Research and Education
The number of universities who are placing course materials online for the generally curious is growing, and the OpenCourseWare site provided by Tufts University is another fine example of this type of educational initiative. As with other OpenCourseWare sites, institutions can elect to include a wide range of materials, including lecture notes, syllabi, extensive bibliographies, and various media presentations. The materials here are divided in a number of ways, and most visitors will find it easy to navigate the entire site. First-time visitors will want to go ahead and click on the “Courses” heading, which will return a complete list of all the currently available course materials. Ranging from an introductory course on agricultural science and policy to a “physics for humanists” course, there are a number of real finds here. Finally, visitors can use the “Help” tab to learn more about the specifics of this initiative. [KMG]
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/mediacenter/aquaculture/
Seafood is becoming popular again. Very popular, it would seem. But there are a number of potential problems with this development, one of them being the fact that a number of oceans and seas across the globe have been depleted of some of the most popular species. Stepping in to address some of these challenges is NOAA’s Office of Sustainable Fisheries. With an emphasis on domestic aquaculture production, the Office is interested in developing this production method as a way “to reduce dependence on seafood imports, provide jobs for economically depressed coastal communities, and increase regional food supply and security.” On their site, visitors can look over different policy documents (such as the National Aquaculture Act of 1980) and also browse through hundreds of resources regarding aquaculture. Visitors can also look over the proposed 10-Year Plan for Aquaculture and many a fact sheet. [KMG]
Founded in 1973, the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NDCC) was created to address the rapid deterioration of older paper-based documents in a number of institutions across New England. On their website, visitors can learn about their conservation and imaging services, and also examine some of their fine resources intended for members of the preservation community. The “Resources” area is a good place to start, as it contains a number of suggestions for preserving private and family collections and also contains a set of additional web-based resources and links. Beyond those materials, there are a number of digitized leaflets here, such as “Assessing Preservation Needs: A Self-Survey Guide” and “Preservation of Library and Archival Materials”. The site is rounded out by an excellent disaster assistance section that includes an online disaster planning tool called “dPlan” and a set of general guidelines for archival institutions that may be coping with such situations. [KMG]
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/radio/index.html
As one of the lyrics by the Brothers Gershwin goes: “They told Marconi/wireless was a phony.” Of course, the wireless world of the radio and its galaxy of musical choices has changed from the transmission of mere Morse code in its early decades to today’s overwhelming choices afforded by different satellite radio companies. This recent documentary by the American RadioWorks program explores the history of American radio, and how it has been the site of many a cultural battle over the past ten decades. This site allows users to listen to the entire program, and it also includes a number of nice web features. These include maps that chart the growth of AM and FM stations from 1922 through 2006 and some engaging essays, such as “Radio Fights Jim Crow” and “Sex, Race and Rock & Roll”. [KMG]
http://archives.drexelmed.edu/womanmd/
For many decades, women who sought to become doctors were turned away at many institutions. This was not the case at the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. Beginning in 1850 the school trained thousands of women physicians who would later go on to teach in a diverse set of countries across the world. The story of these women and this institution is told in great detail through a set of primary documents on this website. Created by the Drexel University College of Medicine, this digital collection provides access to over 27,000 pages of materials. While visitors are free to use the search engine to locate specific items, they may do well by beginning their journey here by looking at one of the five thematic subject areas offered here. They include “Student Life”, “Missionary Work & Public Health”, and “Early College Years”. The “Early College Years” is quite a pip, as visitors can browse the materials by date range or by format, such as diaries, booklets, and satires. [KMG]
As Edward Said demonstrated in his landmark work, Orientalism, the ways in which the Middle East has been represented by outsiders (particularly those in the West) has had a tremendous influence on how this region of the world has been viewed by others. For anyone with an interest in Western interactions with the Middle East, this fascinating and engaging online digital archive includes travel guides written by Western visitors, photographic and hand-drawn images of Egypt, and some interactive GIS maps of both Egypt and Cyprus. With funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Travelers in the Middle East Archive (TIMEA) includes over 15,000 pages of text, 800 images, and 150 historical maps. Visitors with an interest in how such projects are created and maintained will also appreciate their papers and presentations section, which includes pieces on their work. Along with other materials included here, one of the highlights of the site must certainly be a first-hand account of travels through Palestine and environs written by H. Rider Haggard, who is probably best known for his series of late 19th century adventure novels set in Africa. [KMG]
http://www.researchchannel.org/
It’s quite a hike to listen to a lecture at Princeton and then take a long plane ride (or an even longer journey on a cruise ship) over to the University of Hawaii to hear a talk on globalization in the Pacific Rim. Never fear, gentle reader, as the Research Channel website is here. The Research Channel organization has been in existence since 1996, and with over 70 participating members, they have created this website to provide access to a prodigious array of talks, conferences, lectures, and so on. Visitors to the site can go ahead and get their feet wet by just joining their programming in progress at the “Now Playing” link, or they can look over some of their 3000 titles currently available for viewing. If all of this seems a bit overwhelming, one can just take a look at some of their newer programs, which have included presentations from Texas A&M University on using general chemistry principles and a talk by the Nigerian ambassador to the United States on oil production and drug trafficking. Finally, visitors can also sign up to receive their monthly electronic newsletter, “Think Forward!” [KMG]
Georgetown University’s dominance in the fields of international relations and political science is well-known, and they also have a number of compelling digital projects that draw on their expertise in these areas. One such project is the Political Database of the Americas, which was created and maintained by the Center for Latin American Studies. Working with the Secretariat for Political Affairs of the Organization of American States, they have created this database which includes a wide range of documents from countries located in the Americas. Within the database, visitors can look up national constitutions, judicial documents, and information on civil society. It’s a tremendously helpful resource, and the materials are available in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. As a resource for students (and teachers) of political science, political economy, or the law, it will definitely merit several return visits. [KMG]
