Low Dose Radiation Research
The US Department of Energy's Low Dose Radiation Research Program supports research that investigates the health risks from exposure to radiation at low levels. This Web site provides an overview of radiation biology, up-to-date information and archived results from program-related research, and other resources for the benefit of researchers and the general public alike. Some research projects include comparing low dose radiation to endogenous oxidative damage, determining thresholds for radiati
International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos (IJBC)
The International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos is "widely regarded as the leading journal in the exciting field of chaos and nonlinear science." Feature articles from previous issues are available online as free samples, along with papers and letters, as long as you provide your name and email address. They also offer to send free emails with updates on the current issues's table of contents. Access to the full journal is available only by paid subscription. Links to information on related b
The World: Technology Report
Public Radio International broadcasts "The World," a daily international news program, and a periodic feature of "The World is the Technology Report." This site provides downloadable audio from the four-minute report, which looks at some interesting and obscure technological innovations. The November 12, 2002 recording discusses an invention from a Danish university. The Automatic Pool Trainer, as it is called, uses lasers, cameras, and sophisticated tracking software to show the optimal shots o
AIMS Puzzle Corner
Each month, the AIMS Education Foundation posts a new mathematical challenge on its Puzzle Corner Web site. "The goal of the AIMS Puzzle Corner is to provide teachers with a variety of interesting puzzles that can be used to create a learning environment where students engage in doing mathematics just for the fun of it!" Each puzzle includes an overview of the topic for the teacher, and a worksheet that can be used by the students. Some examples of previous puzzle concepts include sequences, pal
The Advanced Light Source
A division of the Berkeley Laboratory, the Advanced Light Source (ALS) "is a national user facility that generates intense light for scientific and technological research." Students and educators can learn how ALS, with the use of one of the world's brightest sources of ultraviolet and soft X-ray beams and the world's first third generation synchrotron light source in its energy range, studies the properties of materials, trace metals, and the structures of atoms and molecules. The website featu
Public Education Acid Rain Lesson Plan
Offered by The National Park Service Air Resources Division, this Web site includes a series of five 1-2 hour educational activities related to understanding acid rain and air quality for children grades six through eight. The very simply designed site includes lessons on: The pH scale; Understanding the difference between an acid and a base; Understanding what gases contribute to acid rain; How acid rain is measured and monitored in the US; and Understanding weather maps and the importance of s
THE BOOK: An Engineer's Guide to the Digital Transition
This online guide was written to help engineers make the transition from analog to digital designs and implementations, with a specific focus on audio and video systems. The material is quite extensive and includes a wealth of application notes and "information on video formats, standards and interconnection considerations." Everything from high-level system design to proper routing techniques for different kinds of cables and signals is covered. The success of this guide prompted the creation o
Integrating Content Management with Digital Rights Management
This white paper, published in May 2003, explores the task of effectively managing digital content while incorporating and protecting the digital rights associated with the content. The authors begin by defining a content management system as it is discussed in their paper and outline the key components and capabilities of such a system. After touching on the foundations of digital rights, the paper then argues for the adoption of a "Rights Expression Language" to integrate digital rights inform
Base Valued Numbers
Most basic math classes are taught using the decimal number system, but the concept of number systems that use a base value other than ten is rarely mentioned. This educational website attempts to shed light on this overlooked theme by illustrating some common number systems that have practical value or historic significance. The material is very well presented, helping the reader to understand how numbers are represented in binary, octal, hexadecimal, and many other number systems. It also demo
Science North: Learn and Play
Science North Museum is self-described as creating high quality science education and entertainment experiences for its visitors. The Learn and Play portion of the accompanying Web site contains a Cool Science link with a wide variety of activities including an interactive stargazer and solar system, science quizzes, a reflex tester, a geology exploration activity, and more. Other links on the Learn and Play page include descriptions and movies, additional recommended science links, and Web cams
The Brighton University Resource Kit for Students
The Brighton University Resource Kit for Students (BURKS) is an archive with "compilers, tutorials and reference manuals for dozens of different programming languages, a dictionary of computing with over 13,000 entries...a vast amount of useful software, information about the Internet itself, and much more." BURKS is primarily intended for individuals who do not have access to an Internet connection, which is why the collection mostly consists of resources from external websites. The collection
Datasheet Locator
With so many electronic components on the market today, it is often difficult to find datasheets with specifications and properties for a particular part. Rather than scouring the Internet for manufacturer's Web sites, Datasheet Locator has links to all the information you will need in one centralized location. The list of manufacturers currently numbers over 700. By directly connecting to the manufacturer's Web site, the information will always be up-to-date. Many of the companies allow searchi
Illinois Natural History Survey Mollusk Collection
The Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) "Mollusk Collection contains over 105,400 catalogued specimens, most of which were collected in Illinois and the southeastern United States. The collection is 90% freshwater species (mussels, fingernail clams, and snails) and 10% terrestrial species (snails)." This INHS website allows visitors to search the Mollusk Collection Database and offers search fields for Genus species, Stream, Drainage, County, State, Year, and more. The site also links to cont
The New Zealand Geographic Place Names Database
The New Zealand Geographic Place Names Database, offered by Land Information New Zealand, contains more than 40,000 official and non-official place name entries from the mainland of New Zealand. Searches can be done by partial name or by location; results yield a description of the place (such as a beach or hill), its district, and its latitude/longitude. Additional searches can also be done to include all place names surrounding an area. Although intended to assist in the production of core top
Coatings Guide
The Coatings Guide is a comprehensive source of information and utilities regarding low-pollution coating technologies. The Guide is maintained by the Research Triangle Institute in cooperation with government environmental agencies. Coatings for plastic and metal substrates are currently the focus of the site; however, an architectural section is under development that will include wood and concrete coatings. An Expert System tool recommends coating alternatives, while a cost tool determines th
World's Largest Math Event
April is Mathematics Education Month, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics will celebrate with the eighth annual World's Largest Math Event (WLME). The WLME Web site has activities from all eight of the events, which are suitable for grade school teachers to introduce in their classes. This year's WLME theme is Entertaining Mathematics; previous years' themes include Animals As Our Companions, The Power of Nature, and Math Olympics. The activities given on the site use mathematics
Hydroelectric Dams
Although hydroelectric power represents a relatively small portion of the world's energy resources, it is still an important commodity with great potential. To harness hydropower, civil engineers must design dams that convert the kinetic energy of water into electricity.The fundamentals of general-use dams are discussed on the home page of the US Society on Dams (1). Besides providing brief background information, there are a few examples of the benefits of dams to society. For a much more techn
World Soil Resources Map Index
From the US Department of Agriculture's office of Natural Resources Conservation Service, the World Soil Resources Map-Index Web site contains nineteen global maps as well as several regional and country maps related to soil. The global maps include such topics as Global Soil Regions, Soil Temperature Regimes, Water Holding Capacity, and Wind Erosion; the regional maps contain information from Afghanistan, Africa, Albania, Lithuania, and Indonesia. Each map contains information on its specificat
zeroBio
Elliott Kimmel may have created zeroBio for the students of London, Ontario's Central Secondary School, but high school biology students anywhere would benefit tremendously from a visit to this extensive collection of biology learning resources. In addition to functioning as an online biology textbook, zeroBio offers dissection photos for a number of specimens, multimedia presentations, self-quizzing flashcards for organic chemistry, downloadable worksheets, interactive quizzes, games, puzzles,
The Journey Inside
The Web designers at Intel did a tremendous job when designing The Journey Inside, a Web site on computer and Internet-related technologies. Six sections offer interactive lessons, video demonstrations, and interesting stories about fundamental concepts. The first section provides a general introduction to computers. Next is an informative overview of Circuits and Switches, followed by a discussion of Digital Information storage and analysis. Microprocessor basics, the Internet, and Technology a
