The Scout Report
March 13, 2015 -- Volume 21, Number 10
A Publication of Internet Scout
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research and Education
NASA Women of STEMNature: Toolbox
2015: International Year of Light
How Housing Matters
TED Talks: How schools kill creativity
CyArk
Center for Humans & Nature
Edutopia: Assessment
General Interest
Real Time EconomicsCover Browser
BioNews
New York Public Library's Surprisingly Tricky Online Spelling Bee
Nova Next
CivilWar@Smithsonian
Peace Corps: Passport Blog
Digital Collections - Trinity College Dublin
Network Tools
ReadabilityGoogle Docs
In the News
The Wealth of a Celtic Prince UnearthedCopyright and subscription information appear at the end of the Scout Report. For more information on all services of Internet Scout, please visit our Website: https://scout.wisc.edu
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inclusion in the Scout Report, visit our Selection Criteria page at:
https://scout.wisc.edu/scout-report/selection-criteria
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https://scout.wisc.edu/report/current
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https://scout.wisc.edu/report/2015/0313
Feedback is always welcome: scout@scout.wisc.edu
Research and Education
http://www.nasa.gov/education/womenstem/
NASA
Women
of
STEM
is
a
wonderful
site
dedicated
to
celebrating
women
who
have
made
contributions
to
NASA
in
the
related
fields
of
science,
technology,
engineering,
and
math.
Readers
will
find
a
number
of
fascinating
profiles,
interviews,
and
articles
about
women
at
NASA
who
are
engaged
in
a
wide
range
of
STEM
fields,
from
teaching
children
about
science
to
engineering
rockets.
For
instance,
the
interview
with
Nancy
Roman,
retired
Chief
of
NASA's
Astronomy
and
Relativity
Programs,
offers
insight
into
when
she
became
interested
in
outer
space,
her
career
at
NASA,
and
who
inspired
her.
In
addition
to
the
numerous
inspirations
for
girls
that
populate
the
site,
educators
may
like
to
take
advantage
of
NASA
Educational
Professional
Development,
in
which
NASA
Educator
Ota
Lutz
teaches
fun
ways
to
bring
STEM
into
the
classroom.
[CNH]
http://www.nature.com/news/toolbox
Nature
is
the
world's
most
highly
cited
interdisciplinary
science
journal.
Toolbox,
which
is
hosted
in
the
News
&
Comment
section
of
Nature's
website,
reports
on
the
software
and
websites
that
make
research
easier
for
investigators
engaged
in
science
and
technology
subjects,
from
molecular
biology
to
astrophysics,
and
beyond.
Readers
will
find
articles
here
about
software,
such
as
Excel,
ChemDraw,
and
MATLAB,
and
the
programming
languages
that
are
used
to
build
that
software,
including
Python,
R,
and
SQL.
Readers
may
like
to
start
with
the
September
4,
2014
editorial
describing
the
site,
and
from
there
browse
articles
about
computing
skills
"Boot
Camps,"
learning
to
program
with
R,
and
other
topics.
[CNH]
http://www.light2015.org
On
December
20,
2013
the
UN
General
Assembly
proclaimed
2015
as
the
International
Year
of
Light
and
Light-based
Technologies
in
honor
of
Einstein's
field
equations
explicating
general
relativity.
While
events,
programs,
and
speakers
are
planned
throughout
the
year
-
and
across
the
globe
-
the
website
presents
excellent
resources
accessible
to
anyone.
Readers
may
like
to
begin
by
scouting
the
Einstein
Centenary,
which
explains
the
logic
and
impact
of
general
relativity,
and
can
be
found
in
the
Cosmic
Light
section
of
the
site.
The
Why
Light
Matters
area
offers
sections
explaining
What
photonics
is,
as
well
as
sections
on
Energy,
Economic
Impact,
Light
in
the
Built
Environment,
and
Connecting
the
World.
For
educators
looking
for
light-related
sources,
or
readers
fascinated
by
Einstein's
contributions,
this
is
a
rich
site,
full
of
inspirational
ideas
for
student
reports
and
presentations,
as
well
as
supplements
for
existing
lesson
plans.
[CNH]
http://howhousingmatters.org/category/education/
Over
the
past
seven
years,
the
John
D.
and
Catherine
T.
MacArthur
Foundation
has
invested
$25
million
in
grants
to
support
research
into
how
access
to
quality,
affordable
housing
affects
families
and
communities.
How
Housing
Matters,
an
online
resource
from
the
MacArthur
Foundation
and
the
Urban
Land
Institute,
was
created
in
2014
to
make
that
research
available
to
the
general
public.
The
site
provides
data-driven
suggestions
from
the
opening
page.
For
instance,
research
has
shown
that
reducing
childhood
moves,
increasing
access
to
economically
diverse
schools,
and
lowering
rents
so
that
families
can
invest
on
enrichment
can
all
improve
education
outcomes.
The
meat
of
the
page,
however,
lies
in
the
Featured
Content
section,
which
is
searchable
by
a
dozen
categories,
including
Community
Profile,
Expert
Q&A,
Research
Brief,
and
by
date.
[CNH]
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity?language=en
Are
schools
killing
creativity?
That's
the
controversial
claim
that
creativity
expert
Ken
Robinson
makes
in
this
wildly
popular
TED
talk,
which
has
been
viewed
over
31
million
times.
Originally
filmed
in
2006,
the
thrust
of
Robinson's
argument
is
that
in
school
we
train
our
children
to
get
right
answers.
But
getting
right
answers
is
not
the
fountainhead
of
creativity.
Creativity,
according
to
Robinson,
comes
from
the
simple
courage
to
be
wrong.
Building
on
that,
he
takes
on
the
very
fabric
of
public
education
as
it
is
designed
all
over
the
world,
calling
it
narrow
and
restrictive.
He
lays
out
three
facets
of
intelligence,
and
then
calls
for
an
overhaul
to
meet
the
demands
of
the
21st
century,
which,
he
believes,
will
require
a
great
deal
of
creativity.
From
educators
who
are
dedicated
to
sparking
creativity
in
their
students,
to
professionals
looking
for
new
ways
to
think
and
create,
this
classic
TED
talk
is
still
groundbreaking
nearly
ten
years
after
its
premier.
[CNH]
http://www.cyark.org/
CyArk
is
an
international
non-profit
organization
that
is
using
new
technologies
to
create
a
"free,
3D
online
library
of
the
world's
cultural
heritage
sites."
Readers
might
like
to
begin
by
watching
Ben
Kacyra's
TED
Talk,
which
describes
the
organization's
process
of
capturing
ancient
wonders
with
a
groundbreaking
3D
scanning
system,
and
can
be
linked
to
from
the
homepage.
Perhaps
the
most
exciting
section
of
the
site
can
be
found
under
Projects.
Here,
for
instance,
readers
may
examine
a
three
dimensional
digital
model
of
the
Eastern
Qing
Tombs,
the
18th
century
imperial
burial
place
of
several
important
Qing
and
Ming
Dynasty
emperors,
or
take
a
digital
tour
of
Mount
Rushmore.
In
addition,
the
Education
tab,
with
its
37
fully
developed
lesson
plans,
can
be
especially
useful
to
teachers
who
are
designing
units
around
ancient
archaeology
or
modern
architecture.
The
site
works
best
with
Internet
Explorer,
however
it
is
also
compatible
with
browsers
such
as
Chrome,
Firefox,
and
Safari.
[CNH]
http://www.humansandnature.org/
The
Center
for
Humans
&
Nature,
which
has
offices
in
New
York
and
Chicago,
brings
together
"philosophers,
biologists,
ecologists,
lawyers,
artists,
political
scientists,
anthropologists,
poets,
and
economists,
among
others"
to
ask
big
questions
about
the
relationship
between
human
beings
and
the
rest
of
the
planet.
The
group's
manifesto
can
be
found
under
the
About
Us
tab.
Readers
may
also
like
to
explore
the
Featured
Questions
section,
which
poses
a
question
and
then
asks
scholars
to
write
responses.
In
addition,
the
site
provides
access
to
the
group's
beautiful
and
important
journal,
Mind
Nature,
as
well
as
a
blog
that
is
updated
several
times
a
month
with
comments
on
everything
from
biodiversity
to
ecological
restoration
to
mindfulness.
[CNH]
http://www.edutopia.org/assessment
The
Edutopia
website
aims
to
"look
beyond
high-stakes
testing
to
learn
about
different
ways
of
assessing
the
full
range
of
student
ability
-
social,
emotional,
and
academic
achievement."
Readers
may
want
to
begin
with
the
five
articles
that
explain
Edutopia's
philosophy
on
assessment,
which
include
an
overview,
a
history,
a
look
at
what
the
experts
say,
a
post
about
how
we
should
measure
student
learning,
and
a
look
at
the
research
that
supports
the
implementation
of
assessment
in
the
classroom.
There
is
also
a
discussion
section
that
readers
may
browse
or
even
contribute
to.
In
addition,
there
are
numerous
videos
to
watch
and
a
host
of
articles
that
can
be
searched
by
newest,
most
viewed,
and
editor's
picks.
[CNH]
General Interest
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/
The
Wall
Street
Journal's
Real
Time
Economics
blog
provides
incisive,
up-to-date
information
on
national
and
global
markets.
The
blog
is
updated
multiple
times
a
day
as
news
breaks
on
dozens
of
fronts
related
to
economics
and
related
topics.
One
interesting
way
to
follow
the
blog
is
to
simply
read
the
news
feeds
as
they
appear
on
the
homepage.
Readers
may
also
like
to
scout
the
categories
of
Minimum
Wage,
Employment,
Inflation,
Fed,
and
Education,
or
use
the
powerful
built
in
search
engine
to
locate
topics
of
their
choice.
One
recent
post,
Inequality
in
America
in
10
Charts,
shouldn't
be
missed,
as
it
explicates
the
intricacies
of
how
wealth
has
distributed
over
the
past
25
years.
For
instance,
the
top
10
percent
of
the
income
distribution
has
made
unprecedented
gains,
while
the
bottom
60
percent
has
seen
their
net
wealth
stagnate
or
decline.
The
charts
also
outline
how
wealth
breaks
down
by
family,
education,
race,
occupation,
and
other
markers.
[CNH]
http://www.coverbrowser.com/
Cover
Browser
is
a
homegrown
project
made
for
comic
book
lovers
by
comic
book
lovers.
While
the
homepage
could
use
a
little
help
visually,
the
site
is
clearly
a
win
for
readers
who
want
to
browse
hundreds
and
hundreds
of
examples
of
comic
book
art.
Readers
may
click
any
of
the
dozens
of
titles
suggested
in
the
word
cloud
on
the
homepage
to
pull
up
images
from
specific
genres
or
series.
For
instance,
selecting
"Avengers"
opens
a
drop
down
menu
of
10
different
Avengers
series
(two
of
them
in
Spanish),
and
selecting
"Avengers
(1998)"
links
to
almost
100
vibrant
covers.
Readers
may
also
link
from
the
covers
to
purchase
hard
copies
on
eBay
and
other
sites;
however,
a
nice
bonus
is
the
absence
of
ads.
While
this
site
will
specifically
appeal
to
comic
art
fans,
who
are
encouraged
to
send
in
scans
and
copies
of
their
own
favorites,
there
is
much
to
appreciate
here
for
all
Scout
readers.
[CNH]
http://www.bionews.org.uk
BioNews
is
an
online
British
magazine
that
covers
genetics,
assisted
conception,
and
stem
cell
research.
Founded
in
1999
with
a
grant
from
the
Baroness
Mary
Warnock,
the
site
offers
a
mix
of
news
and
commentary
on
both
scientific
advancements
and
the
political,
legal,
ethical,
and
social
issues
that
arise
with
these
advancements.
Recent
articles
have
unpacked
Europe's
approval
of
stem
cell
marketing,
highlighted
some
bad
journalism
on
egg
donors,
and
explored
the
possible
medical
applications
of
graphene.
In
addition
to
the
excellent
news
coverage,
the
site
offers
a
large
glossary
of
terms
related
to
genetics,
assisted
conception,
and
stem
cell
research.
Few
free,
web-based
magazines
can
compete
with
BioNews
when
it
comes
to
coverage
of
biotech
and
related
topics.
[CNH]
http://pages.email.nypl.org/spellingbeequiz
The New York Public Library's Surprisingly Tricky Online Spelling Bee is quick, not-so-easy, and quite entertaining. Readers simply click "Let's Go!" to begin. A sample sentence appears, along with four word choices, three of them spelled incorrectly. Meanwhile, a ten second timer ticks away at the center of the screen. Pick fast! Is it mellifluous or melifluous? The quiz immediately provides feedback with a New York-infused wit. At the end of the ten questions, readers may choose to have their results sent to them by email. While there is an opportunity to donate to the New York Public Library, the quiz is free and as informative as it is fun. [CNH]
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/
NOVA, the Public Broadcasting Service's 40-year old science show, has broadcast nearly 800 episodes, won dozens of awards, and covered everything from elementary particles to the eruption of Mount St. Helens. NOVA Next is the show's online supplement, brought to viewers by WGBH. It focuses its journalistic energies on the cutting edge of science and technology. Recent articles have included a controversial theory of brain disease, an exploration of the EPA's relationship to natural gas, and some good news for coral reefs. In addition to the fascinating articles, the site's Storylines feature gathers bylines into convenient, searchable categories like Mind Over Matter and Planet Zoo. [CNH]
http://www.civilwar.si.edu/
This
website
from
the
National
Portrait
Gallery
presents
"America's
most
profound
national
experience"
through
the
Smithsonian
Institute's
extensive
portrait
collections.
Readers
who
have
a
Flash
plug-in
will
likely
enjoy
the
opening
movie,
which
features
a
jaunty
civil
war
era
tune
played
on
penny
whistle
and
snare,
along
with
a
series
of
telling
portraits
from
the
era.
From
the
homepage,
readers
may
then
explore
a
helpful
timeline,
as
well
as
galleries
organized
around
people
and
places.
For
instance,
selecting
The
Castle
navigates
readers
to
photographs
and
drawings
of
the
red
sandstone
building
that
was
the
Smithsonian
Institute
at
the
beginning
of
the
Civil
War,
with
the
unfinished
capitol
building
in
the
distance.
[CNH]
http://passport.peacecorps.gov/
The Peace Corps Passport Blog offers a window into many worlds. Peace Corps volunteers, staff members, and members from service countries pen fascinating, inspiring, and sometimes troubling stories about their service in countries around the globe. The blog is organized by categories (After Service, Agency News, etc.) and tags (Africa, Education, Community Innovation, etc.), so it's easy for readers to find the topics that most interest them. For instance, selecting the Entrepreneurship tag navigates to an article about textiles, written by a Liberian woman who helped found a small company with the help of a Peace Corps volunteer. [CNH]
http://digitalcollections.tcd.ie/testing4/home/index.php
Digital
Collections
at
Trinity
College
Dublin
provides
visitors
the
opportunity
to
turn
the
pages
of
illuminated
manuscripts
from
afar.
For
example,
readers
can
view
the
Book
of
Kells,
comprised
of
680
pages
hand
written
in
Latin
on
vellum
(calfskin),
in
a
style
called
"insular
majuscule."
The
book's
dimensions
are
now
approximately
12
x
10
inches
-
the
pages
were
severely
trimmed,
and
the
edges
gilded,
when
the
Book
of
Kells
was
re-bound
in
the
19th
century.
Trinity's
Digital
Collections
also
maintains
an
active
Facebook
presence
with
regular
This
Day
in
History
posts.
Some
recent
examples
include
a
cartoon
in
honor
of
Johnny
Appleseed,
"Print
162
of
the
Robinson
Collection
of
Caricatures,
The
Irish
Gentleman
and
his
Apple
Tree";
the
score
The
Magic
Harp,
by
Irish
composer
Ina
Boyle;
and,
in
honor
of
International
Women's
Day,
a
lecture
from
1916:
"Irish
heroines:
being
a
lecture
written
for
and
delivered
before
An
Ard
Craobh
Cumann
na
mBan,
Dublin,
during
the
winter
preceding
Easter
Week,
1916."
[DS]
Network Tools
https://readability.com
Most
of
us
find
articles
we'd
like
to
read,
but
don't
have
time
in
that
moment
to
read
them.
Bookmarking
them
all
creates
clutter.
So
what
if
we
had
a
network
tool
where
we
could
stash
our
to-be-read
articles?
And
what
if
that
platform
was
really
attractive?
Enter
Readability.
Sign
up
for
the
service
is
free.
Once
a
reader
has
created
an
account
she
may
follow
others
and
recommend
stories.
But
the
best
part
is
the
simple
storing
and
reading
experience
on
the
site.
To
add
an
article,
users
simply
click
the
plus
sign
and
paste
the
URL
from
their
desired
article.
Readability
stores
it
in
the
user's
personal
archive,
where
it
is
available
to
read
in
a
visually
pleasing
format
at
any
time.
Readability
is
available
as
a
browser
add-on
for
Firefox,
Chrome,
and
Safari,
and
as
a
mobile
app
for
tablets
and
mobile
devices
running
iOS
7.1
or
later
and
Android
2.1
and
up.
[CNH]
https://docs.google.com
Google
Docs
was
launched
in
2007
as
a
cloud-based
answer
to
the
Microsoft
Office
Suite
of
Word,
Excel,
and
Powerpoint.
While
Microsoft's
applications
are
still
engrained
as
most
people's
go-to
for
their
basic
office
needs,
Docs
has
been
gaining
ground,
both
in
terms
of
market
share
and
usability.
Now
part
of
the
greater
Google
Drive
collective,
readers
can
create,
edit,
and
share
documents,
spreadsheets,
and
presentations.
In
addition,
it's
web-based,
which
leads
to
important
conveniences,
like
the
ability
to
access
documents
from
different
computers
or
include
multiple
people
when
simultaneously
drafting
a
document.
Documents
save
automatically
every
few
seconds,
making
loss
of
work
nearly
impossible,
and
users
can
also
access
revision
history
to
see
what
changes
have
been
made,
when
they
were
made,
and
by
whom.
For
readers
who
have
heard
of
Google
Docs
or
Google
Drive
but
haven't
put
it
to
full
use
quite
yet,
this
is
a
handy
and
efficient
way
to
tackle
projects
as
a
team.
[CNH]
In the News
Ancient Celtic Prince's Grave and Chariot Unearthed
http://www.livescience.com/50069-celtic-prince-tomb-uncovered.html
'Exceptional tomb of Celtic prince' found in France
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31747159
Impressive Tomb of Celtic Prince Found in France
http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/impressive-tomb-of-celtic-prince-found-in-france-150305.htm
French National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research
http://www.nearch.eu/partners/inrap
Top 10 archeological finds of all time after discovery of skeleton of Richard III
http://metro.co.uk/2013/02/04/top-10-archaeological-finds-of-all-time-3379570/
Romancing the Stone: An Egyptologist explains the Rosetta Stone's lasting allure
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/romancing-the-stone-175445099/?no-ist
A burial mound was recently unearthed in Lavau, France containing a host of ancient Celtic artifacts. Beautiful pottery, a large cup lined with gold, and a royal chariot are among the finds. Especially interesting to archeologists are the Greek or Etruscan engravings on several objects, as they provide further evidence for the interconnected trade routes that ran from the Mediterranean Sea all the way to present-day Germany. The tomb, carefully excavated by France's National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research, likely belonged to a wealthy Celtic prince, who profited from his trading connections with his trading neighbors to the south. [CNH]
The
first
link
takes
readers
to
an
informative
article
by
Live
Science's
Tia
Ghose,
which
features
a
full
page
dedicated
to
photographs
of
the
dig.
The
second
and
third
links,
from
BBC
and
Discovery
News,
respectively,
offer
further
coverage
of
these
exciting
finds,
as
well
as
beautiful
close
up
photographs
of
some
of
the
tomb's
ancient
artwork.
For
readers
who
wish
to
look
more
deeply
into
the
group
behind
the
excavation,
the
fourth
link
navigates
to
the
National
Institute
of
Preventive
Archaeological
Research
(INRAP),
where
articles
and
photographs
document
a
number
of
exciting
finds,
and
describe
INRAP,
who
boasts
a
workforce
of
2,000
and
yearly
excavates
over
250
sites.
The
fifth
link
takes
readers
to
a
2013
story
from
Britain's
Metro
News,
which
briefly
outlines
some
of
the
greatest
archaeological
finds
in
history.
Lastly,
Beth
Py-Lieberman
interviews
an
Egyptologist
about
the
resounding
influence
of
the
Rosetta
Stone,
discovered
by
the
French
while
in
Egypt
in
1799.
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