Guide to Engineering
The Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society created this resource for helping college-bound students learn about different engineering disciplines. Operated at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), the site has information on thirteen areas of study. For each discipline, there is a definition of the particular field, what people with a degree in the field do for a living, what the career opportunities are, and why it is a valid option. A few of the more broad subjects, like electr
World AIDS Day 2004
From the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, this website provides information and images related to Worlds AIDS Day 2004. Notably, the site contains a downloadable version of the _AIDS Epidemic Update 2004_, which "provides the most recent estimates of the epidemic's scope and human toll, explores new trends in the epidemic's evolution, and features a special section on women and AIDS." In addition, site visitors can download a set of eleven epidemiological PowerPoint slides based on th
SuperWASP: Wide Angle Search for Planets
"SuperWASP is the UK's leading extra-solar planet detection program comprising of a consortium of seven academic institutions." The website presents how SuperWASP works through clear text and helpful images. Researchers can find technical information on the Torus Fork Mount, CCD Cameras, and the Enclosure. Students and educators can discover the common techniques the Program uses to detect exoplanets such as pulsar timing and photometry. The website offers a gallery of images, the latest Program
Soil Association
Since its inception over a half century ago, the Soil Association has "been working to raise awareness about the positive health and environmental benefits of organic food and farming and supporting farmers in producing natural food consumers can trust." Originally formed by a coalition of inspired scientists, nutritionists, and farmers, the Soil Association is now the leading organic farming and food certification and campaigning organization in the United Kingdom. Although primarily geared tow
InfoNatura: Birds and Mammals of Latin America
InfoNatura is provided by NatureServe, "a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and providing information about the world's plants, animals, and ecological communities." This Web site is a comprehensive source for conservation, distribution, and taxonomic information on over 5000 bird and mammal species in 44 Latin American and Caribbean countries. Taxonomic treatment of all species in the database "reflects standard references, and most species have been assigned a global conservation
Hot Topics: Alcohol
This Web site from the BBC provides a multi-faceted exploration of the science of alcohol. Visitors may browse eight detailed pages relating the science of alcohol production, how alcohol is absorbed and processed by the body, what happens when you've had too much, and much more. The clear yet detailed content of this site goes far to clear up alcohol-related misconceptions and misinformation. Other features include alcohol trivia, a quiz, movie and audio clips of alcohol-related BBC documentari
How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School Expanded Edition
This popular trade book, originally released in hardcover in the Spring of 1999, has been newly expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This paperback edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original hardcover edition, this book offers exciting
Semiconductor Fabtech: The Daily Resource for the IC Industry
Anyone involved in the semiconductor industry or integrated circuit production will find Semiconductor Fabtech a valuable resource to stay up to date in this constantly changing field. The online edition of this journal has many specialized sections dealing with wafer processing, materials and gases, environmental issues, lithography, fabrication and yield management, and clean room operations. Breaking news and feature articles are given for each of these topics. New products are reviewed in th
AskERIC: Cell-City Project
In this AskERIC lesson plan for grades 5-9, students compare the structure and function of cell organelles to that of a working city -- a handy analogy for learning the basics of cell biology. The activities outlined in the lesson plan, which takes three to four 55-minute sessions to complete, combine art and science for an interdisciplinary learning experience. Vocabulary words, useful links, and downloadable worksheets are included along with lesson procedures.
Patterns of Gene Expression in Drosophila Embryogenesis
A new image database of gene expression patterns in Drosophila embryogenesis is now available from the Berkeley Drosophila Genome Project (BDGP), a consortium of the Drosophila Genome Center. The BDGP team used "high throughput 96-well plate RNA in situ protocol to determine patterns of gene expression during embryogenesis for Drosophila genes represented in non-redundant sets of Drosophila ESTs DGC1 and DGC2." The entire set of image, microarray, and annotation data may be browsed or searched f
History of Energy
This latest Topic in Depth delves in the Web�s offerings on the history of energy. The first site is maintained by the US Department of Energy, which is called Milestones in the History of Energy and Its Uses (1). From fire to the discovery of nuclear energy, the site gives short descriptions on significant events in the history of energy for each century, events by particular fuel type, events by energy uses, how energy uses have changed, energy consumption changes, and more. The next site
The Online Books Page
Hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Library, the Online Books Page Web site "facilitates access to books that are freely readable over the Internet...and aims to encourage the development of such online books, for the benefit and edification of all." The over 18,000 listings can be searched or browsed by author, title, and subject, of which every major physical science subject is represented. Each listing is linked to an outside Web site, making its availability unpredictable, but the shear
Mathematics Demos
For students in mathematics, it is often very difficult to visualize abstract concepts. One of the most obvious examples is the analysis of three dimensional objects, or a 3D coordinate system. This small collection of mathematics demos illustrates some of these concepts by using multi-color animations. Items such as contours, Fourier transforms, and convolution, which cannot be effectively drawn on a chalkboard, are shown in great detail here. The site also demonstrates the dimensions of the sp
An Overview of Cryptography
Gary Kessler, a computer networking professor at Champlain College, is the author of this online introduction to cryptography. The material covers three main types of encryption and their applications, trust models, cryptographic algorithms, and much more. One of the most common areas that employs encryption techniques is the Internet, where it allows users to safely transmit private information (e.g, credit card numbers, financial information). These concepts are discussed in detail, with speci
The AgNIC Dairy Information Center
The AgNIC (Agriculture Network Information Center) Dairy Information Center -- "a guide to quality information on the Internet" -- is a new open-access Web portal from the University of Wisconsin's Steenbock Library. The site is intended for "researchers in the field of dairy science, for farmers and others who raise dairy cattle, and for students of all ages interested in dairy." Users may easily browse the guide by navigating the website's nested categories, or simply search the entire site by
National Environmental Data Index
The National Environmental Data Index is maintained by the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration Environmental Information Service. The service provides a full text search of information from twelve governmental agencies including the US Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Department of Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, and NASA. Users can choose to search from all or individual agencies, by type of information, and by several specific subjects. Results display th
Network Montana Project Instructional Materials
Montana State University maintains the Network Montana Project Instructional Materials Web site. The four subject areas covered include the atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and mountain environments. Each of these contain "Information Rich Problem Solving Activities" categorized by expertise level ranging from novice to expert. In the geosphere novice level, for example, the Exploding Mountain exercise lets students compare before and after volcano images, learn about lava, and explore locati
Study of Menopausal Women with Heart Disease Finds No Benefit, Potential for Harm from Hormone Thera
This site describes a study sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, which found that postmenopausal women with heart disease did not benefit from high doses of antioxidants vitamins, whether alone or in combination with hormone replacement therapy. In fact, researchers found both treatments to be potentially harmful.
National Speleological Society (NSS)
At this website, the National Speleological Society (NSS) promotes its goals "to study, explore, and conserve cave and karst resources; protect access to caves; encourage responsible management of caves and their unique environments; and promote responsible caving." Individuals can view amazing images of the twelve preserves managed by NSS. Students and educators can investigate links offering virtual tours of caves, cave exploration safety, and materials about the geologic characteristics of ca
Predicting Invasions of Nonindigenous Plants and Plant Pests
This Web site contains the free book Predicting Invasions of Nonindigenous Plants and Plant Pests provided by the National Academies Press. Compiled by the US Board on Life Sciences and the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, this 194-page book explores the difficulties in predicting the immigration and impact of exotic species. Researchers active in this field may find this free resource of use.
