A Thin Blue Line: The History of the Pregnancy Test
In today's world, the test for pregnancy is only a pharmacy, and minutes, away. This wasn't always the case, however. Until 1978 no definitive means existed for at-home pregnancy testing. This site, from the National Institutes of Health, traces the history of the test back to its earliest roots at NIH. The site includes historical information on the early Egyptian practice of women urinating on wheat and barley to the more modern research into human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the so-called p
Museum of the Future
This Web site, operated by the Ars Electronica Center in Austria, provides an online tour of a fascinating museum. It can be a little confusing to navigate at first, but it is certainly worth visiting. The main attraction is the Guide through the Museum of the Future. After clicking this link, it is important to note the language selector that chooses between German and English. Six different sections of the museum can be explored by the icons on the right, and each section has several different
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
Captain Astounding
This is a companion website to the Captain Astounding books, which are "richly illustrated" books intended to make mathematics enjoyable for undergraduate students and adult learners. The books are described as humorous stories addressing topics in math, which the website argues makes them not text books. The website provides information about the books, contests and useful links, as well as a section highlighting some math topics from the featured book. For February, 2005, the featured book is
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
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
Switcheroo Zoo
As the name implies, the colorfully animated Switcheroo Zoo -- produced by Tubehead, an interactive multimedia studio -- allows you to swap the heads, legs, or tails of various zoo animals to create fantastical new creatures. Not just a place to watch cool morphing animation, this Web site has educational applications as well. Click on Educators' Resources, and scroll to the bottom of the page for a simple lesson plan geared toward younger students. The lesson plan is designed to "expand student
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
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
NOAA Satellite and Information Service
"The Satellite Services Division of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) provides real time access to satellite data and products for the public and government." Users can locate Hazard Mapping System (HMS) Fire Analysis, real-time satellite fire monitoring, Web-based GIS fire analysis, and additional fire products. The OSEI (Operational Significant Event Imagery) link supplies archived and current images of flood events, severe weather, tropical cyclones,
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
The Schoolyard Solar System
"The Schoolyard Solar System was developed to demonstrate the solar system to scale; to show the relationship between units of thousands, millions, and billions; and to accomplish these goals with student involvement that will re-enforce the lessons." Students and educators can find images of the Sun and the nine planets in our solar system. The website presents bulk, orbital, and observational parameters as well as additional facts for the objects. By printing out the materials and following th
EPA: RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) Online
The RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) "online database is designed to enable users to locate documents, including publications and other outreach materials, that cover a wide range of RCRA issues and topics." Users have three search options: Topics, Full Text, or Advanced searches. For those having trouble finding needed materials, the website offers a handy two-page reference guide. The What's New link offers information on the latest system changes and lists of the most recent or u
Soil Landscapes of Canada
The Canadian Land Resource Networks (CLRN) online mapping application, Soil Landscapes of Canada, utilizes GIS technology to view the major characteristics of soil and land for the country and is "organized according to a uniform national set of soil and landscape criteria based on permanent natural attributes." Users can view coverage from eighteen areas and ten different attributes -- including soil development, surface material, slope, and vegetation cover; with or without cities and roads; a
ExploreMath.com
As part of the ExploreLearning organization, ExploreMath offers an outstanding collection of interactive activities for students in "elementary algebra through pre-calculus." The online multimedia applications are easy to use and demonstrate almost 40 concepts across twelve general categories. One activity, for example, explains some fundamentals of probability by randomly throwing darts and showing how many hit the target. Instructions and topic overviews are given for each activity. Some addit
MGNet
MGNet "is a repository for information related to multigrid, multilevel, multiscale, aggregation, defect correction, and domain decomposition methods." In short, the material offered on the site is mainly used to solve partial differential equations. There are many resources given on MGNet, including tutorials, a preprint archive, and information on upcoming conferences. Quite a few software packages can be downloaded from the site; however, they require a specific decompression utility. MGNet a
Karbosguide.com
A prodigious author of computer science books presents several introductions to computers and computer-related technologies at this site. Eight different guides are available, which cover topics including digital data, motherboard logic, and the computer input/ output interface. The text and accompanying illustrations are not overly technical in nature, and are therefore suitable for almost any audience. A section on digital imaging is under construction as of March 2003; it has information on p
Backyard Weather Stations
Learn how to build your own backyard weather station with complete directions provided by FamilyEducation.com's Web site, Backyard Weather Stations. The site shows exactly what you'll need and how to build the necessary components (e.g., rain gauge and barometer), as well as how to keep records of the data collected. Parents and teachers will enjoy watching the kids "learn the basics of scientific observation and record-keeping while satisfying their natural curiosity about weather."
Geoboard : coordinate (grades 6-8)
This virtual manipulative features an interactive grid where the student can mouse over points on the grid to display their coordinates and form shapes using virtual rubber bands. The online geoboard has a measure function that displays area and perimeter for shapes and, for single bands connected to two virtual pegs, distance and slope. Shapes may be colored as a way to sort or enhance them. The site features activities to explore slopes, construct reflections, and find an inscribed parallelogr
