Jantar Mantar: The Astronomical Observatories of Jai Singh II
This website, created by the Cornell University Professor of Art, Barry Perlus, presents the five astronomical observatories in west central India. After reading a short introduction to the observatories, users can explore interactive panoramas of the observatories, built in the 18th century, using QuickTime. The website also offers still images and animations of the Samrat Yantra. Visitors can learn about the latest design plans and additions to the website. The website features downloads of ar
Research Abstracts from the DOE Genome Contractor-Grantee Workshop IX
Research abstracts from a recent Department of Energy (DOE) genomics workshop are now available online. Researchers presented updates on DOE-funded genome research at this January 2002 workshop. Abstracts can be viewed within topical categories or by author name. Abstracts include title of the talk, author name, and contact information.
Brookhaven National Laboratory: National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC)
The National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory "collects, evaluates, and disseminates nuclear physics data for basic nuclear research and for applied nuclear technologies." Researchers can find eight databases containing information on nuclear structure, decay, and reaction, and also references. The website also offers numerous nuclear structure, decay, and reaction tools. Users can find links to both United States and international nuclear data centers. Students and e
Ultrascale Simulation for Science
When Japan's Earth Simulator supercomputer eclipsed its US counterparts in terms of speed and processing power, America was faced with a challenge to regain its dominance of supercomputing capability. The Ultrascale Web site studies this challenge, and the implications it has on the nation's scientific objectives. Several short documents about the importance of and applications for ultrascale simulation are given on this page. Generally between one and two pages, the papers are mostly from the U
Curriculum Guide for the Climate Impacts Map
This Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) guide was produced by the Union of Concerned Scientists to accompany the Global Warming: Early Warning Signs Web site (last mentioned in the March 14, 2001 Scout Report for Science & Engineering). The activities are designed to involve 9-12 grade students in learning about real world issues using recent data. The activities focus on the following four topics: analyzing climate data from a selected city, collecting and comparing data on perceptions of climate with histor
Consensus CoDing Sequence Database
The Consensus CoDing Sequence (CCDS) Database "project is a collaborative effort to identify a core set of human protein-coding regions that are consistently annotated and of high quality. The long-term goal is to support convergence toward a standard set of gene annotations on the human genome." CCDS project collaborators include the National Center for Biotechnology (NCBI), European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI), Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (WTSI), and University of California, Santa Cruz
Japanese Ant Image Database
The 2003 revised edition of the Japanese Ant Image Database was developed under the direction of the Japanese Ant Database Group (JADG). The website, which merges taxonomic information and stunning photographs, will no doubt delight myrmecologists and others. Information about different types of ants can be accessed through browseable, hyperlinked lists organized by subfamily, genus, and species. Genus and species profiles include images, references, descriptive information, simple distribution
Pharmaceuticals, Hormones, and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in U.S. Streams, 1999-2000: A N
A recent study released by the US Geological Survey is the first in a series of reports that looks at 95 contaminants from industrial, human, and agricultural wastewater sources. Looking in 139 streams during 1999-2000, the study has found that surprisingly high levels of household chemicals, pharmaceuticals, detergents, and disinfectants have found their way into US streams. The complete report and accompanying news article is available from the Environmental Science and Technology online journ
Gas molecule motion
This page describes the relationship between kinetic energy of molecules and temperature.
Observe an animation of metamorphic rocks forming
This interactive Earth science resource for middle and high school students demonstrates how heat and pressure beneath the surface of the Earth change igneous rocks into metamorphic rocks. Photographs accompanied by a short animation and text boxes illustrate how the igneous rock diorite is transformed into the foliated metamorphic rock gneiss. The mineral components of each rock are labeled. Students are able to use control buttons to play, pause, and move forward and backward through the simul
Your sense of taste
This brief illustrated resource about the sense of taste is part of a feature that explores how humans experience flavor. The five taste qualities--including umami--are mentioned. The resource also corrects the misconception that humans can only taste certain food qualities at specific regions of the tongue. A set of connected, labeled diagrams of the tongue, taste buds, the brain, and facts about taste are noted in a sidebar. One fact compares the average number of taste buds in humans, chicken
Teaching Box: The Feeding Frenzy, Seasonal Upwelling
This teaching box is designed to teach students about the biotic and abiotic factors that drive the process of upwelling in the oceans. Students will deepen their understanding of the dynamics that create a seasonal abundance of marine life in coastal upwelling zones by exploring marine food webs, primary food production in the ocean, density and wind-driven currents, and seasonal changes in resources. By working backwards, students will discover that wind-driven upwelling supplies phytoplankton
Science Sampler : Correcting student misconceptions
Before learning any formal science, children try to make sense of natural phenomena on their own. However, several studies have shown that it can be difficult to convince a student to give up a long-held misconception in favor of an accurate scientific explanation. Misconceptions can be confronted through hands-on and minds-on activities. The strategies outlined in this article will foster a climate of inquiry within the classroom.
Idea Bank : A Big Bang Lab
The authors of "How Far are the Stars," featured in the February issue of The Science Teacher, showed how the measurement of parallax permits scientists to infer astronomic distances. Give your students the chance to make similar inferences through a free module available online that allows students to scale sizes and distances, and then create models from which they calculate inferences that, in simplified form, give results that astronomers obtained similarly in recent times.
Zookeeper
Teachers can direct students to this material to help them investigate a career as a zookeeper. Having students review this page can be an excellent precursor to a job-shadowing activity. The discussion board's set of questions and answers can be a helpful resource for an activity in which students produce a number of pertinent questions that should be asked of a zookeeper when investigating this field of work.
Meter : Metre
This article gives detailed scientific information related to the creation of the meter. The material connects the scientific theory behind the metric system to the practical efforts of Mechain and Delambre, including the historical times in which they worked. Information includes further definition of the meter, first as a bar and then as a specific distance measured by light.
Quick take on factors
Factors and their multiples are so important to students in their work with fractions and number theory. These concepts come under the NCTM Numbers and Operations Standard for the middle grades. The online resources here are all hands-on, if only virtually. Important to their success is the classroom talk that the resources generate.
Matter: Atoms from Democritus to Dalton
This web page provides an overview of atomic theory from Democritus to Dalton and reviews John Dalton's 4 basic theories on matter. The page is also available in Spanish.
Frames
Students build, test and compare square and triangle frames.
Observe common objects made of minerals
This interactive Earth science resource lets students first see six images of minerals and then, by placing their cursor over each image, an image of an everyday object made from that mineral. Quartz, gypsum, and fluorite are among the minerals shown, with the corresponding familiar objects being glass, drywall (Sheetrock), and toothpaste. Copyright 2005 Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
