Research and Education
Labor history is rather fascinating, and this site offers up a serving of just this subject in the form of profiles and interviews with the men and women who worked in the Imperial Cannery factory in British Columbia during the twentieth century. The site opens up with a dynamic map that zooms in on the cannery's original location in southwestern British Columbia. After the introductory animation, visitors can click on sections that include "Fishing & The Fleet", "Canning & Processing", and "Company & The People". Visitors may wish to start with the "Fishing & The Fleet" area. Here they can learn about life as a fisherman through historic photographs, short films, and descriptive passages that discuss the various trials, tribulations, and joys that were part of this vocation. The "Products & Promotion" section is a real treat as well, and visitors can listen to radio advertisements designed to showcase everything from fish fillets to fish sticks. Finally, there is also a section of "Learning Resources" for educators. [KMG]
Many scholars and pundits continue to wonder and discuss what the effects of America's changing demographics will have on future election cycles. Recently, the Brookings Institution's own William H. Frey discussed this very topic in a paper released at the end of February 2008. In the introduction to this work, Frey notes that "The rise of immigration from Latin America and Asia, the higher fertility of some minorities and the slow growth of America's aging white population will have profound impacts on the nation's demographic profile, with important implications for the electorate." The paper goes on to examine the magnitude of new minority population growth and the lag that immigrant minorities experience in translating their growth into actual voting power. It's an important report and one that will be of interest to political scientists, sociologists, and members of the general public. [KMG]
Founded in 1959, the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) is "dedicated to providing a comprehensive range of research-based information, tools, and resources related to language and culture." Their site is a real pleasure to use and explore, and while some of the materials are only accessible to registered members, there are enough free resources available here to warrant several visits. From the homepage, visitors can browse a list of topics that include foreign language, testing and assessment, literacy education, and refugee integration. In each of these topical areas, visitors will find executive summaries of recently released research reports and information about ongoing research projects and educational initiatives. Additionally, the "Resources" area contains the CAL Digests, which are short reports that highlight current topics of interest related to language learning, cultural orientation, and linguistics. Recent titles have included "Foreign Language Immersion Programs: Features and Trends Over 35 Years" and "Cultural Orientation for Refugees". [KMG]
http://www.pbs.org/now/election-2008/index.html
Democracy is, at times, a type of adventure, so the title of this website is rather appropriate. Created by staffers at PBS's long-running program "NOW", this website serves as a clearinghouse of high-quality news coverage and analysis dealing with the 2008 presidential election campaign. First-time visitors can browse through the recent news headlines on the homepage and then take a look at their recent reports. Recently, these documents have covered everything from private developers' interest in public lands and explorations into the ways candidates use the web to solicit donations. The "Democracy Toolkit" is quite a find, and visitors can use the online resources here to learn about campaign finance reform, voting machines, congressional election reform, and ballot initiatives. [KMG]
http://www.breathingearth.net/
Visual simulation and representation programs and applications have been popping up online in greater numbers, and this recent find is one that will pique the interest of scientists, policy makers, and others who are concerned about carbon dioxide emission rates across the Earth. The Breathing Earth site was created by David Bleja, and he draws on a number of resources (such as the World Factbook and the United Nations) for the data that is utilized to create this site. Visitors can scroll over different countries to learn about their population, their emissions, and their birth and death rate. This interactive map and educational resource also contains a legend in the right-hand corner which explains the various symbols in use here. [KMG]
http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/
Created and maintained by John J. O'Connor and Edmund F. Robertson of the University of St. Andrews, this site contains a cornucopia of materials related to the history of mathematics and well-known mathematicians through the ages. Users can start by clicking on the biography index and diving right into short biographies of noted mathematicians arranged alphabetically and chronologically. Moving on, the history topics index provides brief overviews of mathematics in the Indian, Mayan, Arabic, and Babylonian cultures. Additionally, this same area provides access to pieces on the history of algebra, analysis, mathematical physics, and number theory. Visitors should not miss the "Famous Curves" index either, as those who have wondered about Pascal's Limacon, Newton's Trident, or the Witch of Agnesi will wonder no longer after reading up on these notable curves. [KMG]
http://www.dnalc.org/ddnalc/resources/animations.html
The good folks at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory provide a number of helpful and well-designed educational materials on their site, and this Biology Animation Library is a real find. Visitors to the site can view one of a dozen animations offered here, and they can also download them for their own use. The animations include a brief overview of cloning, several on DNA, gel electrophoresis, and polymerase chain reaction. One can imagine that utilizing these animations in a genetics classroom would be quite easy, and students could even use these materials as a way to review basic genetic concepts. The site is rounded out by a section on the left-hand side that contains links to other educational resources created by experts at the Dolan DNA Research Center. [KMG]
http://harvester.lib.utah.edu/wwdl/
From the earliest European explorers to the time of modern engineers and hydrologists, the vast reserves of water within the Western United States have been the cause of both great excitement and concern. This compelling digital library brings together a wide range of documents (including legal transcripts, water project records, and personal papers) that document the Columbia, Colorado, Platte, and Rio Grande river basins. The project was completed with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and twelve university libraries in eight western states. On the homepage, visitors can perform advanced searches, or just elect to browse through the available materials. Browsing is a good option actually, as all of the materials are contained with one of four sections: subject, people, places, and signature collections. The signature collections are a real find, and visitors can look over troves that include "Native American Water Rights in Arizona", "The Platte River Basin in Nebraska", and "Las Vegas: Water in the West". [KMG]
