http://www.nsfresources.org/topic.cfm?topic=IM

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has created this useful set of resources related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for educators and others interested in these fields. Here visitors can look over the resources, which include full-text books, pamphlets, and an interactive website. First up is the book "Worms, Shadows, and Whirlpools," which represents a new way to think about science education for young children. Another resource, "World Watcher," is a website that offers a "supportive scientific visualization environment for the investigation of scientific data." Finally, the site also has a link to the innovative "Whyville" site. This site was created by James Bower of the California Institute of Technology to create a place where tweens can engage as virtual citizens in a safe online community community, create their own avatars, and also hang out with others interested in science, civics, government, and more. For many more high-quality resources, click on See All and the bottom of the page.[KMG]

http://idesweb.bc.edu/becker/

The Becker Collection contains hundreds of drawings created in the 1860s and '70s by Joseph Becker and other artist-reporters for Frank Leslie?s Illustrated Weekly. Since 2007, a project team at Boston College - including Sheila Gallagher, Associate Professor of Fine Arts and Becker's great-great granddaughter - has been working to archive and digitize collection materials. Currently, visitors can see the drawings at the Becker Collection website, or view a curated selection at First Hand: Civil War Era Drawings from the Becker Collection. The main Becker Collection website can be browsed by subjects, artists, dates, and locations, and includes biographies of Becker and over 155 additional artists. An interesting way to approach the material is to select an artist, and view all of that individual's work in the collection. The First Hand exhibition consists of about 120 selected drawings, chosen to illustrate not only the military side of the Civil War, but the effects of the war on social life. Also worth a visit is the Discoveries section, a sampling of undergraduate research using the Becker Collection.
[DS]

http://www.floridamemory.com/Collections/SpanishLandGrants/

For several centuries, Spain established a presence in the area that is now Florida. After the land was transferred to the United States in 1821, European settler filed land grants to prove land ownership. Interestingly enough, in 1790 Spain had started offering land grants to encourage settlement to the sparsely populated and vulnerable Florida colony. Of course, those who had filed claims had to prove to the United States that they had valid claims via documentation and testimonials. The Florida Memory project has digitized these documents and placed them online here for use by the general public. These documents provide information about the settlement and cultivation of Florida during this period via descriptions of the land, copies of royal grants, and so on. Visitors can browse all of the grants here or look at the five volume history of these documents created as part of the WPA's work in the 1930s. Finally, there is information here about how to order the maps for closer consideration. [KMG]

http://www.asme.org/groups/educational-resources/engineering-resources

The American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME) was founded in 1880 by a small group of leading industrialists, and has grown since that time to include over 120,000 members in over 150 countries. This section of their website brings together a clutch of resources for those seeking to learn about career paths in the field. All told, there are four items here: "Mechanical Engineering A to Z," "ME and MET: Which Path Will You Take?," "What is a Mechanical Engineer?," and "Why Knot? A Little Fun With Mechanical Engineering." The first resource allows users to learn about the "A to Z" of this field via fun games, quizzes, and interactives having to do with mechanical engineering. The "What is a Mechanical Engineer?" pamphlet provides answers to this question by looking at how these professionals work on power stations, mobile phones, and complex movie cameras. Visitors won't want to miss the other two resources here, which round out a great way to get young people thinking about joining this noble profession. [KMG]

http://www.spsnational.org/cup/resources.html

The Society of Physics Students (SPS) was formed in 1968 "to help students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community." This website contains a panoply of material on professional conferences and related activities, while this particular section focuses in on educational opportunities. The materials here are divided into nine primary areas, including Career Resources, Undergraduate Research Resources, General Physics Sites, and Physics Publications. In the Career Resources area, visitors will find links to the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center, the American Physical Society and a very helpful resource titled "Landing Your First Job: A Field Guide for Physics Students." The site also contains links to key publications, such as "Physics Today" and "The Industrial Physicist." Finally, visitors can find links to organizations that work to enhance and increase the participation of minority groups in physics, such as the APS Committee on Minorities and the National Society of Black Physicists. [KMG]

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/guided_discovery/index.html

The folks at the Science Education Research Center (SERC) at Carleton College have worked with a team of colleagues to create these "Guided Discovery Problems." The materials here help students learn about the world of geology via intriguing puzzles, structured hands-on activities, carefully worded leading questions, and crucial hints. The problems were developed by Ann Bykerk-Kauffman of the Department of Geological and Environmental Science at California State University, Chico. On the site, visitors can take advantage of six problems. Their number includes "Phases and Eclipses of the Moon," "Advanced Study of the Moon," and "Density, Buoyancy and Convection." Each one contains a set of learning goals, a context section, and a full description and related teaching materials. Overall, these are tremendously helpful and they can be used in a variety of college classroom settings. [KMG]

http://www.learner.org/resources/series136.html

How do young people learn about key scientific principles and processes? There are certainly a range of ways to do this and this series from the Annenberg Media website is a great resource for science educators. This series, produced by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, contains eight episodes. The titles of the episodes include "When Rubber Meets the Road," "On a Roll," "Drag Races," and "Making an Impact." The topics covered here include air resistance, magnetism, gravity, and the relationships among motion, force, size, mass, and speed. The site also includes detailed descriptions of each program and complementary materials such as classroom activities, quizzes, and worksheets. [KMG]

http://www.msi.org/

Founded in 1961, the Marketing Science Institute is "a learning organization dedicated to bridging the gap between marketing science theory and business practice." The Institute's work includes academic research on a range of marketing subjects and topics of importance to business. On the homepage, visitors can learn about the Institute via six sections that include News, Research, Events, and Publications. The Publications area is a good place to start, as it includes working papers, conference summaries, and information about recent research projects. Not all of the materials are available for free, but many of them feature basic summaries. Moving on, the Research area contains information about upcoming research projects, along with information on research competitions. The site is rounded out by the News area, which contains updates about the Institute's research associates and upcoming conferences and lectures. [KMG]

http://digital.fairfield.edu/

Located in Connecticut, Fairfield University has a long and distinguished history. The institution's digital archive "offers a wealth of historical information reflecting the origins and development of Fairfield University." On this site, visitors can make their way through four remarkable collections, including historic photographs, documents, and student newspapers. The Historical Photographs area contains hundreds of images that document student life through matriculation via special game days, dorm life, commencements, and so on. Moving on, the Student Newspapers area contains several different titles (such as "Stag" and "University Voice") that date from the 1950s to 1971. The collection is rounded out by a range of institutional magazines, such as "Fairfield: A University in Motion" which tell the story of institutional change over time via administrative profiles, along with pieces on academics, athletics, and alumni reunions. [KMG]

http://contentdm.library.unr.edu/digitalprojects/BasqCollPages/BasqColl-about.html

In the early 1850s, some Basque people became disillusioned by the pickings in the gold fields of California. A number of them decided to raise sheep instead and spread across the American West. This vast digital collection from the University of Nevada at Reno brings together hundreds of images that document the Basque experience in the West and Europe. The images here include shots of arborglyphs, dancers, Basque festivals, monuments, and sheepherding. Visitors can make their way through over 3,200 images here, and they can search them by keyword or just browse around as they wish. First-time visitors should definitely pay close attention to the works of Richard Lane. Lane began photographing the sheep camps of northeastern Nevada in 1969, and he dedicated himself to filming "this disappearing way of life in all its complexity, including lambing, trailing, shearing, docking, shipping, and both winter and summer herding." [KMG]

http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2012/bellows

George Bellows may be best known for his brawny and atmospheric painting of two men engaged in the lively sport of boxing from 1909 titled "Stag at Sharkey's." However, his work covered a wide range of subjects, including cityscapes, war scenes, and tenement life in New York City. This online exhibition complements an in situ exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and it offers visitors insight into his works and artistic intent. The exhibit was organized by a number of partners, including the National Gallery of Art and the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Here visitors can read about Bellows' life and make their way through nine brief areas, including Work and Leisure and Boxers and Portraits. Perhaps one of the most compelling areas is the one that documents his depictions of Penn Station and the Hudson River from 1907 to 1909. Finally, the site also contains information about talks and other events associated with the exhibition. [KMG]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/collections/72157624096094342/

William Vaughn Tupper was quite the traveler, wandering around Europe, Great Britain, and North Africa from 1891-1894 with his family. This remarkable digital collection from the Boston Public Library contains 46 scrapbooks that document his fascinating journeys. First-time visitors might do well to check out "Volume 31: On the Nile. Cairo to Luxor" as a good starting point. Here they will find photographs of local attractions and curiosities purchased during Tupper's travels. There are shots of markets, local businesspeople, the pyramids, and festivals. There are many other volumes here, of course, and visitors will be delighted to know that each one contains at least 35 photos for their consideration. It's a remarkable find and for persons interested in the history of travel and journeys, it's a site to bookmark and visit again. [KMG]

http://repository.asu.edu/collections/139

The Arizona State University Libraries have created a great number of digital collections that deal with their own institution's history, the state of Arizona, geology, and other topics. This particular collection brings together 36 brief interviews and news stories primarily related to the actions of the United States military in the Philippines during World War II. They are part of the Howard Pyle Collection, which houses items related to Pyle's life. Pyle, who was later the ninth governor of Arizona, was the program director of a radio station in Phoenix from 1930 to 1951. The interviewees here include General Douglas MacArthur, Lt. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger and radio personalities such as Fred MacPherson, Frank McClall and Mucio Delgado. The topics covered here include Pyle's appearance at the Republication National Convention, along with coverage of the 1945 United Nations Conference in San Francisco. [KMG]

http://dspace.sunyconnect.suny.edu/handle/1951/25510

The State University of New York at Stony Brook has an impressive set of digital collections spanning poetry, history, and geography. This particular section of the digital initiative, known as DSpace, brings together past issues of the Stony Brook Press. This institutional journal is published every two weeks, and this particular archive contains over 560 issues. It's far from dry, as it reports on everything from new literary endeavors to changes within the faculty. As one of the largest schools in the state system, this school has undergone many changes in the past twenty years, and this publication is a great way to learn more about the school's history. Also it is easy to search through past issues via the advanced search option. [KMG]

http://www.pc.gc.ca/progs/np-pn/pr-sp/index_e.asp

The national park system of Canada is extensive, stretching from Baffin Island to areas in British Columbia. The stated goal of the system is "to establish a system of national parks that represents each of Canada's distinct natural regions." First-time visitors to the site can use the Introduction area to learn more about the system, and there's also a Planning Your Visit link that's quite helpful. The basic document that most users will want to check out here is titled "National Parks System Plan" and it offers a broad overview of the 39 national parks in Canada. Visitors can learn about parks such as Aulavik, Prince Edward Island, and others by clicking over to the Find a National Park area. Naturalists and scientists can use the Species at Risk area to learn about what the Canadian government is doing to protect species such as the whooping crane and the seaside centipede lichen. Finally, the site is rounded out by the Managing Human Use link which talks about their long-range plans to ensure that the parks maintain a balance between visitors and conserving the natural areas. [KMG]

http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/countyatlas/searchmapframes.php

If you have ever wanted to roam through the history of Canada via a selection of excellent maps, this website will be just your cup of tea. The maps here have been digitized by the folks at McGill University and they cover all of Ontario in 1880. There are a number of maps for each country, and visitors can use the drop-down menus to look for items of particular interest. The menus include Choose a County, Choose a Township, and Choose a Town. By clicking on each map, visitors will be able to look at different township maps that will reveal property boundaries, improvements, and all types of other details. Historians and geographers will find much to admire here and it's easy to see how this website could be used in the high school or college classroom to illustrate certain historical trends in terms of land development. [KMG]

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/easydrop/flogpfmjdekjoilcnmmchanikomlidie

No doubt many Scout Report readers have enjoyed using Dropbox as a convenient way to store large files to share with colleagues, friends, and others. This handy Dropbox widget can be used with Google Chrome to access these files quickly. Visitors can use the program to download files from Dropbox, see recent changes, and also learn about updates of note. This version is compatible with all computers running Windows XP and newer. [KMG]

http://photoraster.com/

There are hundreds of free online photo editors available, and Photo Raster is one of the better ones. This application features dozens of filters, masks, layers, adjustments, selections, and paint tools. On the site, visitors can peruse a number of tutorials, check out their blog and learn about each of their features in detail. This version is compatible with all computers running Windows 2000 and newer. [KMG]

Art market online: Out with the old, in with the new
http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2013/01/art-market-online

Art.sy has permanently moved to Artsy.net
http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/04/confirmed-art-sy-has-permanently-moved-to-artsy-net-due-to-ongoing-syrian-unrest/

Artsy Press Release
https://www.dropbox.com/s/eb2px1az38q4tsa/Press%20Release%20January%204%202013.pdf

Warhol Tops Picasso Sales, Richter Leading Living Artist
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-07/warhol-tops-picasso-sales-richter-leading-living-artist.html

Art Market Bubble Dialogue
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/03/art-market-bubble-dialogue_n_2397959.html

AskART
http://www.askart.com/AskART/index.aspx

Many cultural media have been dramatically changed by disruptive technologies in the past several decades. One only need think of how Napster changed the distribution patterns of music or how online streaming of video has changed how people watch movies and television shows. But what of the art market? Certainly many auction houses have online bidding and the like, but what about an authoritative guide to prices of various works, famous or otherwise? Such a guide or database would possibly change the networked world of old-school connections developed at various elite galleries, educational institutions, and so on. Something of this nature is afoot over at Artsy, which was started by Carter Cleveland, a computer science graduate from Princeton University. So far, Artsy has over 400 galleries and museum that have signed up to provide over 25,000 images of their artworks. Visitors can look at works for sale as they see fit, and there are many variables to filter through for certain types of art. In an interview, Cleveland noted that identifying genetic relationships (via algorithms) between artists and artworks can function as a referral service for art buyers. It will be interesting to see how this website plays out in terms of creating a more open market for art over the coming years. [KMG]

The first link will take interested parties to a recent article from The Economist about the Artsy website. The second link will lead users to a piece from Tech Crunch that talks about the site's change from "Art.sy" to "Artsy" in light of the recent unrest in Syria. The third link will take visitors to the official press release from Art.sy about this domain name move. The fourth link will whisk visitors to a piece from Bloomberg News about the "best sellers" in the art world. Currently, that happens to be Andy Warhol, whose works garnered $380.3 million in 2012. The fifth link will take users to a piece from the Huffington Post that responds to a recent editorial in the New York Times about the (possible) coming art market bubble. Readers are encouraged to chime in with their own thoughts, which makes the whole thing more interesting. The final link leads to the homepage of Artsy, where visitor can browse at their leisure.