Chinese Chestnut Tree Identification
The Chinese Chestnut is commonly mistaken for the American Chestnut. Here are some pointers on the differences between the two. The American Chestnut Society is attempting to re-establish the latter in the North American forest, and biotype diversity requires many American Chestnut crosses with resistant forms.
The Amazing Microbe Hunters
This activity from our family magazine series provides a fun way for kids to learn about how early microbe discoveries led to later ones. The online activity begins with a page of directions for how to play this "hidden picture" challenge. Kids meet the people behind six key discoveries: Anthony van Leeuwenhoek, Edward Jenner, Louis Pasteur, Alexander Fleming, Jonas Salk, Luc Montagnier, and Robert Gallo. To uncover each portion of the hidden picture (an animated microscope) and move to the next
Hayden Planetarium: Digital Universe Atlas
Since 1998, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium have engaged in the three-dimensional mapping of the Universe. This cosmic cartography brings a new perspective to our place in the Universe and will redefine your sense of home. The Digital Universe Atlas is distributed to you via packages that contain our data products, like the Milky Way Atlas and the Extragalactic Atlas, and requires free software allowing you to explore the atlas by "flying" through it on your com
Kick-Off, Half-Time, and Over-Time: Flexible Scheduling Scores Points
The former Principal Sherril Ray suggested a creative schedule as one strategy to meet students' needs at Furman Middle School in Sumter, South Carolina. Scheduling and associated academic activities are also provided as examples.,Volume 8, Number 4
Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, The: A Video Opera
'The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle' is divided into several distinct sections, the contents of which are described as follow: Act 1: The Gloria: Nature scenes accompanied by opera punctuated by flashes of city scenes, followed by shots of city landscapes; Interlude 1: Computer graphic shots of sexless bodies; Act 2: Pursuit for Plastic: Children play among ruins, accompanied by a score of children singing; two boys push and shove before one of the boys runs off into a field; Interlude 2: Comp
Color Schemes
'Color Schemes' features twelve performers and writers of color who collaborate to recount incidents of racism, particularly racism in the entertainment industry. The work uses the metaphor of washing a load of colored clothing and is divided up into four sections based on laundry cycles. Cycle One, 'Soak,' opens with an archival piece of animation about the price of labor, with a particularly offensive rendition of a Chinese man who is referred to repeatedly as a 'coolie.' In a staged vignette,
Volcano Saga
Based on a thirteenth-century Icelandic myth, 'Volcano Saga' recounts the tales of a young woman (portrayed by Tilda Swinton) whose dreams foretell the future.
Radio Inside
A young man finds himself in a love triangle involving his brother and his brother's girlfriend, so he turns to Jesus, by calling him on a pay phone. An experimental narrative, 'Radio Inside' explores the struggle between faith and flesh, where black-and-white imagery is contrasted with the protagonist's own thoughts presented in the form of music from various radio channels, from gospel to rock and roll. Contemporary in its style and preoccupations, 'Radio Inside' expresses a particular kind of
Meaning of the Interval
'Meaning of the Interval' is a reflection on openings or intervals that the Japanese call 'ma,' and how they apply to any number of activities in Japan. 'Ma' can be architectural space, the vast stretches of empty space employed in Japanese scroll paintings, or the time between one utterance and another on the Noh stage.
Images from Japanese public life, ceremonies, and performances are juxtaposed and layered. Sometimes a split-screen approach is used. Scenes include a Butoh dance performance,
Hart Island
'Hart Island' tells the story of the uses of Hart Island, which has served as an internment locale for homeless men, drug addicts, and prisoners, and as a defense training ground. The work alternates images of Hart Island and the activity there with visual text describing its history. Close-up views of men unloading boxes and digging holes are seen. As the text gradually makes clear, these men are inmates from Rikers Island prison on a work crew. Their job is to bury the unclaimed dead (includin
Back Stairs at Brucemore: Life as Servants in Early 20th Century America
looks at the role of servants at a 33-acre estate during the early 1900s. The 21-room mansion was built in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the 1880s with a separate entrance, dining area, and stairs for servants. Servants cleaned house, supervised children, washed laundry, cooked meals, cared for the garden and farm animals, and maintained carriages and cars. Floor plans, photos, and diary excerpts are included.
Going Away Party, The
'The Going Away Party,' by Dan Boord and Greg Durbin, is a dramatic work about corruption among Oklahoma county officials. It is based on the true stories of incidents of corruption amongst Oklahoma's elected county commissioners. This segment is from the dramatic 'reenactment,' showing friends and supporters of Burrows, a commissioner sentenced to serve a jail term, at a going-away party.
Floyd Bennett Field: Naval Aviation's Home in Brooklyn
recounts the role of this airport in aviation history and World War II. In 1931, it was among the most advanced airports in the world. From it, early aviators launched pioneering and round-the-world flights during the 1930s. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, its duties as Naval Air Station New York grew rapidly. During the 1942 U-Boat offensive, it provided air cover for ship convoys embarking from New York.
Tectosilicates, Carbonates, Oxides, & Accessory Minerals
This site from Tulane University consists of a lecture by Dr. Stephen Nelson on tectosilicate, oxide and carbonate minerals. The site features a table and description of the minerals in each group, including the nine types of SiO2, the different feldspars, and the calcite group. Optical and physical properties are explained, as well as the environment in which each mineral crystallizes.
Radioactive Decay and Absolute Age Determinations
This site provides access to a number of visual resources and supporting material illustrating the concept of radioactive decay and its central role in radiometric dating. Visualizations include diagrams, graphs, static illustrations and photos. Resources found on this site are suitable for use in lectures and classes and may also be used as the basis for labs or other activities.
Properties of Contour Lines
This site features several Flash animations that illustrate the concept of isopleths, or contour lines of equal value. Most of the animations are interactive and allow the user to interpret contour spacing, hachured lines, and valley/ridge placement. One animation allows the user to practice drawing contour lines. These resources are suitable for use in lectures, labs, or other teaching activities.
National Mall and Memorial Parks
provides information about the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, Ford's Theatre, the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and more.
Bough Down to Trees
Students become familiar with the impact trees have in their lives and learn about some of the conservation issues that we face in the 21st century.
Assessing the Biological Weapons and Bioterrorism Threat
BIOSECURITY FOR A NEW ERA Lecture Series
Biological weapons (BW) have been a significant national security preoccupation for nearly 15 years. The events of September 11 and the anthrax attacks that followed have magnified these concerns by orders of magnitude while shifting the context almost entirely to "bioterrorism." Over the past four years, the federal government has spent nearly $30 billion to counter the anticipated threat. Strangely, these responses took place in the absence of virtuall
Not your mother's math teacher
North Carolina's 2001-2002 Teacher of the Year, Carmen Wilson, talks about real-world math and teachers' roles as professionals.
