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 Given that many of his texts are unpublished or are out-of-print, the collection is one-of-
Soil Temperatures
For over a hundred years the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, "has documented quality data on a wide multitude of water and atmospheric variables". Within the main Web site is the Soil Temperatures page, which provides daily publication of maps based on data from various sites across the state. These include a 10am 4 inch bare soil temperature, daily maximum and minimum 4 inch bare soil temperature, 10am 4 inch soil temperature under sod, daily m
NATURE: Kalahari
This website is the Web companion to the two-part NATURE documentary on the Kalahari Desert, which aired on PBS during fall 2003. The first episode, Kalahari: The Great Thirstland, explores the intense extremes of the Kalahari landscape, where wildlife "struggle for survival on the African plains." The site offers a number of Web-only extras, including a species guide in the form of animal trading cards, a slide show showing seasonal change in the Kalahari, and more. Episode Two, Kalahari: The F
The Humane Society of the United States: Urban Wildlife -- Our Wild Neighbors
Do you know your wild neighbors? This website was developed by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to introduce Wild Neighbors , a program that "promotes nonlethal means for resolving conflicts between wildlife and humans..." and "cultivates an understanding and appreciation for those wildlife species commonly found in cities and towns." HSUS also uses this site to introduce the Urban Wildlife Sanctuary Program (UWSP). UWSP provides individuals and communities with support and informa
NINDS GENSAT BAC Transgenic Project
This website from Rockefeller University in New York contains "a gene expression atlas of the central nervous system of the mouse based on bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs)." GENSAT, or the Gene Expression Nervous System Atlas, contains brain slice images of BAC transgenic mice at the embryonic, postnatal (7 days old), and adult stages, stained to show areas of gene activity. The website comes with a detailed and helpful tutorial that recreates GENSAT's user interface and demonstrates how
NPR: Titanic Baby
This Web site contains an audio file of a story broadcast on National Public Radio earlier this month. The broadcast relates the poignant story of a four-year effort to identify the exhumed body of a 13-month-old child who died in the Titanic disaster. A metal medallion buried with the body serendipitously preserved a bit of the wrist bone, from which forensic scientists could extract mitochondrial DNA and eventually find the child's living relatives.
Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards
ExploraVision is a competition sponsored by Toshiba, Inc. and the National Science Teachers' Association (NSTA). The competition, which is open to all students in grades K-12 attending a school in the U.S., Canada, U.S. territory or a Department of Defense school, provides students a chance to "develop skills that will prepare them well for the 21st century workplace." Through ExploraVision, students work in teams to select a technology, research how it works and why it was invented, and then gi
Mindshare: PC System Architecture
Mindshare is a company that specializes in technical training for a variety of computer technologies. Five short courses can be accessed from the Mindshare home page at no charge, after completing a quick registration. The online courses give an overview of the "PCI-X System Architecture, Rambus, USB 2.0, PCI Power Management, and Infiniband System Architecture." Each of these technologies is introduced with a virtual presentation, which shows video of the speaker and the slides used in the talk
Revolutionizing Science and Engineering through Cyber-Infrastructure
An expert panel from National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advisory Panel on Cyber-Infrastructure released their final report in January 2003. The report seeks to "evaluate current major investments in cyberinfrastructure and its use, to recommend new areas of emphasis relevant to cyberinfrastructure, and to propose an implementation plan for pursuing them." Several key points are made that promote scientific and engineering research and education through technology. The NSF panel argues that rece
Desk Top Stars
This module designed for middle school students uses simple, fun experiments to introduce some tools and concepts of astronomers. Students are asked to consider how astronomers answer questions like: How old is the Universe? How far away is a galaxy? What are stars made of? The exercise includes working with a simple spectrometer. This unit may be easily modified for other students.
Seasonal Vegetation Changes
In this lesson students discover that measuring the color of the Earth from space can be used as a way to tell how healthy the Earth is. This can be done both to help farmers grow crops and to observe how deforestation has affected the planet. Students will also be able to download the most recent vegetation map, to compare today's data to an average January or July. As they compare vegetation maps, they will see that some regions are green all year long, other regions in the Southern Hemisphere
Mortality rate of captive-bred and released carnivores is 70%
This January 25, 2008 entry in the NSDL Expert Voices blog Connecting News with National Science Education Standards deals with survival rates of captive-bred carnivore released into the wild. It points to modifications breeders should make to decrease mortality rates. Additional links to teaching resources related to populations, ecosystems, and diversity are provided
Expedition to the Poles
In this lesson students will pretend they have just returned from a year in the Arctic or Antarctic. They will look at Web sites about these regions and expeditions to them, and they will create posters illustrating their experiences. Students will conclude by writing paragraphs explaining what it would be like to visit the polar region that they did not focus on in this lesson. As they complete this activity students will research the characteristics of the polar regions and the things they wou
The Nitrogen Cycle : Of Microbes and Men
This module provides an overview of the nitrogen cycle and the chemical changes that govern the cycle. It includes explanations of how nitrogen is used by organisms and how humans effect the cycle.
Quick take on those dicey decimals!
Understanding decimals is a must and practice with them a basic necessity. These digital resources feature games, lessons, and interactive experiences that encourage understanding and practice at varying levels of mastery.
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
Dancing Penny
This physical science activity was designed to engage students in thinking about the scientific principles involved in a teacher demonstration. In the demonstration, a coin resting in the opening of a bottle moves up and down when energy is transferred from a teacher's warm hands to the air inside the bottle. This conduction of heat increases the air temperature and pressure inside the bottle. The activity includes instructions for teachers, a materials list, science process skills used in the a
Jen's home of multicultural math games
This website includes descriptions of three mathematical games from different cultures: Mancala, a counting game from ancient Egypt; Rithmomachia, a 'battle of numbers' board game dating back to 1150 and used by Roger Bacon to teach arithmetic; and To-pe-di, a Native American game of chance. Each game is illustrated. Other terms: geometry, Boethius, Pythagorean number theories, dice sticks. (Includes 5 references)
A creative encounter of the numerical kind : A WebQuest for middle grades math students
In this WebQuest, students help an imaginary civilization develop a number system. They work in teams to explore place value, counting, and different number systems. After this preparation, they create and name a set of original number symbols for a base four number system and explain it in a formal presentation.
