Computer Graphics & Digital Animation
Computer graphics is a term that encompasses a wide range of sciences and techniques. To understand some of the processes involved in generating computer graphics, Cornell University offers this detailed introduction to the subject (1). The site contains explanations and a series of pictures that illustrate object rendering, shading, ray tracing, and more. Computer graphics has seen rapid advancements in the past few years, partly because of the development of dedicated graphics processing units
Project54
As part of the CATlab project at the University of New Hampshire, Project54 is an integrated system of electronic devices that allows police officers "to interact with equipment such as lights and siren, radar, etc. using speech input and feedback." This website offers a detailed description of the system and its purpose, an image gallery, and several publications and project proposals. Visitors to the site who complete a brief registration can download an interactive demonstration of the Projec
Palm Power
Military equipment often requires significant amounts of electrical power, and it is important for power supplies to be portable and to have large capacities. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency realizes this need for efficient power sources, so it is investigating alternatives to conventional batteries. High energy fuels are the primary focus of the Palm Power project. This Web site discusses the details and goals of the project in introductory sections. More specific information can
Computational Science Center
The Brookhaven Computational Science Center is a collaborative project among researchers in biology, chemistry, physics, and medicine working with applied mathematicians and computer scientists "to exploit the remarkable opportunities for scientific discovery which have been enabled by modern computers." The Center is filling a need for upgrading the computing infrastructure within the Brookhaven National Laboratory and making "the most advanced systems available to researchers throughout the sc
Seville Game Theory Group
Jesus Mario Bilbao Arrese, a Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Seville, heads the Seville Game Theory group (SGT). On this website, visitors will find a selection of publications by members of the group, including papers, preprints and PhD theses. The Blackboard section includes various position papers, mostly in Spanish, which address issues such as the value of using scientific methods to understand, design and analyze complex voting systems. The website also provides links
Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition
In what looks to be an incredibly successful partnership, the universities of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon have teamed up in an "investigation of the neural mechanisms that give rise to human cognitive abilities..." This site, the online home for the center is packed full of interesting resources for researchers, prospective students, and graduate students alike. The Research section is immensely well organized and fruitful. There is even a way to search for research based on Methods, Topics,
ALICE: A Large Ion Collider Experiment at CERN LHC
This website features the ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) collaboration's aim to "study the physics of strongly interacting matter at extreme energy densities, where the formation of a new phase of matter, the quark-gluon plasma, is expected." The Public section of the website features the construction plan for the detector located at CERN, which will be optimized for heavy-ion physics. Visitors can learn how the collaboration, consisting of one-thousand members from twenty-seven countri
Human Evolution
The first Web site is an article from the New York Times (1) detailing some recent fossil discoveries that are shaking the paleontological world (free registration is required). Another relatively recent article from Guardian Unlimited (2) discusses a scientific debate surrounding the question of whether "a Western lifestyle now protects humanity from the forces that used to shape Homo sapiens." The third resource (3) includes a likely timeline of events in the history of hominids and a tour of
Human Identification at a Distance
The Georgia Institute of Technology is conducting research on Human Identification at a Distance, with an emphasis on gait recognition. Supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the project's development of gait recognition systems and algorithms is "an example of an activity-specific biometric: a method of extracting some identifying properties of an individual or of an individual's behavior that is only applicable when a person is performing that specific action." Sev
Earthguide
Earthguide is an educational resource for students and teachers developed by the California Space Institute at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of California San Diego. Features include in-depth stories, brief topics, and news -- all related to a variety of oceanic and atmospheric science subjects. The section of links and resources is quite valuable, with a large number of links organized by topic, many with brief descriptions.
Transportation Research Circular: Future Aviation Activities
The 12th International Workshop on Future Aviation Activities was held in September 2002, and this collection of presentation transcripts was released the following January. Many references to the September 11 terrorist attacks are made, especially concerning airport security measures and changes in the public's views of flying. Speakers also addressed long-term trends in air transportation, such as airspace capacity and general aviation growth. Nearly every kind of aviation was discussed; rangi
Deep Content: Guide to Effective Searching of the Internet
This outstanding website is, without question, one of the most comprehensive online resources for learning efficient Internet search techniques. The guide begins with some fairly non-technical background about the Internet and explains why searching such a massive amount of information is more complex than it seems. The general process used by search engines to rank webpages is described. After covering the fundamentals of search engine operation, the guide discusses some best practices to use w
Laboratory of Michael Blades
Located within the Chemistry Department at the University of British Columbia, the Laboratory of Michael Blades studies the "development, characterization, and application of optical and mass spectroscopic methods for chemical analysis." Visitors can download posters to learn about the group's work involving two and three laser ion trap mass spectrometry and fluorescence spectroscopy. The website discusses the group's creation of atmospheric pressure plasma on a chip as a new way of forming an a
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
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
MayoClinic.com: Diseases & Conditions
Hosted by MayoClinic.com, this helpful website offers information about a wide range of diseases and other medical conditions from scientists and physicians at the noted Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The website offers overviews of a plethora of diseases and conditions including Diarrhea, Alcohol Addiction, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and Whooping Cough, to name just a few. The overviews contain concise sections addressing Signs and Symptoms, Causes, Prevention, Treatment, When to Seek Medical Adv
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
Quaternary Studies
First, the Irish Quaternary Association (IQUA) website publicizes its aim "to promote Quaternary studies in Ireland through its publications, and the organization of field meetings and conferences" (1). Visitors can learn about the importance of quaternary studies as well as find out the latest news and upcoming meetings. At the second website, the University of Wisconsin-Madison describes the current and recent studies dealing with "basic and applied problems in glacial geology, surficial geolo
The Common Cold
When winter rolls around and we begin to spend more time indoors, the common cold becomes an unfortunate reality for many of us. But for something as common as the cold, misconceptions about it are remarkably common as well. The following collection of Web sites provides an in-depth look at the cold and the cold virus.The first site (1) comes from the Common Cold Care Center of Cardiff University in Wales, and offers a thorough and highly readable introduction to the common cold, including secti
Wayne's Word: Lemnaceae
This instructional website on Lemnaceae--aka the Duckweed family--was created by Professor Wayne P. Armstrong of Palomar College. The informative site contains concise text sections accompanied by excellent images and diagrams of duckweeds. Site visitors will also find A Key to the Genera of Lemnaceae, a Worldwide Lemnaceae Species List, and descriptions of Species of Lemnaceae In Western North America. This site is housed within Armstrong's larger website, Wayne's Word: An Online Natural Histor
