NSFC Databases
The National Environmental Services Center (NESC) is based at West Virginia University and "serves as a clearinghouse for information about drinking water, wastewater, environmental training, and solid waste management in communities serving fewer than 10,000 individuals." As part of the NSFC larger Web site, the Databases page offers three online databases that can be accessed free after an initial registration. The Regulations Database contains copies of regulations for onsite wastewater treat
The Whyfiles Spring Break Edition: Bad News on Skin Cancer
You are unlikely to meet anyone these days who has never heard that UV radiation from the sun can cause skin cancer, but scientific inquiry into this unfortunate fact is far from over. This Whyfiles feature offers an in-depth explanation of the sun-skin cancer connection, beginning with a highly readable, explanatory introduction to UV radiation, forms of skin cancer, and the ozone layer. This background information sets the groundwork for the next section, an intriguing look at epidemiological
University of California: California Agriculture
Based on our nation's heavy reliance on food grown in California, this University of California publication regarding the agricultural affairs of the 31st state will be appreciated by researchers and agriculturalists from around the country. First published in 1946, "_California Agriculture_ is a peer-reviewed journal reporting research, reviews and news from the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the University of California." Site visitors may view abstracts or full text document
USDA Forest Service-St. Paul Field Office: Silvics of North America
The Internet continues to evolve as a global library, allowing free and easy public access to an increasing number of valuable documents. One such treasure, found in the archives of the USDA Forest Service St. Paul Field Office website, is _ Silvics of North America_, a substantial publication describing "the silvical characteristics of about 200 conifers and hardwood trees in the coterminous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Individual articles were researched and written by knowl
Collaborative Lesson Archive
The Collaborative Lesson Archive of the University of Illinois is intended to be "a forum for the creation, distribution, and archival of education curricula for all grade levels and subject areas." The main page contains links to lessons organized by individual grade levels from kindergarten to beyond the twelfth grade. Once chosen, users are presented with a list of subjects including geography, science, and math, among others, which then contain various lessons. The sixth grade science sectio
Microbes.info: The Microbiology Information Portal
Microbiologist Al Chan has scoured cyberspace for reliable microbiology resources, and has come up with this extensive and frequently updated library of Web links -- a welcome alternative to tedious Internet searches. Visitors will find links to related news and feature articles, FAQs geared toward the non-microbiologist, and other resources organized by topic. A selection of interesting Web links are featured on the main page, which should keep the casual visitor entertained. Those seeking spec
US Census Bureau: State & County QuickFacts
The US Census Bureau Web site, State and County QuickFacts, provides "quick, easy access to facts about people, business, and geography." Users can choose a state from the clickable map or the pull down menu to access data on people including the populations of various groups, average travel times, and education levels; business information such as employment and sales per capita; physical geography facts of land size; and other data sets on a wide variety of subjects. The tabular format of the
Scientific American Frontiers: Calls of the Wild
As always, PBS offers a fantastic companion Web site to its popular series Scientific American Frontiers, this time for the episode "Calls of the Wild" (aired April 1, 2003). Viewers join researchers as they "listen in on animal communication as birds, bees, bugs, bats and elephants flirt, eavesdrop, and even give directions." Three lesson plans are available, as well as an answer key and a quiz based on the program, each for grades 5-8. The site also includes a number of Web-exclusive features,
Learning from the Fossil Record
Another interesting and helpful resource from the University of California Berkeley Museum of Paleontology is the Learning from the Fossil Record Web site. Educators will find a list of over twenty fossil related classroom activities presented by different authors with titles such as Building a Topographic Model, Determining the Age Of Rocks and Fossils, Fossilization and Adaptation, the Dinosaur Body Structure, Microfossils, and other interesting subjects. The detailed descriptions include ever
Marine Invertebrate Larvae: A Study in Morphological Diversity
In this Web site, courtesy of Dr. Thurston Lacalli of the University of Saskatchewan, visitors will find an excellent collection of marine invertebrate larvae images. Consisting mainly of transmission electron micrographs, the image gallery may be accessed through a graphical or text-only menu. The phylogenetic tree layout of the graphical menu helps familiarize visitors with invertebrate classification. Lacalli also provides a brief tutorial intended for students new to the topic, which address
Teach-nology: Science
Teach-nology.com is "intended to bring educators into the world of teaching with technology...by providing links to valuable and useful information relative to current and best practices in the field of education." Visitors will find the links categorized by subject, including archeology, astronomy, chemistry, earth science, lesson plans, physics, sites to use with students, and several others. Each of these subjects then include several subcategories, listed along with brief descriptions of wha
M Commerce Times
While e-commerce was one of the hottest technologies of the 1990's, m-commerce, or mobile commerce, is the current dominating industry. This Web site is the home of M-Commerce Times, an online newspaper that focuses on mobile infrastructure, wireless technology, services, and other industry developments. Some of the common headlines feature Bluetooth applications and third-generation (3G) data services. One section of the site provides market analyses and assessments of trends in the m-commerce
The American Association of Immunologists
The American Association of Immunologists (AAI) works "to advance knowledge of immunology and related disciplines, to foster interchange of ideas and information among investigators in the various disciplines and to promote an understanding of the field of immunology." The AAI maintains a number of Training and Job Opportunity Lists on their website for Graduate Programs, Postdoctoral Fellowships, Faculty Positions, Research Scientists, and Positions Wanted. The AAI site also provides contact in
The Searching Wolf
This impressive wolf information website was created by retired biology professor Dr. Bill Forbes. Notably, the site contains a multitude of links to both recent and less recent wolf-related articles appearing in such publications as _Paleobiology_, _Wildlife Biology_, _Animal Science Journal_, and _Molecular Ecology_. The site also offers a collection of other useful wolf resources such as an archived Bibliography of European Wolf Literature; a list of suggested wolf education materials; an ext
IBM: Programming and Poetry
This article reviews a Poetry vs. Programming panel sponsored by IBM to continue a 2004 discussion from the Innovation Days speaker series. Panel participants, which included poets Thomas Lux and Vijay Seshadri, and IBM researchers John Richards, Josh Scribner and John Vlissides, discussed whether or not "writing code is like writing poetry." The panel was also broadcast to IBM's U.S. labs. The author provides quotes from the participants and describes the conversation as “lively and dynamic.”
Wetlands International: Ramsar Sites Database Service
One significant outcome of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (an intergovernmental conservation treaty signed in 1971, in Ramsar, Iran) was the development of the Ramsar Sites, or Wetlands of International Importance. Managed by Wetlands International, the Ramsar Sites Database Service provides concise information about each Ramsar Site and also allows visitors to examine "Ramsar Sites across geographic and thematic boundaries, useful and necessary for maintaining an overview of a global network
Chicago Museum of Science and Industry: 2005 Black Creativity
From Jan. 14 to Feb. 28, 2005, the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry is featuring 2005 Black Creativity as part of the Engineering the Future exhibit, where visitors can “unlock the secrets of amazing engineering feats.” The exhibit highlights “engineering superheroes” and explains the science behind accomplishments of these African American engineers. Visitors are encouraged to join comic-book personalities to solve “a variety of fun, interactive engineering challenges.” This website
AMS: Math in the Media
Math in the Media is a monthly publication of the American Mathematical Society. Writer Tony Phillips reviews and summarizes stories about math found in publications such as the New York Times and Time magazine. Another section includes reviews of books, plays, movies and television shows that are related to mathematics. Also featured is an “image of the month” and regular feature column from AMS, which at the time of this report addressed the topic Euler's Polyhedral Formula.
Appetizers and Lessons for Mathematics and Reason: Linear Equations
This section of the website, Appetizers and Lessons for Mathematics and Reason, written by Alan Selby, PD. (see also Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, May 24, 2002) offers lesson ideas for teaching linear equations in high school or college. The approach uses stick diagrams to solve linear equations because they "provide a concrete or visual context for many of the rules or patterns for solving equations, a context that may develop equation solving skills and confidence." The i
The Universal Troubleshooting Process
The Universal Troubleshooting Process (UTP) is an abbreviated version of the book Troubleshooting Techniques of the Successful Technologist by Steve Litt. UTP consists of ten steps designed to help modern workers diagnose the system in question and ultimately repair it. The process is very general and can be applied to virtually any well-defined system. Each step of the process is carefully outlined and can be easily followed. The Web site also has links to applicable articles from Steve Litt's
