Research and Education
http://www.stateofthesalmon.org
Salmon, like many other species of fish, know no political boundaries. In effect, this makes it hard for humans to craft detailed and meaningful policies for the survival and health of these important creatures. The State of the Salmon is an international consortium that is “dedicated to improving understanding of salmon status and trends across the North Pacific—and building a knowledge network that can inform salmon conservation and management decisions in the future.” Given this broad range of cooperation, visitors will not be surprised to find that much of the material featured on the site is available in Russian, English, and Chinese. The materials on the site are divided into several sections, including “Monitoring”, “Data & Maps”, “Status & Trends”, and “Collaborate”. The “Data & Maps” area is quite useful, and it features a variety of interactive maps that document existing salmon populations and their movements. Moving on, the “Status & Trends” area provides updates on salmon population trends in Canada, Japan, Russia, and the United States. The site is rounded out by a glossary and information about the organization’s basic operating principles. [KMG]
http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/handle/2246/6
While many people may be familiar with the impressive structure that houses the American Museum of Natural History at Central Park West and 79th Street, a much smaller number may be acquainted with their very fine series of anthropological papers. This respected series has been continuously published since 1907, and these works have also been made available on this site. Visitors can use the search engine offered here, or they can also browse the papers by title, author, or date. They will encounter works from such anthropology luminaries as Margaret Mead and others, and they will certainly enjoy passing along this information to persons with an interest in the field. In total, this archive contains over 350 works which provide a great deal of insight into the historical development of the practice and theory behind anthropology. [KMG]
http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/digital_image_collections/
Over the course of the past eight centuries, Cambridge University has come into the possession of more than a few important documents. Their online digital image collection may be seen as an important first stop for anyone interested in perusing some of these remarkable materials. These documents include The Portsmouth and Macclesfield Collection, which contains the writings and ideas of Sir Isaac Newton, and the sketchbooks of Conrad Martens, who accompanied Charles Darwin on board the Beagle. That is far from all, however, as visitors can also browse the pages of the 13th century illuminated volume, “The Life of King Edward the Confessor”. All in all, it is a lovely collection and one that scholars with any interest in English history will want to examine and recommend to their colleagues and students. [KMG]
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07821t.pdf
Over the past few years, there has been a great deal of unease about how well schools might be prepared for any number of emergency situations. Recently, the General Accounting Office (GAO) released this paper on the status of school districts’ planning and preparedness. The 25-page document was released in May 2007, and while the report features some positive findings, all of the news is not good in this particular area. The findings were based on interviews with federal officials and a number of surveys with state agencies that administer school emergency management grants and public school districts. Within the report, readers will learn that fewer than half of the districts with emergency plans involve community partners. Additionally, 62 percent of districts surveyed noted that there were significant challenges that stemmed from a lack of equipment and training for staff. The report is certainly a timely one, and one that will be of great interest to persons working in this area. [KMG]
http://www.seattlehistory.org/
Founded by a band of historically-minded Seattleites in 1911, the Seattle Historical Society would later go on to create The Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) in 1952. Since that time, MOHAI has been intimately involved with preserving and interpreting various aspects of Pacific Northwest history for both the curious public and scholars. Their website offers a few very nice highlights of some of their collections, including a photograph archive that contains approximately 4000 images. Visitors should also take a look at one of the several dozen oral history transcripts here, which feature discussions with men and women who have been involved in the information technology and manufacturing industries in the region. Those who find themselves in or around Seattle will want to look over the information offered here about visiting the actual museum as well. The site is rounded out by a very fun selection of audio clips, including one of the official theme songs of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and another audio segment that features Bing Crosby waxing philosophic about his love for his native Washington state. [KMG]
Most law students have heard of The Yale Law Journal, but they may not know about The Yale Law Journal Pocket Part. The Pocket Part supplements the scholarship and work of The Yale Law Journal by providing original essays and responses to articles printed in the Journal. Users of this site can read the complete contents of The Pocket Part here, and they can also search the archive by topic, including legislation, civil rights, and tort law. Of course, users are most welcome to submit pieces for publication consideration, and they can also contact the editors with more general queries and comments. Finally, there are also a number of relevant links offered here, including one to The Yale Law Journal. [KMG]
When the Scout Report last visited the Probability Tutorials in 1999, there were just twelve tutorials on this site. Since that time, the tutorials offered here have grown both in number (from twelve to twenty) and in their overall scope and breadth. The site was created and is still maintained by Noel Vaillant, who received his PhD from Imperial College, London. Currently, the site contains twenty detailed tutorials that cover almost every aspect of the field of probability. Some of the topics covered within these tutorials include metric topology and Gaussian measures. These tutorials are complemented by an introductory essay, a set of clear definitions of various terms, and a discussion board.
[KMG]
http://www.mcrel.org/lesson-plans/economics/index.asp
Creating interesting and compelling lessons in Economics can present several unique challenges. Fortunately, the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning organization has brought together a number of fine instructional resources for use by educators. These lesson plans and other activities are divided into thematic areas, such as economic decision-making, goods and services, savings, along with fifteen other headings. The resources are culled from a variety of sources, including the National Council of Economic Education, community college professors, and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. First-time visitors should definitely take a look at the “Money Math: Lessons for Life” section created by the Bureau of Public Debt and “Climbing the Savings Mountain” created by the National Council on Economic Education. [KMG]
