·http://science.education.nih.gov/customers.nsf/WebPages/CSHome

How might students best learn about science? It's a question that has commanded the attention of many educators. These curriculum supplements are teachers' guides to two weeks of lessons on the science behind selected health topics. On the homepage, visitors can use the Description area to learn a bit more about the basic goal of this series. The left-hand side of the homepage contains the bulk of these supplements and their related materials. Here visitors can find documents that include "Exploring Bioethics," "Cell Biology and Cancer," and "Using Technology to Understand Cellular and Molecular Biology." The site is rounded out by a selection of Webinars that include "Evolution and Medicine: A New Approach for High School Biology." [KMG]

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·http://www.microscopy.org/

The Microscopy Society of America (MSA) was created at a 1942 meeting in the Sherman Hotel in Chicago. During its first fifty years, the MSA was entirely devoted to the electron microscope. Today, the organization is broadly concerned with a wide range of microscopes, and its website is a great place to learn about this work. First-time visitors should look over the Latest News to get a sense of the MSA's activities. Other sections are widely varied, and include Resources, Membership, Educational Opportunities, and President's Blog. The Resources area is a great find, as it comprises the popular Ask a Microscopist area, along with fun posters and an image gallery. Of course, young scholars shouldn't miss the Awards & Scholarships section, which contains links to materials about fellowship opportunities and the Society's undergraduate research scholarship program. [KMG]

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·http://www.aspeninstitute.org/sites/default/files/content/docs/pubs/CCLE-Report_3-14-13_Reduced.pdf

How do we build community? How can we learn from each other? What does it mean to create a community responsive to the needs of its occupants? The Aspen Institute recently took on the challenge of thinking about such matters. In 2012, the Institute, along with the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, sponsored a conference on community building. The participants in this exercise included resident activists, community organizers, and additional parties. This 25-page document presents some great findings from their work, along with some basic information on how other organizations might work to include a diverse set of participants in community-building activities. Some of these basic building blocks include "Meet people where they are" and "Be flexible about how people participate." [KMG]

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·http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/topics/ecosystems/?ar_a=1&audiences=1

The National Geographic Education website has a number of sections dedicated to different areas within the natural sciences. This particular section brings together all manner of educational resources related to ecosystems. On the site, visitors can dive in via the Latest Updates for Ecosystems. Here they can learn how to explore the profiled ecosystems via a range of GIS tools. Visitors can use the filters on the site to look over the resources by Type, Grades & Ages, Intended Audience, and Subjects. Visitors shouldn't miss looking over features like the Amazon Gold Mine, Back to the Bottom, and African Savanna. [KMG]

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·http://www.nber.org/papers/w19083

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) conducts research on a wide range of topics and its work is frequently cited by scholars around the world. This intriguing piece was authored by Carolyn M. Moehling and Anne Morrison Piehl and released in May 2013. The 39-page paper looks into the statistical patterns behind immigrant assimilation into US prisons from 1900-1930 by drawing on newly released data. Some of the initial findings from this work note that immigrants "rapidly assimilated to native incarceration patterns." The introduction offers a bit of research literature overview which is quite helpful. Also, the report contains helpful figures, along with information on the authors' methodology and statistical analysis. [KMG]

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·http://www.nsf.gov/news/newsletter/

The National Science Foundation publishes the NSF Current in order to inform the public about its research and education efforts. On this site, visitors can view the newest issue, along with all of the issues dating back to 2005. The material covered here is wonderfully diverse, from work on the South Pole Observatory, to advancements in creating artificial retinas, to a history of the National Medal of Science. Each story contains links to additional resources, including original research papers, visualizations, and data sets. Additionally, visitors can sign up to receive each new edition of the NSF Current by email. It's a great way to stay in touch with all of the great work being done at the National Science Foundation and it may provide a bit of inspiration to young scientists everywhere. [KMG]

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·http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/nuclear-engineering/22-033-nuclear-systems-design-project-fall-2011/

It might be inadvisable to build your own nuclear power plant, but for those looking to learn the basics, this OpenCourseWare course from MIT can help. This course was originally taught in the fall of 2011 by Dr. Michael Short. On the page, visitors can look over the syllabus, the course calendar, the readings, and the lecture videos and class notes. This last area is quite useful, as it contains videos and slides from talks on hydrogen and biofuel production, process heat, and the entire nuclear system design process. Additionally, the site contains links to some of the assignments for the course and information about team projects. [KMG]

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·http://www.clintonlibrary.gov/

Located in Little Rock, Arkansas, the William J. Clinton Presidential Library is the official repository for the documents and related materials that narrate the life and times of President Clinton. Visitors to the site will find six separate sections, including Research, Biographies, Museum, and Education. In the Biographies area, visitors can find essays on both President Clinton and his wife and former US Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton, along with photo galleries and detailed research guides. The Research area contains a video gallery, a digital library, and finding aids for the papers contained within these collections. The video gallery is a great resource, as it contains several dozen important addresses, including the 1993 State of the Union Address and the Transportation Equity Act bill signing in 1998. The Education area contains lesson plans for those who might visit the Library, along with information for families who may be hoping to enhance their young people's experiences as well. [KMG]

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·http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu/collections/PCLArts

Where have all the lemurs gone? Some of them can be found, rendered in rare form, right here within the Nash Collection of Primates in Art and Illustration. Offered as part of the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections, this splendid array of materials represents a collaboration between noted scientific illustrator Stephen Nash and staff at the Lawrence Jacobsen Library at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. There are over 3,200 items here, including drawings of primate skeletons, pen and ink drawings done from live animals, and profile portraits. The collection is wonderfully broad in its scope, as it also comprises renderings of primates that appear in sculpture, paintings, and other artistic media. Finally, visitors can search the collection in great detail and also get more information on the project via the About the Collection area. [KMG]

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·http://www.mountvernon.org/encyclopedia

What was George Washington's life like at Mount Vernon? This frequent question is answered in fine form by this Digital Encyclopedia, compiled by a variety of scholars in collaboration with the Mount Vernon Estate. It is particularly appropriate that there is such a copious compendium of facts on the goings-on at Mt. Vernon, as Washington was enamored of encyclopedias during his life. Drawing on a range of primary sources, this project brings together hundreds of entries divided into over a dozen topics, including Military, Slavery, Food and Drink, and Animals. The Personal area is quite compelling, as it includes entries on Barbados, smallpox and, of course, the celebrated myths surrounding Washington's false teeth. [KMG]

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·https://content.lib.washington.edu/uwdocsweb/

For many people, purchasing a college yearbook was (and is) an important rite of passage from college life to young adulthood. One could savor football games, an honor society membership, or perhaps a memory of beloved professor, all by turning the pages. The University of Washington has long published such a volume, called Tyee. The work was published from 1900 to 1994, and recently digitized by the University of Washington Digital Collections. Visitors can browse the collection here and also search by keyword. New users may wish to start with the 1904 volume, which contains a droll section titled "Wit, Wisdom and Folly," along with the usual homages to fraternities, faculty, and the campus. [KMG]

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·http://www.canadacouncil.ca/

The basic mandate of the Canada Council for the Arts is "to foster and promote the study and enjoyment and the production of works in the arts." First-time visitors should click on one of the thematic sections on the site, which include Dance, Writing & Publishing, and Aboriginal Arts Office. Within each of these areas, visitors can read Artist Stories, check out the dedicated blog for each topic, and learn about relevant grants and prizes. In the Research area, visitors can look over fact sheets, take a look at grant statistics, and read recent reports. These reports include offerings like "Arts and Heritage in Canada: Access and Availability Survey 2012" and "The Value of Presenting: A Study of Performing Arts Presentation in Canada." The site is rounded out by a very useful News Room, which contains press releases, interviews, events, and the like. [KMG]

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·http://libweb5.princeton.edu/visual_materials/maps/websites/vandermaelen/home.htm

Philippe Vandermaelen's 1827 Atlas Universel is a truly remarkable work consisting of 380 conically projected maps and 40 pages of statistical tables in six volumes. It was the first atlas produced by the then novel printing process known as lithography. As part of a special project funded by the Friends of the Princeton University Library, these maps were digitized and placed online here. Visitors can read about the process of digitization and watch a fascinating video of the virtual rotating globe constructed from these fine maps. Additionally, visitors can view individual sheets of the atlas at their leisure. It is a remarkable journey indeed, and one that should be savored via multiple visits over an extended period of time. [KMG]

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·http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/

The Chicago Park District is one of the largest municipal park systems in the United States, containing over 8,100 acres of green space. All told, the District has 580 parks, including two city conservatories, a number of historic lagoons, and the iconic Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain. This website allows visitors the opportunity to learn about the District's mission, history, and long-range planning for existing parks and potential new sites. On the homepage, visitors can use the Find a Park feature to learn about these diverse spaces. Additionally, they can use the I Want To area to learn about park permits, volunteering, and reporting problems within the park system. The Events area is quite a find, as visitors can learn about some of the hundreds of events sponsored each year by the District. Finally, visitors can also use the Doing Business area to learn about the various entrepreneurial activities which are possible via the District. [KMG]

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·http://digitalcollections-wmich.cdmhost.com/cdm/search/collection/p124301coll2/page/2

Ward Morgan spent decades documenting life in and around Kalamazoo, Michigan. He went into interiors of women's shoe stores, took photos of students in classrooms, and photographed folks gathering for a society meeting. Most of his work took place in the middle decades of the 20th century, and these everyday photos eventually found their way to Western Michigan University. Visitors can browse these 500 photos randomly or look through the list of available topics, which include Advertising, Religious, Education, and Business Scenes. [KMG]

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·http://pdfmerge.w69b.com/

Merging pdf files just got much easer with PDF Mergy. This application gives users the ability to just drag and drop files that need to be merged into a handy window. Users move the documents into the desired order, click Merge, and download the single-file version. This Web app is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]

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·http://scholar.google.com/schhp?hl=en

For scholars young and old, Google Scholar is a great way to find key academic resources from all over the world. The homepage features a basic search engine, along with the ability to look through millions of patents and legal documents. Visitors can use the My Citations area to craft their own set of resources and they are also welcome to use the Metrics area for rigorous data. The advanced search options, links to articles citing the pieces users find, and connections to pdfs and local university libraries make Google Scholar an indispensable aid in conducting literature reviews. This version is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]

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Bloomberg's Brilliant Waterfront Defense Plan
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/06/bloombergs-brilliant-waterfront-defense-plan.html?mid=google

Bloomberg's race to protect NY from climate change
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-bloombergs-race-to-protect-ny-from-climate-change/2013/06/11/5f06265c-d2d9-11e2-a73e-826d299ff459_story.html

Bloomberg unveils sweeping disaster protection plan for New York
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-bloomberg-climate-change-20130611,0,7933233.story

Cities 'Must Lead Climate Initiatives'
http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/science/environment/cities-must-lead-climate-initiatives-1.1528390

New York City Panel on Climate Change: Climate Risk Information 2013
http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/downloads/pdf/npcc_climate_risk_information_2013_report.pdf

World Bank: Guide to Climate Change Adaptation in Cities
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTURBANDEVELOPMENT/0,,contentMDK:23026256~menuPK:337198~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:337178~isCURL:Y,00.html

This Tuesday, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a $20 billion proposal that will help protect New Yorkers from the rising water levels associated with climate change. Concern about this ongoing matter has increased since Hurricane Sandy moved across the city's 520 mile coastline, leveling houses and destroying key pieces of the urban infrastructure. The plan calls for the construction of a series of new floodwalls, levees, and surge barriers, as well as the construction of a new "Seaport City" to protect the coastline along the East River. The possibility of more frequent and severe storms and damage is becoming apparent, and insurance providers continue to discuss the possibility of regular flood and hurricane damage. Much of this work is informed by a panel of experts who have crafted a massive policy report that estimates that New York could see its waters rise as much as 31 inches by 2050. Commenting on the situation, Mayor Bloomberg noted that "We can't completely climate-proof our city. That would be impossible. But we can make our city stronger and safer - and we can start today." [KMG]

The first link will direct interested parties to a fine piece from New York magazine about the Mayor's plan, along with a bit of commentary on the proposal. The second link will whisk users away to a thoughtful editorial from the Washington Post's Dana Milbank on the proposal and how it might serve as a clarion call for other cities. Moving along, the third link will take visitors to a piece from Tuesday's Los Angeles Times about Bloomberg's proposal, complete with a few links to additional resources. The fourth link leads to a recent piece from the Independent which offers perspective from climate change protection chief Debra Roberts about the lack of initiative on climate change from the United Nations. The fifth link will take users to the complete report recently released from the New York City Panel on Climate Change. The last link will take visitors to the World Bank's guide to climate change adaptation in cities. [KMG]