Robber Flies (Asilidae)
This Web site focuses on "one of the largest and most abundant families of present day insects" -- the Robber Flies. Maintained by Fritz Geller-Grimm of the Museum Wiesbaden in Germany and Cornell University graduate student Torsten Dikow, the site includes a variety of information on many aspects of these insects. The Asilidae section contains many resources that are most appropriate for an advanced or research audience, including identification keys, species and distribution databases, and lit
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
The Federal Commons
In 1999, the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act was passed in order to force the development of federal electronic grant processing. A result of the legislation, the Federal Commons portal gives "grantees (state and local governments, universities, small businesses, etc.) full service grants processing across all functions in the grant life cycle." While providing only an entrance to various grant institutions and services, the Federal Commons helps to eliminate the maze-lik
Electric Vehicle History Online Archive
This website is self-proclaimed as the "first online archive created to encourage electric vehicle enthusiasts to help preserve the recent history of electric vehicles." A wide variety of information is presented, ranging from performance data and historical policy documents to retrospective articles and amusing forecasts of electric vehicle technology from decades past. The operators of the archive encourage electric vehicle drivers and enthusiasts to contribute anything they might have to the
Science and Safety, Making the Connection
The Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS), a professional organization composed of science education specialists, has recently released a guide to science safety entitled Science and Safety, Making the Connection. The free, downloadable document covers how to purchase, dispose, and store chemicals; how to clean up spills; safety equipment recommendations; and more. Any educator involved in laboratory work of any kind will find that this document contains very valuable and important informa
Dartmouth Symposium on the Future of Computer Music Software: A Panel Discussion
This article, which appeared in the winter 2002 issue of the Computer Music Journal, is an edited transcript of the Dartmouth Symposium on the Future of Computer Music Software. The topics discussed at the event varied widely, but most were centered on experimental software as opposed to normative utilities like mixers and virtual studios. By following this subject track for the symposium, participants shared their viewpoints about the evolution of computer music software and highlighted current
Graph Theory
Graph theory is widely used in computer science, engineering and of course, mathematics. Wikipedia offers this definition and overview of Graph Theory (1). This next website from Mega-Math (2) reviews some of the Vocabulary of Graphs and highlights some applications for graph theory, such as the design of computer systems and games. Some additional applications for Graph Theory are discussed in this more technical book called Graph Theory with Applications (3). This website from Georgia Tech (4)
Palomar College: Primates
This online tutorial about primates was created by Dr. Dennis O'Neal of the Behavioral Sciences Department at Palomar College. The tutorial contains concise topical sections addressing the general characteristics and taxonomy of prosimians, new and old world monkeys, apes, and humans. In addition to the topical sections, the site contains an extensive Glossary of Terms, a Primate Order Table, and a page regarding site accessibility for students with different needs in the areas of hearing, visio
TranStats: The Intermodal Transportation Database
Provided by the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics, this site for researchers and analysts, which is aimed at providing "one stop shopping" for transportation data, allows users to search over 100 databases, download data, complete online statistics, and view online maps pertaining to data. Data subjects related to physical science includes energy use statistics, a pollution database, air quality data, emission trends, toxics inventories, greenhouse gases, and more. Although a newer browser
Smart Card Standards and Interoperability
Simply put, a smart card is a credit card sized piece of plastic with an embedded computer chip. It can store personal data or be used for countless other applications, and the technology is growing at a tremendous rate. Smart Card Standards and Interoperability is a site operated by the Office of Electronic Government. The Smart Card Tutorial given on the site is a great introduction to the technology and its applications. In the What's New section, there are several updates and downloadable re
The Alwyn H. Gentry Forest Transect Data Set
The Missouri Botanic Garden has recently made available forest transect data collected from sites around the world by the late Alwyn H. Gentry. As part of a project developed to "ensure that Gentry's ecological data receive maximum use and are readily available to the biological research community," an electronic version of the entire data set (226 transects total) is accessible through this Web site, free of charge. Users must submit an access request Web form each time they retrieve data files
The Peregrine Fund: Research Library
The Peregrine Fund was established in 1970 by Tom Cade (a professor of ornithology at Cornell University) to support peregrine falcon populations in the wild. Through its growing Research Library, the Peregrine Fund is committed to making "library and specimen collections available to the entire global research community, especially to colleagues who may not have access to comprehensive library resources." The Research Library holds a large collection of books, reports, reprints, and journals re
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,
Kids Web Japan
Managed by the Japan Center for Intercultural Communications, the Kids Web Japan site introduces schoolchildren aged between 10 and 14 to the country of Japan. The main page offers links to information about the physical and cultural aspects of the country, including its nature and climate, history, traditions, daily life, and more. Each subject contains a description, beautiful photographs, and questions that kids can answer. Other features include several maps, games, a cookbook for kids, lang
Physicians for Social Responsibility: MercuryActionNOW
MercuryActionNOW is an "online resource created by Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) to provide health care professionals and concerned citizens with information about the effects of mercury emissions on public health." The website is full of links to reports, fact sheets, letters, and other websites regarding mercury-related pollution and health issues. Examples include a downloadable Salmon Contaminant Factsheet; the Environmental Protection Agency's Mercury website; the CDC's Second
Applied Physics Laboratory 2002 Annual Report
The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory has a core purpose to "core enhance the security of the nation through the application of science and technology." This includes research on missile, radar, sonar, sensor, chemical/ biological, and information technologies; space science and engineering, microelectronics; communications; navigation; modeling and simulation; and advanced research and technology development. The report's contents include a Message from the Director, as well as
Grothendieck Circle
This is the website for a long-term project called the Grothendieck Circle which aims to make publicly available (and in some cases translate) the material written by and about mathematician Alexandre Grothendieck. They also hope to provide biographical material on Grothendieck's life and his origins. As of this report they have posted several of his writings along with other online resources of his work. Given that many of his texts are unpublished or are out-of-print, the collection is one-of-
US Global Change Research Information Office: Ask Dr. Global Change
If you're interested in finding information on global change, then the Ask Dr. Global Change Web site is for you. Provided by the US Global Change Research Information Office, the site gives visitors the chance to review and search dozens of questions and related answers to various global warming questions. Example questions include What is Global Warming and What is the Greenhouse Effect. It also allows visitors to submit question of their own and explore other provided links.
Condor: High Throughput Computing
Condor is a popular software tool developed by the University of Wisconsin at Madison Computer Sciences Department. It is a type of batch system that distributes computationally intensive jobs to multiple workstations, thereby creating a grid-style environment and speeding the processing time. Universities and other research institutions can download Condor at no charge, provided they agree to the license terms. The software can be installed on UNIX or Windows machines. Full documentation is giv
Desert Plants and Wildflowers
For those interested in the types of plants found in the desert ecosystem, this Web page from the online magazine DesertUSA.com will be a useful guide. Photos and descriptive features of several desert plants are provided in an alphabetical index or can be found through the online field guide organized by flower color. An interesting section also focuses on the types of adaptations that allow plant species to survive in harsh desert conditions. The Desert Plants and Wildflowers section is just o
