The Scout Report -- Volume 23, Number 7

The Chicago Design Archive (CDA) offers an extensive digitized archive of design excellence created in Chicago between 1927 and 2002. Chicago has a long history of graphic design; throughout the first half of the twentieth century, the city was home to the Society of Typographic Arts (founded in 1927), the 27 Chicago Designers (founded in 1936), and the New Bauhaus (founded in 1937). Design researchers, students, and enthusiasts are encouraged to browse the CDA in a number of ways. Design experts may want to explore the collection by Designer or Firm, while those interested in exploring the evolution of design over the twentieth century may prefer to browse the collection by Date. This section may especially appeal to art history or social studies instructors, as it provides a simple and engaging way to learn about the prominence and relative influence of a variety of design movements and styles. Visitors may also choose to explore the CDA's rich collection by project type, including Identity (brand logos), Environment (outdoor signs and urban architecture), and Print. [MMB]

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The University of Colorado Boulder, with support from the National Science Foundation, has compiled this helpful collection of resources for teaching and learning chemical engineering. Created by CU faculty, these resources are organized into four categories: Screencasts, Interactive Simulations, Student Resources, and Instructor Resources. In Screencasts, visitors will find a series of short YouTube videos addressing topics that range from Fluid Mechanics to Process Control to Thermodynamics. These short videos could be used to enhance classroom instruction, or to provide a helpful study tool for students to use outside of the classroom. Meanwhile, the Interactive Simulations section features a variety of tools and demonstrations that aim to help students better understand concepts such as heat transfer and the impact of windchill on skin temperatures. (Note: these interactives require users to use Wolfram Demonstrations based browser plug-ins or to download the Wolfram CDF player). Instructors will find assessments and a course packet for teaching Thermodynamics in the Instructor Resources section, while students can access a number of study aides, along with general advice about studying, in Student Resources. [MMB]

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Math Mornings is a Yale University lecture series "aimed at bringing the joy and variety of mathematics to students and their families." Fortunately for those of us who can't travel to New Haven to attend these stimulating lectures, they are also available on YouTube. Featuring Yale faculty and visiting scholars alike, these hour-long lectures are designed to share mathematics concepts and projects in a way that is accessible to the general public (most lectures are designed with the assumption that the audience has a seventh grade understanding of mathematics). For example, in one recent lecture, Assistant Professor Jessi Cisewski discusses astro statistics, a subfield of statistics that uses mathematical methods to better understand the cosmos. In another recent lecture, What's the Biggest Number You Can Think Of?, Tarik Aougab of Brown University discusses how mathematicians talk about and use large numbers. While these lectures are enjoyable to listen to on their own, they would also make an excellent addition to any mathematics classroom. [MMB]

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Nearly two dozen prominent history scholars have collaborated to create the Immigration Syllabus, a rich collection of resources for teaching America's immigration history. Published by the University of Minnesota (home of the Immigration History Research Center) and co-sponsored by the Immigration and Ethnic History Society, the Immigration Syllabus is a carefully curated collection of primary and secondary sources. Collectively, these resources illuminate the voluntary and forced migrations of people to the United States from the colonial era through the present day. This online syllabus is chronologically arranged into fifteen weeks, each centering on a key theme or question. Weekly themes include Why Study Immigration?; Mass Migration and the Rise of Federal Immigration Law; and Family, Gender, and Sexuality. Within each weekly section visitors will find hyperlinks to suggested readings and resources, many of which are digitized and freely available online. This collaborative project may be of special interest to history researchers and instructors working in higher education or advanced high school settings. [MMB]

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The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) recently released a 42-page report evaluating how U.S. students performed on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Created in 2000 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), PISA is "a system of international assessments that allows countries to compare outcomes of learning as students near the end of compulsory schooling." In this report, readers can learn more about how PISA assesses student skills and how American students in particular performed on this test. Visitors may especially be interested in a series of tables and graphs that appear on pages 17 through 26 of the report. In this section, readers can see how American students' scores compared to the scores of students in 69 other countries and regions in each of the four measured subject areas. [MMB]

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On January 11, 1891 in Lincoln, Nebraska, John Sheedy, a real estate developer - and owner of an illegal casino - was struck in the head by an unknown man wielding a steal cane. Sheedy initially survived the attack but died later that night after his wife, Mary, gave him a cup of coffee that some came to believe she had poisoned. What followed was a highly contentious court case that divided the growing city of Lincoln. In 2001, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) history professor Timothy Mahoney penned an article about this fascinating case and what it reveals about the history of Lincoln. As Mahoney's article highlights, the Sheedy murder centered on issues of race, gender, class, urbanization, and "city boosterism." More recently, Mahoney, the UNL Center for Digital Research in the Humanities, and a team of library specialists and student assistants created this fascinating website dedicated to the case and its historical significance. Visitors new to the site may want to start with the Timeline of Events. Visitors may also explore a number of spatial narratives, or key components of the case organized geographically. Through newspaper clippings, legal documents, and other artifacts related to the case, this website provides an excellent exhibition of the craft and significance of historical research. [MMB]

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For over seventy years, the Melville Society has been cultivating scholarship and discussion about Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick and other famous works of literature. On its website, American literature instructors and enthusiasts will find a number of resources of interest. One key contribution to literary scholarship is Leviathan: A Journal of Melville Studies, which the society publishes three times a year. In the Publications section of this website, visitors can explore select current and past issues of Leviathan available via Project Muse. In addition, visitors will also find the complete, digitized archives of the Melville Society Extracts, a precursor to Leviathan published between 1969 and 2005. In addition to the Society's various publications, readers should be sure to check out the Research section, which contains links to a handful of helpful online resources for teaching and learning about Melville's work. [MMB]

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In the United States during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was not unusual for newspapers to publish Bible verses. Nor was it uncommon for journalists to cite the Bible in their editorials or make biblical references in their articles. Lincoln Mullen, a historian of religion at George Mason University, created this website to illuminate the role of the Bible in the American press and popular culture. First, Mullen analyzed the newspapers available in the Library of Congress's extensive Chronicling America collection. Then, he used machine learning to identify biblical quotations in these newspapers. (Those interested in learning more about Mullen's process can do so via the Sources & Methods Section). With this information, Mullen identified the 1,700 most commonly quoted verses and created a number of engaging visualizations with this information. Visitors to this website can explore Mullen's research in a variety of ways. In Explore the Quotations, visitors can manipulate an interactive graph to see the prominence of biblical quotations across a number of themes. In Topics & Verses, visitors can explore charts of the most common quotations by decade along with a visualization of biblical passages frequently quoted together. As Mullen explains: "By looking at uses of the Bible in newspapers, we can see which parts of the Bible were in common currency among Americans, as well as the range of interpretations that were given to those verses." [MMB]

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How have the designs of Valentine's Day greeting cards changed? Do these cards represent social and cultural changes throughout American history? In honor of Valentine's Day, the Digital Public LIbrary offers this collection to help shine light on these questions and more. Here readers will find over 7,000 digitized images of Valentine's Day cards along with photographs, art, and a number of other items related to Valentine's Day. This collection includes items from a number of universities, libraries, and other institutions around the United States. Included in this collection are a number of Valentine's Day postcards from the early twentieth century; an intriguing photograph, courtesy of the Boston Public Library, of automobiles engulfed in snow after the 1940 Valentine's Day Blizzard; and an 1884 invitation to the "Grand Reception and Valentine's Day Party" in Raleigh, North Carolina. Visitors may also enjoy a number of photographs of school children celebrating Valentine's Day throughout history [MMB]

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Edmund Blair Bolles (author of books including So Much to Say and Einstein Defiant: Genius versus Genius in the Quantum Revolution is the author of Babel's Dawn, a blog dedicated to the origins of speech. On this blog, Bolles, who authored a book with the same title, regularly posts about new research on the origins of language, alongside his own personal musings. For example, in one post Bolles reports on a study, recently published in Science, about the vocal cords of monkeys and about what this study can tell us about how humans developed language. In another recent entry, Bolles reflects on the fact that all major languages include a transitive clause. And in Bolles's most recent entry (as of this write-up), Bolles discusses the publication of Embodiment in Evolution and Culture, a new book that explores the role of the body and the senses in culture. Babel's Dawn provides readers with a great way to stay up-to-date on research and developments related to linguistics and related fields. [MMB]

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On February 7, 2017, physician and statistician Hans Rosling passed away at the age of 68. Rosling was renowned for not only his expertise in public health and statistics, but also for his ability to engage audiences with a variety of scientific topics via colorful presentations. (In addition to his scientific and mathematical expertise, Rosling also happened to be a sword-swallower). In 2013, education blogger Larry Ferlazzo compiled this list of The Best Hans Rosling Videos, which include TED Talks and short videos produced for The Guardian and BBC News. Rosling's talks often deal with the intersections of science and social science, addressing topics such as population growth, climate change, and the importance of electricity to public health. Readers may particularly enjoy Rosling's frequent use of props (including butternut squash and snowballs) and humor to make his lectures more engaging and accessible. [MMB]

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During the Enlightenment, John Locke, Rene Descartes, Immanuel Kant, and numerous others wrote some of the most influential philosophical texts. This same time period, according to the authors of this digital collection from the Stanford University Libraries, "also witnessed a surprising fascination with ancient mythologies, alchemy, divine arcana, and secret societies." Created by Dan Edelstein and Sarah Sussman, this website is dedicated to this oft-overlooked aspect of the eighteenth century, which they term the Super- Enlightenment. Visitors with reading knowledge of French can read 36 texts authored between the years 1716 and 1835 that illustrate characteristics of the Super-Enlightenment. For those not fluent in French, there are other ways to learn more about this fascinating time period; in the Bio-bibliographical essays section of the Authors tab, visitors will find nine scholar-authored essays about Super-Enlightenment thinkers and their ideas. [MMB]

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How concerned is the average American about a cyberattack? How many Americans have personally experienced breaches of cybersecurity? Do Americans trust the federal government to protect them from cyberattacks? Do they trust social network sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to protect their cybersecurity? In January 2017, the Pew Research Center released a 43-page report investigating American perspectives on issues of cybersecurity. This particular study is part of a multi-part series by Pew examining American attitudes towards online privacy and safety. Based on a survey of 1,040 adults in the United States, this report reveals that almost half of all Americans (49%) "feel that their personal information is less secure that it was five years ago." The survey also investigated the steps that Americans take to protect their personal data from cyberattacks. Interested readers may download the complete report (available in PDF format) from this website. [MMB]

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Each year, the American Birding Association (ABA) names a Bird of the Year in order to help birding enthusiasts become more familiar with the various birds they may encounter in North America. This year, the ABA has selected the Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres), a shorebird that can be found along the coasts of northern Canada and Alaska in the summer, and along the shores of California, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America in the winter. The ABA notes that during the springtime, the Ruddy Turnstone can also be found in the state of Delaware, the current home of the ABA. In fact, the Ruddy Turnstone is one of few birds that live in all continents excepting Antarctica. Want to find out more about this Bird of the Year? The ABA has compiled this helpful collection of facts and links to outside resources dedicated to this bird, recognizable by its "striking black and white pattern on head and neck, rusty back and wings, white underparts, and bright orange legs and feet" along with its "bubbly chatter." These outside resources include audio and video recordings of the Ruddy Turnstone and maps of their migration patterns. [MMB]

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The Library of Congress's Charles E. Feinberg Collection is home to an impressive 28,000 items related to poet Walt Whitman. These items include personal correspondence, drafts of poetry and essays, and a fascinating collection of Memorabilia, including the poet's spectacles and watch. Fortunately, many of the the items in this collection, which was acquired by the Library of Congress between 1952 and 2011, are now digitized. The Charles E. Feinberg Collection has been arranged into ten different series, which visitors may browse on this site. These series include Family Papers, 1852-1892; Notes and Notebooks, 1847-1891; and Diaries, Diary Notes, and Address Books, 1863-1891. Within each expansive category, Whitman fans can further filter results by date or, at times, by more precise subject tags. A few of the many highlights in this collection include Whitman's diary from the Civil War years; a collection of letters exchanged between Whitman and his niece, Jessie Louisa; and a page from Whitman's 1871 manuscript draft of Democratic Vistas. [MMB]

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In 2011, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Connections project invited museum staff and volunteers to offer their personal opinions on select works of art in the collection. The result? One hundred episodes that feature individual narrative accompanied by about two dozen images to illustrate their topic. For example, Education Chair Peggy Fogelman's four-minute entry is called Bad Hair and discusses the impact of hair styles. Bad Hair objects range from Francois Boucher's 1751 The Toilet of Venus to Roy Lichtenstein's Stepping Out, 1978, with detours to the nineteenth century for Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti's depiction of Lady Lilith's flowing locks and Degas' intimate view of Woman Combing Her Hair. While listening to the narration, readers may view the art on a timeline (In Time), on a map (In the World), and In the Museum, in the order they appear in the feature. An especially fun entry, Date Night by Editorial assistant Nadja Hansen, explains why the Met is a great place for a date. [DS]

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Created by the educational software company PowerSchool, Haiku Learning is a tool that enables educators to build customized webpages for their classrooms. With Haiku Learning, teachers can create assignments, student calendars, and grade books. In addition, teachers may embed content from around the internet (such as YouTube videos, news articles, Google Maps, or podcast) into their classroom website, enabling them to share educational resources with ease. Haiku Learning can also be used to facilitate collaborative learning, as the WikiProjects feature allows group members to easily communicate with one another and share materials. Teachers can download Haiku Learning for five classrooms for free; schools and districts can also purchase unlimited access for an annual cost. [MMB]

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These days, many email users have more than one Gmail account. This can make things a bit tricky when users try to take advantage of Google's productivity and document sharing features, such as Google Drive and Google Calendar. Shift is a desktop application that enables users to quickly and easily switch between Gmail accounts. For example, users can check the Google Calendar on their personal Gmail account while using Google Docs on their professional email account. Shift also provides users with desktop notifications so they can stay up-to-date about new messages, events, or shared materials on both of their accounts. Available for Mac, Windows, and Linux computers, Shift offers a free Basic account for users to toggle between two Gmail/Inbox/Outlook accounts. Users interested in simultaneously using three or more email accounts have the option of purchasing Shift Pro. [MMB]

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