Category Archives: STEM Web Resources

Fusion Energy Education

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Fusion Energy Education

·http://fusedweb.llnl.gov/CPEP/

“The basics of fusion are deceptively simple: the process powers the sun and other stars, and it all takes place when atomic nuclei collide at high speed. But many questions remain. How can humans develop and exploit fusion energy? Is there a way to convert it more efficiently into useful mechanical, electrical, or thermal energy? This intriguing site, created by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, presents an online fusion course designed to teach students and others about how fusion works and how it might be harnessed in the future. Visitors can try out The Guided Tour to get started, or they can click on one of the Main Topics. These include Energy Sources and Conversions, Two Key Fusion Reactions, and Creating the Conditions for Fusion. Each section contains graphics, explanatory text, and various diagrams. The site also includes charts which can be printed out for classroom use.”

Source:  The Scout Report, University of Wisconsin, May 31, 2013

NOVA has a Physics Blog

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NOVA’s Physics Blog

·http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/blog/

“NOVA’s Physics Blog is billed as “the physics of nothing, everything, and all the things in between.” This “Nature of Reality” blog promises “a space that welcomes big ideas about space, time, and the universe.” The posts here include graphics, animations, and other visually compelling materials. Visitors can scroll down on the right side of the page to look over Recent Posts, Recent Comments, and the contributors to the blog. It’s a diverse group, including mathematician James Stein and physicist Frank Wilczek. Recent posts include “Why is the Higgs So Light?” and “Scientific Approaches to the Fine-Tuning Problem.” Each entry concludes with the Go Deeper area, which features the editor’s picks for further reading. [KMG]”

Source:  Today’s Scout Report from the University of Wisconsin

HHMI Cool Science

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www.hhmi.org/coolscience
  • 4 stars (excellent)
  • Beautifully designed site, content for many age groups
  • Limited resources for children

“Are you ready for some COOL SCIENCE? (Yeah, I thought so.) The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Cool Science website is an entertaining and informative site that certainly lives up to its name and its mission of “sharing the facts and fun about science with all ages.” There really is something for everyone on this site. For instance, the “For Educators” page includes a number of teaching resources for all grade levels, from kindergarten to graduate education. These resources include books, animations, games and videos, among others. At the other end of the age spectrum, the “Curious Kids” page features a small number of activities that address such questions as “Why are snakes like lizards?” The “Becoming a Scientist” page includes interviews with a number of scientists who give their opinions regarding what it takes to succeed as a scientist, and the “Ask a Scientist” page gives site visitors the opportunity to have their own scientific questions answered.”

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“In each print issue of Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, our Best of the Web columnist Taralyn Tan reviews websites of interest. Taralyn Tan is a web-savvy graduate student in Harvard University’s program in neuroscience.”

*The opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and should not be construed as reflecting the viewpoints of the publisher, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., the publishing house, or employees and affiliates thereof.

Molecular Movies Illustrate Science

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Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News [update@genengnewsmail.com]

Feb 15, 2013 (Vol. 33, No. 4)

MolecularMovies.org

“If you get a kick out of beautifully animated scientific movies, then you’ll be beside yourself with excitement when you visit MolecularMovies.org, a site that has compiled a large number of science animations from all over the web. Links to the animations can be found on the “showcase” page, where users can sort animations by scientific area, animator, or date added, can search all animations by keyword, or can jump to animations falling within a given scientific topic. There are 22 topics represented, and they range from adhesion/extracellular matrix, to DNA/chromatin, to neuronal signaling, and beyond. The animations are not embedded within this site itself, and there do exist a few problems with some of the links; however, most of the links worked as expected. Beyond the animations, the Molecular Movies site also includes some software animation tutorials and a newsfeed covering the latest in molecular animation.”

*The opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and should not be construed as reflecting the viewpoints of the publisher, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., the publishing house, or employees and affiliates thereof.

 Rating = 4 stars = excellent

Strong points: large collection of animations

Weak points:  some links didn’t work

www.molecularmovies.com

 

Microbiology Online — from the Society for General Microbiology

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Microbiology Online

Source:  Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News [update@genengnewsmail.com]

Mar 15, 2013 (Vol. 6, No. 33)

www.microbiologyonline.org.uk
  • 4 stars = excellent
  • Nice site design and organization
  • No weak points

“Now here is one big website for things so small! The educational website for the Society for General Microbiology, Microbiology Online is packed full of information about microorganisms. Combining animations and actual images of the microbes, the website offers students the opportunity to explore pages such as introducing microbes, microbes and the human body, microbes and food, and microbes and climate change. For teachers, the site provides information on such topics as microbes and basic principles, preparation of media and cultures, activities, and safety information. There are a number of free downloadable resources available to teachers, as well. Beyond the teacher and student pages, Microbiology Online also includes links to the latest news and podcasts/videos. The site is well organized and contains a lot of material to excite both students and teachers of the subject.”

*The opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and should not be construed as reflecting the viewpoints of the publisher, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., the publishing house, or employees and affiliates thereof.

National Academy of Sciences is 150 years old

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 Editorial by NAS President Ralph Cicerone
An editorial by NAS President Ralph Cicerone will appear in the March 19 print edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. On the occasion of NAS’s 150th year of service to the nation, Cicerone discusses the missions and work of the Academy and not only its historical significance but also its value in the future.”

 What’s New @ The National Academies, Monday, March 12, 2013  

In other news from Knowledgespeak Newsletter, today: the Proceedings of the NAS will be stored in Portico.  As an electronic archiving service provider, Portico will act as a perpetual access mechanism for this title.

Sense About Science: Interpreting peer review to the public

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 “Sense About Science releases guide for public to comprehend peer review – 04 Mar 2013

Sense About Science, a partner of Taylor & Francis, has released a new guide to peer review to help the public make sense of research claims. The guide is titled I Don’t Know What to Believe: Making Sense of Science Stories.

The guide addresses questions such as how we can trust the claims made in the media about scientific studies; and how we can decipher false claims form the ones we can trust when a new drug appears or a study claims that we are at risk. It has been observed that understanding peer review and asking about the status of claims is important to society because it helps people make decisions.

The guide explains the peer review process – the system researchers use to assess the validity, significance and originality of papers. It captures experiences and insights from editors and scientists and encourages people to ask ‘Is it peer reviewed?’ when reading science and health stories.

Following the success of a UK peer review guide, Sense About Science has now created a US version providing the tools to talk directly to the public and how to address their issues.

Sense About Science is an international non-profit organisation that equips people to make sense of science and evidence on issues that matter to society. With a network of more than 5,000 scientists, the organisation works with scientific bodies, research publishers, policymakers, the public and the media to lead public discussions about science and evidence.”

Source:  Knowledgespeak Newsletter, 3/4/13

Link from Neil Nero:
http://www.senseaboutscience.org/resources.php/116/i-dont-know-what-to-believe-us-version

Galaxy — platform to facilitate analysis of large bioinformatics data sets

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http://galaxy.psu.edu is the open, web-based venture developed by Penn State and Emory University.  It’s compatible with the Python (open source) programming language.  Multiple tutorials are available for getting started manipulating large data sets.  Registration is free (also).

Source: Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, October 15, 2012, p. 62. http://www.genengnews.com

FlyExpress for Developmental Biology Research

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FlyExpress, for Drosophila development study has received a 4-star (excellent) review in the October 15, 2012, issue of Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News,  www.Genengnews.com  (page 62).

www.flyexpress.net has “> 100,000 images depicting expression patterns of > 4000 genes” over time.  There are various ways to search this database, including the spatial search feature based on GEMs, Genome Expression Maps.

DNA Interactive — A “Best of the Web” selection in genengnews.com

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The reviewer describes DNA Interactive:  “Beautiful site design, fun and engaging material”.  It is a “4-star” site, dedicated to DNA’s discovery and study, from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory — and it’s free.  http://www.dnai.org

Source:   Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, Nov. 15, 2012, p. 50

It can also be found on the web at: http://www.genengnews.com

GEN’s “back page” also offers reviews “Best of the Apps”, too.