11/26/03
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This newsletter is available to the public at the following locations:
http://library.stanford.edu/depts/swain/nsflibnews/
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http://avel.edu.au/scitech.html
Grants.gov
http://www.grants.gov/
Those seeking federal grants are now able to browse for funding from 26
agencies at a new one-stop Internet shop. The goal of the federal program,
dubbed the “Grants.gov initiative,” is to provide one place where customers
can find and apply for more than 600 grants. The web portal is the single
point of entry for groups seeking grants and will offer general information
and secure processing of transactions or applications. Users will also be able
to sign up for e-mail alerts that will notify them when grant competitions
have opened.
PLoS Biology
http://www.plosbiology.org/
The first issue of the first journal brought to you by the Public Library
of Science is now available! PLoS Biology is published monthly and “everything
is immediately available without cost to anyone, anywhere -- to read,
download, redistribute, include in databases, and otherwise use -- subject
only to the condition that the original authorship is properly attributed.”
You can subscribe to the print version for $160, or access it freely online.
The current issue has a range of interesting articles covering neuoscience networks through Borneo elephant genetics.
This is an exciting step from the Public Library of Science! (The following news item is from Edupage).
ONLINE SCIENCE JOURNAL SWAMPED SINCE LAUNCH
http://news.com.com/2100-1032-5091337.html
Publishers of a new online scientific journal report their Web site has been
overwhelmed with traffic since its launch Sunday night. The journal, the
Public Library of Science Biology, represents a new model for academic
publishing. Rather than charging hefty subscription fees, the Public Library
of Science (PLoS), which publishes the journal, charges authors $1,500 per
article. The fee is used for peer-review, editing, and production, and all
content on the journal's site is available for free. Representatives of PLoS
said traffic jumped to more than 500,000 hits within a few hours of the site's
launch. PLoS is initially publishing biomedical material and may later expand
into other areas. CNET, 14 October 2003 via Edupage)
Neurobiology of Lipids (http://neurobiologyoflipids.org/myjournalindex.html) (ISSN 1683-5506) represents expert peer-review journal published by the editorial group.
The journal aims to take a prominent position as the journal of choice for the publication of original peer-reviewed science covering all areas of the journal scope.
Editorial group mission:
Journal scope: “Neurobiology of Lipids” provides online-only peer-reviewed publication of the results and conclusions of original research in neuroscience of lipids with a particular emphasis on novel findings in biochemistry, biophysics and physiology of cholesterol, other lipids and lipoproteins and their role in neural and synaptic development, regeneration, plasticity, circuitry, signaling, behavior, aging, degeneration, clinical neurology and transplantation.
Breaking News: Amazon Debuts New Search Tool, Access the Full-Text from 120,000 Book Titles.
http://www.amazon.com/
“The new service (online today) is called ‘Search Inside the Book’ and
allows you to search the full-text, over 33 million pages from over 120,000
titles. CBS Marketwatch reports that over 190 publishers are participating
including Wiley; Time Warner Book Group; Simon & Schuster, Inc.; Random
House, Inc.; Publishers Group West, Incorporated; McGraw-Hill Professional;
Holtzbrinck Publishers; and HarperCollins Publishers. Of course the full-text
from 120,000 titles can have enormous research and reference value. However,
Amazon's primary motivation for offering this service is to sell books.
netLibrary is an example of a service geared toward the researcher. The
company is calling this new service ‘a significant extension’
to the ‘Look Inside the Book’ service which has been online
since October, 2001. How Does ‘Search Inside the Book’ Work?
(From Gary Price at ResourceShelf)
Insights into the Future from MIT World
http://mitworld.mit.edu/
Two MIT World lectures include insights into the future, one from the CEO
of Boeing and one from the front lines of research at EECS.
The Cambridge-MIT Institute presents The CMI Distinguished Lecture Series Philip Condit, Chairman and CEO, The Boeing Company - “Navigating the Future”. Condit divides the gross national product into two types of activities, transformational and transactional. Hear his insights into the future of transactions, as technology enables a more efficient transactional economy.
The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science presents EECS Centennial Celebration “Transforming the Next Century”. Moderator, Rafael Reif, Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and Associate Head Electrical Science & Engineering. Panelists: Tomas Lozano-Perez, TIBCO Founders Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, Jeffrey H. Shapiro, Julius A. Stratton Professor of Electrical Engineering Director of the Research Laboratory of Electronics.
The Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Centennial Celebration was held in May 2003. This is the fourth and final presentation on MIT World from this event.
Secondary Mathematics Curriculum
http://www7.national-academies.org/mseb/Webcasts%20and%20Workshops.html
Video presentations from the workshop, “Talking It Through: Cross-National
Conversation About Secondary Mathematics Curriculum,” are now available
online. The two-day event, held earlier this year, was sponsored by the
National Academies' Mathematical Sciences Education Board and Board on
International Comparative Studies in Education (requires free RealPlayer).
The Changing Brain - Mark Bear
http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/152/
How do our right and left eyes take in two separate streams of visual
information and end up with a single view of the world? This question has come
under intense scrutiny from neuroscientists for decades, and Mark Bear brings
us up to date in his lecture. Single neurons in the visual cortex respond to
particular stimuli (such as direction or color) and then the brain does some
fancy filtering to process only the stimuli that match up in both eyes. Bear
describes breakthrough experiments where researchers closed the eye of a
kitten for just a day or so, and found that it was effectively “blind” after
it opened. Correlating visual information to produce binocular images depends
on neural connections that are forged during a “critical period” of visual
cortex development. Bear's work with visual system neurotransmitters has
turned up intriguing connections to conditions like Fragile X syndrome. This
form of mental retardation may result from a similar loss of neural
connections during a parallel critical period after birth.
NIST-Sponsored Forum Focuses on Electronic Voting
http://vote.nist.gov/
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is hosting a symposium
on building trust and confidence in voting systems on Dec. 10-11 at NIST
headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland The symposium will include panel
sessions on specification, testability and qualification, security, usability
and accessibility, and next step issues. Herb Deutsch, chair of IEEE's Voting
Equipment Standards (P1583) will present on IEEE's related standards effort.
NIST is also inviting groups, organizations and individuals to submit position
statements as information resources for symposium participants.
29th Annual AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy
http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/colloqu.htm
April 22-23, 2004 * Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill * Washingon, DC The AAAS
Forum on Science and Technology Policy, held in Washington each spring,
provides a forum for discussion and debate about budget and other policy
issues facing the S&T community. Since its beginning in 1976 it has grown
into an annual institution that draws nearly 500 of the nation's top science
and technology experts. The Forum has established itself as the major public
meeting in the U.S. on science and technology policy issues. The 29th Annual
AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy will be held April 22-23, 2004, at
the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Registration and program
information will be available in December.
Listen to presentations from the Oct. 14-15 NAE workshop, Emerging Technologies and Ethical Issues.
http://www.nae.edu/nae/naehome.nsf/weblinks/CGOZ-5Q4NKY?OpenDocument
Sustainability, nanotechnology, neurotechnology, and energy are among the
topics examined. Other presentations describe approaching ethics by using
engineering case studies, academic perspectives on ethics, and professional
codes of ethics. Speakers also describe ways to raise awareness of ethics
among student and practicing engineers.
Transportation Research Board's 83rd annual meeting.
http://gulliver.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=1907
Register now for the Transportation Research Board's 83rd annual meeting.
The five-day event, which begins on Jan. 11, 2004 in Washington, D.C., is
expected to attract nearly 9,000 transportation professionals from around the
world. Attendees will have the opportunity to share knowledge and perspectives
with colleagues and to learn about the latest developments in transportation
research, policy and practice.
The Science and Engineering Workforce--Realizing America's Potential.
NSB, 2003.
http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/documents/2003/nsb0369/nsb0369.pdf
Burning Plasma: Bringing a Star to Earth.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10816.html?onpi_listserv100303
H-1B Foreign Workers: Better Tracking Needed to Help Determine H-1B Program's Effects on U.S. Workforce.
GAO, 2003.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03883.pdf
Exploration of the Seas: Voyage into the Unknown.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10844.html
Innovations in Software Engineering for Defense Systems.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10809.html?onpi_listserv100303
Teaching Science in the Two-Year College.
NSTA, 2003.
http://www.nsta.org/main/pdfs/store/PB180Xnp.pdf
The Anthrax Letters: A Medical Detective Story.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10724.html?onpi_listserv100303
Understanding Climate Change Feedbacks.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10850.html
To Promote Innovation: The Proper Balance of Competition and Patent Law and Policy.
FTC, 2003.
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2003/10/innovationrpt.pdf
Energy and Transportation: Challenges for the Chemical Sciences in the 21st Century.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10814.html?onpi_listserv100303
Facilities for the Future of Science: A Twenty-Year Outlook.
U.S. Dept. of Energy, 2003.
http://www.sc.doe.gov/Sub/Facilities_for_future/20-Year-Outlook-screen.pdf
Who Goes There?: Authentication Through the Lens of Privacy.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10656.html?onpi_listserv100303
A Century of Innovation: Twenty Engineering Achievements that Transformed Our Lives.
NAP, 2003.
http://books.nap.edu/catalog/10726.html
Survey on the Use of Biotechnology in U.S. Industry.
U.S. Department of Commerce, Technology Administration, 2003.
http://www.technology.gov/reports/Biotechnology/CD120a_0310.pdf
Enhancing the Vitality of the National Institutes of Health: Organizational Change to Meet New Challenges.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10779.html?onpi_listserv101703
Dietary Reference Intakes: Applications in Dietary Planning.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10609.html?onpi_listserv101703
A Review of the EPA Water Security Research and Technical Support Action Plan: Parts I and II (prepublication).
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10772.html?onpi_listserv101703
Critical Issues in Weather Modification Research.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10829.html?onpi_listserv101703
Buckling Up: Technologies to Increase Seat Belt Use -- Special Report 278.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10832.html?onpi_listserv101703
Assessment of Processing Gelled GB M55 Rockets at Anniston.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10818.html?onpi_listserv101703
Improving the Regulation and Management of Low-Activity Radioactive Wastes: Interim Report on Current Regulations, Inventories, and Practices.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10835.html?onpi_listserv101703
Cities Transformed: Demographic Change and Its Implications in the Developing World.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10693.html
The Last Sorcerers: The Path from Alchemy to the Periodic Table.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10722.html
Building an Electronic Records Archive: Letter Report.
NAP, 2003.
http://books.nap.edu/catalog/10843.html?do_se96
Endangered and Threatened Fishes in the Klamath River Basin: Causes of Decline and Strategies for Recovery.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10838.html?do_se96
The Impact of Academic Research on Industrial Performance.
NAP, 2003.
http://books.nap.edu/catalog/10805.html?do_se96
Owner-Authorized Handguns: A Workshop Summary.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10828.html?do_se96
Measuring Personal Travel and Goods Movement: A Review of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics' Surveys -- Special Report 277.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10837.html?do_se96
Twenty-Fourth Symposium on Naval Hydrodynamics.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10834.html?do_se96
Future Challenges for the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resources Program.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10817.html
We're Friends, Right?: Inside Kids' Culture.
NAP, 2003.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10723.html
Game Theory.net
http://www.gametheory.net/
Game Theory.net provides resource material to educators and students of
game theory and its applications to economics, business, political science,
computer science, and other disciplines. The site is directed at less rigorous
presentations of the material, concentrating more on making the lessons of
game theory relevant to the student. A list of textbooks, readers, and lecture
notes used by other educators is provided. Java applets and online games
demonstrate these concepts in a fun, interactive way. Links to game-theoretic
themes in movies, books, and the popular press serve to reinforce concepts,
offer an entertaining diversion in class, and make the material more
approachable. Assessment materials are provided both to aid educators in
preparing classes and to offer students additional study materials. Take some
time to explore the site and you will find value here. (From Blue Web'N)
Slate Citation Machine
http://www.landmark-project.com/citation_machine/
This tool generates bibliographic citations in MLA (Modern Language
Association) and APA (American Psychological Association) format from
information entered in a form. The site includes templates for single- and
multiple-author books, encyclopedia articles, broadcast programming,
interviews, Web sites, personal e-mail messages, online forum postings, and
articles from magazines, newspapers, print journals, and online publications.
From the Landmarks for Schools educational Web site. (From Librarian's Index
to the Internet)
Optics for Teens
http://www.OpticsForTeens.org/
This site provides an introduction to the field of optics and its
applications in science, engineering, and medicine. Illustrated articles cover
concepts such as electromagnetic radiation, lenses and mirrors, reflection and
refraction, and the human eye. Includes career information, “online
laboratories,” a section on optical illusions, lesson plans, and related
links. From the Optical Society of America, a professional membership
organization. (From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
Explore Cornell: Beetle Science
http://explore.cornell.edu/scene.cfm?scene=Beetle%20Science
They've been known to tick people off, but don't dismiss beetles as mere
pests. In fact, this bug site may very well turn your entire world on its ear.
Contrary to our self-centered view of our place on the planet, insects,
specifically beetles, are the dominant life form on Earth. One out of five
insects is a species of beetle, and beetles thrive in every habitat except for
the ocean. They're older than Methuselah and the dinosaurs. Sometimes they're
pretty scary looking, other times they're just pretty. They can lay a mean egg
and even ward off smaller insects with a stare from their beady eyes. But they
do inspire amazing art and look lovely framed. Let's face it -- beetles are
mysterious, creepy, and fascinating all at once. So poke around and get to
know our strange bedfellows just a little better. (From Yahoo's Picks of the
Week)
Census of Marine Life
http://www.coml.org/
This is “a growing global network of researchers in more than 45 nations
engaged in a ten-year initiative to assess and explain the diversity,
distribution, and abundance of marine life in the oceans -- past, present, and
future.” The site presents descriptions of and links to the network's
projects, such as “Natural Geography in Shore Areas” and the “History of
Marine Animal Populations.” Available in several languages, including German,
Japanese, and Spanish. Searchable. (From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
Plant Pathology Photos
http://www.explore.cornell.edu/scene.cfm?scene=Plant%20Pathology%20Photos
This site “offers images captured by a succession of four Cornell
University science photographers over the past 100 years. The small galleries
. . . span a period of great advances in plant pathology -- the study of plant
diseases -- and in the photographic methods which are so central to the
discipline.” Includes brief biographies of the photographers. (From
Librarian's Index to the Internet)
Chemical Ecology of Insects
http://www.wcrl.ars.usda.gov/cec/h.htm
This website presents resources on the chemical ecology of insects.
Concentration is on bark beetles. The site includes:
(From Infomine) NOTE: These games and quizzes are at a high level of expertise.
Nature: Great White Bear
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/whitebear/
This site is a companion to a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Nature
program about the habits of polar bears, their secrets for survival in the
Arctic, and “the challenges of studying polar bears in their freezing
habitat.” Also includes a list of online and print resources. (From
Librarian's Index to the Internet)
The Digital Michelangelo Project
http://graphics.stanford.edu/projects/mich/
“Since 1992 [Stanford University] Professor Marc Levoy and his students
have been investigating methods for digitizing the shape of three-dimensional
objects using laser scanners.” This site presents the efforts of “a team of 30
faculty, staff, and students” to scan and produce 3-D computer models of “the
sculptures and architecture of Michelangelo.” Includes an overview and
timeline of the project, photographic essays, video clips, and related links.
In English and Italian. (From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
NSTA Career Center
http://careers.nsta.org/
NSTA now provides a new resource for science educators and instituions.
This unique service provides a timely link between science education
professionals seeking new positions and educational institutions with
vacancies. The clients are teachers, students, administrators, and public or
private schools in grades pre- K through 12 and postsecondary. Job postings
are $130/month, resume postings and job searches are free of charge.
NSF Awards First Year of Robert Noyce Scholarships
http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/due/programs/noyce/
New Research Grants Focus on Teachers and Science/Math Education
http://www.ed.gov/programs/edresearch/applicant.html
The National Science Foundation (NSF) last week awarded $6.9 million to 15
universities and colleges in the first round of the Robert Noyce Scholarship
program, a new NSF program that will provide scholarships, stipends, and
programs for science, math, engineering, and technology undergraduates who
want to become teachers and who agree to teach in a high-need school district.
According to NSF, this year's program will fund scholarships, stipends, and
programs for more than 650 potential K-12 undergrads who want to transition to
teaching. In addition, the program provides mentoring and other support to
these new teachers in their early years of teaching. The program is named
after Dr. Robert Noyce, co-founder of Intel Corp and the scientist awarded the
1961 patent for the integrated semiconductor.
Four new research grant competitions are available from the U. S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Science; two grants focus on math and science education and teacher quality. The Teacher Quality Research Grants competition has four goals (a) to support the development of new professional development programs; (b) to establish the efficacy of existing professional development programs for teachers; (c) to provide evidence of the effectiveness of teacher preparation or professional development programs for teachers; and (d) to validate new or existing assessments of teacher quality for teachers against measures of student achievement. The Mathematics and Science Education Research Grants will fulfill three goals: (a) to support the development of new interventions and approaches to mathematics and science education that will eventually result in improving math and science achievement; (b) to establish the efficacy of existing interventions and approaches to math and science education with small efficacy or replication trials; and (c) to provide evidence on the effectiveness of math and science interventions taken to scale. A letter of intent for each grant is due November 20, 2003, and the application is due January 8, 2004. Other grants also announced by the IES include Cognition and Student Learning Research Grants and Reading Comprehension and Reading Scale-up Research Grants. (From NSTA)
Design Museum
http://www.designmuseum.org/
This London museum focuses on industrial design, architecture, design
movements, and design-related technologies of the 20th and 21st centuries. The
site features browsable information about significant designers, from Alvar
Aalto through Michael Young. The “Digital Design Museum” provides a
description of “what web designers choose as the most inspiring developments
of design on the web.” (From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
3D Body Scanner
http://www.explore.cornell.edu/scene.cfm?scene=The%203d%20body%20scanner
This site features information about applications of body scanner
technology to apparel production. It includes scan visualizations (“3D models
you can zoom, pan, and rotate”), a history of custom and mass production of
clothing, virtual try-on information, a glossary, and links to related sites.
Part of the Explore Cornell multimedia magazine. (From Librarian's Index to
the Internet)
New, free, OneStep Industry News and OneStep Jobs News services from EEVL
OneStep Industry News
http://www.eevl.ac.uk/onestepnews/
OneStep Jobs
http://www.eevl.ac.uk/onestepjobs/
EEVL: the Internet guide to engineering, mathematics and computing, is
delighted to announce the launch of two new, free services which will make it
much easier to scan the latest industry news and jobs announcements from top
sources in engineering, mathematics and computing. The new services are so
easy to use that they have been named OneStep Industry News, and OneStep Jobs
News. Using RSS (Really Simple Syndication) technology, the OneStep services
aggregate the very latest headlines and announcements from top sources and
present them in an easily accessible format. Only the very latest industry and
news headlines are included in the OneStep services, and by following direct
links, the complete full text is available from participating publishers' own
websites, in ‘one step’.
“The two new OneStep services fill several important gaps in information availability.” Michael Breaks, the Heriot Watt University Librarian, and EEVL Director, stated. “Many people know and use general news sources such as CNN, BBC News, and so on, but there is a distinct lack of awareness of sector-specific news services. Not only that, but the various excellent sources of industry news which do exist are spread out on the Internet at various locations. OneStep Industry News is an aggregator, or intermediation service, which gathers together in one place news items from a number of top sources, and makes them immediately available. OneStep Jobs provides a similar function for the latest job announcements. Instead of having to visit numerous recruitment sites at different locations, OneStep Jobs allows those looking for jobs in engineering, mathematics and computing to browse the latest vacancies from several top sources. If a job vacancy looks to be of interest, full details are only one click away at the source site.” Included in OneStep Industry News are headlines from: e4engineering.com, Buildingtalk, Manufacturingtalk, Electronicstalk, Nature - Materials Update, Moreover, LTSN Engineering, LTSN Materials, the Institute of Physics (Optics.org News, Fibers.org News, Nanotechweb.org News, Compoundsemiconductor.net News), scenta, LTSN Maths, The Register, Slashdot, Nanodot, and general technology newsfeeds such as BBC Tech News and CNN Technology. More sources will be added in the future.
Included in OneStep Jobs News are announcements from Jobsite, theengineerjobs.co.uk, jobs.ac.uk, Institute of Physics (Nanotechweb.org Jobs), and Perl Jobs. More sources will be added in the future.
Engineering on the Airwaves: Breathable Fog, Bioengineered Flowers . . . and more
http://www.nae.edu/NAE/pubundcom.nsf/weblinks/CGOZ-5SZQNG?OpenDocument
The National Academy of Engineering has just launched a project with the
Washington, D.C. region's only all-news radio station --
WTOP Radio (http://www.wtop.com/)
-- to provide features highlighting engineering innovations and
stories that add technical context to issues in the news. Listen to these
weekly news items at the NAE website. Please contact Randy Atkins at
atkins@nae.edu
with your comments and ideas.
Bernard M. Gordon Prize
http://www.national-academies.org/morenews/#tn1105
To encourage innovation in engineering education, the National Academy of
Engineering will award its Bernard M. Gordon Prize every year, instead of
every other year, starting in 2005. Established in 2001, the $500,000 prize
honors engineering educators whose programs strengthen the engineering
workforce by cultivating student leadership and communication skills,
creativity and ability to work in a team.
NOVA: The Wright Brothers' Flying Machine
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/wright/
Celebrating 100 Years of Flight
http://www.asme.org/events/flight/
“December 17, 2003, marks the centennial of the world's first powered
flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. To celebrate this milestone, NOVA
presents the definitive documentary on the invention of the airplane. While
many shows have retold the Wright brothers' personal story, no program has
properly explored the astonishing inventiveness that they applied to the
problem of powered flight. NOVA reveals the popular image of the Wrights as
amateur bicycle mechanics who tinkered their way into the sky to be a myth.
The program features exhilarating footage of flights by exclusively
commissioned replicas that use the same original materials and the only
existing Wright engine for the frail craft that first propelled humans toward
the clouds. Watch as the triumph of powered flight comes alive once more.”
This companion website to the NOVA program features interviews, an interactive
game allowing you to pilot the aircraft to learn about steering, and more . . .
December 17, 2003 marks the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' historic
achievement, and to commemorate the event the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers has developed this site. Several notable stories of flight are
documented, including the Enola Gay, the Concorde, and the Boeing 767-80,
which was “the prototype for most jet transports.” Teacher resources and news
articles related to the centennial of flight are available. An archive of
paper airplane models is also included to give children and adults something
to do in their spare time. [CL] (From the Scout Report)
Top U.S. Companies on R&D Spending
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/careers/careersarchive/intellectualproperty/oct03/rdt1.pdf (PDF)
“With a company's future at stake, it's no wonder that investors, corporate
managers, and other decision-makers keep close tabs on the R&D spending of
companies they're involved with and of their competitors. R&D watchers
need look no further than the IEEE Spectrum list of the Top 100 R&D
Spenders in 2002 to gauge the possible trajectory of future technological
innovation for these companies.” (From IEEE Spectrum.)
NOVA: Magnetic Storm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/magnetic/
Something potentially earth shattering is brewing deep within the planet's
molten core. As much as we hate to admit it, some acts of nature are firmly
beyond our control. Case in point is the possible magnetic storm headed our
way. PBS offers this timely look at our mysterious magnetic field and how this
necessary component to life on Earth could reverse, or even disappear and
wreak untold havoc. Our dynamic magnetic field allows many things to happen;
auroras to glow, birds to migrate, compasses to work, ATMs and checkout
scanners to function, just to name a few. In our geologic history, the
magnetic field has harmlessly reversed directions many times. However,
scientists have found evidence of dramatic weakening, signaling a potential
end to the magnetosphere. If that happens, our sole protection against lethal
cosmic rays and solar winds would be gone. Our fragile ecosystem would
flounder, and humanity would literally be left high and dry. Doomsday nonsense
or the beginning of the end? Only nature knows the real answer. (From Yahoo's
Picks of the Week)
Volcano Above the Clouds
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/kilimanjaro/
In 1980 Mount St. Helens in Washington State suffered a catastrophic
landslide that released seething volcanic gases and rock fragments in a
cataclysm that destroyed hundreds of square miles of forest. Could Africa's
fabled Mount Kilimanjaro be heading for the same fate? In this program, NOVA
accompanies an expedition up Kilimanjaro to learn what the future holds for
the world's tallest volcano. An added mystery is why Kilimanjaro's distinctive
summit glaciers are shrinking. Expected to disappear totally by 2015, the
vanishing ice has been cited as an icon of global warming. But could there be
another explanation?
This companion site to the PBS show includes a virtual tour of Kilimanjaro as well as features on the highest peak on each continent, mountain weather, and more . . .
Plate Tectonics Animations
http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/docs/parks/animate/pltecan.html
Geology Potpourri : Animations
http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/docs/parks/animate/mpegs.html
Geology of Hydrocarbons : Animations
http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/docs/parks/oilgas/oilgas.html
The first site has animations, originally produced for the U.S. Geological
Survey video “Secrets in Stone”, which show tectonic plate motions from 600
million years ago to today.
The second site has, as it says, a potpourri of animations, originally produced for various USGS videos, which show:
The third site has animations showing the geology of hydrocarbons, focusing on geology of the United States. (From Infomine)
Ice Ages
http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/ice_ages/
This exhibit answers basic questions about the Ice Ages, which are
“intervals of time when large areas of the surface of the globe are covered
with ice sheets (large continental glaciers).” Includes a video clip depicting
the retreat of glaciers in North America. From the Illinois State Museum.
(From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
Geoffrey Marcy Interview
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/interviews/Marcy_Interview.html
Hear astrophysicist Geoffrey Marcy on the National Academy of Sciences'
“InterViews” Web site, which contains first-person accounts of the lives and
work of NAS members. In hour-long interviews (audio files require free
RealPlayer), distinguished scientists talk about their research, why they
became scientists and other aspects of their careers. A new feature is the
InterViews Gallery, which presents interviews by major field of study.
Who Hired Physics Bachelors?
http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/states/state.htm
From AIP, a state by state listing of many of the companies and
organizations that hired new physics bachelors from the classes of 1999, 2000
and 2001.
The Elegant Universe
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/
This site is a companion to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) NOVA
program about string theory (the idea “that the fundamental ingredients of
nature are inconceivably tiny strings of energy, whose different modes of
vibration underlie everything that happens in the universe”) as explained by
author-physicist Brian Greene. Includes interviews and articles, information
about the film's special effects, interactive features on multidimensional
math and supersymmetry, a teacher's guide, and related resources. (From
Librarian's Index to the Internet)
The second site is also from NASA. “The Solar Physics Group at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center was formed in the early 1970's in conjunction with the Apollo Skylab Mission. These pages contain an overview of solar physics itself along with highlights of our own work.” The site features images and information about the sun including general facts, the structure and features of the sun, and the sun in action (sunspot cycles, solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and surface waves). (From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
Space Environment Center
http://www.sec.noaa.gov/
This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) site, “the
official source of space weather alerts, warnings, and forecasts,” provides
current information on geomagnetic storms, solar winds, solar flares, and
aurora activity. The education page features a glossary of solar-terrestrial
terms, a primer on space weather (in English and Spanish), short essays on
related topics, and classroom materials. Information is also grouped by users:
navigation, radio operators, utilities, satellite operators, and news media.
Searchable. (From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
Voyager 1 Craft Nears Edge of Solar System
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6146-2003Nov5.html
NASA: Voyager Approaching Solar System's Final Frontier
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2003/nov/HQ_03354_voyager_ssu.html
NASA: Voyager: Celebrating 25 Years of Discovery
http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/
Voyager Fact Sheets
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/fact_sheets/voyager.pdf [pdf]
USGS Astrogeology: Voyager Mission
http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/Missions/Voyager/
Voyager Golden Record
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/flash/voyager_record/index.htm
Traveling at 334 million miles per year, the Voyager 1 Spacecraft continues
to return vast amounts of important astronomical data to researchers back on
Earth, and has done so since its initial launch on September 5, 1977. Most
recently, Voyager 1 has been in the news because it is rapidly approaching the
boundary of the solar system, and will shortly reach interstellar space. Using
measurements of the solar wind sent back from the craft, scientists at the
Applied Physics Lab at Johns Hopkins University suggest that Voyager 1 has in
fact already passed the terminal shock boundary that demarcates the transition
from the solar system to interstellar space. Another piece of research
conducted by a team of scholars at the University of Maryland suggest that
Voyager 1 is nearing the termination shock boundary, but has yet to hit it. It
is now estimated that Voyager 1 will reach the star next door to our own in
about 40,000 years, though the spacecraft is thought to only have enough power
to continue transmitting data until the year 2020. [KMG] The first link will
take visitors to a November 6, 2003 article in the Washington Post about the
recent realization that the Voyager 1 will soon reach the end of the solar
system. The second link leads to a joint press release released November 5,
2003 from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California and the
Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland about the progress of the
spacecraft. The third link leads to a rather comprehensive and intriguing
website designed by NASA to provide the web-browsing public with material
about the spacecraft. The site includes details about the technical
specifications of the Voyager and a number of amazing images taken during its
26-year journey. The fourth link leads to an 8-page fact sheet provided by
NASA that offers a nice overview of the spacecraft's mission and its
observations of the other planets in the solar system, including Jupiter and
Uranus. The fifth link will take visitors to the USGS Astrogeology homepage of
the Voyager, which again provides yet another perspective on the important
work of this spacecraft. The last link lets visitors learn about the Golden
Record that is onboard the Voyager 1. Designed to convey a bit of information
about the planet Earth to any other sentient life forms that the Voyager may
encounter, the Record contains greetings from various political figures, such
as Kurt Waldheim (the former secretary of the United Nations) and different
samples of nature sounds and pieces of music. [KMG] (From the Scout Report)
The Lockup Society
http://www.americanradioworks.org/features/lockup/
“As the new millennium began, the number of Americans behind bars passed
two million - five times the inmate population in 1972. In these reports,
American Radio explores some of the causes and ramifications of this
unprecedented experiment in mass incarceration.” Features reports on “life
after prison,” the corrections industry, and prisoners with mental illnesses.
Includes program transcripts and audio clips, statistics, slide shows, and
related resources. (From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
SocioSite
http://www2.fmg.uva.nl/sociosite/
With the broad range of research interests covered within the field of
sociology around the world, it is a formidable task to attempt to offer a
clearinghouse of information about the various aspects of this area of
scholarship. This site puts forth an admirable effort in this arena, and is
maintained by Albert Benschop, a professor of sociology at the University of
Amsterdam. The site is divided into 18 subject areas, including those devoted
to courses, journals, data archives, research centers, associations,
newsletters, publishers, and subject areas. The Sociologists section is quite
helpful for those looking to peruse valuable online materials related to
important persons who have worked in sociology (and other related
disciplines), such as Claude Levi-Strauss, Robert Merton, Erving Goffman, and
dozens of others. Almost every section is arranged geographically,
facilitating searches for journals found in almost any part of the world, or
for sociology departments on different continents. Finally, those who would
like to contribute helpful links or materials to the project may also sign up
to join up as a correspondent or editor. [KMG] (From the Scout Report)
NOVA: Lost Roman Treasure
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/zeugma/
“At the height of the Roman Empire an opulent city stood at the eastern
frontier on the most important crossing of the Euphrates River. Called Zeugma
(‘Junction’) after the bridge that linked its opposite banks, the city
disappeared into history after the empire fell. Buried by centuries of silt
and dirt, the city was long neglected by archeologists, until the rising
edifice of a nearby hydroelectric dam forced them to act quickly before the
site was flooded. What they found were treasures beyond their wildest dreams.”
This website companion to the NOVA program contains a slide show and
interviews and introduces you to the use of high tech tools such as ground
penetrating radar.
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.)
GEORGE ATKINSON NAMED S&T ADVISOR TO STATE DEPARTMENT
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2003/24341.htm
On Sept. 23,
Secretary of State Colin Powell announced the appointment of Dr. George H.
Atkinson as the State Department's Science and Technology Advisor, replacing
Dr. Norman Neureiter who had recently completed a three year assignment.
Atkinson, a professor of chemistry and optical sciences at the University of
Arizona and founder of the Innovative Lasers Corporation, has worked with Dr.
Neureiter at the State Department since being selected by the American
Institute of Physics for a State Department Fellowship in August 2001. Both
Neureiter and Atkinson were instrumental in supporting the creation of
IEEE-USA's Engineering and Diplomacy Fellowship program, which is currently
recruiting applicants for 2005 Fellowships.
From What's New @ IEEE-USA Eye on Washington
WOMEN FACE OBSTACLES IN TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/7241970.htm
A study by Catalyst, a
nonprofit group dedicated to advancing women in business, finds that women in
the technology industry face the traditional glass ceiling despite the general
perception that the high-tech field is a meritocracy. Almost a third of the
study's participants agreed that women have a difficult time getting ahead in
the industry, a belief supported by the fact that women make up 11.1 percent
of corporate officers among Fortune 500 high-tech companies, compared to 15.7
percent in Fortune 500 firms overall. The study suggests that offering career
development, creating mentoring and networking opportunities with other
successful women, and fostering greater flexibility will help level the
playing field. Efforts at Silicon Valley companies to retain, develop, and
advance women are also highlighted.
San Jose Mercury News, 12 November 2003 via Edupage.
OPEN STANDARD TO SUPPORT UTILITY COMPUTING
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-10-14-utility-computing_x.htm
A group of technology companies
is proposing a language for standardizing utility computing. Electronic Data
Systems (EDS) and software company Opsware are working with companies
including Computer Associates and BEA Systems on the new standard, called Data
Center Markup Language (DCML). DCML will be available early next year and is
designed to allow reliable interaction among data centers using differing
hardware and software. IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Sun Microsystems are
developing separate, proprietary technologies to improve performance of data
centers. Marc Andreessen of Opsware, however, believes that an open standard
is a better approach, comparing DCML to HTML, which offers a consistent way to
make content available on Web pages from various companies.
USA Today, 14 October 2003 via Edupage
MORE DATA, BUT NO LESS PAPER
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=3713686
A study by the University of California at
Berkeley shows that during 2002, 5 billion gigabytes of data was generated
around the world. That amount, which is the equivalent of about 800 megabytes
per person, is enough to fill 500,000 U.S. Libraries of Congress. The
university conducted a similar study in 1999, and the new results indicate a
30 percent rise since the first study in the amount of stored information. The
amount of data stored on hard disk drives was up 114 percent from the earlier
study. According to Peter Lyman, a professor at UC Berkeley, those involved in
the 1999 study expected that use of film and paper would drop as users moved
those media into electronic formats. Although film-based photographs have
dropped 9 percent since 1999, paper documents, including books, journals, and
others, have grown by as much as 43 percent. Lyman said that much of the
content is accessed on computers, but users print it out.
Reuters, 29 October 2003 via Edupage.
INCREASING ACCESS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v50/i14/14a03401.htm
Congress is considering
legislation to expand programs that increase access for students with
disabilities to include distance education. An existing grant program is
designed to support various programs that allow students with learning or
physical disabilities to participate in higher education, and the new
legislation explicitly adds distance-education programs to that program. Peter
Hoekstra (R-Mich.), author of the legislation, said, “The flexibility and
access facilitated through distance education and electronic delivery methods
also holds tremendous promise for eliminating barriers . . . for students with
disabilities.” The National Technical Institute for the Deaf, established in
1965 by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), uses technology tools to
improve access for students with disabilities, and, according to Joeann
Humbert, director of online learning at RIT, such tools sometimes benefit all
students. The university developed a tool to search captions of video clips,
according to Humbert, and the tool has become a favorite of all students.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 28 November 2003 (sub. req'd) via Edupage
All items from the Scout Report are copyright Susan Calcari, 1994-2003. 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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