Dealing with Waste: The Nuclear Debate
Developed by the Industry Supports Education initiative (ISE), this website allows teenagers to take part in an online debate about how to cope with nuclear waste and whether and how nuclear power should be used in the future. During the debate, the user has a discussion with a virtual devil's advocate (DA). Visitors can either take the role of being in favor of nuclear power or against nuclear power. After the DA makes a statement, the user selects a response that most closely matches his or he
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
A Calculus Review
A professor of mathematics at San Jose State University created this online review of calculus concepts. It is divided into three main categories: integration, derivatives, and limits. Each section begins with some review material, explaining the necessary rules and equations. After reading the review, users can then take an interactive quiz over what they just learned. There is one quiz on limits and two on derivatives. The integration section is a bit more in depth, with focuses on two differe
MIT Space Systems Laboratory
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) created the Space Systems Laboratory (SSL) in 1995 to engage in "cutting edge research projects with the goal of directly contributing to the present and future exploration and development of space." Users can find materials on current and past flight projects such as the Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) and the Interferometry Program Experiment (IPEX). The website also features SSL's ground programs and re
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
Museum of Southwestern Biology: Mammals
The Mammal Collection at the University of New Mexico's Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB) "contains over 118,000 specimens, mostly from the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, but there are also large holdings from other portions on North America, Japan, Africa, and Eurasia." MSB offers a searchable database of the Mammal Collection with search fields for Order, Family, Species, Continent/Ocean, Country, Sex, Season, and more. MSB specimen loans are available to "re
Menopausal Hormone Therapy
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides this compilation of Web links for important information on the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy. The links lead to relevant NIH Web pages, including the most current NIH research on the subject. Topics covered range from NIH's Women's Health Initiative estrogen/ progestin hormone therapy study to the use of black cohosh as an alternative therapy to osteoporosis and ovarian cancer. A useful and well-organized resource.
NOVA: Battle of the X-Planes
First aired on February 4, 2003, Battle of the X-Planes looked at the development of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The JSF is intended to be the next-generation military jet for the US, and Boeing and Lockheed Martin are vying to have their respective version chosen by the government. This is the companion site to the NOVA episode. Many interactive features, interviews, and articles attest to the sheer magnitude of the project. One section of the site explains the many design decisions that ne
Physical Science Lessons
The Southeastern Michigan Math-Science Learning Coalition offers a number of lesson plans in physical science for levels from early elementary through high school.
Compound Independent Events
Compare the theoretical and experimental probabilities of compound independent events by drawing colored marbles from a bag. Record the results of successive draws with or without replacement of marbles to calculate the experimental probability.
PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans
Here is an overview of PET (polarized emission tomography), a brain scanning technique. The web page offers a description of how PET scans are conducted and an example of the kind of image they can produce. The science behind PET's ability to document levels of brain activity is also briefly addressed. As part of a set of materials about brain scanning technologies, this overview also points out how PET differs from earlier types of brain scans. Copyright 2005 Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
Fibonacci Numbers and the Pascal Triangle
Offered in English, German, and Serbian, this site is a good introduction to the mathematical concepts of Pascals Triangle, Fibonacci numbers, and the Golden Section. Because it is operated in Yugoslavia, there are occasional grammatical errors in the English version. Nevertheless, the information presented gives a valuable account of the significance of these topics. The content of the site includes historical perspectives (with brief profiles of the mathematicians who originated the ideas) and
National Science Education Standards
National Science Education Standards. Instead, the Standards provide criteria that people at the local, state, and national levels can use to judge whether particular actions will serve the vision of a scientifically literate society. They bring coordination, consistency, and coherence to the improvement of science education. If people take risks in the name of improving science education, they know they will be supported by policies and procedures throughout the system. By moving the practices
Who Was Charles Darwin?
In this lesson, students will learn firsthand, by reading his journal entries and letters, how Darwin arrived at his theory. They also will gain a better sense of Darwin's journey and the role it played in his scientific career. In the first activity, Darwin's Great Voyage of Discovery, students will read his account of his voyage on the Beagle and see how this experience inspired him to devote the rest of his life to developing and refining the theory of natural selection. The second activity,
How ozone is made
How does ozone in the upper atmosphere help protect life on Earth? This informational piece, part of an interactive laboratory series for grades 8-12, explores the production and destruction of ozone in the upper atmosphere. Here students view an animation of ultraviolet light breaking an oxygen molecule to form ozone and then the ozone splitting when struck by ultraviolet light. Text explanations are provided along with chemical equations. Copyright 2005 Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
Apply Lessons: Applications of Mathematics 9 and 10
Education for the real world. Lesson plans and the careers to which they apply include: All Fired Up (Firefighter); Circuit Challenges (Electrical Engineer); Daunting Peaks (Vulcanologist); Fit by Design or Design to Fit (Mechanical Drafter Designer); Formula for Success (Market Analyst); Hearing is Believing (Audiologist); In Dog Pounds (Animal Health Technologist); Let it Fly! (Aerospace Engineer); Life Saver Anyone? (Lifeguard); Making Plans (Event Planner); On a Roll (Roller Coaster Designer
Coordinate Graphing
This site has students learn the basics of coordinate graphing and practice plotting points on the coordinate axis. Site includes the introduction, prior knowledge, appropriate grade levels, objective, resources, procedures, learning advice, evaluation, extensions, and conclusion. An introduction to the coordinate plane and coordinates, a coordinate game, maze game, graphing quiz and answer key, coordinate grid, and additional Web links can be found.
The Quest for the Perfect Weather Forecaster
Just how accurate are weather forecasters, anyway? How can a meteorologist from one television channel predict a completely different forecast for the same area on a different station? To answer these queries, this article describes two projects for middle level students to investigate these issues in a hands-on, active-learning environment. These three-week projects take the form of webquests?inquiry-oriented exercises focusing on analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, for which the Internet is t
Celestial Navigation
Celestial navigation is the process of finding your position on Earth based on astronomical guideposts. In this lesson, explore the principles of navigation; build tools to observe celestial bodies, and learn how science, mathematics, technology, and history are intertwined.
Statistics and probability. Grades 6-8
This MathPARTNERS unit contains seven lessons with hands-on learning activities for exploring statistics and probability with students in grades 6-8. The lessons, designed for mentoring situations, may also be helpful for teachers and parents. Each lesson with reproducible student materials, features an overview of the mathematics, preparation guidelines, teaching tips, and suggestions for how to use each activity to develop specific mathematics concepts. Statistics activities focus on posing qu
