Energy Star: Prepare for Summer Now With a More Energy Efficient System
As summer approaches, energy providers are preparing for the few days per year when their systems will be pushed to the limit. To help reduce the enormous electricity demand from air conditioners, people can follow several tips on energy conservation given on this site. A number of informative guides and fact sheets explain proper maintenance and usage practices that can help to maximize energy efficiency. A particularly interesting document is the Home Heating and Cooling Tutorial, which illust
USGS Fact Sheets
As part of the US Geological Survey's (USGS) Water Resource Division, the USGS Fact Sheet Web site provides a full listing of scientific publications listed by state. The reports span water and non-water related topics with coverage that includes Coal Resource Assessments in the Northern and Central Appalachian Coal Region, The San Francisco Volcanic Field, Arizona, Pesticides in Ground Water, and Springs in Florida. The dozens of reports are either viewed online or downloadable and, although pr
Eureka County, Nevada: Nuclear Waste Page
Yucca Mountain in south central Nevada is the site of a governmental project for long-term storage of radioactive waste. Although it is a highly controversial subject, the project, if approved and completed, will certainly be an engineering marvel. A tunnel to a massive repository deep under the mountain is expected to take several years and cost billions of dollars. The Nuclear Waste Page of Eureka County has continually updated reports about the status of the project, pictures and maps of the
KidsAstronomy.com
KidsAstronomy.com was created by astronomy buff and elementary school teacher Hiram Bertoch. Her goal of creating a kid friendly Web site that is balanced between text and tech was definitely achieved. Interactive, visually pleasant, and content rich, the site provides kids a great learning resource that is fun to explore. One of the activities "How Big is the Universe" shows a picture of a man in the grass and lets you zoom out by powers of ten to finally see the whole universe. Teachers will a
Environmental Services
The MyFlorida.com Environmental Services governmental Web site contains a wealth of information, data, and publications. Physical science topics include air resources, beach and coastal information, geology, GIS, waste management, and water resources. A great source for state specific research information.
Welcome to the World's Longest Tunnel Page
This Web site contains information on hundreds of the world's longest tunnels. There are four main categories that list facts about road, subsea, railway, and canal tunnels. Each of these sections can be browsed in its entirety or separated into individual countries. The data is presented in tables and includes years of construction, length, depth, and gradient. Future projects are also shown, and many of the tunnels have links to sites with further information. A problem with the site is that n
Nebraska Earth Science Education Network
The Nebraska Earth Science Education Network has as one of its objectives to promote and enhance K-12 earth science education. The Web site provides lesson plans on various subjects including astronomy, geology, mapping, soils, water, and weather. Each submitted lesson gives a recommended grade level and contains objectives, materials needed, procedures, and conclusions, depending on the activity. The site is a great resource that provides unique and original information from teachers for teache
Chemguide
The Chemguide Web site is written and maintained by chemistry teacher and author Jim Clark. In his goal to help students better understand chemistry concepts, he offers several topics that include Atomic Structure and Bonding, Inorganic Chemistry, Basic Organic Chemistry, Organic Reaction Mechanisms, Instrumental Analysis, and Chemistry Calculations. The pages offer descriptions and illustrations, which, although may not give wide ranging information, can be a good supplemental source for studen
Popular Science: Best of What's New, 2003
Each year Popular Science selects new and emerging technologies that have profound implications in several different categories. The Best of What's New for 2003 explores innovations in aviation and space, computing, home technology, and engineering. A particularly interesting item is the SpaceShipOne rocket plane, which is one of the leading contenders to successfully demonstrate a cheap, reliable method of escaping Earth's atmosphere. Another featured technology is the newest standard for wirel
Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe
NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe mission attempts to reveal conditions as they existed in the early universe by measuring the properties of the cosmic microwave background radiation over the full sky. Visitors can learn more about the particulars of the mission, explore the subjects of cosmology and the "Big Bang Theory" on the Universe link, view images of the probe and its launch in June 2001, and study the first detailed full-sky map of the oldest light in the universe. Although it
Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study
The Bermuda Atlantic Time-series study (BATS) was initiated to collect oceanographic data over significantly long time periods. At this website, researchers will find BATS and hydrostation data dealing with hydrographic, chemical, and biological parameters throughout the water column for sites in the Sargasso Sea. Visitors can learn about the first BATS station, Hydrostation S, which was initiated in 1954 by Dr. Henry M. Stommel and has been visited biweekly almost continuously ever since. The w
Channel Tunnel Rail Link
The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), scheduled for completion in 2006, is "Britain's first major new railway for over a century - a high-speed line running for 109km (68 miles)." It is coined as the UK's biggest civil engineering project, largely due to the fact that it will make roughly a quarter of its route underground in a tunnel. The CTRL home page has a great deal of information about the massive undertaking, including construction photos, environmental and progress reports, and a chronolo
National Imagery and Mapping Agency
The National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) "provides timely, relevant, and accurate Geospatial Intelligence in support of national security." NIMA's Web site has a wide range of resources in this area, including detailed interactive maps, public access to databases, and publications. The Geospatial Engine, for example, allows custom views of almost any area in the world from regional to local perspectives. An online guide to geodesy provides visitors with an introduction to surveying techniq
Prime Curios!
The University of Tennessee at Martin has one of the most expansive sites devoted to prime numbers and their significance. This page "is an exciting collection of curiosities, wonders and trivia related to prime numbers." As of December 2002, there are nearly 2,000 numbers with at least one curio. Some of the smallest numbers are interesting to peruse; however, reading every curio or researching other numbers to submit to the database is probably left to the mathematicians. One thing is certain,
Chemistry Tutorials
The California State University Stanislaus developed these interactive chemistry Web tutorials to assist college students in mass spectrometry, proton NMR chemical shifts, and more. With the many animations and figures, visitors will find assistance with the subtraction and absorption of light and with infrared absorption frequencies for numerous compounds. The titration tutorials simulate laboratory experiments without the hazards of dealing with chemicals. Students will also find a very inform
IEEE-USA: Today's Engineer
IEEE-USA, a unit of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, maintains this monthly Webzine to inform industry workers and professionals about issues relevant to their careers. Business trends, ethics, public policy, engineering performance, and management are just a few of the focus areas addressed in Today's Engineer. Reader polls provide insight into thoughts and values of engineers around the country. The Web site also keeps archives of both career and policy feature stories th
Curious and Useful Math
This site is a fun diversion from the tedious monotony of everyday math. It is basically a collection of many mathematical curiosities, some of which are useful, but most are simply interesting tidbits to amaze and perplex others. Many of the items will make readers wonder, "How in the world is that possible?" Fortunately, the author provides explanations, which can help teach mathematical skills that ordinarily are never exercised. Some sections are suited for grade school students, such as mul
Causes of Color
One of the latest from Webexhibits.org (last mentioned in the March 21, 2000 Scout Report for Social Sciences is the Causes of Color site. The activity attempts to answer the question, "Why are things colored?" by covering things such as the eye, made light such as lightbulbs, lost light as in water, moved light as in a rainbow, and other light related topics such as colorblindness and animal sight. A very unique collection that includes material for students from introductory to advanced levels
Deepwater Gulf of Mexico 2002: America's Expanding Frontier
A recent release from the US Government's Minerals Management Service is entitled Deepwater Gulf of Mexico 2002: America's Expanding Frontier. The report "details the extraordinary growth of oil and gas industry activity in the deepwater (1,000 feet of water or more) Gulf over the past seven years and its anticipated continued growth." The near 150-page downloadable Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file contains information on leasing, drilling and development, reserves and production, summaries and conclus
Australian Weather Watch Radar Home Page
The Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology's Weather Watch Radar website provides up-to-date radar images of the locations of rain in Australia in relation to local features such as coast lines. The newly developed Loops provide four consecutive radar images so that users can view how the weather has been changing in the last forty to fifty minutes. The website provides radar images of past cyclone events as well as updates on severe weather throughout Australia. Those interested in radar systems ca
