The NSDL Scout Report for Physical Sciences -- Volume 1, Number 13

July 12, 2002

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison




In This Issue:

Research

Education

General

Topic In Depth




Research

WATERbase
http://waterbase.glwi.uwm.edu/
The Great Lakes Water Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee operates this large database of "water quality data for Lake Michigan and tributary rivers in the Milwaukee region." The facility conducts studies in this area to ascertain the impact of human activities and species introductions on this part of the lake's ecosystem. Data can be retrieved for seven different locations in conductivity-temperature-depth profiles or chemistry profiles, and is updated on a monthly basis. Some other projects that monitor lake properties are detailed on this site, including a new pelagic buoy designed to gather meteorological and water quality data. [CL]
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Canadian Climate Impacts and Adaptation Research Network
http://c-ciarn.ca/database.asp
This site is an excellent place to find resources and literature about Canadian climate changes. It is probably easiest to browse the listed topics for the national database; however, keyword searches are required to search any of the four other databases. Categories span nearly everything related to climate change, including agriculture, drought, erosion, forests, ice cover, precipitation, and species distribution, to name just a few. Search results contain basic information about the source (e.g., authors, abstract, etc.), and some have links to full text of research papers and journal articles. [CL]
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The International Meteor Organization [.pdf, .ps, .mpg]
http://www.imo.net/
The home page of the International Meteor Organization (IMO) has many resources for both casual sky watchers to more serious observers. There are sections devoted to different methods for observing meteors, global analyses and data of meteor showers, fireball observations, and the radio meteor scatter observation technique. Various software titles for analyzing and recording meteor data can be downloaded from the IMO Web site. An amazing video clip is also given on the site, which shows a burning meteor that was recorded by spectators of an NFL game in 1992 and was later found crashed into a car. [CL]
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ChemFinder.com: Database and Internet Searching
http://chemfinder.cambridgesoft.com/
ChemFinder is an Internet-based chemical search engine. The interface allows the user to input a chemical name, CAS number, molecular weight, or molecular formula and find Web sites that reference that chemical. Results are sorted into categories such as physical properties, biochemistry, health, regulations, and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). Some chemical structures and compounds can be viewed with the ChemDraw plug-in. All of the sites indexed on ChemFinder are listed on a single page in their respective categories, which can be useful for finding general information. [CL]
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North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics
http://www.cast.uark.edu/nadag/
Under a grant from the National Park Service's National Center for Preservation Technology, the North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics (NADAG) is developed and maintained by the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) and members of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Arkansas. The Web site primarily targets the general archaeology community, offering a wide array of information geared toward using geophysical methods and technology to improve archaeological practices. Among other materials, the Web Site offers an image library, project database, and bibliography concerning the archaeological geophysics of North America. Searchable by location, archaeological site type, and geophysical survey type, NADAG's core materials -- the image library and project database -- are easy to navigate and extensive. Another point of interest, especially for educators, are the provided education materials. Additionally, users should note the open nature of the site's data; NADAG accepts relevant submissions to their database. [TS]
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Scottish Environment Statistics Online [.xls]
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/envonline/menu0.asp
Developed by the Scottish Executive Development Department Environment Statistics Branch, the Scottish Environment Statistics Online (SESO) Web site provides those users interested in Scotland's environment with valuable information that spans a wide range of years. Especially heavy with data in the last ten years, SESO covers numerous topics: Climate Change and the Ozone Layer, Air Quality, Radioactivity, Noise Pollution, Land, Water, Conservation, Wildlife, and Waste and Recycling. After selecting the desired subtopic and year, users receive results either in HTML or Microsoft Excel (.xls) format, along with source information and relevant links. Perhaps the most interesting feature is the commentary provided with each subtopic; for example, when viewing Annual Land Temperatures Records (tiered below Climate Change and the Ozone Layer), a brief commentary about the greenhouse effect is available. Researchers and scholars, as well as interested casual readers, should find the site worthwhile. [TS]
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Digital Chart of the World Server
http://www.maproom.psu.edu/dcw/
This Web site from Penn State University allows users to download geographic data for specific regions of the world in Arc/INFO format. Data layers include a variety of physical and human made geographic features such as political boundaries, transportation networks, physiography, and vegetation. The site is fairly user friendly with help topics, frequently asked questions, and examples of some of the possible data configurations. This site is only useful to those with some knowledge of geographic information systems. [AL]
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Bureau of Economic Geology: GIS Tools Online
http://www.beg.utexas.edu/GIS/tools/index.html
This Web site provides a helpful tool from the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology for the irksome need to convert units of measurement. What's notable about this site is that it includes common length and area conversions as well as less frequently used units of decimal degrees; radians; degrees, minutes, and seconds; units of scale; and GPS time. The site is actually a conversion calculator, rather than just a list of conversion factors, which should serve to eliminate error on behalf of the user. The site is simple to use and displays multiple units on the same screen. [AL]
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Education

Basics of Magnets
http://www.geop.ubc.ca/ubcgif/tutorials/magbasics/index.htm
The Basics of Magnets is a tutorial on "topics that are fundamental to geophysical magnetic surveying." Produced by the University of British Columbia Geophysical Inversion Facility, the site provides a table of contents, with links to both images and textual information related to magnetic surveying. Materials covered include the earth's magnetic field, susceptibility, survey profiles, survey maps, and example data sets. [REB]
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Magma Mixing [QuickTime]
http://www.science.ubc.ca/~eoswr/concepts/igneous/magma/
Created by the Earth and Ocean Sciences Department at the University of British Columbia, this module on magma mixing is based on ideas and theories taken from papers authored by Stephen Blake and Gregory N. Ivey. A short movie, which can be viewed at the site, shows a lab experiment where two different magmas are mixed to form a hybrid magma. Users can then peruse information (including photographs and some diagrams) on the geological concepts involved. [REB]
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StarDate Online: Classroom Activities [.pdf]
http://stardate.org/resources/tguide/
This site provides eleven lesson plans for kids from ages five to seventeen that teach about astronomy and the principles underlying astronomical sciences. Provided by the McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas, these lessons, available in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format, cover various subjects such as spectroscopy, observing the moon, and sundials. The lessons are well described, with step-by-step directions and comprehensible diagrams when the plan requires building models or simple instruments. The site provides a link to StarDate in the Classroom, which discusses the intentions and potential uses of these lesson plans. [CH]
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Science - Lesson Plans Webquests
http://www.edhelper.com/cat246.htm
EdHelper.com, a site that maintains collections of educational resources for kids from preschool to twelfth grade, has made available a huge amount of material useful to science educators. The site contains lesson plans and worksheets covering the life sciences, physical sciences, agricultural sciences, environmental sciences, and technology. The lesson plans describe interactive activities like growing crystals and experiments with bubbles. The site also provides links to numerous science-related WebQuests. A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which learners gain information by accessing resources on the Web. WebQuests provide a question to answer or problem to solve, along with directions to Web sites that students or teams of students can use to complete their task. Teachers and parents can use these WebQuests to let kids surf the Web and learn at the same time. The site also contains numerous links to other lessons plans, worksheets, and WebQuests that cover mathematics and fields outside of the sciences. [CH]
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Next Century of Flight: Liftoff! Education
http://www.aviationnow.com/content/ncof/ncflift.htm
This resource, part of Aviation Week's Next Century of Flight site, consists of educational lesson plans and activities to help teachers incorporate the theory of flight into the 4-6th grade classroom curriculum. The lesson plans are grouped into four categories (Astronomy/Space, Forces and Motion, Life in Flight, and Weather and Climate). Each lesson plan is clearly described in plain language with complex principles easily understandable. The activities (completion times between 1 hour and 1 week) are applicable to a number of subjects including Social Science, Math, Human Body, Physical Science, and Astronomy. Other features of the Liftoff! site include relevant recent news items for each subject, a discussion forum, and related educational links. Among the potential uses for this great site, according to the developers, are curriculum support and extension to existing curriculum. [DJS]
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The Oxford Virtual Science Walk
http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/features/walk/index.htm
Maintained by The Museum of the History of Science, the Oxford Virtual Science Walk Web site explores "some of the most important and interesting historic scientific sites in Oxford, from the time of the founding of the University in the 13th century and the work of Friar Bacon to advancements in modern science such as the development of penicillin." Visitors visit thirteen sites and view an illustration of each along with a short but informative description. [JAB]
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National Geographic GeoBee Challenge
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/
This site is associated with the National Geographic Society's (NGS) Geographic Bee, an annual national competition where students answer a wide variety of geography related questions. To encourage learning along these same lines, the GeoBee Challenge is a brief online quiz of five geography related questions similar to the ones in the "real Bee." The intent is to promote geography learning and provide a fun method for teachers to include the subject into the classroom. The material has been prepared by the National Geographical Society and is appropriate for grades 4-8. Any question answered incorrectly is noted, and students are encouraged to try again. New questions are posted every day with the 3 previous quizzes also available. Fun, challenging stuff. This site is also reviewed in the July 12, 2002 Scout Report. [DJS]
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Physics Lessons, Tutorials, and Help [Quicktime, Flash]
http://www.sciencejoywagon.com/physicszone/lesson/default.htm
The Physics Lessons, Tutorials, and Help Web site is offered by Science Joy Wagon and the Ithaca City School District. Numerous interactive lessons, simulations, descriptions, and other online learning material are categorized into nine subjects including motion; forces; work and energy; momentum; electricity and magnetism; waves, light, and sound; modern physics; and nuclear physics. An excellent collection of online learning material sure to aid any physics curriculum. [JAB]
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General

Environment Canada: Environmental Acts and Regulations
http://www3.ec.gc.ca/EnviroRegs/ENG/Default.cfm
This Web site provides a plethora of useful information related to Canadian environmental legislation and regulations. The site is organized topically, with links to a variety of legislation related to environmental protection, water, wildlife, weather, and others. After choosing the appropriate legislation and reading a condensed easy-to-read summary, users can choose to view the full text of the relevant Acts or regulations. The site does caution viewers that "these office consolidations of the legal texts are not official versions of the law. The texts provided may not always be current nor up to date." [REB]
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The Boeing Web Page for the International Space Station [RealPlayer, .pdf]
http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/spacestation/sitemap.html
Hosted by Boeing, this site map provides users with a comprehensive look at the International Space Station. Included in this broad overview are links to everything from basic facts and figures to information about individual missions (including downloadable press kits -- which have tons of photos and useful information). The image gallery contains thousands of photos and video clips related to the missions and research conducted aboard the space station. [REB]
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Cambridge Relativity [Quicktime]
http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/gr/public/
The University of Cambridge's Relativity site provides users with a glimpse at the major issues within theoretical physics and cosmology. Sections cover such diverse issues as black holes, the big bang, cosmic strings, and quantum gravity. Written in a style accessible to the non-scientist and with useful illustrations, the sections describe currently accepted theories, their possible consequences for the fate or origin of the universe, and their limitations. Users may also be interested in a link to Stephen Hawking's Web site and an introduction to COSMOS, the supercomputer on which many cosmological models are tested. The site also links to a collection of Quicktime movies modeling such things as black hole formation and the interactions and behaviors of cosmic strings. [CH]
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Alphabetical Listing of Molecules [Chime]
http://www.wellesley.edu/Chemistry/Flick/molecules/newlist.html
This useful, straightforward site will help students understand the structure of molecules through visualization. It was created by W. F. Coleman, Professor of Chemistry at Wellesley College. Here, you will find several common substances including caffeine, penicillin, Viagra, and vitamin A, as well as a few more exotic ones. Using the Chime software, a free chemical structure visualization plug-in for Windows and Macintosh, each molecule isn't simply a static image. It can be rotated for a complete examination, reformatted, and saved in a variety of file formats. A download link for Chime is provided. [DJS]
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Storms from the Sun: The Emerging Science of Space Weather
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309076420/html/
This new title from the National Academy Press (NAP) examines our emerging scientific understanding of the relationship between solar events and earth. In the age of electrical power and communications via satellite, radio, and television transmissions, solar weather causes great disruptions. One type of these storms, coronal mass ejections (CME), can travel at over 1 million miles per hour through space; carry over 10 billion tons of hot, electrically charged gas; and contain more energy than 1 billion megatons of TNT. Wow! Solar events have long been known to have more benign effects, namely the aurora borealis and aurora australis, the ghostly light shows of the far northern and southern skies. A deeper understanding of the interaction between our planet and the sun's storms is now being fully explored by scientists, and this book relates those recent findings. It is written by Michael J. Carlowicz (writer and education specialist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) and Ramon E. Lopez (Department of Physics at the University of Texas at El Paso) in a direct, approachable style that is easily understood by scientists and the interested public alike. As with all NAP publications, the book in print is available for sale, and the online version (including all text, illustrations, bibliographies, and indexes) is freely available on the Web. [DJS]
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Instituto Nacional de Estadstica, Geografa e Informtica
http://www.inegi.gob.mx/difusion/ingles/portadai.html
Mexico's National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Informatics (INEGI) is responsible for compiling and providing information about Mexico as part of its larger mission to promote "informatic national activity," improve social welfare, and contribute to Mexico's economic growth and democratic development. In working towards this goal, the Institute has made available a tremendous amount of information about Mexico, ranging from environmental, demographic, economic, and technological statistics to geographic data on soils, vegetation, and communication routes. Statistics are drawn from the years 1900-2000, and arranged by Mexican state where applicable. This site will be useful for anyone interested in Mexico, whether they want only basic information on its geography or more specific data like patent applications and grants, or lengths of railroads. [CH]
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The Weather Calculator
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/elp/wxcalc/wxcalc.shtml
This collection of resources, provided by the National Weather Service Forecast Office for the El Paso area, allows users to be their own meteorologists. For example, armed with data such as current temperature, humidity, and windspeed, users may calculate the heat index or wind chill. Using the resources on this page, and providing basic meteorological data such as temperature, air pressure, and dew point, users can calculate such things as the vapor pressure, maxing ratio, or density altitude. This site also provides unit conversion calculators, allowing users to convert temperatures, air pressures, and wind speeds into various units. For some of the conversions, this site presumes its users to have an understanding of meteorological terms and to be able to read basic meteorological instruments. [CH]
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Wave Applets: Wave Phenomena Simulations
http://physics.ham.muohio.edu/p171s01/wave.htm
Dr. Barney E. Taylor, a physics professor at Miami University - Hamilton, produced this resource for students in his introductory physics classes. The site provides access to animated simulations of wave behaviors and interactions. The various simulations model phenomena such as wave superposition, reflection, and refraction, as well as the interference of waves, the doppler effect, the superposition of sine waves, and the various intensities of spherical waves. Each simulation is interactive, allowing users to alter a wave's attributes and observe the results. The simulations are written in Java. [CH]
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Topic In Depth

Fossils
1. Fossils! Behind the Scenes at the Museum
http://www.rom.on.ca/quiz/fossil/
2. Learning from the Fossil Record
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/fosrec/
3. Fossils, Rocks, and Time
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/fossils/contents.html
4. Petrified Wood
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/geos256/azgeology/pwood/index.html
5. Dating Rocks and Fossils
http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/dinosaurs/fossdate.stm
6. Fossil Detectives
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dinosaurs/howdoweknow/q44.shtml
7. Fossil Preparation and Conservation
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/vertpaleo/resources/prep.htm
8. Photographs of Fossils Found on KPS Fieldtrips
http://www.uky.edu/OtherOrgs/KPS/pages/fossilphoto.html
This Topic in Depth begins with a Web site from the Royal Ontario Museum called Fossils!-Behind the Scenes at the Museum (1). It gives a light-hearted but informative introduction to what fossils are and how they're formed, collected, and identified. Next, the University of California Museum of Paleontology offers the Web site Learning From the Fossil Record (2), which contains several learning resources and lesson plans. Topics covered include Determining Age of Rocks and Fossils, Fossilization and Adaptation: Activities in Paleontology, and Microfossils. The third site is a US Geological Survey publication entitled Fossils, Rocks, and Time (3). Visitors can learn about succession, geologic time, and other relevant facts about how fossils are studied. The University of Arizona Department of Geosciences maintains the next site, which is entitled Petrified Wood (4). It provides information on Petrified Forest National Park, an interactive look at the process of petrification, and more. Offered by the Museum Victoria, the fifth site, Dating Rocks and Fossils (5), explains the difference between relative and absolute (radiometric) dating. It also includes a chart that gives the various isotopes used, their half-life, daughter isotope, and geologic application. The next site, provided by the BBC and their Walking With Dinosaurs series, is called Fossil Detectives (6). The site describes why dinosaur fossils are so rare, where the best place to find them is, how their age is estimated, and other interesting information that can be found on this page and the rest of the site. Next, from the Florida Museum of Natural History comes the Fossil Preparation and Conservation (7) Web site. A more in-depth and technical description of fossil preparation is presented, including the use of cosolidants, adhesives, and various tools. The last site is from the University of Kentucky Paleontological Society called Photographs of Fossils Found on KPS Fieldtrips (8). As you would expect, the site contains a large categorized list of fossils, each briefly described and linked to its respective photograph. [JAB]
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From The NSDL Scout Report for Physical Sciences, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2002. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/

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Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2002. The Internet Scout Project (http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/), located in the Computer Sciences Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides information about the Internet to the U.S. research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712163. The Government has certain rights in this material. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the entire Scout Report provided this paragraph, including the copyright notice, are preserved on all copies.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, or the National Science Foundation.




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