Citrus Canker: The Pathogen and Its Impact
This Web site, currently featured on the home page of the American Phytopathological Society, contains a research report regarding the Asiatic citrus canker that has had devastating effects on Florida's citrus industry. The report, in a journal article format, thoroughly relates the natural history and current status of the disease, as well as detailing the methods and results of the (primarily genetic) experiments conducted in this study. One of the most appealing features of this Web site is t
Drought Resources and Information
The Drought Resources and Information Web site is maintained by the Utah State University Extension Water Resource Issues Team, which was created to "address information needs related to water conservation and quality in agriculture and urban settings." The site provides information on several subjects including landscape irrigation, agricultural water uses, home water conservation, drought and weather monitoring, and more.
Consensus CoDing Sequence Database
The Consensus CoDing Sequence (CCDS) Database "project is a collaborative effort to identify a core set of human protein-coding regions that are consistently annotated and of high quality. The long-term goal is to support convergence toward a standard set of gene annotations on the human genome." CCDS project collaborators include the National Center for Biotechnology (NCBI), European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI), Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (WTSI), and University of California, Santa Cruz
Fractals, Chaos
Paul Bourke of the Astrophysics and Supercomputing department at Swinburne University of Technology is the author of this massive resource on fractals and chaos. He gives examples of many different kinds and classes of fractals, including the Mandelbrot set and various attractors; and brief explanations accompany each one. A substantial introduction to fractals covers the underlying principles and connection to chaos theory. Many stunning, high resolution fractal image galleries show elaborate p
Vision Systems Design
Vision Systems Design is a magazine that provides comprehensive information and analyses about "machine-vision and imaging components, boards, assemblies, software, and systems." Its online version is free and has many Web-exclusive features available. For example, Back to Basics is a series of technical articles about a certain topic; the February 2003 issue has articles on FireWire interfaces, infrared systems used to increase vehicle safety, and much more. Technology news and industry trends
Taxi2000
Originally developed at the University of Minnesota, personal rapid transit (PRT) systems are now being explored further by a spin-off company called Taxi2000. The system is designed to operate on raised guideways and is set up in grid formations that can easily be expanded. While still in the planning stages, a great deal of information is presented on the Taxi2000 homepage. Many publications can be downloaded, including detailed descriptions of the Taxi2000 concept and a projection for ridersh
Cadbury: Maths in the Factory
What kid can resist chocolate? Certainly not many, and this site from the Cadbury Company uses chocolate to entice children to learn about mathematics. Users must apply their knowledge of basic math concepts to solve different problems in the Cadbury factory. The interactive scenarios, which are guided by a group of chocolate cartoon characters, let children practice their skills in arithmetic, measurement, interpretation of data, and geometric objects. There are also sections for teachers and p
Bells in Your Ears
Does sound travel better through solids or gases? This material is part of a series of hands-on science activities designed to arouse student interest. Here the student hangs a metal fork from a pencil using string, and then strikes the fork while the eraser end of the pencil is in his or her ear. The activity includes a description, a list of science process skills and complex reasoning strategies being used, and a compilation of applicable national science standards for grades K-12. Also provi
Examine the sun at different wavelengths
This Earth science resource enables students to observe and compare the sun's appearance under different types of electromagnetic radiation. Students are instructed to move the cursor across the spectrum to see images of the sun under radio and microwaves; infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light; and gamma rays. Each image includes a label that indicates the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, the wavelength in angstroms and meters, and the layer of the sun in view. Copyright 2005 Eisenhow
Astronomy
This page contains links to one pagers on historical instruments of astronomy with photos of the following : Astronomy Slides, Celestial Globe, Cometarium, Globe, Gregorian Telescope, Kepler's Laws Demonstration, Orrery, Planetarium, Planisphere, Stereoscopic Pictures of the Moon, Tellurian, and Transit.
Ice Cube of Exotic Microbes
This article describes a permafrost subglacial lake discovered beneath Antarctica. The lake offers scientists a chance to test their sterile drilling techniques before exploring elsewhere in search of exotic microbes. Techniques that avoid contaminating a drill site with microbes, suggests the author, would prove useful for future drilling into Mars polar caps in search of life.
The baby's brain : infant vision
In this feature, the user explorers how a baby's sense of sight develops. By dragging a slider bar to each of six different age markers, the user can see how the same image looks for babies as they get older. There is also a paragraph-long explanation of vision at each of the six ages shown: newborn, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, and adult. These explanations reveal what a baby can and cannot see at each age. They also discuss how a baby's brain and eyes mature, providing improved focus
Smart Move!
This is a simple activity to visualize a communication system. In order to do this the students encode, decode, transmit, receive and store messages. They will use a code sheet and flashlight for this process. They will also maintain a storage sheet from which they can retrieve information as and when it is required.
Box Plot 2
This activity allows the user to explore maximum, minimum, median, upper quartile, lower quartile and outliers while learning how to draw box plots.
Factoring Special Products
Choose the correct steps to factor a polynomial involving perfect-square binomials, differences of squares, or constant factors. Use the feedback to diagnose incorrect steps.
Teacher's Toolkit : Reforming cookbook labs
The majority of ancillary materials provided with any textbook includes a large quantity of labs that have step-by-step instructions. Although it is important in science for students to learn how to follow directions, offering only cookbook labs limits students' access to exploration. Presented in this article are 11 different ways of altering cookbook labs so that students understand the intention of the procedure. The altered labs do not fully achieve the status of inquiry-lab, but they are a
Ecological Footprint: Overshoot
In this two-minute sound segment, the director of the Sustainability Program for the public policy group Redefining Progress discusses the concept of your ecological footprint. This is the amount of nature it takes to support your lifestyle. He says that if we use more than can be replaced by nature we are in a condition called overshoot. He suggests that this can continue for a while but eventually someone will have to pay with a lower standard of living. This site is from an archive of a daily
Slope calculation
Examine the graph of two points in the plane. Find the slope of the line that passes through the two points. Drag the points and investigate the changes to the slope and to the coordinates of the points.
The future of energy, environment
The lasting effects of energy consumption on the environment continue to be a problem as the world's population requires more and more energy. This informational piece, part of a series about the future of energy, introduces students to environmental issues related to the use and production of energy. Fossil fuels, nuclear energy, hydropower, and clean air are discussed in the context of environmental quality. Students can read about the development of environmentally friendly vehicles and follo
Science and Technology
The goal of engineering is to solve practical problems through the development or use of technologies. Technology/engineering works in conjunction with science to expand our capacity to understand the world.
