Research and Education
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/posters/chromosome/
More and more excellent data continues to be produced by the Human Genome Project, and a number of government organizations have created top-notch educational resources based on this information. The Gene Gateway website was originally produced as a companion to the Human Genome Landmarks poster and has evolved into a "collection of guides and tutorials designed to help students and other novice users get started with some of the resources that make these data available to the public." Here visitors are introduced to various Internet tools that anyone can use to investigate "genetic disorders, chromosomes, genome maps, genes, sequence data, genetic variants, and molecular structures." Visitors can download the Gene Gateway workbook, which contains five activities, complete with screenshots and step-by-step instructions "designed to introduce new users to genetic disorder and bioinformatics resources on the Web". Moving down the homepage, visitors can look into sections such as "Bioinformatics Tools", the "Genetic Disorder Guide", and an outstanding "Chromosome Viewer". The viewer provides a great backdrop for those seeking to understand the physical makeup of human chromosomes. Also, visitors can order a free copy of the wall poster "Human Genome Landmarks: Selected Genes, Traits, and Disorders". [KMG]
http://www.ensemble.ac.uk/projects/plantsci/timeline/
Designed for plant scientists at the University of Cambridge, the Plant Evolution Timeline website will be of great interest to anyone with an interest in the development and evolution of plant life. This interactive timeline was created by Nicola Peart and Ben Roberts and first-time visitors will want to start by looking through the "Help" section offered here. Here they can look at a sample interactive screenshot of the timeline and also learn how to toggle various data sets on and off as they explore the entire timeline. Visitors will notice that the timeline includes information on leaf evolution, mass extinction events, photosynthesis, physiological developments, and total number of species. The organization of the timeline is well thought out and visually quite appealing, and it is a resource that visitors will want to pass along to friends and colleagues. [KMG]
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/online_tours/middle_east.aspx
This website from the British Museum lets visitors explore the Middle East in an online tour. The main page of the Middle East section allows the visitor to explore the Middle East via the themes of "Agatha Christie and archaeology", "The kingdoms of ancient South Arabia", "The Queen of Sheba", and "Iran before Islam: The Sasanians". After the visitor clicks on a theme, they will see thumbnails of artifacts to click on, which when chosen, will be accompanied by an explanation of the artifact. Related photos, drawings, charts, etc. may also appear below the photo of the artifact, and can be enlarged by clicking on it directly. Visitors should not miss the "Queen of Sheba" theme to see some works of art that have depicted this austere leader throughout recorded history. [KMG]
http://www.akkermanfortress.org.ua/satellite_face/external/main/go/sat_home
Located on a site near the Dnister River within southwestern Ukraine, the Akkerman fortress has been the subject of an ongoing archaeological dig for many years. The team working on the project has created this engaging website to keep interested parties abreast of their work and findings. Fondation Max Van Berchem and the British Institute at Ankara fund the project, and their work is primarily interested in examining traces of the Ottoman period in and around the fortress – something that has been previously ignored by earlier archaeologists. The materials on the site are divided into six primary sections, including "Image Galleries", "Documents, "Reports", and "Publications and Events". A basic overview of the fortress site and general locale can be obtained by clicking on the "Fortress Site" heading. Moving on, visitors can learn more about the team working on the project and then look at some of the scholarly reports they have crafted thus far. [KMG]
http://www.learner.org/workshops/hsarts/
Teaching the arts is, as one might expect, an art in itself, and teachers young and old alike will find much to engage their attention on this delightful website. Created as part of the Annenberg Media's educational resource website, this site offers an eight-part professional development workshop for use by music, theater, dance, and visual art teachers. The site includes all eight of the one hour programs, and visitors just need to complete a free registration form to view them in their entirety. The programs all include demonstrations, sample activities, and other pedagogical elements. Visitors should note that the programs include titles like "Developing Students as Artists", "Creating Rich Learning Environments", and "Fostering Genuine Communication". The site also includes support materials and "Channel talk", which is the email discussion list for this set of workshops. [KMG]
http://www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet/d/691
With multinational corporations owning professional sports teams across the globe, the business of sport is certainly a global affair, and one that intrigues the dedicated team at the Center for International Business of Sport (CIBS). Based at Coventry University, the CIBS and its affiliates are primarily interested in researching the world of sport management. On their homepage, visitors can learn about the scope of their work, their thematic research projects, and read their weblog. Scholars and others with an interest in this work will want to look over their working paper series. Recent papers have included "The Only Way Forward for African Sport?" and "The circumstances in which English football clubs become insolvent". Additionally, visitors can also check out their podcasts which feature commentary on such subjects as the "Financial aspects of football" (soccer), "Sport Marketing", and "David Beckham". [KMG]
Since 1946, the United Nations (UN) has produced an annual work known as the Yearbook. This volume serves as the principal reference work on the United Nations and their various activities. Recently, the UN digitized the Yearbooks from 1946 to 2005 and placed them on this very handy website. Visitors to the homepage can use the drop down menu offered here to look through any of the volumes that interest them. Within each volume, visitors can read through chapters, which usually include sections on political and security matters, economic and social questions, and a host of legal questions. For those persons looking for specific topics, each volume can be searched individually, or users may also wish to use the "Power Search" feature to refine their search even further. Finally, a "Share" feature allows users to share their findings via Google, Digg, Facebook, and other popular social networking sites. [KMG]
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/index.htm
This website, a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is an extremely useful tool for those interested in digestive diseases - patients and health care workers alike. The site is designed for those who have been diagnosed with digestive diseases, who have not yet been diagnosed, for those who want to participate in clinical trials, and for those seeking even more resources on digestive diseases. Additionally, this site is for the health care community seeking easy-to-read and Spanish-language publications on digestive diseases, and for U.S. statistics on digestive diseases. Visitors should go to the "Statistics" link on the homepage to view not only NIH's "Digestive Diseases Statistics for the U.S.", but also a link to "Other Sources for Statistics", which has a list of nine other organizations that have statistical information on digestive diseases. Check out the "Clinical Trials and Guidelines" link on the homepage to find patient studies regarding digestive diseases that are underway in Maryland, at the National Institutes of Health research hospital, as well as several other U.S. locations. [KMG]
