Listening to the Prairie: Educational Materials
The travelling exhibit Listening to the Prairie was created as part of Forces of Change, a "new program about the dynamics of global change" from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. This Web site contains "a number of educational materials for teachers, school group leaders, and families to help focus tours of the exhibit," although the materials also function as stand-alone lessons without an exhibit tour. The lessons and activities focus on the prairie ecosystem, "but could a
The Complete Morris's British Birds 1891
Individually produced by Ash Midcalf, this Web site contains digitized images from the Reverend Francis Orpen Morris's A History of British Birds, published in 1891. Artist-naturalists like Morris and Audubon created painstakingly true-to-life depictions of the planet's flora and fauna in the days before reliable photography. Visitors to this Web site can browse through pages of thumbnails, choose from the complete list of images, or use the search feature to view any of the 394 prints available
Citrus Canker: The Pathogen and Its Impact
This Web site, currently featured on the home page of the American Phytopathological Society, contains a research report regarding the Asiatic citrus canker that has had devastating effects on Florida's citrus industry. The report, in a journal article format, thoroughly relates the natural history and current status of the disease, as well as detailing the methods and results of the (primarily genetic) experiments conducted in this study. One of the most appealing features of this Web site is t
Lamington National Park
To see the "dangerously venomous" Common Death Adder or hear the low growl of the Giant Barred River Frog, take a trip to the Lamington National Park website. Here you will find a treasure trove of great information about the wide variety of plants, animals, and insects found at the park. Laminton, a huge park (20,000 hectares) is located in Queensland and carries the distinction of a World Heritage Area. The website, offered by the Green Mountains Natural History Association and the University
Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering is a monthly publication of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Although full access to the magazine is reserved for subscribers, each month's feature story is provided free on this Web site. These in-depth articles examine some of the most outstanding spectacles in the world of architecture and construction. Feature stories dating back over a year are archived and can still be viewed.
The NFL Today: Anatomical Travelogue Video
CBS Sportsline's The NFL Today Web site may seem an unlikely source for life science material, but this particular site contains animated movie clips of see-through football players. More specifically, the animations show how the musculoskeletal systems of football players move while running, tackling, breathing, etc. Created by the biology-themed computer animation company Anatomical Travelogue, these short movies can be views with RealPlayer or Windows Media, although RealPlayer seemed to work
Conservation International: Biodiversity Hotspots
The nonprofit organization Conservation International (CI) aims to "conserve Earth's living natural heritage, our global diversity, and to demonstrate that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature." This Web site from CI's Center for Applied Biodiversity Science explains how biodiversity hotspots are designated and offers visitors a look at efforts to protect "these biologically rich areas around the world under significant threat of destruction." The highlight of this site is t
Atrevida: Game Programming Tutorials
Although it is labeled as an introduction to PC game programming, the tutorials given on Atrevida additionally cover many aspects of mathematics and general computer science. A modest background in the C language is suggested, but many of the sections involve more theory than actual programming. There are nearly twenty topics that explain basic computer operation, graphics programming, and the 80x86 assembler. A very interesting section describes sound waves and compression techniques, while ano
University of Illinois Extension's Just for Kids
Designed for younger students, this Web site from the University of Illinois Extension offers a number fun, interactive programs on a variety of life science topics. Most of the activities include a guide for teachers, which differ in level of detail. The activities themselves vary in their format and features, from animated cartoons with minimal text to pages of text with no diagrams at all. Check the teachers' guide of each activity for appropriate grade level. The activity about earthworms ti
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center
The mission of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center at Georgia Tech is "to promote universal access to mobile wireless technologies and explore their innovative applications in addressing the needs of people with disabilities." Anticipating that wireless devices are likely to become an integral part of daily life, with applications ranging from conducting financial transactions to setting a home thermostat, these researchers are working to ensure that people with disabilities are able
The Antlion Pit: A Doodlebug Anthology
This Web site, edited by Mark Swanson, is "a collection of resources related to the fascinating antlion, or doodlebug." In addition to providing general information about antlions, this site contains "videos of antlion feeding behavior and metamorphosis, as well as information on how and where to find antlions." Frequently updated, the site recently added the Doodlebug Oracle, which answers randomly generated questions about antlions. All together, this Web site provides a fun and informative lo
A Butterfly's Life
Teachers in the market for lesson plans about butterflies can find hundreds of pages of Web-based material, but those looking for something simple and straightforward might be interested in this Web site, a joint project of Lotus School, Hult Museum, and the Wildlife Prairie Park in Illinois. Well-organized pages of text and images offer descriptions of butterfly migration, life cycle, habitat, food web, body parts, and gender. The site also provides research questions and steps that "outline a
Computer Aided Instruction Project
Central Connecticut State University maintains several tutorials and lecture notes about different programming languages and mathematics. Some of the material, most notably the Introduction to Assembly Language, is primarily intended for computer science students. However, much of the site can be useful for anyone; programming guides for Java and QuickBasic are provided, as well as tutorials on vector mathematics and finite-state automata. All of these topics are presented separately and are qui
10Ticks.co.uk
10Ticks is a montage of free mathematics lessons, worksheets, and games based on the UK's National Numeracy Strategy. One of the most popular attractions of the Web site is Pac Math, a fun game that allows children to practice basic arithmetic. Over 200 worksheets discuss topics in algebra, geometrical shapes and spaces, statistics, and more. Several more features are available after registration. For example, teachers can access free sample learning packs with suggested exercises to present in
Curtin University of Technology: Physics Research
This website presents Curtin University of Technology's applied physics research primarily in the areas of isotope science, remote sensing, materials research, and marine science and technology. Researchers can discover the University's collaborative efforts in projects to determine the age of Western Australian rocks and minerals, the concentrations of impurities in the Antarctic ice, and other isotope science research. Students can find out about educational opportunities covering remote sensi
University of Maryland: Astronomy Workshop
Professor Douglas P. Hamilton and his students at the University of Maryland created this website to provide individuals with astronomy tools and tutorials. At the Astronomy Classroom, students can create scaled models, find out how long it takes to get to interesting places in the Universe, and explore the history of the cosmos. The website offers solar system calculators, animations of solar objects' orbits, simulations of the seasons, and much more. Visitors can also check out the newest addi
Space Shuttle Columbia News
The official US gateway to all government information, FirstGov.gov, has compiled a number of informative links that chronicle the February 2003 Shuttle Columbia disaster. Visitors can read President Bush's address to the nation regarding Columbia and its crew; review the latest information from NASA about the Shuttle mission, crew, and current investigation; and discover how the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency are assisting in the shuttle recovery and
Database of Ship Collisions with Icebergs
As part of the Institute for Marine Dynamics of the National Research Council Canada, Database of Ship Collisions with Icebergs is written and managed by Brian T. Hill. The database contains 560 incidents and "concentrates on iceberg collisions in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland and Labrador but does include a few incidents further north, around Greenland, and also in the fiords of Alaska." The database loads onto one page but is linked to various categories, including a chronological listin
Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies
Founded in March 2002, the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN) is investigating the potential use of nanotechnology to improve the effectiveness of individual soldiers. The US Army is funding the research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which focuses on three main areas: "protection, performance enhancement, and injury intervention and cure." The ISN homepage has overviews of many different projects, including energy absorbing materials and medical technology. With such a
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
