The Scout Report -- Volume 23, Number 36

The Smithsonian Institute is home to a large collection of archival material in need of transcribing, including "field notes, diaries, ledgers, logbooks, currency proof sheets, photo albums, manuscripts, biodiversity specimens" and other material that may be of interest to students and scholars across disciplines. To address this need, the Institute has invited members of the general public to participate in transcribing these materials, offering an opportunity that may appeal to classroom instructors and researchers alike. Those interested in participating in transcription can browse the complete collection or by museums and archives or by theme (e.g. Art & Design, Biodiverse Planet, World Cultures). Once visitors find a project they are interested in participating in, they can view a tutorial that explains the transcription process. All items are checked by Smithsonian staff as part of the final step, offering transcribers of all experience levels the opportunity to contribute to an important research project with the peace of mind. Just a few of the collections in need of transcription include notes from arctic explorer Charles Francis Hall, letters received by the North Carolina Assistant Commissioner of the Freedman's Bureau, and the work of astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt. [MMB]

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Launched in November 2008, Hektoen International is an open access, online journal dedicated to the intersections between medicine and the humanities. This unique journal is named in honor of pathologist Ludvig Hektoen (1863-1951), and is currently authored and edited by an international team of researchers that includes medical professionals as well as scholars in other fields. Visitors can explore articles in Hektoen in a couple of ways. On the site's homepage, visitors can check out the most recent issue of this quarterly publication, while all previous issues are available via Past Issues. Alternatively, visitors can explore articles through the Hektorama, where articles are organized by categories including Anatomy, Famous Hospitals, Moments in History, Literary Essays, and Surgery. Recent articles include an essay by medical resident and interdisciplinary scholar Katrina Genius that examines the historical and medical context of the Isenheim Altarpiece; a piece on Baghdad's first general hospital by physician Hussain Al-Sardar; and an article by medical student and neurology researcher Christopher Hemond about prosopagnosia, a condition that makes it challenging to recognize faces. Written in an accessible manner, Hektoen will appeal to a broad range of students and scholars, as well as members of the general public interested in historical and contemporary issues related to health care. [MMB]

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The Science Learning Center offers a helpful collection of reference materials, outside resources, and more for K-12 science instructors and students. This site is maintained by Western Illinois University and authored by a team of biology professors, high school educators, and graduate students. This resource collection is organized by science topic/ subfield: Nature of Science, Science Safety and Techniques, Biology/ Life Sciences, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, and Physics. Within each of these topics, visitors will find two kinds of resources. Learning Pages are accessible reference guides to key science concepts (e.g. homeostasis, energy in living things, evolution). Many of these Learning Pages also include discussion questions, classroom activities, graphic organizers, or links to related outside resources. The resource page in each topic provides links to additional outside resources that may be of interest to teachers. In addition, visitors can check out General Resources for Science, Study Strategies, and Professional Development Resources for Teachers via additional tabs. The diversity of resources on this page make the Science Learning Center a useful "one-stop shop" for science educators. [MMB]

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From the University of Oxford comes the First World War Poetry Collection, a collection of archival material and educational resources centering on the works of poets who served in World War I. Visitor may browse this collection by poet - the collection includes works by Vera Brittain, Robert Graves, Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, and others. On the individual homepage for each poet, visitors can read a biography and explore a summary of archival material available about each poet. Alternatively, visitors may conduct a text search of archived items via a search box on the top left hand corner of the page. This collection includes photographs, letters, manuscripts, diaries, and more. Visitors are also invited to explore archives by category: Photographic Collection, Film Collection, Audio Collection, and Publications of War. Many of the materials are available courtesy of the Imperial War Museum Photographic Archive, and, collectively, they provide context to the War that may especially be of interest to those who want to incorporate this collection into a history or English classroom. Educators can also check out additional resources via the Education tab. [MMB]

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From the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) comes Genome TV, a series of videos that may appeal to instructors and researchers in the fields of health and science, as well as members of the general public interested in learning more about genetic research and its social implications. Visitors can browse for these videos by a variety of playlists, including How To Sequence a Genome (a series of helpful educational videos); NHGRI's Oral History Collection (a series of interviews, approximately 80 minutes in length, with key genetic researchers from the past and present); and a series of lectures addressing genetics and health disparities that were part of a 2015 lecture series. Other playlists feature presentations that were part of previous NHGRI conferences, while another playlist features a series of three-dimensional diagrams of the human cell. The NHGRI continually updates this collection with new material, so stay tuned. [MMB]

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The PsyArt Journal is "an online scholarly journal for the psychological study of the arts." The journal, which has been in publication since 1997, is currently edited by Samir Dayal, a professor of English and Media Studies at Bentley University. The editorial board consists of an interdisciplinary team of scholars, including scholars of literature, film, psychoanalysis, philosophy, and more. Visitors are invited to explore all current and archived articles, which are organized by year of publication. Articles published in 2017 include an analysis of Hamlet by Elise Denbo of Queensborough Community College incorporating the ideas of Julia Kristeva; an article on psychoanalytical imagery in film by Daniel Brennen of Bond University; and a general "defense" of psychoanalytic literary criticism by Alan G. Gross from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The PsyArt Journal features approximately fifteen articles annually and publishes new articles throughout the year. [MMB]

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Yale University Library offers this helpful collection of online resources relating to religious studies that are available for free. This collection comes courtesy of Yale Divinity School Library's Suzanne Estelle-Holmer, who has also authored a number of LibGuides about a range of topics in religious studies. Visitors can explore these resources by category, including Finding Web Resources (which features links to other web collections), Online Texts, Reference Works (highlighting a variety of online encyclopedias), and Image Resources (which include maps, art, and photography related to religion.) This extensive collection includes both comparative resources in addition to resources dedicated to specific religions. For those who would prefer to browse resources by topic rather than type may do so via the Resources by Topic tab, where resources are sorted by Biblical Studies, Church/ Denomination/Ecumenical, Early Christianity/ Patristics, Ethics, Religion and the Arts, and Theology. [MMB]

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Authored by a team of graduate scholars at the University of Colorado Boulder, Erstwhile is "a collaborative space in which American intellectual, cultural, labor, Native American, and environmental historians share ideas." This blog will appeal to fellow scholars of history and American studies, as well members of the general public interested in historical conversations and debates. As of this write-up, the most recent entry of Erstwhile features a collection of historian-authored resources relating to the recent white supremacist demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia. Another recent entry provides recommendations for summer fiction readers from the blog's team. In another recent entry, Alessandra Link explores the relationship between indigenous cartographic knowledge and western colonial encounters. Visitors can browse previous blog posts by topic, including Erstwhile Interviews, Graphic Histories (which features reviews of graphic novels about historical events), and Erstwhile Interviews. [MMB]

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Grandma's Project is a web video series that invites people from around the world to film their grandmothers as they share recipes and explain the significance and stories behind their recipes. The project was launched by filmmaker Jonas Pariente and currently receives support from UNESCO. Visitors can check out the first five films in this series in the Films section of this website, and all films are accompanied by featured recipes for those who want to try them out. Each film is approximately eight minutes long. In one film, French director Emma Luchini films and interviews her grandmother, Sonia Debeauvais, as she makes frikkadel, a Danish meat-based dish. In another, Yugoslavian born filmmaker Iva Radivojevic makes knedle, "a gnocchi like dessert" with her grandmother Dragica Karazija. Radivojevic, who emigrated to the United States when she was eighteen, travels to Zagreb, Croatia to film Karazija, who shares family history with her granddaughter as she explains her recipe. New films will be added to this enjoyable and powerful series soon, so stay tuned. [MMB]

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Wisconsin 101 is "a statewide, collaborative project exploring Wisconsin's diverse, interconnected histories through objects." This public history project works with organizations such as the Wisconsin Historical Society, the University of Wisconsin's Department of History, and Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR), to name a few. The objects featured in Wisconsin 101 are curated by the project's team, which includes historians, archivists, and WPR staff. These selections are based on nominations from across the state and solicited through partnerships with a variety of community and educational organizations. On the project's website, visitors can browse featured objects by category, including Art & Leisure, Home & Daily Life, and Science & Technology. Those with a personal connection to the dairy state may also like to explore this collection via the On the Map tab. Featured items range from an 1890s Sterling Safety Bicycle from Kenosha, Wisconsin to a 1933 pillow sewn by second-generation Hungarian immigrant Rose Mary Drab of Langlade County, Wisconsin in honor of her brother's service in the Civilian Conservation Corps. Each object is accompanied by an essay and short audio clip (originally aired on WPR's Wisconsin Life series) that provides context to these fascinating objects. [MMB]

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From Nautilus Magazine (see the 02-06-2015 Scout Report) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute comes Think Like a Scientist, a series of "video stories" addressing a range of scientific topics. As of this write-up, the most recent video in this collection explains the role that gold miners have played in unearthing paleontological treasures. Another recent video was created by Greg O'Brien, a journalist who has early-onset Alzheimer's disease. In this video, O'Brien discusses his experiences with the disease while Rudy Tanzi, who serves as a Professor of Neurology and Director of Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses what scientists and researchers know about the disease at this time. Each video in this series is accompanied by a short essay. These video stories, which are each approximately eight minutes in length, will appeal to anyone looking to learn more about a range of scientific and health related stories. [MMB]

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Founded by Melinda McCurdy (The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens), Morna O'Neill (Wake Forest University), and Anne Nellis Richter (independent scholar and part-time faculty member at American University), Home Subjects is "a research working group which aims to illuminate the domestic display of art in Britain." This collection encompasses both fine art and decorative art and explores the private home as a set for artistic expression and curation during the eighteenth through twentieth centuries. The project is supported by Wake Forest University and the National Endowment for the Humanities. On this website, visitors are invited to learn more about the team's research through a series of short essays that are accompanied by illustrations and photographs. In one recent essay, art historian Rachel Rhine discusses the late eighteenth century murals of Thomas Stothard, which were displayed at the Burghley House in Peterborough, England. In another essay, Hyejin Lee, a doctoral candidate in art history at UNC-Chapel Hill investigates the popularity of "scent vessels" in eighteenth century France. [MMB]

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The Society for U.S. Intellectual History (S-USIH) was founded in 2007 and has grown over the past decade from a blog to an established academic organization that hosts an annual conference. S-USIH continues to operate a diverse and frequently updated blog that may appeal broadly to readers interested in ideas, history, and current events. For example, as of this write-up, a recent series of six blog posts consider and evaluate historian David M. Potter's posthumously published 1976 book The Impending Crisis, which examines causes of the U.S. Civil War. Another recent blog post, authored by historian William S. Cosson, provides an analysis of the role that solar eclipses have played in history. Visitors can explore previous blog posts by topic or author. Visitors may also be interested in the New Books Network (NBN) Podcast, produced by the NBN and S-USIH. This podcast, which can be found via the Resources page, features interviews with the authors of recently published books addressing intellectual history. [MMB]

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Beatrix Potter is famous for her Peter Rabbit tales and their accompanying illustrations, which brought the characters of Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-Tail, and, of course, Peter Rabbit, to life. What fans of the famous children's book series may not realize is that Potter was also a scientific illustrator and a collector with a passion for studying the natural world. This segment from the November 24, 2016 episode of Science Friday allows listeners to learn more about the multi-talented British writer, artist, and scientist through an interview with Linda Lear, author of Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature. In this fascinating interview, Lear describes Potter's biography and how she challenged Victorian gender roles in order to pursue science. Lear also describes Potter's intricate illustrations of plants, animals, fossils and fungi; visitors can also view some of these illustrations via the above link. This segment will appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of science, as well as anyone who fondly remembers Potter's famous stories. [MMB]

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Founded by The New York Times senior staff photographer James Estrin, the Times's Lens Blog is dedicated to the newspaper's "photography, video, and visual journalism." Here, visitors will find powerful photographs and documentary footage about a wide variety of subjects from around the world. More than just a collection of images, this blog is designed to add context to photography and photojournalism. For example, one recent entry features photographs recently taken by multimedia artist Larry Towell of individuals at Standing Rock, North Dakota accompanied by an essay by Estrin about Towell's work. Another recent entry, authored by the Times's David Gonzales, discusses the work of Andrew Lichtenstein, whose work is featured in the upcoming book Marked, Unmarked, Remembered: A Geography of American Memory. Another highlight of this blog is The Week in Pictures slideshow of photos featured in The New York Times each week, accompanied by links to related news stories. [MMB]

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It can be difficult to create a website without sinking into the technological ooze. Even rather spartan sites can involve large amounts of complex CSS and Javascript. Content Management Systems (like Drupal, Wordpress, or Joomla) simplify creation of web pages. These CMSes also provide the ability to generate pages customized to particular users. But, in turn, they need more expensive hosting along with ongoing upgrades. Sites that don't need custom page generation of a CMS might consider Hugo as an alternative. Hugo is a static website generator. A Hugo user creates pages in a text editor using Markdown, a lightweight markup language. They also specify a theme, either creating their own or using one of the hundreds of themes available. When Hugo runs, it creates a set of HTML, CSS, and Javascript files. These files can be used with any hosting provider and do not need any special software on the web server to work. Hugo is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. [CRH]

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Citizen science can be a powerful research tool. It works especially well for studies where the necessary data does not need special training to collect. TreeSnap from The University of Tennessee Knoxville and University of Kentucky is one such project. TreeSnap uses a smartphone app to collect locations of trees. It particularly emphasizes species affected by invasive insects and diseases. Currently, they focus on ash, chestnut, elm, hemlock, and white oak. The goal of the project is to locate healthy enclaves of these species, especially in forests. Then, scientists can study these trees to determine why they have survived. To add a new tree, users take a photograph and answer a few questions. Approximate GPS locations of trees in the TreeSnap database can be viewed on a map. For privacy reasons, precise locations are available only to researchers associated with the TreeSnap project. The TreeSnap app is available for Android and iOS devices. [CRH]

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