2009-Year of Science begins

It is officially the Year of Science, and if you have not checked out the Web site yet, take a few moments to see what's happening locally and virtually at http://www.yearofscience2009.org/home/. For example, our own governor Charlie Crist was the first in the nation to issue a proclamation on the Year of Science. Other interesting sections in the Web site include statements on the importance of scientist from scientists, reporters, teachers, authors, and presidents.

Some local events coming up are as follows:

• Jan 30: Carbon Neutral: Teaming Up to Make a Difference For Our Climate Mark Van Soestbergen, International Carbon Bank and Exchange, Inc.
• Feb 12: Darwin: His Enduring Legacy in an Age of Ecological Crisis, H. Bruce Rinker, Ph.D., Director Environmental Lands Division

St. Petersburg participants include the following:

• U. S. Geological Survey-Florida Integrated Science Center
• Science Center of Pinellas County
• University of South Florida College of Marine Science
• Suncoast Earth Force

Halloween Friday Fun: Optics of Jack

Happy Halloween!

For your Halloween physics pleasure, I bring you an article from Lorne A. Whitehead and Michele A. Mossman, two professors from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia.

Jack O'Lanterns and integrating spheres: Halloween physics
American Journal of Physics -- June 2006 -- Volume 74, Issue 6, pp. 537-541

Of course, it would break copyright for me to post the article itself, but Eckerd Library does subscribe to the American Journal of Physics online.

Don't know how to get to it? Follow these steps:

1. Go to www.eckerd.edu/library
2. Click on FIND JOURNAL TITLES
3. Search for: American Journal of Physics
4. Click on the online link: Scitation Publications
5. Click on the link: Volume 74
6. Scroll down to June 2006, and click on the button to VIEW HTML TOC.
7. Scroll down to the article.

If you are on campus, you should be able to click here.

Image from YesWeCarve.com

And don't forget to vote! The only bus from Eckerd is leaving today at 1:15 pm.

Friday Fun: Changing colors of Fall

Picture linked from Chemical of the Week: Autumn Colors from scifun.org

So many of the Eckerd students come from out of state. I thought some students may miss Fall colors. The Fall Foliage Celebration site from University of Buffalo provides information on the science of Autumn, including information on photosynthesis and chemistry of color change. In addition, links are given for photographic and pressing Fall leaves in addition to Fall Foliage maps for those of you lucky enough to get away in the coming weeks (Fall break anyone?).

Friday Fun: Video Elements

It seems like I am always writing about the periodic table. People seem to be doing so many fun things with the elements. This week, check out The Periodic Table of Videos. Lecturers at the University of Nottingham have created 3-minute videos on each element. The videos feature a wild-haired (a la Einstein) professor as well as explosive experiments that make me think of the TV show Mythbusters with posh, British accents.

COPUS seeks Fall intern

Back in February, I wrote a post about the Year of Science being planned by the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS). In this month's newsletter, they are advertising for a fall intern (see ad below):
COPUS is seeking an intern to start fall 2008 assisting with the development of the Year of Science Web site and promotions. Internship is part-time with flexible hours and location. Interested candidates should submit resume to Sheri Potter at spotter@copusproject.org.

This might be the perfect opportunity for an Eckerd student. To learn more about COPUS, and the Year of Science project, visit their site: http://www.copusproject.org/

If you are interested in the August newsletter, let me know and I will forward it on to you.

Never been to Pee Wee's playhouse

For the 11th year, Beloit College has released their mindset list, which details some of the experiences the incoming freshmen as a whole have experienced or not. Beloit describes this group as follows:

It is a multicultural, politically correct and “green” generation that has hardly noticed the threats to their privacy and has never feared the Russians and the Warsaw Pact.

...and they could have Harry Potter as a classmate...


To see the entire list, visit: http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2012.php

Hurricane Room at MOSI

For many of our new Freshmen, I expect the evacuation and canceled classes of the last two days were your first brush with a hurricane or tropical storm. Possibly you were freaked out before the storm and maybe a little disappointed afterward when Fay swerved across the state and didn't even bother us with a few raindrops.

So you may be wondering what a hurricane is like. If so, take some time to visit MOSI (the Museum of Science and Industry) in Tampa. Among other cool exhibits, MOSI features a Gulf Coast Hurricane Room that allows you to experience 74 mph winds. In addition, MOSI has a planetarium, a flight simulator, and an IMAX Dome Theater (way cooler than regular IMAX theaters), and more. Check out the new exhibits and events (like opening night party for The Dark Knight at the DOME theater).

Mars library a gift to future explorers

Mars as taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Photo Credit: NASA, Dr. Nicholas Short's Remote Sensing Tutorial.

When I was in library school, an administration class had us creating our own libraries, that is, collection development, writing position descriptions, working with budgets, describing mission, etc. A friend and fellow graduate assistant created a library in space. It was generally known as the most far out (no pun intended) and clever library planned in the class, at least in my time at USF. However, it was also considered by some to be the least likely to ever exist. As of today, though, Mars will play host to a library of earthly creations. The Planetary Society has created the Vision of Mars library on DVD, which traveled to the planet on the rover Phoenix. The press release from the Planetary Society has information about the contents and purpose of the library.

Friday Fun: Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics

The weather is gorgeous, my office smells like gardenias (courtesy of another professor), and all in all, it is a day to enjoy life, possibly through some harmless mocking. Enter Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics. This site--and as of December 2007, a book--examine the plausibility of action seen in movies. The authors, self-proclaimed technonerds, have developed a simple rating system:

GP = Good physics in general



PGP = Pretty good physics (just enough flaws to be fun)



PGP-13 = Children under 13 might be tricked into thinking the physics were pretty good; parental guidance is suggested



RP = Retch



XP = Obviously physics from an unknown universe



NR = Unrated. When a movie is obviously a parody, fantasy, cartoon or is clearly based on a comic book it can't be rated but may still have some interesting physics worth discussing.

Newer movies are reviewed individually in addition to treatises on generally bad movies physics, such as explosions, laser beams, flashing bullets, etc.

Not without educational merit, the site also offers information on movie physics in the classroom and recommendations for people interested in studying basic physics on their own (i.e., adults who never took physics or at least don't remember actually taking physics, and now wish they did).

Get together with your physics study group this weekend, choose a good physics movie to watch, and discuss those concepts that are sure to show up on your upcoming final exams.

Happy 100 Posts!

This is my one hundredth blog posting! I am very pleased with the blog so far. I have a few subscribers, and more importantly, I get a fair number of hits every day (~15-20). I write this blog solely for the Natural Science students and faculty at Eckerd so I am continually surprised by hits from places as far away as South Africa. This month, my location statistics show visitors from the following locations:

Alluvia + Ann Arbor + Auburndale + Bethesda + Bronx + Calcutta + Chandler + Cloverdale + Columbia + Columbus + Corpus Christi + Dallas + Denver + Duluth + Fairfax + Fort Collins + Fort Lauderdale + Greensboro + Halifax + Houston + Istanbul + Kettering + Knoxville + Lethbridge + Los Angeles + Marquette + Miami + Minneapolis + New Delhi + New Westminster + New York + Oakland + Orlando + Palmetto + Parkersburg + Pécs + Raleigh + Rancho + Cucamonga + Riyadh + Saint Petersburg + Saint-Orens-de-Gameville + San Diego + San Leandro + Seattle + Silver Spring + Toronto + Tyler + Uniontown + Whitefield + Woods Cross

Here are some blog facts:

• Month after month the most read posts are Science Tattoos and Vote for the Cutest Baby Animals. Tattoos and baby animals generate big love.
• The strangest comment I have gotten so far is by anti-war protester. I am not sure which organization refused to let Ron Paul speak. His comment was after a post on Thomson ISI, but maybe he meant Eckerd. However, to my knowledge, no candidates spoke at Eckerd. Also, just to clarify, anti-war protester says "You call yourself a scientist." I do not call myself a scientist. I am a librarian, a librarian for the Natural Sciences, true, but that does not make me a scientist. ;)
  
• I know it's a small world because Professor Grove mentioned that I wrote a post about a former professor of his, Orville L. Chapman, in the post Peer review for students.
• I was very excited when Reuven Walder, Director for The Marine Photobank, thanked me for a "fantastic summary" on the Marine Photobank in the post, Marine photos available for educational use. Coincidentally, this month that post had 40 views, up 54% from last month.
  

Happy Pi Day!

The math community worldwide celebrates 3/14 as Pi Day. In honor of this event, I present some Eckerd Library resources on that famous number, pi. Don't forget to join Prof. Kerr and colleagues in Sheen Lobby for fun activities and delicious fruit pie...mmmm...pie...

BOOKS

1/pi to 1.000.000 digits calculated by Yasumasa Kanada.
Available through NetLibrary

A history of [pi] by Petr Beckmann. Call Number QA 484 B4 1971

A history of the circle : mathematical reasoning and the physical universe by Ernest Zebrowski, Jr. Call Number Q 176 .Z42 1999

Computation of Pi by William Leonard Schaaf. Call Number QA 7 .S372 v.7

Nature and history of Pi by William Leonard Schaaf Call Number QA 7 .S372 v.6

Number [pi] by Pierre Eymard, Jean-Pierre Lafon; translated by Stephen S. Wilson. Call Number QA 484 .E9613 2004

Number Pi by Scott Hemphill. Available through NetLibrary

Pi, a source book edited by Lennart Berggren, Jonathan Borwein, Peter Borwein. Call Number QA 484 .P5 2004

Pi-unleashed by Jorg Arndt, Christoph Haenel; translated from the German by Catriona and David Lischka. Call Number QA 484 .A7513 2001

VIDEOS
Porridge, pulleys and pi: two mathematical journeys. Ask at Circulation Desk

ONLINE, WORLD WIDE WEB
Pi from Mathworld Encyclopedia, contains links to many references

Friday Fun: The T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. Project

During a strenuous exam period, two students at Rice University set up a number of experiments entitled
Tests
With
Inorganic
Noxious
Kakes
In
Extreme
Situations.

Using the well-known snack cake, Christopher Scott Gouge and Todd William Stadler conduct numerous tests:

• Rapid Oxidation Test
• Solubility Test
• Maximum Density Test
• Resistivity Test
• Gravitational Response Test
• Radiation Test
• Turing Test

Check it out!

Make 2009 a Year of Science

Polls indicate that national scientific literacy is low in the United States. In an effort to engage and teach the public about scientific activities and research, the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) was formed between universities and colleges, scientific organizations, businesses, media, and museums and libraries. The group is planning the 2009 Year of Science showcase as part of their effort.

Local participants include the Science Center of Pinellas County and the Pinellas County Environmental Land Division. Some planned activities for the year include the following:

• AAPT High School Physics Photo Contest
• Cafe Scientifique
• Darwin Day
• Launch of the Understanding Science Web site

COPUS is looking for more participants and events to make this a real national occasion. I think it would be excellent if NAS registers any events that they have planned, and perhaps even plan some events in conjunction with other local participants.

The Elements Song--Animated

I am thrilled that so many classes are coming to see me this semester. Unfortunately, it also means I have been spending a lot more time planning than blogging! I promise to have so more substantial blog posts soon, but to entertain you for now, visit Mike Stanfill's animated version of Tom Lehrer's Elements song. It's catchy and fun!

Welcome Back!

Photo from Princess of llyr

Best of luck in the Spring Semester!!

Happy Holidays

Season's Greetings and
a Happy New Year!

Like the rest of the college, the library is closing down until January 2. I will be out until January 14 because I will be going to Dallas, Texas, in the beginning of January for an NCBI course on Molecular Biology Information Sources. The blog will be on hiatus until then (unless I get some incredible news that has to be spread immediately). Have a safe and festive break!

Arsole, Dickite, and Erotic Acid...Oh my!

It's been a while since we've had a Fun Friday entry, so today I bring you Molecules with Silly or Unusual Names. Dr. Paul May from the University of Bristol has collected three Web pages worth of unusual molecule names. Many have equally amusing pictures illustrating the silliness. However, in addition, with the right plug-ins the 3-D structure files for the molecules can be downloaded.

Happy Halloween From NSF (and me)

Happy Halloween, Eckerd!

It's a grey, windy day, perfect for this spooky night. The National Science Foundation has put together a "ghoulish" newsletter. Find out why we like scary movies, how to be eco-friendly for Halloween, and the truth behind monsters.

The house that Flickr built

This Friday I bring you a super cool demo for an application under development called Photosynth. Microsoft Labs architect, Blaise Aguera y Arcas, demonstrates how Photosynth reconstructed a three-dimensional model of Notre Dame using photos from Flickr.

Vote for the cutest baby animals

For a little Friday cheer, take a minute to check out LiveScience.com's cute baby animals. Take the opportunity to see a baby anteater, porcupine, and panda. C'mon, who doesn't love baby animals?