Research and Education
http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/
Created by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), the ActionBioscience website is designed to promote bioscience literacy through a host of educational activities, worksheets, interactive features, and online demonstrations and visualizations. This particular part of the site looks at issues in biotechnology through a range of articles and activities that can be used in classrooms or for personal edification. This section contains over two dozen of these activities, arranged into thematic sections including technology and ethics, cloning, and medical biotechnology. Each article contains a brief introduction, a set of related external links, and a set of references for future use. Some of the pieces that shouldn't be missed are "Agricultural Bioterrorism" by Radford G. Davis and "Designer Babies: Ethical Considerations" by Nicholas Agar. [KMG]
Founded in 1941, Freedom House was organized by prominent Americans who were concerned with mounting threats to peace and democracy. Today, as in previous decades, their mission includes promoting "the growth of freedom by encouraging U.S. policymakers, international institutions, and the governments of established democracies to adopt policies that advance human rights and democracy around the world." First-time visitors may wish to begin by looking to the right-hand side of the homepage to the "Around the World" section. Here visitors can learn about the work that the Freedom House organization is doing in other parts of the world, and more importantly, they can read their in-house reports on democratic movements in different countries. Moving along, the left-hand side of the page includes links to their other publications, which include the "Nations In Transit" series. This particular series takes a long view on political reform in the former Communist states of Europe and Eurasia. To really get a full appreciation of the site's contents and scope requires several visits, but it should have no problem holding the attention of public policy types and scholars. [KMG]
The United Nations' Audiovisual Library of International Law was first proposed in 1997, and in recent years it has grown by leaps and bounds. It is a unique multimedia resource that provides "high quality international law training and research materials to an unlimited number of recipients on a global level." The Library consists of a "Historic Archives" section, along with a "Lecture Series" section, and an online research library with links to treaties, jurisprudence, publications, and research guides. In the "Historic Archives" section, visitors will find a drop-down menu with links to topics such as disarmament, human rights, and the laws of outer space. The "Lecture Series" section includes dozens of lectures organized by subject matter headings ranging from the Arctic to the United Nations. Subject experts deliver the video lectures and it's easy to see how these talks could be used to complement classroom lectures and discussions. Finally, the research library is a great tool for those seeking to explore various facets of United Nations treaties and other aspects of international jurisprudence. As a bonus, the site starts off with Orson Welles reading the Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations. [KMG]
http://www.globalmigrationgroup.org/pdf/Int_Migration_Human_Rights.pdf
The Global Migration Group (GMG) is an inter-agency group that is dedicated to encouraging the "adoption of more coherent, comprehensive and better coordinated approaches to the issue of international migration." Their number includes representatives from UNICEF, the World Bank and various regional commissions from the United Nations. In October 2008, they released this 144-page report in order to commemorate and reflect on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The report is divided into seven sections, including those dealing with the legal framework of migration, globalization and migration trends, migration data, and a concluding chapter which discusses some of the most pressing issues facing different migrant groups around the world. The report also includes three very useful appendices which deal with the policy instruments used in regards to human migration and the adoption of key United Nations legal instruments involved with international migration. [KMG]
As the United States continues to grapple with a financial crisis, many scholars and policy pundits are looking at ways to improve the lot of American cities. One recently proposed idea is land banking, which is "the process or policy by which local governments acquire surplus properties and convert them to productive use or hold them for long term strategic public purposes." In this 39-page paper released in October 2008, Frank S. Alexander of The Brookings Institution offers a lucid and compelling exploration of how land banking might be used at the federal level in order to support the millions of properties that are currently in the process of foreclosure, or those which are already vacant and abandoned. The report contains an executive summary and nine chapters (including a conclusion) which discuss the ways in which such a policy might be implemented over the short and long term. [KMG]
http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3639
Microwaves, cosmology, and the Big Bang are just some of the topics covered by this well-thought out set of educational materials created by the dedicated staff at the Open University's OpenLearn program. This particular educational unit includes eight primary sections, including "Distances of galaxies", "Introducing cosmology", and "The primordial nuclear abundances". Visitors can log in to keep track of their progress within each unit, and they can also offer their own review of the materials offered on the site. Each section comes complete with graphs, photographs, artistic renderings, and illustrations that complement the written text quite nicely. Interested parties can also choose to view the materials in different formats, including as an RSS feed, print-ready documents, and so on. Overall, the site offers great insight into the world of the Big Bang for a more casual audience. [KMG]
http://connect.educause.edu/eq
EDUCAUSE is an online education quarterly journal for those involved in information technology services in university and college settings. The journal can be received by members in print or online, until 2009, when it will only be available online. On the right hand side of the page are links to recent comments made by members about the journal's articles and features, allowing a visitor to be privy to the current practices and daunting problems that information technology staff are grappling with on university campuses. By clicking on "Browse Archives" at the top of the page, visitors will be directed to the complete past issues of EDUCAUSE from 2000 to the present. Clicking on "Contribute" at the top of the page, visitors can read the guidelines for contributions, including what to avoid writing about, as well as suggestions for what to address to help their chances for acceptance. Visitors shouldn't miss reading the current issue of EDUCAUSE, which is available for free on their homepage. [KMG]
http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/
The Marine Biology Laboratory of Woods Hole, Massachusetts and Montana State University are the collaborators on this easily navigable website of educational resources about microbial life. The goal of the site is to provide expert information about microorganisms for K-12 classrooms, university educators, and the general public. They effectively accomplish their goal here, with a host of resources, in formats appropriate for different knowledge levels, in a well-organized manner. For all of the topics covered, three levels of information are provided. Resources such as newspapers, websites, and magazine articles are provided for general learners; journal articles and academic reviews are provided for advanced learners; and activities, assignments, and readings are provided for educators. Interestingly, one of the activities found in the "Teaching Methods" tab on the left side of the homepage, is how to use the Socratic Method with students, with question suggestions, rules of participation, and what to expect from the students. An interesting part of the website is its focus on the microorganisms that live in extreme environments. Visitors can learn about the many types of extremes environments, the extremophiles, and how to teach about extreme environments in K-12 classrooms, by clicking on the "Extreme Environments" tab on the left side of the homepage. The photos of the extreme environments resemble abstract art with their close ups of the microorganisms in their environment. By clicking on the "Online Resources" tab on the left hand side of the homepage, visitors will be taken to a virtual index of their resources, where they can also narrow their view by resource type, subject, environment type, and grade-level. Each category that can be used to narrow results also shows how many entries are available for that category. [KMG]
