The Scout Report -- Volume 22, Number 15

The online poetry journal Mudlark has been publishing short, sharp, energetic poetry for more than 20 years. Listed on the New York Public Library's "Best of the Web," among other accolades, Mudlark combines the quality one might expect from a print edition with the accessibility only the internet can provide. Recent poems have included Jane Medved's series "A Crown of Sonnets," which bends the classic form to an aesthetic that is exceptionally contemporary, as well as poems by Marcela Sulak, Martha Zweig, and Mark Down among many others. In addition to poems and featured poets, the journal also features short essays on poetics. Readers will find much to explore in the extensive archives, which feature hundreds of poems dating back to the 1995 inaugural issue. [CNH]

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BioInteractive, an innovative educational resource from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), features a plethora of award-winning multimedia resources related to science education, from short films to virtual labs to holiday lectures. This collection of lectures by Princeton University professors Dr. Robert M. Pringle and Dr. Corina E. Tarnita focuses its attention on the sometimes surprising patterns and processes in ecological systems. Here readers may scout lectures on Communities as Ecological Networks, The Science of Camera Traps, Africa's Savanna Ecosystems, and Modeling Populations and Species Interactions, among other topics. Lectures are between 20 and 40 minutes long and feature excellent visual effects to support the cogent analyses that the researchers present. For readers who are looking for real depth of thinking about ecological systems, these lectures will provide hours of edifying entertainment. [CNH]

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For educators who are looking for ways to use breaking news to enhance their lesson plans, PBS NewsHour Extra offers a collection of educational resources that highlight current issues and events that are sure to engage students. Readers will find articles, lesson plans, and news clips among the collection, all designed with middle and high school age students in mind. Readers may like to scout the page by Subject Area (Arts & Culture, Economics, English & Language Arts, Math, Science, and others), or explore the Lesson Plans to find teaching tools for such topics as women in STEM, student activism, and how to study earthquakes with out a seismograph, among many others. Each lesson features a clear outline, essential questions, key terms, and at least one video designed to spark discussion. [CNH]

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ePysch, an electronic Psychology text, features all of the important components of a classical psychology textbook but in an accessible and digital format. Written and updated by Mississippi State University professor, Gary L. Bradshaw, the text begins with an excellent introduction to the subject. It then moves on to discussions of The Biological Mind, The Adaptive Mind, The Remembering Mind, The Individual Mind, The Descriptive Mind, and The Deliberate Mind, before wrapping up with a final chapter that describes Classic Research in Psychology. While some of the aesthetic components may seem a bit dated, helpful content abounds and can also be viewed in two low-vision modes. [CNH]

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TeachEngineering is a National Science Foundation funded, searchable, web-based digital library of standards-based engineering curricula designed for students of a wide range of ages and abilities, from kindergarten through the end of high school. This particular hands-on engineering activity was designed for ninth graders and uses balloons to teach skills related to estimating buoyancy, as well as problem solving and basic physics. The activity spans eight 90-minute classes and gathers students into groups of three in order to capitalize on interactive learning. The lesson plan includes an excellent summary, lists of objectives and materials, and then offers step-by-step instructions that guide educators through the implementation of this exciting activity. [CNH]

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MediaSmarts is a Canadian not-for-profit that advocates digital and media literacy for youth and designs tools that teach critical thinking in the realms of contemporary media. This lesson, intended for grades eight through ten, invites students to critically examine the movie The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, as well as the promotions that surrounded the film's release and some responses from prominent social justice activists. The lesson outlines learning outcomes, explores background, provides a brief overview of plot and themes, and then offers a three-part section, in which educators are encouraged to explore themes of Becoming (in terms of what kind of adult Katniss is deciding to become), Independence and Interdependence, and Values. The lesson plan includes more than two dozen questions that will spark discussion in the classroom, as well as links to resources from the web. [CNH]

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The Journal of Human Sciences and Extension is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that publishes on a wide range of subjects, including human development, family studies, agricultural education, leadership development, and health and wellness among others. Each issue includes sections dedicated to Original Research, Brief Reports, and Practice and Pedagogy. Recent original research has included such articles as "Teacher Training and Student Learning Outcomes in Family and Consumer Sciences: A Mentoring and Co-teaching Case Study" and "Maintaining Intergenerational Solidarity in Mexican Transnational Families." Recent brief reports have focused on topics such as reducing risky behaviors among youth and the association between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction. Finally, articles targeted toward practitioners address such topics as "What Works for Parents: How Parents Support Their Children with Math Homework in Rural Ghana." [CNH]

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This blog from the American Mathematical Society (AMS) will bring joy to math aficionados the world over. Recent posts have covered such topics as "How to Celebrate Square Root Day," "All the P-values Fit to Print," and "Algebra: It's More Than Just Parabolas." Readers may explore the archives by month, dating back to April 2013, or scout by category, such as Applied Math, Biomath, Data Science, History of Mathematics, Math Education, Number Theory, Statistics, and many more. Entries are loaded with links to mathematical resources around the web and exude an unabashed love for the subject material. Readers may also be happy to note that the blog is currently edited by Anna Haensch, Evelyn Lamb, and Brie Finegold, three content experts who pen witty, entertaining, and fact-filled posts, all the while advancing the representation of women in math. [CNH]

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This site from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) presents hundreds of brief biographies of important historical figures. Entries are arranged in alphabetical order, or users may search for notable characters by surname. For example, within the "A" category, readers may peruse biographies dedicated to John Adams, Konrad Adenauer, Agricola, Akhenaten, Prince Albert, St. Andrew, Muhammad Ali, and many others. The entries that accompany each historical figure are erudite and often feature a representative photograph, portrait, or other illustration. Readers should note that this BBC site has been archived and is no longer being updated, however, this should not detract from the wealth of information hidden in the folds of this site. [CNH]

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For readers interested in food in all of its marvelous complexity, the Food Blog on the Slow Food Western Slope website can provide hours of reading pleasure. Readers may like to start with whatever is latest. Recent posts have asked whether local food hubs can make small farms economically feasible, and have explored the fermentation efforts of famed chef Rene Redzepi, the higher healthful fatty acids that are present in organic milk and meat, and many other topics. Readers can also scout the blog by month and year, back to January 2014, and by categories such as Documentary, Farm to School, Farmers, Recipe, Restaurants, and Slow Food. This excellent food blog, which runs the gamut from local news of the Western Slope to thoughts on global policy, is an excellent read. [CNH]

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Few engineers have had as great of an impact as the researcher, innovator, and administrator, Vannevar Bush. During World War II, Bush oversaw the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) and contributed greatly to the burgeoning field of analog computers, among many other accomplishments. In this monograph, which Bush composed shortly after the end of World War II, he made the case for the essential and progressive improvement of society through the funding of science. Written in three parts, the work first introduces the concept of scientific progress and the government's role in that progress. In Part Two, he outlines the role of science in times of war and times of peace, including an approach to specific problems. Finally, he dedicates Part Three to how science can directly improve the welfare of the public. Fascinating for its view into the workings of a great mind, as well as for its expression of a particular historical moment, Science: The Endless Frontier is an excellent read for anyone interested in the history of science in America. [CNH]

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Over the past several decades Stanford University has emerged as a global hub for entrepreneurial philosophies and practices, setting the tone for developments in Silicon Valley, global tech, and business more generally. The Stanford eCorner features thousands of videos, podcasts, and articles ostensibly dedicated to cultivating what the site calls an "entrepreneurial mindset." However, the range of resources is wide. For example, one excellent video features prize-winning neuroscientist turned entrepreneur Richard Scheller as he speaks about ethical issues in drug development. Another video, featuring 37Signals innovator David Heinemeier Hansson makes the case that "Great Ideas Derive from Well-Rested Minds." Readers may use the excellent search feature to scout the site, or may also explore the categories of Videos, Podcasts, and Articles for excellent content related to all things entrepreneurial. [CNH]

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The Africa Research Institute, which was founded in 2007 to think critically about issues confronting the African continent, seeks to encourage debate, question orthodoxy, and disseminate knowledge widely. The non-profit's website is a trove of knowledge about a wide range of issues. At the time of this writing, for instance, the homepage features articles about the many elections that will be taking place in Africa in 2016, as well as the governmental crisis in Nigeria and the troubles in the Kenyan economy. The page also features an excellent, regularly updated blog. In addition, readers may like to explore using the featured categories of Agriculture & Land, Cities, Culture, Economics & Finance, Elections, Governance, Health, and Law & Justice, as well as the useful search engine. [CNH]

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The city of Las Vegas, Nevada, with its casinos and strip clubs, its grand hotels and glitzy shows, has become as iconic to America's image of itself as the harbors of New York or the skyscrapers of Chicago. This collection of over 80,000 images from the Special Collections at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, documents the historical development of the city and its surrounding areas. Here readers will find images of the famous Fremont Street, documenting its development between the early 1900s through the 1960s. Readers may like to begin by examining the extensive Featured Photo Galleries, which include collections of images dedicated to Early Las Vegas, Hotels & Casinos, African-Americans in Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam, UNLV, Showgirls, and the Rat Pack, among others. [CNH]

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This collection of films and video recordings from the U.S. National Library of Medicine documents the causes, symptoms, prevention, treatment, role of international organizations, public health campaigns, and much more of infectious diseases prominent in tropical environments. Information can be found on malaria in the South Pacific (1943), yellow fever in southern Sudan (1953), and Cholera in Southeast Asia. While many of the videos were designed for soldiers deployed on peacekeeping or other missions, a number of the videos concern other topics, such as Onchocerciasis among the general population in 1960s Ghana, and an argument by a historian from the University of Iowa that American attempts to eradicate yellow fever in pre-1950s Cuba exemplified a thinly veiled colonial plan for the island. Readers interested in the history of epidemiology and public health will find much to admire in this excellent collection of vintage videos. [CNH]

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Readers who regularly listen to podcasts may be looking for new ways to stream, download, and organize their podcasts. There are a number of programs that can help, such as Castro and Pocket Casts. Overcast, however, is one of the best. Besides being completely free (no ads, no subscription), the service makes streaming or downloading your favorite podcasts from anywhere on the web easy, and it makes organizing your podcasts even easier. So if you currently have one podcast program from NPR and another from Stuff You Should Know, and still another from your favorite foodie, Overcast can help you get organized and manage your podcasts in a way that makes content accessible and fast. Available for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. [CNH]

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Nuzzel can provide an organized and comprehensive way to keep up on the buzz on social media. The program aggregates all the news stories that friends have posted on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the like, and then presents them in a readable and approachable feed for your consideration. Users may adjust settings to read news stories that have been posted in the last hour, two hours, 24 hours, previous days, or in the last week. Options abound in Nuzzel. For example, you can adjust settings to see just news items that your friends have posted, or view postings from friends of friends, as well; you can also see how many friends shared a particular item. Nuzzel also allows you to post to social media straight from the platform. Available for Android devices running 4.0.3 and up and Apple devices running iOS 7.0 or later, the app is free and very simple to learn. [CNH]

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