Holiday bookings up in Europe
Thomas Cook reports strong growth in holiday bookings in Germany and Northern Europe - although the UK order intake slows as a result of continued economic uncertainties.
Tsunami destroys Japan fortress town
A huge sea wall fails to prevent the March 11 tsunami from sweeping away a Japanese fishing town.
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
Access To Space
Access To Space is a Web site created by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. It is partly used by individuals and businesses interested in putting something into orbit, but it is also a very large and growing information source. The Mission Design section has a database of missions (both in progress and underway) and access mode information about various launch vehicles. It prompts for registration, but visitors can log in as guests. The Tech Space and Jump Space sections have many links to aero
Ecological Flora of the British Isles at the University of York
This botanical database, offered through the University of York with support from the British Ecological Society and the Natural Environment Research Council, contains data for over 1700 species found in the British Isles. Users have a number of search options with this database, including searches by plant taxonomy (both scientific and common name searches possible), ecological and morphological characteristic, and plant diseases and pests. All search options -- excluding common name -- use pla
Data Products at COAPS
Florida State University's Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS) (last mentioned in the February 28, 2001 Scout Report for Science & Engineering) provides a wealth of information on its Data Products at COAPS Web site. Visitors have access to scatterometry, ocean surface meteorology fluxes, and ocean psuedostress products, among others. The site also contains relevant publications and research information for those interested.
Earths Timeline
Provided by MSNBC News Web site, the Earths Timeline interactive activity chronicles the history of the earth. The main page describes how radiometric dating and fossils have been used to develop the contemporary geologic timescale. Users can click on one of four major geologic time divisions, including the Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic, to get specific information on the individual subdivisions of geologic time and to see how the continents have shifted. These sections then t
Predicting Invasions of Nonindigenous Plants and Plant Pests
This Web site contains the free book Predicting Invasions of Nonindigenous Plants and Plant Pests provided by the National Academies Press. Compiled by the US Board on Life Sciences and the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, this 194-page book explores the difficulties in predicting the immigration and impact of exotic species. Researchers active in this field may find this free resource of use.
Nursebot Project: Robotic Assistants for the Elderly
A joint project between Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh, Personal Robotic Assistants for the Elderly are designed to "assist elderly people suffering from chronic disorders in their everyday life." The homepage of the project has extensive documentation, videos, experiences, and research papers about a number of different Nursebot designs. The robots can remind their human companion to take their medicine, watch over them, and act as companions. With tele-presence, doctors can r
Design a Parachute
After a discussion about what a parachute is and how it works, students will create a parachute using different materials that they think will work best. The students will test their designs, which will be followed by a class discussion (and possible journal writing) to highlight which paper material worked best.
Cadbury: Maths in the Factory
What kid can resist chocolate? Certainly not many, and this site from the Cadbury Company uses chocolate to entice children to learn about mathematics. Users must apply their knowledge of basic math concepts to solve different problems in the Cadbury factory. The interactive scenarios, which are guided by a group of chocolate cartoon characters, let children practice their skills in arithmetic, measurement, interpretation of data, and geometric objects. There are also sections for teachers and p
Scope on the Skies : Location, location, location
While traveling from home to distant locations, it is easy to feel both a sense of unfamiliarity as well as familiarity with the change in location, especially when considering the view of day and night skies. The position of celestial objects like the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars is directly related to viewing latitude. In the classroom, students can take virtual trips to different latitudes through the use of handheld manipulative models such as the Earth Space Simulator (See internet resourc
Spaghetti Bridge
Civil engineers design and construct structures such as buildings, dams, and bridges. We can explore the field of engineering by making a bridge using spaghetti. This bridge is then tested based on the weight it can carry without breaking.
Life in the Cold and Dark: Penguin Adaptation
In these two activities, students investigate animal adaptations to a cold environment, specifically how they keep warm and incorporate key findings by designing an organism well-adapted to this environment.
Relay For Life 2011
Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back.
Sign up for this year's Relay For Life event, taking place April 8 and 9 at Plaster Sports Complex. Learn more about the event and how to donate at http://www.missouristate.edu/relayforlife
Cutting Through Soil
Students pretend they are agricultural engineers during the colonial period and design a miniature plow that will cut through a “field” of soil. Students are introduced to the engineering design process and learn of several famous historical figures who contributed to the design of the plow.
Energy Choices Game
This board game is used to introduce the concepts of energy use in our lives and the very real impact that personal choices can have on our energy consumption, energy bills and fuel supply. The game begins as each student selects cards that define their mode of transportation and home design. The players roll dice and move around the board, landing on “choice” or “situation” blocks and selecting cards that describe consumer choices and real life events that impact their energy consumptio
