The Scout Report -- Volume 23, Number 4

Ice and Sky is an interactive website about the history of glaciological research in Antarctica. Since the International Geophysical Year (July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958), scientists have uncovered important details about the Earth's climate by examining the properties of Antarctica's ice. On this website, created by French documentarian Luc Jacquet and the non-profit media organization Wild Touch, visitors can learn about this history through a six-part video. Within each video chapter, educators will also find a number of related resources. These resources include recorded interviews with key scientists, detailed PowerPoint presentations, educational booklets, and short videos. While some of resources are embedded on the site, others can be downloaded through a link on the right side of the browser. Educators may also create their own classroom websites that feature specific resources of their choice. Worth noting: Ice and Sky earned a 2016 Webby nomination as an outstanding educational website. [MMB]

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Romantic Circles, a scholarly website published by the University of Maryland, is "devoted to the study of Romantic-period literature and culture." Originally featured in the Scout Report shortly after its inception in 1996, Romantic Circles continues to publish literary scholarship, teaching resources, and digitized Romantic-period texts and images. As explained in the About RC section (a good place to start for newcomers), these resources may be explored via eight main sections. In the Praxis Series section, readers will find engaging essays that highlight select subjects, historical figures, or theoretical approaches. For instance, of the two issues published in December 2016, one centered on German Romanticism while the other explored English Romanticism in East Asia. Romantic Circles also offers Pedagogies, collections of essays dedicated to teaching the Romantics. The most recent collection features six essays, authored by American and Canadian academics, on the topic of Teaching Romanticism and Literary Theory. The Electronic Editions (under the Editions tabs) are another great resource. Here visitors will find a rich assortment of digitized items, from William Wordsmith's A Guide through the District of the Lakes in the North of England to the collected letters of poet Robert Southey. [MMB]

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From the American Academy of Arts and Science comes Humanities Indicators, a comprehensive repository of data about the state of the humanities in the United States. Data, collected by the Academy as well as by Academy-vetted institutions, are organized into five categories (K-12 Education, Higher Education, Workforce, Funding and Research, and Public Life) and may be downloaded as a Microsoft Excel document. Visitors may also download data-driven visuals, such as graphs, as either a PowerPoint slide or as a PDF. Readers will find information about U.S. Students Pursuing Study Abroad, State Funding for Higher Education, Earnings of Humanities Master's Degree Recipients, Use of Public Libraries, and Language Instruction in Elementary and Secondary Schools, among many other topics. Humanities Indicators also features an Indicators in the News section that features recently published news articles, blog posts, and books involving the humanities. [MMB]

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K-12 STEM educators can access a number of free classroom resources on this website from Carnegie Mellon University's Leonard Gelfand Center for Service Learning and Outreach. These materials, authored by Carnegie Mellon faculty and staff, are offered across six webpages and cover a variety of topics. For instance, instructors will find an activity on brownfields (land that may contain dangerous contaminants from previous use), a series of "classroom kits" for engaging students with DNA, a number of lesson plans centering on climate, energy, and the environment, hands-on laboratory activities involving polymers, and more. In addition, parents and teachers of all subjects may be interested in checking out Safe-Net, a collection of materials about cyber safety and security. All lessons and activities are described in detail for easy classroom adaptation; many also explicitly align with Pennsylvania Common Core Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards. [MMB]

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The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Legacy Project, Duke University Libraries, and Duke University's Century for Documentary Studies have teamed up to create the SNCC Digital Gateway, a website that documents the history and legacy of SNCC (pronounced "Snick"). Launched in December 2016, the SNCC Digital Gateway features both information and primary sources about the grassroots civil rights organization founded in 1960. Visitors can explore this material in a variety of ways. The People section contains detailed profiles of over 100 individuals who were involved with SNCC. Meanwhile, in the History section, visitors can explore an interactive timeline of key events in SNCC history. Those interested in how SNCC members organized and planned their activism can find out more via the Perspectives and Inside SNCC sections. Finally, visitors can explore key sites of SNCC activism with the Map. All of these sections include a number of embedded primary source materials, including official organization notes, powerful photographs, newsreels, and documentary footage. The inclusion of these materials - especially the oral history interviews with activists - allows visitors to gain keen insight into the experiences and legacy of SNCC and its activists. [MMB]

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The J. Paul Getty Museum presents a number of engaging lesson plans on poetry and art. Crafted by the Getty Foundation's Education team and by educators around the country, these lesson plans draw on digitized material from throughout the museum. On this website, readers will find a rich collection of lesson plans, activities, classroom handouts, and videos about the intersection between art and poetry. One series of lessons, Illuminated Calligrams, has upper elementary school students explore Andrea Soffici's visual poem, "Tipographia," along with the calligrams of Guillaume Apollinaire. In another lesson, high school students analyze William Blake's "A Poison Tree" alongside Blake's painting Satan Exulting Over Eve. The site also offers links to four Getty videos on YouTube related videos and printable classroom handouts for Background & Context (including a helpful vocabulary list and an accessible definition of Ekphrastic poetry). [MMB]

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Are you taking (or teaching) a Sanskrit Class and looking for study resources? Interested in learning a bit of Latin on your own time? Or looking to learn more about the etymology of common English words? The University of Texas at Austin's Linguistics Research Center provides a number of free resources related to Indo-European languages, a category that includes Latin and Greek as well as Spanish and English. For language learners, the Early Indo-European OnLine section provides online lessons for eighteen different languages, including Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Old English, Old Russian, and others. Lessons consist of a series of introductory guides accompanied by grammar charts, and famous texts. Learners can also access learning resources, such as dictionaries and glossaries. Moving along, those interested in word etymology will want to check out the Indo-European Lexicon section, which includes the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) Etyma, an index adapted from a book by linguist Julius Pokorny. [MMB]

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The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania opened in 1829, the outcome of decades of campaigning for a humane alternative to early American prisons. Between 1829 and the prison's closure in 1971, Eastern State gained fame (and infamy) around the world: Alexis de Tocqueville and Charles Dickens both wrote of this prison, and Al Capone was perhaps its most well-known resident. On this website, run by the Eastern State Penitentiary (now a historical site), visitors can learn more about the prison's complex history and the evolving nature of the American carceral system. In the Learn section of this website, visitors will find a 571-page history of the prison (authored by the City of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Historical Society, and the Eastern State Penitentiary Task Force of the Preservation Coalition of Greater Philadelphia); resources for conducting further research, and three lesson plans. Meanwhile, in the Explore section, visitors can take an online tour of the prison, which was originally constructed in service to the "Philadelphia System" of solitary confinement, which nineteenth century prison reformers believed fostered repentance. [MMB]

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In 1713, Cotton Mather wrote in his diary, "that the minds and manners of many People about the Country are much corrupted by foolish songs and ballads, which the hawkers and pedlars carry into all parts of the country." Isaiah Thomas (1749-1831) was a printer and book collector who founded the American Antiquarian Society in 1812. Among the printed items that he collected and preserved were a series of broadsides of these "foolish songs and ballads" that circulated Boston, Massachusetts in the early nineteenth century. On this website, visitors can explore over 300 broadsides of patriotic, amusing, and sometimes vulgar ballads. This collection also includes other items that were printed on broadsides, such as sermons and woodcuts. Each item is catalogued and extensively annotated. Visitors can browse the collection by a number of subject tags, including Parody, Taxation, Lawyers in Literature, and Parental Overprotection. Visitors may also be interested in a collection of essays that provide added context and insight into the collection. [MMB]

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The U.S. Forest Service has created this helpful tool for locating state and national forests, parks, and wildlife refuges across the country. On the homepage, visitors simply enter ZIP codes to find local sites of interest. Users can filter results by Activity (e.g. Hiking, Camping, Winter Sports, Fishing) or by Type of Site (e.g. National Forest, State Forest or Park, Park or Playground, Museum or Educational). Visitors can then explore nearby sites of interest on a Google Map. Discover the Forest also features advice for planning a trip to a forest or park and information about forests in the United States. Users are encouraged to share their own photographs or explore those snapped by other forest lovers via the Share the Forest Feature. This allows users to share images via Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr using the hashtags #DiscovertheForest and #ForestFriday. [MMB]

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On Easter Monday of 1916, a group of Irish nationalists launched an armed rebellion against the occupying British government. While the event, now known as the Easter Rising, was quickly suppressed, it helped propel Ireland to independence and is remembered as a crucial moment in modern Irish history. Researchers at Trinity College Dublin and Maynooth University, led by Dr. Susan Scriebman, have worked to preserve and document life in Ireland during the months before and after the Easter Rising. The result of their efforts is Letters of 1916, a crowd-sourced public history project that offers readers a glimpse at thousands of letters donated by individuals, colleges, museums, and archives from around the world. Visitors may want to start by checking out the Featured Letters, located in the Learn section of the website. Here, project staff and collaborators have contextualized specific letters by providing biographical and historical background information. For instance, one featured letter is from American lawyer John Quinn to Irish lawyer Gaven Duffy. Through their correspondence, the two discuss Roger Casement, who was executed for treason for his attempt to get German military support for the Rising. For more letters, readers should check out the Explore section of the website, where digitized and transcribed letters are browsable by month or by category (e.g. Battle of the Somme, Easter Rising Ireland, Love Letters). [MMB]

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Horsethief is a digital magazine from Horsethief Books, a publisher of poetry books "from a diverse group of both emerging and established voices." This magazine is specifically designed to be easily read on a either a laptop or a touchscreen device, as readers can browse pages by either clicking on arrows or by swiping left or right. While preserving the tactile experience of reading poetry in book form, this simple and attractive design also makes the monthly digital magazine remarkably easy to read. As of this writing, there are ten issues of Horsethief available for free on this website; each issue consists of poetry, and poetry alone. After exploring and reflecting on poems of interest, readers may also browse the short biographies of all current and past contributors as a way to spur further reading. [MMB]

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Michigan Medicine's MHealth Lab blog highlights research related to personal health, public health, and medical care. Authored by University of Michigan staff, posts cover developments from the University of Michigan along with significant research and findings from other institutions and organizations. Readers may browse for articles and videos by topic, including Body Work (research relating to specific health conditions), Health Tech (which examines new healthcare technology and potential health technology), and Industry DX (news about health care policy and public health issues). Articles are also tagged by subject for easy browsing. Recently published articles include an explanation of research from the University of Michigan and the University of California, San Francisco about pancreatic cancer; an exploration of medical schools that offer minors in subjects like health policy or ethics; and a consideration of sleep apnea treatment for children. Interested readers can subscribe to receive a weekly email digest by selecting a link on the website. [MMB]

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From BBC Radio 4 comes the Infinite Monkey Cage, a "witty, irreverent look at the world through scientists' eyes." Hosted by physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince, this podcast features lively discussions with guests scientists about a variety of ways that our everyday lives are shaped by scientific phenomena. As of this writing, the most recent episode centers on science's "epic fails." The hosts explore erroneous aspects that were originally part of some of the most famous scientific theories, and discuss the ways that mistakes can actually be beneficial to science. Other recent episodes include an exploration of the the science behind sleeping, a panel discussion with a chemist and solar scientist about the elements necessary to create the universe, and a commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Each episode is approximately 30 minutes in length; visitors can download and listen to current and past episodes on this website. [MMB]

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For anyone interested in learning (or relearning) how to play the piano, this website provides a series of free video lessons. Joseph Hoffman, an experienced piano teacher with a master's degree in music, created this series of free video recorded lessons in order to meet the growing demand for piano lessons. On this website, piano learners of any age can watch over 100 lessons, divided into nine units. Each lesson is between approximately five and ten minutes in length. Visitors can learn more about Hoffman's teaching philosophy and methods in the About section of this website. In keeping with Hoffman's vision that there "be no barrier to any child in the world who [wants] to learn to play the piano," all lessons are available free of charge. However, learners have the option of creating a paid premium account to access additional resources. [MMB]

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Maria Sibylla Merian was born in 1647 to a family of artists and printers in Frankfurt, Germany. As a young girl she first painted flowers before scrutinizing the way caterpillars transitioned into moths and butterflies. Over the course of her life, Merian continued to document nature, plants, and insects, first in Europe and later in what is now Suriname in South America. Merian's detailed paintings and descriptions, along with unconventional visuals and stories, spurred curiosity and provided valuable insights into medicine and science. Exotic and dramatic, her artwork was a valuable tool of discovery for Europeans at the time. Yet, despite receiving much contemporary acclaim, her findings came under scientific criticism during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and her efforts have been largely forgotten. This page from Katherine Tyrrell's Botanical Art & Artists website commemorates Merian's life and artworks. Readers will find a timeline of Merian's life, a compendium of biographical reference links, and an overview of related galleries and exhibitions. While some links have not been maintained, most work and there is much to explore here for researchers, artists, and art lovers alike. [CDR]

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Many of us often fall into the habit of having multiple browser tabs open at once, making it difficult to stay organized and on task. This tool "snoozes" open tabs so that they pop-up at later, scheduled times. This allows users to focus on what they are working on, rather than being bogged down by the numerous other projects they may have started, whether that be articles to read for an upcoming research project, recipes to try for an upcoming holiday meal, or travel plans for a much needed vacation. Tab Snooze is currently only available as a web-based Google chrome extension, however, Tab Snooze for iPhone, Android, Safari, and Firefox will be coming out soon. [CDR]

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For the reader who loves to share articles, websites, and information with others, Point may be worth a look. This link-sharing tool allows users to quickly and easily share articles and websites with friends, all without leaving the page or application they are browsing. Point (currently available as both an iPhone application and as a Google Chrome browser extension) may also be used to have conversations on the page itself, making it even easier to highlight and refer back to certain elements of interest. One caveat, users can only share with other individuals in their Google or Facebook networks who have added the Point extension or who have downloaded the application. [MMB]

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