Science Quick Picks » Educational Resources

Nature’s Scitable

Jorge Goncalves — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:39:07 +0000

Scitable is an open online teaching/learning portal combining high quality educational articles authored by editors at Nature Publishing Group with technology-based community features to fuel a global exchange of scientific insights, teaching practices, and study resources. Scitable currently contains articles in the field of genetics, and is intended for college undergraduate faculty and students. Future plans involve extension of Scitable to other fields within the life sciences, as well as to other audiences.

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Nature’s Scitable

Science NetLinks

Jorge Goncalves — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:09:30 +0000

Science NetLinks is part of Thinkfinity, a partnership between the Verizon Foundation and 11 premier educational organizations. The Thinkfinity partners include the AAAS, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Council on Economic Education, the National Geographic Society, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and the Literacy Network.

The Thinkfinity partnership provides free, Internet-based content across academic disciplines. Science NetLinks’ role is to provide a wealth of standards-aligned resources for K-12 science educators, including lesson plans, interactives and reviewed Internet resources.

Thinkfinity.org. Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation’s free, comprehensive program and online portal to 55,000 educational resources. Thinkfinity offers standards-based, grade-specific, K-12 lesson plans and other student interactives provided in partnership with many of the top education and literacy experts and organizations in the U.S.

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Science NetLinks

NIEHS: Environmental Health Science Education

Jorge Goncalves — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:59:03 +0000

The Environmental Health Science Education website provides educators, students and scientists with easy access to reliable tools, resources and classroom materials. It seeks to invest in the future of environmental health science by increasing awareness of the link between the environment and human health.

Resources for Teachers, Students and Scientists.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The NIEHS is one of 27 research institutes and centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The mission of the NIEHS is to reduce the burden of human illness and disability by understanding how the environment influences the development and progression of human disease.

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NIEHS: Environmental Health Science Education

United Nations University Our World 2.0 Beta

Jorge Goncalves — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:07:30 +0000

Our World 2.0 is brought to you by the United Nations University and asks the question: What can we do when faced with complex, inter-connected and pressing problems like climate change, oil depletion and food security?

In responding to these challenges, innovation will be the key. This webzine and series of video briefs will report on and analyze these innovations in order to inspire people to learn.

And while understanding is a precursor to motivation, innovation and technology alone will not solve these problems. These are just examples of how to bring about change. A global priority shift is perhaps first necessary, so we must consider the question: Why change? And you are best placed to answer this.

Our World 2.0 speaks to you, the general public and shares stories on how and why we can re-make this world into a newer, better version.

For Our World 2.0, the central tenet is that we can use our collective knowledge, technology and design to facilitate creativity, innovation, and, most notably, collaboration amongst people.

United Nations University (UNU). UNU is dedicated to the generation and transfer of knowledge, and the strengthening of individual and institutional capacities in furtherance of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

The mission of UNU is to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are a concern of the United Nations, its Peoples and Member States.

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United Nations University Our World 2.0 Beta

NASA Images

Jorge Goncalves — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:35:14 +0000

NASA Images is a service of Internet Archive, a non-profit library, to offer public access to NASA’s images, videos and audio collections. NASA Images is constantly growing with the addition of current media from NASA as well as newly digitized media from the archives of the NASA Centers.

The goal of NASA Images is to increase our understanding of the earth, our solar system and the universe beyond in order to benefit humanity.

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NASA Images

Article – Technology Integration: PDAs as an Instructional and Reflective Tool in the Science Classroom

Jorge Goncalves — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 05:08:04 +0000

Technology Integration: PDAs as an Instructional and Reflective Tool in the Science Classroom, J.E. Pedersen and E.A. Marek, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE) [Online serial], 7(1), 2007. Abstract: The role of technology has an increased emphasis in the PK-12 classroom and in the preparation of teachers. The wide support for the integration of technology in day-to-day instruction is evidenced at many levels and through many organizations. The current study focused on examining and describing the experiences of faculty and interns as they relate to the use of the PDA. Results indicate that a clear and effective purpose for technology that matched specified outcomes was key for all of informants in this study. Results also indicated that the simplest, most efficient technology for a particular task was essential.

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE). ‘The CITE Journal is an online, peer-reviewed journal, established and jointly sponsored by five professional associations (AMTE, ASTE, NCSS-CUFA, CEE, and SITE). This is the only joint venture of this kind in the field of teacher education.

The CITE Journal has a unique Commentary feature, which permits readers to author short responses to articles published in a commentary strand linked to the article.’

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Article – Technology Integration: PDAs as an Instructional and Reflective Tool in the Science Classroom

SciVee: YouTube for Scientists

Jorge Goncalves — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 18:21:05 +0000

The Chronicle of Higher Education: Scientists Get a YouTube of Their Own. ‘The National Science Foundation, the Public Library of Science, and the San Diego Supercomputing Center are hoping that their new Web site — billed as a YouTube for scientists — will help demystify important research papers.
The site, called SciVee, will allow scientists to upload highly technical papers. But it will also let the researchers post accompanying video presentations that serve as quicker, more approachable guides to their work.’

SciVee. ‘SciVee is about the free and widespread dissemination and comprehension of science. SciVee, created for scientists, by scientists, moves science beyond the printed word and lecture theater taking advantage of the internet as a communication medium where scientists young and old have a place and a voice.’

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SciVee: YouTube for Scientists

HHMI’s BioInteractive – Free Resources for Science Teachers and Students

Jorge Goncalves — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 23:15:23 +0000

HHMI’s BioInteractive. ‘BioInteractive is a web-based collection of biology-focused teaching materials created and administered by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Many of the resources are also available on DVD and CD-ROM. These resources include Videos, Animations, Lectures, Virtual Museums and Virtual Laboratories.

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HHMI’s BioInteractive – Free Resources for Science Teachers and Students

MendelWeb: All About Gregor Mendel

Jorge Goncalves — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:39:49 +0000

MendelWeb – An Electronic Science/Math/History Resource for the WWW. ‘MendelWeb was conceived and constructed by Roger B. Blumberg and is an educational resource for teachers and students interested in the origins of classical genetics, introductory data analysis, elementary plant science, and the history and literature of science. Constructed around Gregor Mendel’s 1865 paper “Versuche über Pflanzen-Hybriden” and a revised version of the English translation by C.T. Druery and William Bateson, “Experiments in Plant Hybridization”, MendelWeb is offered as a public sourcebook and collaborative environment compatible with a variety of guided and independent studies.’

The Mendelroom and General Moo Information. ‘Mendelroom is a virtual space designed for teachers and students who wish to share their experiences, thoughts and questions while using MendelWeb.’

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MendelWeb: All About Gregor Mendel

Phoenix Mars Mission

Jorge Goncalves — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 05:59:48 +0000

Phoenix Mars Mission. ‘The Phoenix Mars Mission is the first in NASA’s Scout Program. Phoenix is designed to study the history of water and habitability potential in the Martian arctic’s ice-rich soil.

The Phoenix Mars Mission has a collaborative approach to space exploration. As the very first of NASA’s Mars Scout class, Phoenix combines legacy and innovation in a framework of a true partnership: government, academia, and industry. Scout class missions are led by a scientist, known as a Principal Investigator (PI). Peter Smith of the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory serves as Phoenix’s PI and is responsible for all aspects of the mission.’

Phoenix Mars Mission Educational Resources: Education and Gallery.

Science Daily: ‘Extreme Analytical Chemistry’ Will Help Unravel Mars’ Mysteries. ‘Sam Kounaves spends his time unraveling fundamental questions in planetary science by applying “extreme analytical chemistry” to the harshest environments imaginable: Places like Death Valley, Antarctica — and now Mars.

The Tufts professor is a co-investigator on NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander Mission currently scheduled for launch on August 4. Kounaves will be leading the chemical analysis of Martian soil and ice after the Lander craft touches down on Mars in May 2008.

It’s a fitting challenge for someone who grew up with dreams of being an astronaut going to Mars, and fascinated by science. Kounaves is one of only two dozen investigators on the project that is tapping resources from universities and companies around the world.’

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Phoenix Mars Mission

Science Accelerator: Searching U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Databases

Jorge Goncalves — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 00:18:47 +0000

Science Accelerator. ‘The Science Accelerator allows you to search via a single query across important collections of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) scientific and technical information. Such collections present the results of research and development (R&D) projects and programs, descriptions of R&D projects under way or recently completed, and major R&D accomplishments.

The Science Accelerator is made possible by an innovative technology that allows searching of multiple information collections in parallel. You need not know ahead of time which collection might have the information you seek, and you are no longer limited to searching one collection at a time. The Science Accelerator speeds up science discovery and technology development by providing superior access to the highest quality scientific and technical information (STI).’

Searchable Resources: Descriptions of each of the vast scientific and technical resources searchable in the Science Accelerator.

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Science Accelerator: Searching U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Databases

More on Federated Science Search: WorldWideScience.org

Jorge Goncalves — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:44:35 +0000

WorldWideScience.org. ‘WorldWideScience.org is a global science gateway — accelerating scientific discovery and progress through a multilateral partnership to enable federated searching of national and international scientific databases. Subsequent versions of WorldWideScience.org will offer access to additional sources as well as enhanced features.

WorldWideScience.org was developed and is maintained by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), an element of the Office of Science within the U.S. Department of Energy.’

Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI). ‘Here you can find a wealth of energy, science, and technology research and development (R&D) information from the Manhattan Project to the present.

Through our collections and services, we make DOE research results available to scientists, researchers, and engineers in the DOE community and beyond; as well as academia, the international science community, and science attentive citizens.

Through our partnerships with other federal agencies and international organizations, we provide research information of interest to the Department in a wide range of scientific disciplines.’

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More on Federated Science Search: WorldWideScience.org

Science Degrees Online Review

Jorge Goncalves — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:05:56 +0000

This is my first review on Science Quick Picks for ReviewMe and it is sponsored by the reviewee.

When I received the request to review Science Degrees Online I became curious to see what type of science online degrees were available. Classical science degrees (in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, for example) require some kind of laboratory practice and normally are best suited to campus-based learning only. A model of blended learning, in which some courses are campus-based and others fully online, can be acceptable for some degrees like Bioinformatics, Computational Chemistry or Theoretical Physics, for instance.

It was not a surprise to find that currently only three online degree programs at two universities are available at EarnMyDegree’s Science Degrees Online: two in Organizational Management and the other in Fire Science. This can be very disappointing for a prospective student looking for online degrees in science. My recommendation is that EarnMyDegree should consider aggregating Science, Technology and Engineering sections, creating a more appealing one called Science and Technology Online Degrees.

EarnMyDegree’s site is a gateway for online and distance education programs. The visitors can browse or search online degrees by subject or level or simply look for online colleges and universities by location. For each degree an informative page is presented, which gives a direct link to a form where the potential students can request more information.

One of the most important sections is the Online Education Learning Center, an e-learning knowledge base. Here we can find a comprehensive Guide to Online Education, an Online Education FAQ, a fair comparison between online and traditional schools and information on career opportunities. The Accreditation Guide, found also on this Learning Center, offers very good advice on how to spot fake degrees and avoid frauds.

Overall impression: in spite of the scarce opportunities offered to students looking for online science degrees, I recommend EarnMyDegree site to those looking for online degrees. The Learning Center is the perfect place to start their journey.

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Science Degrees Online Review

Scitopia.org: Searching High-Quality Scholarly Work and Patents

Jorge Goncalves — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 17:58:59 +0000

Scitopia.org. ‘The federated vertical search portal scitopia.org was created through the imagination and collaboration of 15 leading science and technology societies. Searching for a better way to help researchers quickly get to the quality content they need, these society publishers developed a gateway to the research most cited in scholarly work and patents. Scitopia.org searches the entire electronic libraries of the leading voices in major science and technology disciplines and provides relevant results, without the noise of other Internet search engines. More than three million documents, including peer-reviewed journal content and technical conference papers, spanning 150 years of science and technology can be searched through the site. Scitopia.org is powered by Deep Web Technologies’ Explorit Research Accelerator federated search engine.’

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Scitopia.org: Searching High-Quality Scholarly Work and Patents

Exploring the Bottom of the Arctic Ocean: Arctic Gakkel Vents Expedition

Jorge Goncalves — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 08:17:49 +0000

Arctic Gakkel Vents Expedition: July 1-Aug. 10, 2007. ‘No one has ever laid eyes on the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. For the first time in the history of humankind, a scientific team — using unique underwater and under-ice vehicles — will try. At the top of the world, the Arctic Ocean is cold, remote, and covered in darkness for half the year. It’s hard enough to get onto the ice-covered ocean. It’s even harder to get under it and down to its seafloor.
For this 40-day cruise to the Gakkel Ridge in the eastern Arctic Ocean, engineers have built two new robotic autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). The two vehicles, called PUMA and Jaguar, are designed to be put into holes in the sea ice and to explore the deep reaches of the Arctic Ocean. Many hours later, they will have navigate back to another hole in the ice and be recovered by the icebreaker. Scientists are excited about what they might find. The Arctic Ocean floor may be different than other oceans—including deep-sea life forms never seen before, or “living fossils” of species that existed when life on Earth was just beginning to evolve.’

Polar Discovery. ‘Polar Discovery brings you the stories of science on ice.’

International Polar Year (IPY). ‘The International Polar Year is a large scientific programme focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009.
IPY, organized through the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), is actually the fourth polar year, following those in 1882-3, 1932-3, and 1957-8. In order to have full and equal coverage of both the Arctic and the Antarctic, IPY 2007-8 covers two full annual cycles from March 2007 to March 2009 and will involve over 200 projects, with thousands of scientists from over 60 nations examining a wide range of physical, biological and social research topics. It is also an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate, follow, and get involved with, cutting edge science in real-time.’

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Exploring the Bottom of the Arctic Ocean: Arctic Gakkel Vents Expedition

Science Quick Picks » Educational Resources

Nature’s Scitable

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