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
Insect Mouthparts
This Web site contains a pictorial guide to insect mouthparts, a complicated topic served well by this simple yet effective tutorial. Created by University of Ottawa entomology professor Dr. Houseman -- using material adapted from Digital Zoology (on CD from McGraw-Hill) -- this site provides labeled diagrams and high quality photos of chewing, siphoning, piercing, sponging, and combination mouthparts. Users may view images by category or click through the entire set in sequence. The photographs
Waterjet Web Reference: Information and Resources for Water Jet Machining
According to the Waterjet Web Reference, "abrasive waterjets are the fastest growing segment of the machine tool industry." This is not surprising when considering how quickly and precisely a tool can be made by using the technology. The site offers a thorough introduction to waterjets, describing how they work and what they can do. Comparisons are made to conventional machining processes, and the advantages of waterjets are outlined. Other sections of the site include an Engineer's Guide, a vid
Australian Biological Resources Study: Flora Online
The Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) provides a bounty of biological and taxonomic information regarding Australian plant and fungi species. Acting as a clearinghouse for online information about plants and fungi, ABRS connects to such resources as the Flora of Australia Online, Checklist of Australian Lichens, Interactive Catalogue of Australian Fungi, Census of Freshwater Algae in Australia, and the Australian Plant Name Index. The site also provides a collection of glossaries that
Standards and Interoperability
The Standards and Interoperability Web site is provided by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) to "provide a reliable network of standards-related information for use by NIMA, its contractors, and the Imagery and Geospatial Community as a whole." The main page contains links to pages that contain data architecture information from the National System for Geospatial Intelligence, geospatial and imagery standards from the oversees geospatial and imagery community, national imagery trans
National Diatom Database
Single-celled diatoms are "powerful indicators of environmental conditions as they respond quickly to environmental changes, and are widely utilized in stratigraphic investigations." The Geological Survey of Canada's National Diatom Database contains two components, the first of which includes about 5,000 diatom samples, their description, and precise geographic location. The second has 1,500 entries that give "information on the environmental and ecological tolerance of individual diatom specie
Dan's Wild Wild Weather Page
Created by a meteorologist, this weather site is for students from 6 to 16 years old and their parents. Information and experiments are provided about radar, tornadoes, clouds, precipitation, lightning, humidity, satellites, temperature, forecasting, hurricanes, wind, and climate. While in the tornado section, students can click on any state on the map to get a hourly weather report, state forecast, zone forecast, short term forecast, forecast discussion, weather summary, public information, cli
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,
Tales from the Underground
Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry Web site offers a very interesting interactive activity called Tales from the Underground. Kids get to explore an interactive map of Chicago neighborhoods to view the results of soil samples that were taken to determine the amounts of various pollutants they contain. Students are then able to conduct their own experiments (with help from their teacher or parent) to learn about the health of soils where they live. The site contains a wealth of additional a
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
NIH Curriculum Supplement Series: Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Biological Rhythms
Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Biological Rhythms is a curriculum unit (for grades nine through twelve) offered through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Curriculum Supplement Series. This unit was developed collaboratively by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and other groups as "a creative inquiry-based instruction program designed to promote active learning and stimulate student interest in medical topics." This curriculum supplement is designed "to complement existing
National Geographic Xpeditions
"Xpeditions is home to the U.S. National Geography Standards--and to thousands of ideas, tools, and interactive adventures that bring them to life." While the countless lesson plans cover a wide variety of geography-related topics, the ones involving the physical sciences include: Mars Mobiles, Oil and Water in the Middle East, River Sources and Stories, and How are Islands Formed?. The Activities link offers numerous stimulating interactive modules and articles. Because the materials are sorted
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
National Geographic: Forces of Nature
This National Geographic offers entertaining Macromedia Flash Player enhanced tutorials about natural disasters. Students can make their own earthquake, discover why a volcano erupts, build a tropical cyclone, find out the characteristics of a tornado, and more. The website offers facts on historically large events as well as key information about earthquakes, volcanoes, tornados, and hurricanes. The simple glossary helps users understand the scientific terms presented throughout the modules. Ed
West Nile Virus
The first Web site (1) is one of the latest entertaining feature stories from the Why Files, which covers mosquitoes and the diseases they carry, including the West Nile Virus. Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases provides fact sheets and articles about the virus in this straightforward Web site (2), while a similar Web site (3) from the Centers for Disease Control offers more information about the disease, prevention measures, and
Biodiversity and Conservation Research
The Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC) at the American Museum of Natural History aims to "integrate scientific research, education, and outreach so that people, themselves major catalysts in the rapid loss of biodiversity, will become participants in its conservation." The CBC currently conducts biodiversity conservation research in the Bahamas, Bolivia, Madagascar, Vietnam, and in metropolitan New York. Click on What We Do for brief descriptions of each research project. The project
Technology Review: When the Web Was New
How has our understanding of the Web changed since 1995? This article from Technology Review, an MIT publication, gives readers a chance to consider this question. The author, an MIT graduate, reflects on "When the Web Was New" by posting an article he wrote in 1995. Presented with some graphic images, the article provides a look into the history of the World Wide Web and related technology. Reflecting back, the author states, "how easy it is to forget that many of the technologies that structur
MathPlayer
Math Player is a browser plug-in that supports MathML, an XML-based language used to encode mathematical symbols and equations for displaying on the Web. Developed by Design Science, the software can be downloaded for free at this site.
National Wetlands Research Center: Library Digital Collection
The National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) "is a source and clearinghouse of science information about wetlands in the United States and the world for fellow agencies, private entities, academia, and the public at large." The NWRC Library Digital Collection contains an abundance of technical reports in pdf format spanning the last couple decades from such institutions as the US Fish and Wildlife Service; the USGS Biological Resources Division; and the National Biological Service. The site also
Genome Bioinformatics
This no-frills UC-Santa Cruz Genome Bioinformatics Web site contains searchable "working drafts of the human genome and the mouse genome," which each represent "immense collaborative efforts" within the biomedical research community. Those who are active in genome research may find this Web site useful, especially for the multi-faceted genome browser that "provides a rapid and reliable display of any requested portion of genomes at any scale, together with dozens of aligned annotation tracks (kn
