Ghoulish Science Fun Wednesday, 31 October 2007 5:31 pm
Posted by Dongmei in Halloween, science.add a comment
A quick quiz for you? Since which century has candy corn been around?
Inventors love Halloween, too. Visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s “The Little Shop of Halloween Patent & Trademark Horrors” to find out actual inventions with a Halloween theme that have been invented over the years.
For those sky watchers/amateur astronomers, you probably want to print out your October sky map to spot the spooky Ghost Head Nebula.
For those environment conscious folks (we should all be), celebrate a green Halloween instead of a traditional orange one! The Environmental Defense Fund reminds us annually of tips for celebrating an eco-friendly Halloween.
Read more ghoulish science fun from the Sci-Tech Library Newsletter.
Connotea: a free online reference management tool for scientists/clinicians Monday, 16 July 2007 9:30 am
Posted by Dongmei in Web 2.0, bibliographic management, reference management, science.add a comment
This tool (http://www.connotea.org/) aims for clinicians and scientists, but really, anybody can use it.
What you can do:
* Quickly save and organize links to your references
* Easily share references with your colleagues
* References can be accessed from any computer
* Save references with just one click
* Easy to use. Nothing to download and nothing to learn. You can start creating your library today
* Discover new leads
* No cutting and pasting. Save references as you work without having to switch programs
* References can be exported to, or imported from, desktop reference managers
* References can be public, private, or shared with a selected group of colleagues
* No storage limit
* Save links to anything you find on the web
Check it out and see if you like it.
interesting exhibitions from Smithsonian: Earth from Space; Transitions: Photographs by Robert Creamer Monday, 4 December 2006 5:06 pm
Posted by Dongmei in biology, earth sciences, exhibitions, science.add a comment
** Get your Head in the Clouds! — See Earth from Space
Have you ever wondered what your backyard looks like from space? The new Earth from Space exhibit is kicking during Geography Awareness Week and promises to give you breathtaking views from the “eyes” of a satellite. The exhibit explains how satellite imagery is gathered and used to understand how the Earth changes through time. This brilliant new perspective is on view at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. through Jan. 7, and then will travel to various locations around the country. To check out the exhibit’s tour schedule, visit http://www.earthfromspace.si.edu/default.asp . (from USGS Newsroom)
The nice thing about this exhibit is that there’s an online exhibition that goes with it, there are lots of stunning satellite images on the Website, lesson plans for teachers, other resources (bibliographies: list of books that’s relevant, and Webliographies: links to Websites that’s helpful). Enjoy!
** Transitions: Photographs by Robert Creamer
Bringing to life rarely seen flora, fauna, and fossil specimens, Creamer’s imagery is drawn from the research collections at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Florida, and the Echo Hill Outdoor School in Maryland. This exhibit includes 40 meticulous images. The interesting aspect of this exhibition is that all the photographs were not captured using traditional means, that is, a camera, but rather, they were created using a scanner. See some of the images on the Web, aren’t they wonderful? You can find more photos by Robert Creamer on his Website.
