Insect Mouthparts
This Web site contains a pictorial guide to insect mouthparts, a complicated topic served well by this simple yet effective tutorial. Created by University of Ottawa entomology professor Dr. Houseman -- using material adapted from Digital Zoology (on CD from McGraw-Hill) -- this site provides labeled diagrams and high quality photos of chewing, siphoning, piercing, sponging, and combination mouthparts. Users may view images by category or click through the entire set in sequence. The photographs
National Geographic Xpeditions
"Xpeditions is home to the U.S. National Geography Standards--and to thousands of ideas, tools, and interactive adventures that bring them to life." While the countless lesson plans cover a wide variety of geography-related topics, the ones involving the physical sciences include: Mars Mobiles, Oil and Water in the Middle East, River Sources and Stories, and How are Islands Formed?. The Activities link offers numerous stimulating interactive modules and articles. Because the materials are sorted
Grant Prideco: Engineering Toolkit
The Engineering Toolkit is a diverse assortment of utilities and interactive tools developed by a drilling manufacturing company. Possibly the most useful item in the toolkit is the Equation Bank, which contains nearly 100 equation solvers. Most are related to civil engineering and calculate effects due to pressure, parameters for pipe threading, and more. Another resource is the unit converter, a powerful tool with both metric and English units and over 20 dimensions from which to choose. A lar
Genome Bioinformatics
This no-frills UC-Santa Cruz Genome Bioinformatics Web site contains searchable "working drafts of the human genome and the mouse genome," which each represent "immense collaborative efforts" within the biomedical research community. Those who are active in genome research may find this Web site useful, especially for the multi-faceted genome browser that "provides a rapid and reliable display of any requested portion of genomes at any scale, together with dozens of aligned annotation tracks (kn
National Aquarium in Baltimore
The Web site for the National Aquarium in Baltimore has some valuable resources for students and teachers, as well as information for those interested in visiting the museum. Several of the teachers activities can be used in classrooms that do not visit the aquarium, and the Animals section is a sizable resource of information on a number of aquatic species. A great new feature is the interactive aquagames that provide a fun way for students to test what they have learned from visiting this Web
Bionic Eyes
Both Web sites come from Science@NASA, an online source for news and information about NASA-funded research. The first article describes the work of researchers at the Center for Commercial Applications of Combustion in Space, who are developing artificial bones for long-lasting, pain-free hip and knee replacements. These ceramic bones are touted as "so much like the real thing that they could actually meld with living bone." Earlier this year, researchers at the Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center in H
World AIDS Day 2004
From the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, this website provides information and images related to Worlds AIDS Day 2004. Notably, the site contains a downloadable version of the _AIDS Epidemic Update 2004_, which "provides the most recent estimates of the epidemic's scope and human toll, explores new trends in the epidemic's evolution, and features a special section on women and AIDS." In addition, site visitors can download a set of eleven epidemiological PowerPoint slides based on th
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
Puff - A Volcanic Ash Tracking Model
This website, provided by the University of Alaska and Geophysical Institute, explains the Puff-A Volcanic Ash Tracking Model project, which uses representative ash particles from volcanoes to study the advection and diffusion of ash within the atmosphere. After learning about the history of the project, visitors can find animations and images of the model's predictions for various volcanoes as well as the technical documentation. The website offers downloads of the latest version of the model,
White House: President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board
A draft of the Bush administration's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace was released September 18, 2002. The 65-page report, spurred primarily by the risk of cyber terrorism, can be viewed at this Web site. It assesses the most serious threats to, and most vulnerable areas in, small operations, large enterprises, and critical sectors like government. After identifying some of the current weak areas in Internet infrastructure, the report makes suggestions about the best practices for correcti
EDUCAUSE Quarterly
EDUCAUSE Quarterly "is a practitioner's journal about managing and using information resources in higher education." It deals with many issues about implementing information technology (IT) practices as learning tools. The material is suitable for anyone interested in IT applications, but is particularly useful for those who work in computer services or other IT organizational positions. This site offers full text articles from the journal at no cost, and several back issues can be viewed as wel
Interactive Investigator
Interactive Investigator, available through Virtual Museum Canada, is a website "for anyone with an interest in the different scientific methods used to solve crimes." Users will find a database of forensic science, containing short but informative essays on forensic entomology, toxicology, alcohol analysis, and various other forensic science topics. A simple timeline reviews key dates in the development of forensics, starting with the creation of the Paris Institute for Forensic Science in 1868
Coral Reef Information System: Discover NOAA's Data
Part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Reef Information System (CoRIS), this Web site is "designed to be a single point of access to NOAA coral reef information and data products, especially those derived from NOAA's Coral Reef Initiative Program." With Discover NOAA's Data, users can access information by a text search of metadata records, or by a spatial search using an Arc IMS application. The two approaches share many of the same data sets. With the text search,
The Allergy Authority
The Allergy Authority, created in collaboration with Healthology.com and funded by an educational grant from Schering-Plough (the makers of Claritin), offers "information necessary to make informed decisions about the control of allergy symptoms." The Web site describes the different types of allergies, how allergies develop, the difference between chronic and seasonal allergies, the side effects of allergy medications, and more. The site's main sections -- The Basics of Allergies, Seasonal or C
America's Backyard: Exploring Your Public Lands
America's Backyard: Exploring Your Public Lands is the featured topic of National Geographic's Geography Action! -- an "annual conservation and awareness program designed to educate and excite people about our natural, cultural, and historic treasures." This Web site offers a number of public land-related educational activities, many of the which apply directly to the life sciences. Activities are available for grades K-12, and cover such topics as the role of forests in our daily lives, conserv
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
Rewind, Repair, Replay: Three R's to Dependability
One of the most important features in current software applications is the undo command, which allows users to revert to previous states in their documents. A relatively unexplored concept involves system undo, a method of restoring settings in a system that were accidentally changed by the operator. This research paper discusses "a model of undo that matches the needs of human error recovery and retroactive repair." The authors begin by explaining the growing importance of such a mechanism and
Chronic Wasting Disease: The Disease and its Management in Wisconsin
The discovery of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Wisconsin's deer population earlier this year received national attention in the news, but basic information about CWD is harder to find. This Web site from the University of Wisconsin (UW) provides a reliable resource for CWD news and information, and is a product of a UW panel of experts assembled to independently assess the state's effort for control of the disease. The site includes comprehensive information on the biology of the disease and
Great Lakes BeachCast
The Great Lakes Information Network developed this website to "broadcast critical information about beach closings and educational content on human health concerns." The website provides the latest news on erosion control projects, contamination and cleanup efforts, beach testing efforts, and other environmental news. Users can explore monitoring data and maps by location. The website also contains the proceedings from the Great Lakes Beach Conferences from 2001 and 2002 and the US EPA's Beach P
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
