The Scout Report -- Volume 22, Number 25

Archaeology of the Great War is a poignant, highly interactive website exhibiting recent archeological discoveries from the Argonne region in eastern France, where French and German troops engaged in trench warfare during World War I. The French Ministry of Culture and Communication, in conjunction with French archeologists, archivists, and university faculty, created this website to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the war. During the 1990s, a team of archeologists excavated the former battlefield, unearthing new clues about daily life and death during World War I. Visitors can view these archeological finds alongside archival photographs from the War. This material is helpfully organized into five chapters, which include thoughtful annotations about the significance of these new discoveries. Archeology of the Great War is a powerful resource about the experiences of WWI soldiers, and also demonstrates the role of archeology in recovering new insights about the past. Note: while the text of this site is available in French, English, and German, a few embedded videos are only in French. [MMB]

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In 1942, Bainbridge Island was the first community to be impacted by President Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066, which incarcerated over 100,000 Japanese-American citizens in internment camps for the duration of WWII. Approximately 272 Japanese-American residents of the island were evacuated and interned. At this time, Millie and Walt Woodward edited and published the island community's newspaper, The Bainbridge Review. In contrast to the majority of U.S. press at the time, the Woodward's paper editorialized against internment and reported on the forced evacuation of Bainbridge citizens and their experiences in camps. Today, the Kitsap Regional Library on Bainbridge Island, in collaboration with the Bainbridge Historical Society and numerous volunteers, has digitized issues of this newspaper published between 1941-1946. Issues are organized by topics that may be of interest to contemporary readers (including "Exclusion," "Camp News," and "Letters to the Editor") and readers can also search the archives for select keywords. This archive provides excellent insights and primary sources regarding both Japanese-American internment and the history of the U.S. press. [MMB]

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The Virology Down Under blog strives to provide "info[rmation], opinion, and a reasonable voice on viruses." The authors, Ian Mackay and Katherine Arden, provide regular summaries (complete with clearly annotated graphs) of newly published scientific studies related to virology that are designed to help those outside of the scientific community understand new findings and their significance. The most recent posts address the Zika virus, but readers can also explore indexed articles about Ebola, Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and Avian Influenza (H7N9). In addition to clearly summarizing new findings, the authors also openly discuss the limitations of new scientific studies - for instance, much research about the Zika virus relies on reported cases of the virus rather than test results. In summarizing recent studies, both authors openly acknowledge their opinions and perspectives, and also note when a subject is less familiar to them. [MMB]

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As the authors proclaim: "Chuckdust is a mathematics magazine. It is not a journal, and it's not a textbook." Although authored by a team of UK-based math educators and mathematics/physics doctoral students, Chalkdust is not narrowly intended as a research or curricular resource. Instead, the magazine (available both online and by subscription) includes short articles, brainteasers, and biographies of famous mathematicians. Visitors can read about how "stopping distances" for UK roads are incorrectly calculated, learn about different etymological systems for naming large numbers, and consider how mathematical equations might be employed to keep tea at a perfect temperature. The site also contains puzzles, interviews, and math humor. While not explicitly intended as a teaching tool, Chalkdust contains activities and tidbits of math trivia that would provide fabulous warm-up and supplemental activities in a mathematics classroom. [MMB]

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The Royal Society of Chemistry runs Learn Chemistry, an educational website designed for both educators and students. This site includes thousands of lesson plans, laboratory activities, worksheets, online quizzes, and links to additional resources (check out the 11-15-2013 Scout Report for a description of the full site). One of the many useful features of this website is the On This Day in Chemistry page. Here, readers can check out 366 historical chemistry tidbits, one for each calendar day. These tidbits include the births of famous chemists, major inventions and breakthrough discoveries, and important chemistry developments in governmental research and the academy. One can read about the opening of the first nuclear power station (June 27, 1954), the discovery of the electron (April 30, 1897), and the first use of xerography (October 22, 1938). Each On This Day entry is accompanied by Related Resource links, which bring readers to texts and videos related to each day's topic. [MMB]

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Over the past couple of decades, humanities scholars have identified various ways to use technology to archive, analyze, and share content relating to the Humanities - including English literature, history, and art. The Digital Humanities Quarterly is a free, peer reviewed journal published by the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO), an international consortium of Digital Humanities organizations. Now in its ninth year of publication, the journal publishes scholarly articles, book reviews, and the occasional editorial addressing such issues as student experience and the digitization of epigraphy. Readers will also find a complete special issue about comics (which includes an article by Nicholas Sousanis, who wrote his dissertation at Columbia Teacher's College as a 125-page comic with citations), and another special issue about feminism in the digital humanities. [MMB]

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The Innovative Instructor is a regular newsletter published by John Hopkins University to provide instructional resources and ideas to higher education instructors. The publication, which is available both online and in print, is spearheaded by the John Hopkins Center for Educational Resources and authored by CER staff along with John Hopkins faculty and graduate instructors. The Innovative Instructor regularly publishes articles related to three categories: pedagogy, best practices, and technology. Recent topics include a discussion of the merits - or lack thereof - of oral exams, plagiarism and academic honesty, and the uses of simulations or models in the classroom. The Innovative Instructor is unique in that it is aimed at university instructors teaching all disciplines. And while aimed at higher education professionals, teachers at the high school level may also find some software tools or ideas of use here. [MMB]

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In the field of ecology, "edge effects" refers to the special characteristics that can be observed on the edges of two adjacent habitats, an area that often supports a richer variety of foliage and animal life due to the merging of each habitat. Fittingly, Edge Effects is a digital magazine created and run by graduate students at UW-Madison's Center for Culture, History, and Environment (CHE) dedicated to fostering richer discussion about environmental studies through promoting multi-disciplinary voices. Contributors include scholars of Geography, History, English, Art History, and Zoology, among other disciplines. Edge Effects publications are divided into five categories: long form essays; commentary on recent news items; reviews (contributors review not only books, but also music, movies, and children's literature); exhibits (including a photography exhibit of the Mississippi River, map collections, and poetry); field notes (which include notes on teaching and conferences); and checklists (thematic lists that make for delightful quick reads). Readers can browse by these categories or browse the most recent entries on the site's homepage. [MMB]

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How do you measure global human well-being over time and across nations? Our World in Data is a website dedicated to providing comprehensive, nuanced insights into this complex question. Authored by Max Roser, an economist at the University of Oxford, this resource provides a series of choropleth maps and graphs related to human well-being, including education, violence and rights, income distribution, and health. Yet Roser's website is more than a series of visually appealing graphs; for each topic, Roser includes a link to the original data source (making his site, in his words, a sort of "database of databases") and analysis of the relative validity of each data set. Roser believes that "the empirical view of the world shows how the Enlightenment continues to make our world a better place." Visitors to the website are encouraged to ask their own questions and reach their own conclusions. Finally, the site includes Our Data Grapher, a free tool that allows anyone to upload their own data to make charts. [MMB]

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For anyone interested in the social and cultural heritage of the Hoosier State, the Indiana Historical Society's Destination Indiana website offers a rich collection of over 1,000 photographs, maps, newspaper clippings, letters, and other artifacts that chronicle the state's history. Visitors can search these digital holdings in two ways. The Map Explorer tool allows visitors to examine items by county. Alternatively, the Theme Explorer presents thematic collections related to Transportation, Sports, People and more. Visitors can view ancient river navigation maps, read early nineteenth century advice about traversing the falls of the Ohio River, learn about Richmond soprano Luvena Dethridge, and browse through photographs of baseball players. Destination Indiana also addresses the more violent aspects of the state's history; its exhibit on the Ku Klux Klan (which can be viewed through the Issues theme) is a powerful and disturbing illustration of the hate group's regional prominence during the early twentieth century. Alternatively, the Civil Rights theme presents an equally powerful and moving exhibit that highlights the bravery of Indiana citizens who advocated for a more racially just state and nation. [MMB]

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During the 1960s and 1970s, a group of poets known as the Belfast Group, including Philip Hobsbaum and Seamus Heaney, met to exchange poetry drafts and criticism. Commemorating the poets' literary and social networks, is the Belfast Group website. Published by Emory University - where many of the Group's archives are housed - the project is staffed by a team of archivists, software engineers, and digital humanities specialists. Readers can examine drafts of original poems, plays, and stories, or explore a social network analysis (SNA) that charts the connections between Belfast Group members as evidenced by archived letters. These SNA visualizations are accompanied by three essays that examine the history of the Belfast Group and the strengths - and drawbacks - of using available archival materials and SNA to gain insight into the Group. Particular attention is paid to female participants and the difficulty of tracking the experiences of these women with available sources. Thus, the Belfast Group website is as much an examination of the possibilities and limitations of the digital humanities as it is a place to explore an important school of twentieth century poetry. [MMB]

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Between 1894 and 1931, the nascent film industry produced hundreds of silent films. According to the Museum of the Moving Image (MMI), only about 20% of these silent films still exist. The Museum of Moving Images (MMI) was founded in 1988 on the site of the former Paramount Astoria Studios, where numerous prominent silent films were produced. On the Silent Film Era portion of its website, users can search through archives of thousands of materials related to silent films. These artifacts include pictures of original equipment, promotional material, film stills, costumes, and tin cans decorated with portraits of famous actress by artist Henry Clive. On the homepage, users may also search for a particular director, actor, movie, or piece of equipment. By selecting "Read more about the silent film era," viewers can find out about the collection and examine a handful of materials from the archives with more detailed annotations. As visitors view each object, subject tags may inspire additional searches. [MMB]

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The National Archives hosts an online collection of 226 Ansel Adams photographs of National Parks. These photographs were originally intended to comprise a mural for the U.S. Department of the Interior, but this planned project was discontinued when the U.S. entered World War II. While most of the photographs in this online collection were intended for that project, the collection also includes a few additional photographs that Adams took during the establishment of Kings Canyon National Park in 1936 and one older photo of Yosemite National Park. Collections have been organized by National Park Site and are listed alphabetically. While most of the pictures depict nature, the collection also includes a few portraits of Navajo individuals at the Canyon de Chelly. [MMB]

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Micah Tillman holds a Ph.D. in philosophy and spent almost a decade teaching the subject at a variety of colleges. During this time, Tillman, who is also a musician, created a Philosophy and Music course to engage his undergraduate students in Philosophy. Today, Tillman runs the Top 40 Philosophy podcast and blog, where he uses pop music from the 1980s and 1990s to explore philosophical questions. Tillman started recording his podcast this past February and has made 14 episodes so far, ranging in time from about ten to twenty-five minutes. For example, Tillman uses Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and the very concept of alternative music, to discuss Hegel's dialectic; Ace of Base's "The Sign" to discuss dependent identities and cultural appropriations; and Tupac's "California Love" to talk about place, culture, people, and state identity. On Tillman's blog, one can read extended notes from his podcasts along with book reviews. The site also features a free PDF version of Tillman's book - where he explores philosophy through 41 additional songs. [MMB]

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Time Magazine's online Health section is an information rich resource with detailed stories on everything from public health news and developments to "lifehacker" tips for personal well-being. Recent articles have covered reports on children's health in Flint, Michigan, updates on the Zika virus, and discussions, complete with a helpful video, on the new CRISPR gene editing technology, which may provide new hope in developing cancer treatments. These articles are concise and clearly written, allowing readers to stay up to date on health news. Readers may also browse for articles by categories. Note: a few of these articles require a subscription, but most are free to the public. [MMB]

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The History Channel's History Here app allows users to learn about historic sites both near and far. Once users download this application, they can discover historical sites in their proximity through GPS, or investigate any place in the the world by searching for a new address or using the app's "explore" option. Historic sites are marked with drop pins; by tapping a pin, users can read about each selected historic site. At this point, most featured sites are in the United States, but the application is continually being updated to include more locations. In addition, the application features a handful of virtual tours of select locations, including a Los Angeles Culinary Tour, a Mississippi Civil Rights Tour, and a Nashville Music History Tour. The History Here application is free and currently compatible on Apple devices with iOS 5 or higher and Android devices running 4.0 and up. [MMB]

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GIFs (Graphical Interchange Format) are a great way to add some character and sass to an email, website, or blog post. Giphy allows anyone to easily make their own custom GIFs using either a link to an online video or by uploading their own media. Next, users can select the portion and duration of the video they would like to use in the GIF, then select a font and color in order to write a caption. You now have a GIF to embed anywhere you chose. You can choose to make your GIFs private or public, store them on your account for as long as you'd like, and also browse through other public GIFs. [MMB]

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