The Scout Report -- Volume 26, Number 31

Simone Betito, a data visualization developer and advocate for women in the STEM fields, created the award winning "Repatriation: An Approach for a Fairer Museum" project in 2019 as part of her master's thesis at Parsons School of Design, The New School. The project provides a framework based on four criteria (Symbolism, Legality, Preservation, and Morality) to determine whether repatriation (defined as "the restoration of something to its rightful owner") is the appropriate action for a particular artifact or art piece. Betito tests the model using 5,000 items from the Metropolitan Museum's collection. At the link above visitors will find an explanation of the four pillars of the model, a visualization of the model applied to the Metropolitan Museum sample, a map of repatriation, and a list of references. Readers who enjoy this project may want to explore Betito's website (https://www.simonebetito.com/), which provides a portfolio of her other work, including a COVID-19 Impact Map. [DS]

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Produced by the Organization of American Historians, The Journal of American History, and The American Historian, Process History is a blog all about "history and the multifaceted ways of engaging with the U.S. past." For example, a May 2020 post written by Professor Laura Prieto titled "Votes for Colonized Women" discusses underreported aspects of the women's suffrage movement. As the post reminds readers, "we should not reduce the history of American women's suffrage to the attitudes of white women on the mainland." In addition to scrolling down the main page to find posts, the Tag Cloud in the bottom-right corner allows users to filter by topics like "environment" and "education." The blog hosts writing "from anyone actively engaged in the practice of U.S. history," so history students and scholars may be interested in pitching a piece for publication. Check out the About and Submissions pages for more information with submission guidelines and instructions. Readers craving additional content can follow the blog on Twitter, @processhistory. [EMB]

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Poets and poetry enthusiasts will delight in the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive, "a peer-reviewed, award-winning digital archive and research project devoted to the poetry of the long eighteenth century." Expanding on versions of text provided by the Text Creation Partnership from Gale's Eighteenth Century Collections Online, this archive has two main aspects: a digitized poetry catalog and research and analysis of these texts. The "Take the tour" button in the top-right corner is a great place to begin, providing a "10-step (2 min.) quick tour of the core features on any of the poem pages in the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive." From there, readers can browse all collection pieces (cataloged alphabetically) on the Works page. More than 3,000 poems from nearly 320 authors are featured. The site also offers "built-in digital tools" and helpful resources. University of Oxford Digital Librarian Alexander Huber founded and edited the project, which was conceptualized and completed between 2006 and 2019, with some ongoing updates. [EMB]

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By "giv[ing] visibility to women currently leading the world of STEM," She Can STEM hopes to inspire girls to recognize their potential within STEM fields. The resource highlights the stories of several women, including rocket designers, engineers, inventors, and other STEM superstars, and walks readers through a timeline of each woman's journey. The stories start by exploring what experiences made them interested in STEM, go on to explore internships and jobs that solidified these interests, and conclude by showcasing the work they are doing now. Additionally, following each story is a Feeling Inspired? section that lists websites and resources relating to each field. She Can STEM also has a YouTube channel (linked in the top-right corner of the website) that features short clips of interviews between girls and women in STEM fields. Plus, scrolling to the bottom of the landing page, readers will find additional materials (on the aptly titled Resources page, linked under "Explore STEM Resources"). Instructors will want to check out the Educator's Guide, also linked at the bottom of the landing page. This "She Can STEM" toolkit is a 55 page PDF with lesson plans and activities. She Can STEM is a partnership between several corporate and nonprofit entities, including Bloomberg, Google, and Verizon. [EMB]

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First Peoples of Canada, a virtual exhibition from the Canadian Museum of History, explores Aboriginal peoples' "fight for cultural survival and ... the wealth of their modern-day contributions." Relying on research and artifacts from the First Peoples Hall of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the exhibition explores Canada's linguistic diversity (with more than 50 Aboriginal languages), the history of the First Nations, and relationships with the environment. Additionally, the exhibition's An Aboriginal Presence section includes brief biographies on prominent Indigenous community members. Readers can view the exhibition in its entirety by clicking through each page using the arrow icons or navigate to specific sections using the Index. The exhibition is available in English and French. Clicking "Back to Exhibitions" at the top of the page allows readers to explore some of the Museum's other offerings, including Inuit Prints from Cape Dorset and A History of the Native People of Canada. [EMB]

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Cambridge University Press's Journal of Paleontology "publishes original articles and notes on the systematics, phylogeny, paleoecology, paleogeography, and evolution of fossil organisms." Releasing six issues each year, the journal is full of relevant and timely research. As of this write-up, readers will find more than two dozen pieces available for free download under the Open Access tab. Additionally, the search bar at the top of the page invites readers to search open access articles by keyword. The toolbar on the left-hand side of the page provides further options for users, including sorting by recency, downloading a paper as a PDF, or exporting a document to Google Drive. Currently on its 94th volume, Journal of Paleontology offers archived content from past issues on the All Issues page. The website also features a Most Cited section for popular pieces, though readers should note that not all included articles are open access. Brenda Hunda from Cincinnati Museum Center serves as Editor-in-Chief, with help from a global team of associate editors. [EMB]

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Fossil sites are just a click away with Eastern Pacific Invertebrate Communities of the Cenozoic ("EPICC") Virtual Field Experiences. Presented by the University of California Museum of Paleontology, the project "provide[s] opportunities to virtually visit classic paleontological field sites along the Pacific coast and to explore images and data from specimens that have been collected there." Users can choose between Central California and Central California Coast. Each choice includes interactive story maps that invite visitors to "explore a field site as a scientist, using photographs, maps, and other visualizations and data to figure out how a place came to be the way it is today." Additionally, the Glossary and Videos pages provide further background information and tools that may be especially useful for those new to paleontology. Finally, the For Educators page has a variety of modules designed for teachers and students (available to download in Word, Google Docs, and PDF formats). The project is funded by the National Science Foundation, and most of the site's content was created by staff at the University of California Museum of Paleontology and the Paleontological Research Institution. [EMB]

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Quickly approaching its 100th episode, The Common Descent Podcast brings listeners an abundance of paleontology content. Hosted by "paleontologists-turned-science communicators" David Moscato and Will Harris, the show explores everything from amphibian diversity (check out Episode 91: "Frogs") to the qualities of resin and the fossils it preserves (check out Episode 62: "Amber"). The link above leads to the podcast's blog, which contains bonus information and links to the show's various listening platforms (PodBean, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube). Episodes do air on the long side. However, on the PodBean platform, episode descriptions pinpoint the starting time for the news segment, main discussion, and concluding questions, allowing users to skip around or pause as needed. Due to the length, these installments offer in-depth discussions on "the diversity of life: past and present." Check back "every fortnight, on Sundays," for a new episode. For additional materials (and some memes), find them on Twitter, @CommonDescentPC. [EMB]

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Looking for the perfect ways to share your paleontological knowledge with the general public? The Paleontological Society's Education and Outreach Committee's "A Guide to Outreach: Engaging the Public with Paleontology" has some great tips. This 15-page guide (available as a free PDF at the link above) was created in 2014 under a Creative Commons license. As the guide notes, "communication is an essential component of scientific practice," and it is crucial to match your communication style to your audience. The guide divides its contents into sections, including Finding an Audience and Sample Activities. These activities are designed to be completed in less than an hour, perfect for a community or school presentation. Additionally, the guide ends with a section full of extra resources to assist presenters. While aimed at paleontology scholars, some of the guide's tips are transferable to any science field. The Paleontological Society is focused on "the advancement of the science of paleontology: invertebrate and vertebrate paleontology, micropaleontology, and paleobotany." [EMB]

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The Courtenay and District Museum, which is physically located in British Columbia, Canada offers plenty of great online resources for paleontology enthusiasts around the world. The museum is a highly regarded and frequently visited hub for fossil sites and exhibitions; the Fossil and Dinosaurs section of their website replicates many of these great resources. Users new to paleontology study will want to begin with the Introduction to Paleontology sub-section, which discusses some basic terminology and taxonomy. The Our Marine Fossil Videos and Fossil Castings sub-sections provide exciting virtual demonstrations of fossil identifications. Plus, the Fun for Kids tab contains a selection of games and puzzles for young people seeking a hands-on way to learn about paleontology (and even a quiz to test their knowledge after). The Courtenay and District Museum has been a staple for studying "fossils, geology, First Nations history, [and] pioneer settlement history," among other topics, since it was established in 1961. [EMB]

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Paleontology blog Western Digs was last featured in the 02-10-2017 Scout Report, since then nearly 20 new articles have been posted to the website, offering readers plenty of new content.

Anyone fascinated by the fields of paleontology and archeology will love Western Digs, a science news site devoted to research and developments in these fields from the western United States. Created by Blake de Pastino, a science journalist who has worked for National Geographic and YouTube's Scishow, Western Digs addresses a variety of topics, including Rock Art, cultural resources, and new clues into the lives of people who lived in the American West over the past several centuries. Paleontology often takes center stage; for example, a recent article, "New Feathered Dinosaur From New Mexico Was Among the 'Last of the Raptors,'" highlights recent fossil discoveries. Each article is written in an engaging, accessible style and includes embedded links to research articles and other related resources for those interested in further reading. For reader convenience, articles are cataloged in a variety of ways: by species, location, and time period.

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