The Scout Report -- Volume 18, Number 45

The Scout Report -- Volume 18, Number 45

The Scout Report

November 9, 2012 -- Volume 18, Number 45

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




Research and Education

  TeacherLink: NASA Instructional Units and Lesson Plans

  Computer Science Unplugged

  Renal System Reading and Lab Activities

  International Architecture Database

  MathGrapher

  American Society for Engineering Education: Blogs & Newsletters

  The Douglas Oliver Collection

General Interest

  Illustrated Classics of Engineering from the William Barclay Parsons Collection and Others

  Arts of Citizenship

  Pacifica Radio Archives

  It's Showtime! Sheet Music from Stage and Screen

  The UT Theatre Playbills

  Arts at the Core

  National Museum of African Art: Webcasts

Network Tools

  Retranstwitter

  Track My Life

In the News

  In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, communities are asking questions about their levees




Copyright and subscription information appear at the end of the Scout Report. For more information on all services of Internet Scout, please visit our Website: http://scout.wisc.edu/ If you'd like to know how the Internet Scout team selects resources for inclusion in the Scout Report, visit our Selection Criteria page at: https://scout.wisc.edu/scout-report/selection-criteria The Scout Report on the Web: Current issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/Current This issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/2012/scout-{filedate} Feedback is always welcome: scout@scout.wisc.edu



Research and Education

TeacherLink: NASA Instructional Units and Lesson Plans

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlnasa/units/index.html

Created by the TeacherLink initiative at the Utah State University College of Education, this site provides direct access to NASA instructional units and lesson plans. Visitors will note that there are over 40 different resources here, listed alphabetically. The resources are designed for students from kindergarten to college, and they include titles such as "Amusement Park Physics with a NASA Twist" and "Rockets Educator Guide." Another notable item here is the "Packing Up For the Moon" human exploration project, which was created to help young people learn about lunar plant growth. It's a site that teachers will want to bookmark for future reference and share with their friends. [KMG]


Computer Science Unplugged

http://www.youtube.com/csunplugged

If you've ever dreamed of seeing computer science in an informal and "unplugged" setting, this website is for you. Computer Science Unplugged (CS Unplugged) is "a project that provides free games and activities to communicate Computer Science concepts to students of all ages." The site contains 50 different videos in a range of languages and topics like cryptography, binary numbers, and computer programming. Visitors can also look through the Featured Playlists area, which contains a variety of the CS Unplugged staff?s favorite videos. One of the cool things about the site is how interactive the videos are, featuring young people learning about computer science through group activities, games, and treasure hunts. [KMG]


Renal System Reading and Lab Activities

http://www.apsarchive.org/collection.cfm?collectionID=2185#resources

The American Physiological Society (APS) has teamed up with a range of partners to create the APS Archive of Teaching Resources. Part of their work includes crafting thematic collections of high-quality & interactive resources for use in a variety of undergraduate anatomy and physiology courses. This particular set of materials deals with the renal system, and visitors will find four useful instructional activities here. As a whole, these materials address the operation of the renal structure, with a focus on kidney development. The items include laboratory exercises like "Renal Regulation of Urine Output" and "Renal Structure & Function Activities." Additionally, the site includes "Web-HUMAN," which offers a wonderful physiology simulation that covers the six major core systems of the human body. [KMG]


International Architecture Database

http://eng.archinform.net/index.htm

With over 44,000 projects chronicled, the International Architecture Database is a formidable online delight. This remarkable database allows users to browse around by architect, town, or keyword, using its online indices. Along the top of the homepage, visitors can use the Persons, Locations, Keywords, and Info tabs to get acclimated to the site. In the Locations area, visitors can use the buttons to look around at projects from Boston to Bangalore. Why not look around through the Keywords area? The items here range from "14 stories" to "zoological building." Also, visitors can use the right-hand side of the page to look over the Most Viewed offerings, which unsurprisingly include structures like the Statue of Liberty and Versailles. [KMG]


MathGrapher

http://www.mathgrapher.com/

MathGrapher is a stand-out graphing tool designed for students, scientists and engineers. Visitors can read the Introduction to get started, as it contains information about the various functions that the tool can perform. The Picture Gallery provides interactive demonstrations that show visitors how each operation is performed. Also, the left-hand side of the homepage contains links to the different areas within the site, including Data, Curve Fitting, Iterations, and Matrices. The site offers a trial version of the program at no charge. The site is rounded out by a collection of links to helpful freeware and mathematical software from around the Internet. [KMG]


American Society for Engineering Education: Blogs & Newsletters

http://www.asee.org/papers-and-publications/blogs-and-newsletters

The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) has an ambitious and dedicated public outreach program to extend their mission to both their members and those who might wish to learn more about their work. Here, interested parties can read a variety of publications, including the "ASEE Connections Newsletter," "First Bell Newsletter," "Capitol Shorts Newsletter," and "The Accelerator Newsletter." The "First Bell Newsletter" is a good place to start, as it contains news prepared "exclusively for the engineering and technology education community." Moving on, "The Accelerator" is a fine monthly e-newsletter that keeps "engineering students informed and helps them connect and succeed." It's full of the latest news affecting student life, engineering, and higher education, along with details on scholarships and tips on career planning. Finally, the "Capitol Shorts" contains information intended to keep deans and department chairs abreast of important developments in Congress and federal agencies affecting engineering education and research. [KMG]


The Douglas Oliver Collection

http://digicoll.manoa.hawaii.edu/oliver/index.php?c=1

This remarkable collection from the University of Hawaii Library's Pacific Collection brings together over 960 images taken by Professor Douglas Oliver. In the late 1930s, Professor Oliver conducted research on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. Visitors can browse through his images by title, category, place, collection, or reference number. Some of the images include rare photographs of nuptials and other events or ceremonies that marked key events in the community. Many of the images include portraits of men in profile, along with scenes of family life. The site also contains a glossary of terms, which details everything from place names (like "Aku") to "Upi," the wearing of tall conical hats known as upes. [KMG]



General Interest

Illustrated Classics of Engineering from the William Barclay Parsons Collection and Others

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/dgexplore.cfm?topic=industry&col_id=168

William Barclay Parsons served on the board of the New York Public Library from 1911 until his death in 1932. Parsons was also the chief engineer of the New York City subway system for many years, and collected hundreds of volumes related to civil engineering projects and transportation engineering, which he later donated to the library. This digital collection brings together books and photographs from the 16th to the 20th century, including the 1786 Scottish work "An Account of Five Aerial Voyages in Scotland" (by balloon, of course) and the 1848 tome "A sketch of the origin and progress of steam navigation from authentic documents." There are fourteen additional documents to peruse here, and anyone with an interest in the history of engineering, bridges, and other key elements of civil engineering will find the site quite engaging. [KMG]


Arts of Citizenship

http://artsofcitizenship.umich.edu/

A wide range of scholars and students are doing publicly engaged, innovative work in the arts, humanities, and design at the University of Michigan. This website brings together much of their work in a visually engaging, compelling way. Front and center on this homepage is a blog, which contains links to conversations about historic landmarks, graduate student summer internships, creating a "new" Detroit, and strategies for effective arts community engagement. Visitors should also check out the Resources area, which features links to the Research University Engaged Scholarship Toolkit and a final report from the Tenure Team Initiative, which is designed to help faculty and administrators support public scholarship at their own institutions. Additionally, visitors should look at the Fellows page to learn more about the people at the University who work on some of the key issues surrounding arts and public scholarship. [KMG]


Pacifica Radio Archives

http://archive.org/details/pacifica_radio_archives

The Internet Archive has partnered with the Pacific Radio Archives to bring together this collection of over 460 audio files that chronicle "the political, cultural and artistic movements of the second half of the 20th century." The items here include documentaries, performances, discussions, debates, drama, poetry readings, commentaries, and radio arts. First-time visitors can start by look over the Most Downloaded Items Last Week area, which has included offerings such as "Say it LOUD: New Songs for Peace." One rather arresting item here is an interview with noted journalist Seymour Hersh about the My Lai incident. Also, visitors can browse the collection by subject or keyword, like Gore Vidal, Politics, or Allen Ginsberg. [KMG]


It's Showtime! Sheet Music from Stage and Screen

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/songsinshows/songsinshows-home.html

Whether you love the songs of the 1910s or more recent fare, this fascinating sheet music collection from the Library of Congress is a real find. The database includes "hits and flops" from famous Tin Pan Alley songwriters like Irving Berlin, along with manuscript materials from amateur composers. All told, this database contains materials from over 18,000 shows and productions from the 1690s to the present. (Not every item includes complete sheet music, as some of the materials are restricted by copyright laws.) Visitors can search the collection by song title, composer, lyricist, or date of issue. It's fun to start the journey by typing in the names of some favorite, celebrated composers, such as Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein, and George Gershwin. [KMG]


The UT Theatre Playbills

http://diglib.lib.utk.edu/playbills/main.php

How can you narrate the history of a theatre troupe? One can tell of those who have tread the boards or perhaps dominant directors over the decades. This remarkable digital collection from the University of Tennessee Libraries takes another route and "showcases the history of theatre at the University of Tennessee" in appropriately dramatic fashion. On the homepage, visitors can click to revisit theatrical seasons via their playbills from 1934 all the way up to 2011. First-time visitors can start with the 1965-1966 season, which features creative covers for "Macbeth," "Present Laugher," and "Five Finger Exercise." Other highlights include the playbills for "Amadeus," "The Wizard of Oz," and "A Little Night Music." [KMG]


Arts at the Core

http://advocacy.collegeboard.org/preparation-access/arts-core

The Arts at the Core Initiative is part of The College Board's Advocacy & Policy Center, created "to help transform education in America." Part of the Center's work involves the Arts at the Core project, whose goal is "to empower education leaders, particularly in under-resourced districts, to implement rigorous arts programming in their schools." Under the Our Progress section, visitors learn about some of the resources created to achieve this goal. Moving on, the News & Events area contains links to recent success stories of bringing arts education programs to schools, along with updates from the field of research into this area. Visitors shouldn't miss the Publications area, which contains a brochure about flagship programs and a summary of key recommendations for school systems seeking to move arts to the core of their mission. [KMG]


National Museum of African Art: Webcasts

http://africa.si.edu/webcast.html

The National Museum of African Art has sponsored a wide range of events over the years, and this website provides interested parties with access to a nice selection of those gatherings. Visitors may scroll through the homepage for an idea of the offerings. There are nine different extended programs here in their entry, including a conversation between Johnnetta Betsch Cole and Kwame Anthony Appiah and a roundtable discussion about Algerian cinema. One archived event here that should not be missed is "The Afro-Argentine Legacy of Tango." Visitors can listen and watch Robert Farris Thompson discuss the cultural history of the tango with a special focus on its origins as an Afro-Argentine music genre. It's easy to see how these sessions could be used in a college-level history, musicology, or cultural studies course to supplement regular lectures and discussion groups. [KMG]



Network Tools

Retranstwitter

http://retranstwitter.com/en

The Retranswitter application gives users the ability to automatically retweet posts from your Twitter stream according to a set of rules that create. Users can elect to have tweets retreated by author, hashtag, or a combination of both. This version of Retranstwitter is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]


Track My Life

http://track-my-life.ceseros.de/

Where does all the time go? It's a good question, and Track My Life can help you learn more about how and where your time is spent. The application runs in the background of a user's phone and tracks how much time they spend in any given location. At the end of each day, users can look at a full report to see a breakdown of the places they were and how long they spent in each location. This version is compatible with iPhone, Windows Phone, and Android. [KMG]



In the News

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, communities are asking questions about their levees


Levee Rebuilding Questioned After Sandy Breach
http://www.npr.org/2012/11/04/164193857/levee-rebuilding-questioned-after-sandy-breach

In Flooded New Jersey, No Oversight for Levees
http://www.wbur.org/npr/164101955/in-flooded-new-jersey-no-oversight-for-levees

Sandy's Power Dwarfed by Katrina's Gutting of the Gulf
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-05/sandys-power-dwarfed-by-katrina-s-gutting-of-the-gulf

State of New Jersey: Hurricane Sandy Information Center
http://www.state.nj.us/nj/home/features/spotlight/hurricane_sandy.shtml

New Orleans Since Katrina: Before and After
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/27/new-orleans-since-katrina_n_1834696.html

National Hurricane Center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

The northeastern United States continues to recover from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy last week. In New Jersey and New York in particular, there are concerns about the levees that were destroyed during the storm. There's one additional complication: no one is quite sure where all the levees were located. In an interview with NPR, Professor Gerald Galloway of the University of Maryland in College Park observed that this is because of the way many levees come into being. He suggested that many levees are created by farmers or developers and that after they are completed there are no national standards for what constitutes an "adequate" levee. Of course, the last time there was a national conversation about this issue was in the wake of Hurricane Katrina back in 2005 and a myriad of solutions were proposed to deal with this issue. Recently, Steven Sweeney, president of the New Jersey State Senate, suggested that one long-term solution might be to have the government buy the homes of those persons who live in flood-prone areas, tear the properties down, and then forbid anyone from building there again. Given the nature of local land-use planning decisions in the United States, this might be a rather difficult matter to resolve in this fashion. [KMG]

The first link will take visitors to a radio piece from NPR's Weekend Edition program about rebuilding levees destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. The second link will whisk interested parties to a feature from WBUR in Boston about the fact that in New Jersey there is no direct oversight of levees. The third link will take users to a piece from Bloomberg Businessweek which compares the devastation brought by Hurricane Sandy to that of Hurricane Katrina. The fourth link will take visitors to the official homepage created by the state of New Jersey to track the cleanup of Hurricane Sandy. The fifth link leads to a profile of New Orleans' recovery after Hurricane Katrina, courtesy of the Huffington Post. The last link leads to the official homepage of the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center. [KMG]





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