.
The Earthquake Information Network
http://www.eqnet.org/
“This site offers a searchable subject index of information related to earthquakes.
Categories range from Earthquake Information Services to Archives (news and photos of
significant earthquakes since 1999.) At the end of the list of categories there's an
option to see all site alphabetically; nice touch.
Though some of the information is only peripherally related to earthquakes (disaster preparedness, etc.) everything I looked at was well annotated. The index can be searched with a keyword search on the front page or a slightly more intricate advanced search.
Also on this site is a clickable US map that organizes earthquake organizations and Web sites by state. (It's at http://128.205.131.100:591/state/region.html; it's rather well hidden.) The organizations listed here do not seem to be annotated at all, but there are a lot of them.” (From Research Buzz)
Virtual Cave
http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/virtcave.html
This is a terrific site from which to explore all the different kinds of caves in the world
and their features. (Particularly great for folks that have claustrophobia – I have
missed a lot of neat caves in my time!) It is neatly divided into sections by the type of
cave – solution caves, lava tube caves, sea caves, and erosional caves. Each section
is lavishly provided with photographs and well-written text. It also includes a directory to
U.S. “show caves” with added information on topics such as cave photography tips
and how to make the most of your cave visit.
TerraFly
http://www.terrafly.com/
“This site was developed by the High Performance Database Research Center to ‘aid
in the visualization of remotely sensed and spatial data via the Internet.’ Sounds
serious, huh? However, in layman's terms, it means you can virtually fly over any part of the
United States. How cool is that? Try typing in the address of your childhood home and see
what's happening in the old 'hood. Now you can explore the entire country without ever logging
off.” (From Yahoo's Picks of the Week)
Women Exploring the Oceans: Remarkable Careers in Oceanography
http://www.womenoceanographers.org/
“This site features women in the field of marine science; the aim is to encourage young
women to pursue science careers. About a dozen profiles and interviews of women in
oceanography are presented, with their backgrounds, what led them to pursue their careers,
what they enjoy about their jobs, and images of them at work.”
(From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
The Wind: Our Fierce Friend
http://sln.fi.edu/tfi/units/energy/wind.html
“Part of the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), The
Wind is an online museum exhibit, complete with background information, classroom
activities and contributions from students around the USA. Starting out, ‘Blustery
Beginnings’ provides photographs and video clips that show the effects of the
invisible winds. Online resources cover wind energy, wind weather effects and even wind
recreational activities. Books with wind themes, poetry about the wind, and wind creations
to make round out this section. The site also includes classroom activities and a place
where you can post your student's wind related creations such as photographs, music, poetry,
research and art work. One of the most interesting parts of the site is the results of the
1995 collaboration involving schools across the country on the topic ‘Wind: Our Fierce
Friend’ which includes links to the classroom projects and websites, showing a wide
range of student work. CK” (From New Scientist Site of the Day)
Examining the Evidence for Life on Mars
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/onpi/webextra.nsf/web/mars?OpenDocument
As a web extra celebrating NASA's recent successful orbit of the Odyssey spacecraft around
Mars, the National Academy of Sciences has created this website of information about the
gathering of samples and quarantine procedures. It also includes a section on why Mars is
of such intense interest.
United States Virtual Observatory
http://www.us-vo.org/
“Astronomers from 17 research institutions have been given a five-year, $10 million
Information Technology Research grant from the National Science Foundation to start an online
observatory. The observatory declares that its purpose is to ‘maximize the potential
for new scientific insights from the data by making them available in an accessible,
seamlessly unified form to professional researchers, amateur astronomers and students.’
There is not yet a lot available on the site. You can get papers and other materials related
to the creation of the observatory at
http://www.voforum.org/,
and there are a couple of presentations available at
http://www.us-vo.org/.
Stay tuned – I'll try to keep an eye on this one.” (From Research Buzz)
The Fibonacci Series
http://library.thinkquest.org/27890/mainIndex.html
This ThinkQuest website explores the Fibonacci series, the Golden Ratio, the Golden Sprial,
and their interrelationships and applications. The website is both clearly and
entertainingly constructed.
Number Patterns Fun with Curves & Topology
http://www.camosun.bc.ca/~jbritton/jbfunpatt.htm
Investigating Patterns: Symmetry and Tessellations
http://www.camosun.bc.ca/~jbritton/jbsymteslk.htm
Investigating Patterns: Polyhedra Pastimes
http://www.camosun.bc.ca/~jbritton/jbpolyhedra.htm
“Educational consultant and textbook author Jill Britton is the author of
these metasites listing Web resources for grade 5-8 mathematics. Each
metasite revolves around a certain topic. For instance, the first site,
Number Patterns Fun with Curves & Topology, is an index of eighteen
subtopics such as prime numbers, the golden ratio, Pascal's Triangle, mazes
and maps, etc. Under each subtopic, an annotated list of Web resources (from
other authors and organizations) points to tutorials and fun activities for
students as well as printable activity sheets and lesson plans for teachers.
The second metasite, Investigating Patterns: Symmetry and Tessellations,
contains subtopics such as soapbubbles and honeycombs, Islamic
tessellations, M.C. Escher, symmetry by paper folding, and more. The third
metasite listed here focuses on polyhedra with activities ranging from
creating three-dimensional polyhedra with gumdrops and toothpicks to
examining Ernst Haeckel's nineteenth-century sketches of polyhedral
structure of Radiolaria (a plankton). Other types of links given on these
pages are to merchants selling educational materials, sites on the history
of mathematics, and activities with holiday themes. [HCS]” (From the Scout Report)
Water Structure & Behavior
http://www.sbu.ac.uk/water/
“Water (H2O) is the most remarkable substance. … Because of its clear importance,
water is the most studied material on Earth. It comes as a surprise, therefore, to find that
it is so poorly understood, not only by people in general, but also by scientists working with
it everyday.” Martin Chaplin has put together this remarkable page on this remarkable
substance.
Solar System Simulator
http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/
“This superb site aims to be a ‘spyglass on the cosmos’. It allows you to
create stunning simulated images of the planets and their moons, just as they would actually
be seen from another body or spacecraft, at your chosen date and time. This virtual Solar
System uses many scientific databases for planet and star positions, as well as images of
planet surfaces and rings derived from spacecraft missions, to make the views as accurate as
possible. A set of test images shows the accuracy of the simulation, allowing you to compare
generated images with the real views from spacecraft, or to see a virtual lunar eclipse. A
page of technical background explains how it's all done. There are plenty of options to help
you create your own image of the Solar System by choosing a specific viewpoint, target, date,
and time. However, if you're feeling lazy, just take a look at the beautiful sample scenes
which the site author has already created! Highly recommended. DP-P”
(From New Scientist Site of the Day)
Polar Bear Invasion
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/polarbear/
This companion site to the PBS Nature show details the annual polar bear incursions to the town
of Churchill on Hudson' Bay. Sections of the website include the TV schedule, a discussion of
the town's unique relationship with the bears, what scientists are learning about the bears,
the tourist industry, and links and resources.
Electric Money
http://www.pbs.org/opb/electricmoney/
“Following the PBS series, this program explores how the digital revolution has
transformed financial activity since the 1950s. Written in simple and clear language,
it reviews the use of credit cards, e-pay, Internet purchases, electronic banking,
electronic trading, and the future of electronic finances. There is information about
the development of money and a timeline of money in the United States since 1600.”
(From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
The Changing World of Banking
http://www.occ.treas.gov/histor1.htm
“The history of the interaction between American banking and American government is the
subject of this web-based exhibit. It focuses on the rise of the national banking system and the
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which was established to supervise it. Coverage is
from the late 18th century through the start of the 21st century; includes information on major
bank crashes and the creation of federal deposit insurance.“
(From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
American Political Development
http://www.americanpoliticaldevelopment.org/home.htm
“This new site for scholars of American political development, ‘the
interdisciplinary study of the deep historical roots of politics in the
United States,’ is in its nascent stages but promises to grow. The site is a
collaborative venture between the Miller Center for Public Affairs' American
Political Development Program and the scholars of the American Political
History Initiative and hopes to function as a gateway to resources in the
field for scholars and researchers. The main section of the site at present
is the APD Town Square section, which offers categorized links to new
publications, journals, announcements, and reviews. This section will also
feature periodic live Webcasts, the most recent of which was Tuesday's
‘Battle for the Ballot Box: National Election Reform in American Political
Development,’ The site also offers a page of links to related sites and a
section entitled Who We Are, which gives a brief overview of the field and
information on the site's developers. In the future, the Electronic
Classroom section will be a boon to instructors as it will contain syllabi,
exam questions, assignments, and other teaching resources. [TK]”
(From the Scout Report)
The fourth WTO Ministerial Conference
http://www-chil.wto-ministerial.org/english/thewto_e/minist_e/min01_e/min01_e.htm
Globalization in Focus
http://www.fpif.org/global/index.html
“Important new developments at the fourth World Trade Ministerial Conference
held this week include a statement that intellectual property rights (patent
rights) cannot stand in the way of public health for developing countries
and the admission of China into the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This
site brings users summaries of the meetings, declarations, and proposed
procedures. Users can also watch archived Webcasts of the proceedings. The
second site comes to the Web courtesy of Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF, see
the September 8, 1998 _Scout Report for Social Sciences_). Here users will
find a more critical look at the WTO as well as the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF). FPIF here collects links to articles,
event announcements, reports, and other resources. Be sure to scroll down
the page to see all of the offerings. [TK]”
(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.)
CAN CONGRESS CONVENE ONLINE?
The Democratic Leadership Council has suggested that in the event that Congress is prevented
from physically convening by an emergency, a Web site “could easily be built”
where congressional members can meet, debate, draft legislation, and vote. To ensure security,
the DLC suggests that a biometric identification system be set up, while far-flung members
would gain access through kiosks located at the nearest state capitol or city hall. The DLC
recommends that the public have access to the site on “a read-only basis,” but
associate director for the Center for Democracy and Technology Ari Schwartz said that fear of
hacker intrusion may mean a complete lockout of public access. However, there are members of
Congress who are opposed to the idea of convening remotely, according to New America
Foundation analyst James Snider.
(Wired News, 25 October 2001 via Edupage)
COULD INTERNET BE USED AS A WEAPON AGAINST BIOTERRORISM?
University of Pittsburgh public health professor Ron LaPorte now has the ear of government
intelligence officials for his concept of an Internet-based, citizen-run bioterrorism defense
network. The idea comes from the neighborhood captain system set up during the Cold War in
case of nuclear attack. Basically, trusted leaders in virtual communities would disseminate
the latest information about bioterrorism to their members as well as watch emerging incidents
and report them to authorities. LaPorte compares the network to the antivirus segment of the
tech community that speedily identifies new software viruses, traces their origin, and works
on solutions – all the while using the Internet to coordinate their efforts.
(USA Today, 24 October 2001 via Edupage)
GOVNET CONCEPT FLAWED, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR SAID
The Bush administration wishes to create an Internet-independent
virtual private network for critical national services called
GovNet, but former CIA director James Woolsey said the idea is
doomed to failure. Addressing the plan at a WebMethods conference
in Washington, D.C., Woolsey argued that the network could fall
prey to threats from within as well as without. “There is a huge
premium for Iraqi intelligence or Osama bin Laden to find some
American who is willing to help him and be a clever hacker,” he
warned. “Once you get into the network, you have pretty much free
access. So you haven't really solved the problem.” The increasing
sophistication of terrorists and hackers is an Achilles' heel
for GovNet. The private sector has until Nov. 21 to make
recommendations for GovNet, which will then be analyzed by the
government. A timeline for proceeding on the recommendations will
be posted by the end of January 2002.
(Computerworld, 26 October 2001 via Edupage)
AERIAL IMAGES OF U.S. ONLINE
Florida International University researchers have introduced
TerraFly, new software that supplies users with topographical
maps via satellite images of the United States. Florida
International University will use the new technology in its High
Performance Database Research Center for commercial as well as
educational uses such as real estate, tourism, and urban
development. FIU's Todd Martinez-Padilla Simmons said the
software does not, in any way, compromise the national security
of the United States during its war on terrorism, and all
TerraFly information is cleared with U.S. law enforcement
officials before it is released to the public and students at
FIU. FIU received funding for TerraFly from IBM, the U.S.
Geological Survey, NASA, and the National Science Foundation.
(Miami Herald, 27 October 2001 via Edupage)
INTERNET ANNALS ERECT BILLIONS OF WEB PAGES BACK IN TIME
People will be able to view and research the history of the
Internet as far back as 1996 through the Internet Archive, a free
repository of more than 10 billion Web pages (those still in use
and defunct) that is five times the size of the Library of
Congress. “It will allow researchers to study the evolution of
the Web in a way that is unprecedented,” declared Ed Chi of the
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. The archive is the brainchild
of former supercomputer technologist Brewster Kahle. The archive,
which is updated every two months, uses bots to probe the Web for
pages to add; pages that require passwords are ignored, while page
owners can request that their pages not be captured if they so
desire. However, Stanford University's Lawrence Lessig warned that
Kahle could be sued for copyright infringement because of the
repository. The Internet Archive was funded by the Library of
Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Science
Foundation, and Compaq Computer.
(Los Angeles Times, 25 October 2001 via Edupage)
COMMUNITY COLLEGES TURN TO HIGH-SPEED NETWORK
Internet2 is expanding its reach into community colleges, where
it can help those institutions reach a much broader community
through quality Internet courses. Ronald L. Hamberg, VP for
instruction at Seattle Central Community College, said his school
is pioneering the use of Internet2 at the community college level.
Seattle Central, with help from the nearby University of
Washington, was one of the first community colleges on
Internet2's Abilene network and is a leader in distance education.
Hamberg said Internet2's high-speed network means a higher quality
distance education and greater chance for diversity at his school.
Because facility space is limited, Internet2 can expand Seattle
Central's reach into the surrounding community, especially as PC
and Internet use penetrates into poorer demographics. Hamberg
also sees the potential for overseas participation in Seattle
Central's Internet programs.
(Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 31 October 2001 via Edupage)
SURVEY OF COLLEGES' SPENDING ON IT FINDS OVERALL INCREASE
Colleges' spending on IT is growing at a faster rate than spending
on other initiatives, according to data from the Cost of Supporting
Technology Services (COSTS) project. Project co-director David L.
Smallen of Hamilton College reported that median IT budget
increases for the 2000-2001 school year were 11 percent, while the
median amount earmarked for IT spending accounted for approximately
5 percent of the total budget. On average, colleges polled allocate
about 25 percent of their IT budgets to hardware purchases and
about 7 percent to software purchases. Smallen and co-director
Karen L. Leach, also of Hamilton, indicated that about half of
colleges' IT budgets goes toward personnel expenses such as
salaries, benefits, and staff development.
(Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 30 October 2001 via Edupage)
NATIONAL VIRTUAL OBSERVATORY TO PUT UNIVERSE ONLINE
The National Science Foundation has earmarked $10 million for the
development of a National Virtual Observatory (NVO), a single,
searchable database of astronomical knowledge culled from
observatories. The current total volume of astronomical information
comprises roughly 100 terabytes, and scientists predict this number
will swell to over 10 pentabytes by 2008. Caltech computer scientist
Paul Messina said that a single repository for this vast amount of
data is essential, otherwise, “we will end up like shipwrecked
sailors on a desert island, surrounded by an ocean of salt water
and unable to slake our thirst.” The goal of the project is to be
able to conduct intricate computations by using the NVO to leverage
the computing power of 17 research databases.
(Newsbytes, 30 October 2001 via Edupage)
SOFTWARE RESEARCH CENTER OPENS AT CARNEGIE MELLON
Carnegie Mellon University has a new research center that
high-tech leaders are referring to as the first software industry
center in America. Industry, academia, and government will share
the facilities to further the development of software products,
according to Amitava Lahiri, regional manager for TATA Consultancy
Services (TCS). He said that researchers will study trends
affecting the software industry, including economics, management,
and technology. At the same time, more specific issues such as
call center technology, security, and privacy will be addressed.
Innovation and competition, software development practices,
talent, workforce and human capital, and globalization also
will be among the issues examined. Faculty and staff experts
from a number of disciplines throughout the university will
staff the Software Industry Center.
(CC News, October 2001 via Edupage)
PROJECT SEEKS TO NAME ALL LIFE FORMS ON THE PLANET, AND FAST
The ALL Species Foundation of San Francisco has undertaken a
formidable challenge: classifying all known species on Earth
within 25 years. The total number of species is estimated to
be between 7 million and 100 million. One of the problems with
the project is bringing taxonomy into the digital age, noted
foundation CEO Brian Boom. For one thing, the naming criteria
have yet to be brought up to date, he said. Taxonomy usually
takes months, but Boom believes the Internet can cut that time
substantially. The Web would allow amateur taxonomists spread
throughout the globe to communicate their discoveries and
answer questions so that a thorough picture of the species
they are describing is presented.
(USA Today, 1 November 2001 via Edupage)
FOR THE BENEFIT OF HUMANITY
San Jose's Tech Museum, along with Santa Clara University and
Applied Materials, handed out the first Tech Museum of Innovation
Awards to five recipients. The awards honor those individuals or
organizations that develop technological innovations that help
poor and underdeveloped peoples. Tech Museum President Peter
Giles likens the awards to the Nobel Prize. “We want to see it
develop to the point where it could stimulate people from all
over the world to use technology in a way that will address
humanity's greatest challenges,” he said. The winners were
Freeplay Foundation, a South African organization that developed
wind-up and solar-powered radios that help Africans access
educational material; Fabio de Olivera Rosa, a Brazilian who
founded IDEAAS, a low-cost electrification project that helps
provincial Brazilians convert barren land into fertile soil; UC
San Francisco biochemistry professor Joseph DeRisi, who was
honored for his microarray technology research designed to
increase access to malaria treatments in Africa; Audubon
Nature Institute director Dr. Betsy Dresser in the category of
Environment; and CZBioMed President Chaz Holder, who won in the
category of Equality. Each winner received a $50,000 prize.
(Wired News, 2 November 2001 via Edupage)
DIGGING DEEP DIGITALLY
The field of archaeology will receive a big boost from 3D
computer modeling techniques. Thanks to a $2 million grant from
the National Science Foundation, researchers at Columbia
University are building digital tools that will enable
archaeologists to examine the details of sites without having
to dig or damage structures. The new 3D modeling techniques will
also allow archaeologists to take virtual tours of sites. The
digital tools include a mobile robot equipped with a laser
scanner for taking high-detail shots aboveground, and a radar
sensor for taking shots deep underground. A 3D model of sites
can be produced once the data is scanned into a computer.
Initial tests already have been completed, but there are plans
to test the digital tools at the Amheida site in the Dakhla
Oasis, in the western desert of Egypt, and to put the
computerized data of the site online.
(InformationWeek, 29 October 2001 via Edupage)
NSF APPROPRIATION INCLUDES INCREASE FOR TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS
A congressional conference committee approved a bill that
allocates more than enough money for the National Science
Foundation to moderately increase its spending budget in
information technology research, according to NSF officials.
The bill earmarks $4.78 billion for the foundation, $319 million
more than the original request. NSF director Rita R. Colwell
said the IT research the agency plans to carry out with this
money will benefit many academic disciplines. NSF research
initiatives include super-fast computer networks, atomic-level
alternatives to silicon chips, and better human-computer
interfaces. The bill is awaiting approval from the Senate and
the House.
(Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 8 November 2001 via Edupage)
GRID COMPUTING GETS PUSH FROM SUN, IBM, AND COMPAQ
IBM and Sun Microsystems this week made announcements concerning
their grid computing initiatives, while Compaq Computer announced
a program of its own. IBM said it will collaborate with North
Carolina-based MCNC to create the North Carolina Bioinformatics
Grid, a system to be used for genomic research. Sun announced that
it has issued a beta version of its Sun Grid Enterprise Edition
5.3 software, designed to simplify connections among computer
resources within companies. Meanwhile, Compaq said it has
organized a Grid Computing Solutions Program, an initiative to
provide clients around the world with grid computing hardware,
software, and support. Compaq also announced the creation of an
Advanced Center for the Study of Grid Computing, in New Hampshire.
(Computerworld Online, 14 November 2001 via Edupage)
THE WEB'S NEXT INCARNATION: INTELLIGENT TALK
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's World
Wide Web Consortium (W3C) say the future Internet will be much
more interactive, enabled by a framework for computers to
understand the data they display. The research has the backing
of such luminaries as Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the World
Wide Web and W3C director. Software agents would help computers
find and understand what their human users are looking for by
scouring and interpreting the Web. A new coding protocol,
Resource Description Framework (RDF), would tag data to make
it intelligible by computers. Such tagging involves inference
rules and common definitions, something the area of artificial
intelligence has been working on for some time.
(NewsFactor Network, 13 November 2001 via Edupage)
E-LEARNING: PREPARING TO FIGHT BIOTERRORISM
Attention will focus on e-learning on Dec. 4 when many physicians will take an online
bioterrorism intervention course. The University of Tennessee and the Detroit Medical
Center are collaborating to provide a free, real-time course featuring 20 emergency
medical practitioners. The University of Tennessee teamed up with Centra Software to
develop the course. The university has been working with Centra for the past four
years to offer its online MBA program for physicians. Michael Stahl, a professor at the
university and director of the online MBA program, said such a relationship allowed the
course to be deployed quickly. Participants in the program will be able to hear the
instructors in real time, ask questions, and hear the questions of other participants
via a VoIP connection. Some 10 percent of America's 30,000 emergency-room physicians are
expected to take the course.
(InformationWeek Online, 9 November 2001 via Edupage)
Oyez Baseball
http://baseball.oyez.org/
“Hear ye, hear ye, the Flash mavens and legal scholars at The Oyez Project and FindLaw
score big with this educational game about the Supreme Court Justices. Oyez Baseball draws
parallels between the powerful Supremes, who sit on the major-league bench of our Judicial
Branch, and the heroes of baseball history. Inspired by “The Law-Baseball Quiz”
published in 1979 by the “New York Times”, the updated web version adds real
ballpark ambiance and effects. We struck out on Justice David Souter, a Bret Boone kind of
a player, but hit a home run with Benjamin Cardozo, a brilliant early 20th-century Justice
whose written eloquence matched up with Ryne Sandberg's skill on the field. Play ball!”
(From Yahoo's Picks of the Week)
Who's the Scientist?
http://www-ed.fnal.gov/projects/scientists/amy.html
7th graders ideas about scientists before and after a visit to Fermilab. Out of the mouths
of babes … (Thanks to Liz Bryson).
All items from the Scout Report are copyright Susan Calcari, 1994-2001. 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.
Blue Web'n is a searchable library of Blue-Ribbon Web sites categorized by grade level, content area, and type. Visit Blue Web'n online at http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/.
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.