Science and Engineering for the 21st Century: The Role of the National Science Foundation
http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/documents/2003/start.htm
Released in April 2003, this timely and engaging report from the National Science Foundation outlines how the agency can best support the development of a robust infrastructure to support science and engineering research and development through the 21st century. The report contains an executive summary, five chapters, and several appendices. People with limited time may want to first consult the executive summary, as it offers a brief summary of the task force's findings and their basic recommendations. Some of their recommendations include addressing the need for midsize infrastructure (such as projects that cost several million dollars), increasing the support for large facility projects, and actively expanding education and training opportunities at new and existing research facilities. The conclusion notes that, "The challenge is how to maintain and revitalize an academic research infrastructure that has eroded over many years due to obsolescence and chronic under investment." This provocative report will be of great interest to persons in the applied sciences and engineering. [KMG]
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The 3rd World Water Forum [Media Player]
http://www.world.water-forum3.com/
Convened in March 2003 in Japan, the 3rd World Water Forum dealt with 38 interlocked themes concerning how to bring safe water and sanitation to the world. Considered the most important international water meeting to date, the forum hosted close to 24,000 persons from 182 countries. On this well-designed site, users can read various documents presented at the Forum, along with reading the daily newspaper produced at the meeting and its newsletter. The finest feature of the site is the streaming video archive of select meetings and plenary sessions. Here, visitors can listen and watch the participants discuss a number of timely topics, such as dams and development, water and transport, and floods. Equally valuable is the ability to browse through the different sessions, and, in some cases, users can download background documents and entire papers. [KMG]
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Virtual Museum of New France
http://www.civilization.ca/vmnf/vmnfe.asp
Developed as an educational and informative online tool by the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Virtual Museum of New France explores various aspects of France's involvement in the New World throughout the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. First-time visitors may want to start by taking A Photographic Exploration of Canada, which offers a visual overview of the land as the first French explorers might have encountered it. The photographs are rather evocative, and can be browsed by various themes (such as explorers or trade) or by geographic region. Another section, titled The Explorers, will be equally informative as it features brief essays on some of New Frances' most celebrated explorers, such as Champlain, Cartier, Marquette, and Nicollet. Additionally, there are some fine visual exhibits provided by the Museum, including "Settling in New France," "Personal Hygiene in Canada, 1660-1835," and "The Education of Children in New France." Overall, the site will be helpful for young people learning about European exploration and settling of this part of North America, and for those with a general interest in the exploration of what is now modern-day Canada and the Great Lakes. [KMG]
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ArgMax: Economics News, Data, and Analysis
http://www.argmax.com/
Created by John Irons, an assistant professor of economics at Amherst, the ArgMax Web site (named after a mathematical terms utilized in economics) provides a host of current news, data, and topical analysis of economics. Updated frequently by a newsbot, the news and commentary section is divided into several themed sections and drawn from a wide number of online sources. After reading some of these articles, visitors may want to consult the online economics glossary that offers brief explanations of terms ranging from absolute advantage to wire transfer. Another section contains the blog that Irons writes for the site and various articles of interest. The seemingly innocuous "Stuff" section contains some nice gems, including an interview with Irons about becoming involved in the field of economics. Overall, the site is a nice way for people who are familiar (or just getting acquainted) with the discipline. [KMG]
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Labor Market Specialization, Ethnicity, and Metropolitan Labor Markets [.pdf]
http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde/cdewp/2002-10.pdf
Written by Professor Franklin D. Wilson, this 59-page working paper from the Center for Demography and Ecology at the University of Wisconsin deals with the ways in which certain ethnic groups are under or over-represented in certain employment sectors. Specifically, the paper explores the prevailing claim that ethnic affiliation affects the relative concentration of co-ethnic workers and that metropolitan labor markets provide the context within which members of ethnic populations are sorted into various employment sectors based upon various characteristics. The paper begins by reviewing the existing scholarship in the field, and then moves on to offer a structural model that accounts for the relative concentration of workers of a given ethnicity in various sectors. Professor Wilson continues by presenting his data sources and methods, and concludes that the results support the claims that both ethnic affiliation and metropolitan location "play key roles in structuring the extent of labor specialization among co-ethnic workers in employment sectors." [KMG]
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The Medici Archive Project
http://www.medici.org/
The Medici family is widely considered one of the most famous and respected patrons of arts during the Renaissance, and their legacy perseveres in the numerous works of art, music, and sculpture that were produced as a result of their beneficence. The archive of the Medici Grand Dukes contains almost three million letters, and offers "the most complete record of any princely regime in Renaissance and Baroque Europe." Currently, the Medici Archive Project is developing this site to place many of these letters online, along with a strong interest in the history of costumes and Jewish history during the Renaissance. One of the site's strongest element is the Document of the Month, where the Archive's curators have selected an item from their holdings to place online, along with a long-form essay detailing the provenance and importance of the document. Visitors to the site can also search the currently available documents in a variety of ways or by browsing a complete list. [KMG]
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Ohio State at Michigan: Michigan at Ohio State
http://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/rarweb/ohio-mich/
The title of this Web site may suggest that it is a tribute to the long-standing football rivalry between these two institutions, but in actuality, it is a nice collection of primary documents relating to the history of Michigan and Ohio. The idea for such a project was first proposed in 2001 by Fred G. Ruffner, Jr. (an alumnus of Ohio State), and working together, the two institutions worked to develop several Web sites that utilized their fine library holdings of historical materials. Visitors can browse through five volumes on Michigan history (including Jonathan Carver's 1796 volume, Travels through the Interior Parts of North-America) and two on Ohio history. Several maps and illustrations from various volumes have also been placed on the site for general perusal. Finally, the site does provide a link to a page dedicated to exploring the long-standing Big Ten rivalry between the Ohio State and Michigan football teams. [KMG]
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Internet Quarantine: Requirements for Containing Self-Propagating Code [.pdf, .ps, .gz]
http://www.caida.org/outreach/papers/2003/quarantine/
Appearing at the INFOCOM conference in April 2003, this research paper provides insight into critical factors necessary to contain outbreaks of self-propagating code on the Internet. Citing the outbreak of the Code-Red worm in 2001 as an example, the authors justify the need for better methods of quickly controlling the spread of malicious code and minimizing damage. A couple scenarios for the deployment of a containment systems are identified, and their simulated effectiveness for dealing with a worm outbreak are discussed. The paper serves as a good starting point for anyone interested in learning about the technical issues associated with self-propagating code, and can also be useful for Internet security professionals who need to evaluate current containment systems or implement new ones. This site is also reviewed in the May 9, 2003 NSDL MET Report. [CL]
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