IDEERS: Introducing and Demonstrating Earthquake Engineering Research
Introducing and Demonstrating Earthquake Engineering Research in Schools (IDEERS) is a program of the University of Bristol "to communicate the challenge and excitement of earthquake engineering research to young people." Beginning with a detailed explanation of earthquake causes and effects, the Web site provides motivation for designing structurally reinforced buildings. Five recent earthquake disasters are outlined and related to the general impact of earthquakes on society. The material then
USGS: National Geochemical Survey Database
The USGS's National Geochemical Survey (NGS) is producing "a body of geochemical data for the United States based primarily on stream sediments, analyzed using a consistent set of methods." After learning the history and background of the project, users can access the NGS data by geographic area. The website allows researchers to compare the analytical methods and view national maps illustrating the distribution of these methods for each element. Visitors can easily view maps of the distribution
Temperature World
Temperature World.com gives in-depth and varied information on temperature. The site offers links to a temperature converter, world city temperatures, a printable temperature conversion table, temperature forecasts, temperature related product recalls, and information on metal temperature by color. It also contains explanations of earth temperature issues, temperature sensors and controls, organizations and standards, temperature tools, and more. A unique and thorough site, it can be enjoyed by
Classroom Activities
StarDate.org is the public education and outreach department of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory, which offers astronomy resources for teaches on their Classroom Activities site. The various projects are categorized by age and grade level including k-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Each provides a teachers guide, materials needed, a description of the process, any needed links (such as the StarDate Moon Phase Calculator within the Observing the Moon activity), and even printable versions of each l
School Science
School Science is a UK website, supported by numerous science organizations, offering educational tutorials, worksheets, and activities covering topics in chemistry, physics, and biology. The materials are broken down into three age levels: eleven through fourteen, fourteen through sixteen, and sixteen through eighteen. Among other things, each lesson offers an introduction, an activity, and a short quiz. The Students link offers fun interactive modules where users can see how atoms diffuse, bui
The World Information Network on Biodiversity
The World Information Network on Biodiversity (REMIB) is organized and provided by Mexico's National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of the Biodiversity. REMIB is a network of shared biological information databases from research centers in Mexico, the US, Costa Rica, and Spain. The databases contain "curatorial, taxonomic, ecological, cartographic, bibliographic, ethno-biological type, use of catalogues on natural resources and other subject matters." Currently, REMIB gathers information o
Creature Feature: Vampire Bats
This Web site from National Geographic (last mentioned in the October 11, 2002 Scout Report) offers a short multimedia introduction to vampire bats. Geared toward younger kids, this site includes vampire bat audio and video files, Fun Facts in the form of a brief but educational article, a map of vampire bat global distribution, links to bat-related Web sites, and an email postcard. It may be too late to get much Halloween mileage out of this site, but teachers and students should enjoy this qui
Nutrition Café
Developed jointly by the Pacific Science Center and the Washington State Dairy Council, Nutrition Café offers students three interactive games to explore the world of nutrition. The first game, Nutrient Sleuth, is an entertaining hangman-style game where students try to discover what nutrients different characters are missing based on clues and letter guesses. Another enjoyable offering is Grab A Grape, a Jeopardy-style game where site visitors try to match nutrition-related questions with answ
General Interest Publications Online
The US Geological Survey maintains the General Interest Publications Online Web site. The over thirty publications include a range of subjects, with such diverse titles as Acid Rain and Our Nation's Capital; Birth of the Mountains: The Geologic Story of the Southern Appalachian Mountains; Deserts: Geology and Resources; and Eruptions of Hawaiian Volcanoes: Past, Present, and Future. Each attractive document, which can be viewed or printed freely, contains non-technical text and interesting photo
Physical Science Information Gateway: Training
Another helpful resource from the Physical Science Information Gateway (last mentioned in the September 14, 2001 Scout Report , the Training Web site contains "free "teach yourself" Internet tutorials aimed at students, researchers and other members of staff who want to get the most out of the Internet". The topics covered include chemistry, earth science, physics, and the history and philosophy of science. Users get to tour key internet sites on each of the general topics, learn how to search f
Energy Efficiency: Budget, Oil Conservation, and Electricity Conservation Issues
The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) works to improve the scientific basis for environmental decision-making. The NCSE Web site provides access to Reports produced by the Congressional Research Service, which is a branch of the Library of Congress that provides nonpartisan research reports to members of the House and Senate. Now available on the site is a recently updated report entitled Energy Efficiency: Budget, Oil Conservation, and Electricity Conservation Issues. The
Cosmochemistry
NASA's Cosmochemistry Program (CCP) assists cosmochemical investigations that involve laboratory studies of extraterrestrial materials, examine the geochemistry solar system bodies, and/or study the formation and development of the solar system. Visitors can read abstracts of the proposals that have been awarded funding. The website offers a detailed strategy for the implementation of the program, which includes discussions of the facilities and methods, demographics, management, and challenges.
Sky Chart
The Sky and Telescope Web site, which is the companion site to the long running magazine of the same name, hosts the online interactive Sky Chart. Users can choose from any location on earth by inputting a city or a latitude and longitude, after which they then choose the direction they want to view in the sky. The tool allows anyone to view an image of the sky from any location on earth, which is pretty darn cool. The ease of use is another highlight of the Sky Chart, making it easily accessibl
NATURE: Kalahari
This website is the Web companion to the two-part NATURE documentary on the Kalahari Desert, which aired on PBS during fall 2003. The first episode, Kalahari: The Great Thirstland, explores the intense extremes of the Kalahari landscape, where wildlife "struggle for survival on the African plains." The site offers a number of Web-only extras, including a species guide in the form of animal trading cards, a slide show showing seasonal change in the Kalahari, and more. Episode Two, Kalahari: The F
The Messier Catalog
The Students for the Exploration and Development of Space of the University of Arizona maintains The Messier Catalog Web site. Named after the French astronomer who first discovered the objects, the catalog describes and features what are considered to be some of the most beautiful nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies in the sky. Visitors can read about Messier and about each individual object in the actual catalog, which includes a picture, its distance, brightness, the history of its discovery
Chasing Storms: Storm Photo Gallery and Case Study Page
John Monteverdi created this website to educate and entertain visitors in the science of storm chasing. Online storm journals for Spring Storm Chases from 1994 to the present take visitors through the life of a storm chaser. Throughout his discussions, the author provides weather charts and satellite images to assist visitors with the weather-related concepts. The site contains countless pictures of tornadoes and the destruction they leave behind. Although some of the amazing images take a few m
Seaworld: Water
An educational lesson plan entitled Water is offered by the Seaworld teacher resources Web site. Objectives of the unit include having students identify the three phases of water, discuss the hydrologic cycle, describe the structure of the water molecule and the properties of water, explain ocean currents, and more. The well designed lesson allows students to study various topics by reading provided text and completing the activities described such as measuring salt content in water and estimati
The New York Botanical Garden: International Plant Science Center
In "combining modern technologies with a century of field and laboratory research," the New York Botanical Garden's International Plant Science Center "is one of the few institutions worldwide with the resources, collections, and expertise to develop the information needed to understand and manage plant diversity." This website grants considerable access to resources from the Center, including numerous plant databases, digitized rare botanical books, online access to the herbarium collections, a
Oil, Out of Control
Oil, Out of Control is an in-depth Whyfiles story that follows from news coverage of an oil spill off Spain's northwest coast in 2002. This Web site offers a straight look at the issues surrounding this and other famous oil spills, particularly that of the Exxon Valdez off Prince William Sound in 1992. The authors make clear the allegiances of people quoted in the story, while clearly explaining both the science and politics of oil spills and cleanup efforts. The Web site also features a news re
AskERIC: Cell-City Project
In this AskERIC lesson plan for grades 5-9, students compare the structure and function of cell organelles to that of a working city -- a handy analogy for learning the basics of cell biology. The activities outlined in the lesson plan, which takes three to four 55-minute sessions to complete, combine art and science for an interdisciplinary learning experience. Vocabulary words, useful links, and downloadable worksheets are included along with lesson procedures.
