The Scout Report -- Volume 16, Number 20

Internet Scout is pleased to announce the latest issue of the AMSER Science Reader Monthly. The AMSER SRM provides readers with a useful online collection of information about a particular topic related to applied math and science by combining freely available articles from popular journals with curriculum, learning objects, and websites from the AMSER portal. The topic of this month's AMSER Science Reader Monthly is Air Pollution and can be found by visiting the AMSER site here: http://www.amser.org/ASRM-201005.html Those wishing to view all of the past issues of the AMSER Science Reader Monthly can click here: http://www.amser.org/AMSER--ScienceReader.php

http://www.eclac.cl/cgi-bin/getProd.asp?xml=/publicaciones/xml/0/37840/P37840.xml&xsl=/dds/tpl-i/p9f.xsl&base=/tpl-i/top-bottom.xslt

Every year, the United Nations' Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) publishes a report that comments on various aspects of the region's social well-being. To do this, they rely on a number of researchers with experience in the area who look at poverty trends and income distribution, with a keen eye towards trends in social spending and how the respective states in the region can address the population's welfare. This 64-page report was released at the end of 2009, and it includes a brief summary and six chapters. The chapter titles include "Poverty and inequality in the context of the economic crisis" and "Public policies and the care crisis: alternatives and initiatives". The report is well-written, and persons with an interest in international relations, public health, and social policy will find the report very useful. [KMG]

http://www.teachengineering.org/

The TeachEngineering website is the delightful result of a productive collaboration between faculty, students and teachers at five universities working with the American Society for Engineering Education. The funds for this project came from the National Science Foundation's National Science Digital Library (NSDL) initiative. The website contains a diverse set of standards-based engineering curricula that can be used by K-12 teachers and engineering faculty to make the world of applied science and math engaging and edifying. First-time visitors can use the "Browse" function to look over materials organized into divisions that include "activities", "lessons", "subject areas", and "educational standards". Also, visitors can perform their own detailed keyword searches, and they shouldn't miss the "K-12 Engineering" section to learn about how these materials can be used and the basic philosophy behind the website. The "Get Involved" area provides information for those teachers that might wish to submit their own resources, or review potential materials for future inclusion. [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and science visit Scout's sister site - AMSER, the Applied Math and Science Educational Repository at http://amser.org.

http://www.aapt.org/index.cfm

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) was created in 1930, and their primary vision is "to be the leader in physics education." Over the years, they have expanded their vision and they remain interested in improving the pedagogical skills and physics knowledge of teachers at all levels and increasing the diversity and numbers of physics teachers and students. The homepage offers opportunities for interested parties to connect with the AAPT via various social media networks and a list of thematic sections, including "Teaching", "Students", and "Careers". Some of the materials on the site are only available to AAPT members, but the "Resources" area has many publicly available materials. The materials here include reviews of high school physics texts, video guides, and articles like "Preparing High School Physics Teachers". Additionally, the site also includes links to AAPT partner websites and email discussion lists. [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and science visit Scout's sister site - AMSER, the Applied Math and Science Educational Repository at http://amser.org.

http://www.crt.state.la.us/archaeology/

The Louisiana Division of Archaeology is part of the state's Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. Their website offers a multitude of resources, including their homepage "What Do I Do if...?" section that helps those in Louisiana who might find artifacts on their property, an archaeological site, or an old burial site. Another helpful guide on their homepage is the "Are you looking for information about" section. Visitors should take a look at the "free books about Louisiana archaeology" to see the available books that can ordered for free, or just read directly from the site. Some of the titles include "Indian Mounds of Northeast Louisiana: A Driving Trail Guide", "El Nuevo Constante", and "Poverty Point". Visitors will enjoy the interactive "Los Adaes Site Explorer", at the bottom of the page, which highlights the Spanish mission built in the early 1700s to protect land that is now Texas, Florida, and Mexico. [KMG]

http://www.carnegiemnh.org/anthro/hartman/index.htm

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History's website is dedicated to the first curator of the Museum, Carl V. Hartman. The site highlights Hartman's life and work, with special focus on his work in Costa Rica, and the Costa Rican collection at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Visitors unfamiliar with Hartman's work, will find an excellent "Timeline" of his significant moments in his professional life, including his introduction to Costa Rican artifacts at the "1893 World's Colombian Exposition". This introduction inspired him to work for the Carnegie Museum, and it helped cement his desire to study anthropology on a full-time basis. Visitors looking for similar inspiration should check out the "Links" at the end of the 1893 entry, to find three websites about the World's Colombian Exposition. The "Gallery" has some photos of the excavation sites at Chinchilla, Costa Rica, along with Hartman and some of his colleagues, including his Costa Rican field assistant. [KMG]

http://www.loc.gov/law/find/court-nominations.php

This website from the Law Library of Congress provides a great deal of insight into the Supreme Court nominating process, including "Nomination Documents" of those "Confirmed" and "Not Confirmed". There is a chart in each of the previously mentioned sections which includes the date of nomination, date of confirmation or other result, the available nomination "documents" and who they were nominated by and who they replaced. Some of the nomination documents available are "Floor Debates", "Floor Vote", "Hearings", "Senate Floor Statements", and "Executive Report", although they are not all available for all justices at this time. The "Selected Resources" section lists recent Supreme Court nominees, some who were confirmed, and some who were not. Clicking on each nominee will provide a set of links that provide different resources for each nominee; resources include "Articles/books by", "Congressional Documents", and even "Video" of some of the nominees featured here. [KMG]

http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/aztec/index.html

The glory that was Rome and the culture of the Aztecs were never closer than in this remarkable online exhibit created by the J. Paul Getty Museum. This website was created to complement the in situ exhibit, which was developed to celebrate the bicentennial of Mexican Independence and "explores the parallels between two great empires the Aztec and the Roman." Visitors can look at a slideshow of the exhibition and also learn more about the Aztecs via an interactive map. Perhaps the finest feature on the site is the feature that allows users to explore the stories behind two important Aztec deities. Moving on, visitors can explore six scenes from the invaluable Florentine Codex. The Codex was compiled by the Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagn (1499-1590), who directed a 30-year project to describe the Aztec and their religious, cultural, and social practices. Finally, the materials on the site are available in Spanish and there's a listing of events related to the exhibition. [KMG]

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/

The mission of NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration includes providing "scientific and technical support to prepare for and respond to oil and chemical releases", along with working to protect and restore marine and coastal ecosystems. On the homepage, visitors will find the "Current News" area a good place to start. Here they can learn about current response situations and some of the Office's most recent publications. Over on the left-hand side of the page visitors will find four colored boxes that serve as the markers for the "Emergency Response", "Pollutants in the Environment", "Serving Communities", and "Natural Resource Restoration" sections. Within each area, visitors can read fact sheets, check out technical reports, and also learn about the Office's current readiness plans. Overall, this site is a fine resource for anyone involved in emergency response strategies or fields related to oceanography. [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and science visit Scout's sister site - AMSER, the Applied Math and Science Educational Repository at http://amser.org.

http://lindsay.mcny.org/

As the 103rd mayor of New York City from 1965 to 1973, John V. Lindsay had to contend with increased crime, a major strike by public transit employees, and racial unrest. This online exhibit from the Museum of the City of New York complements the physical exhibit at the Museum. On the site, visitors can read about Lindsay's time in office, watch his campaign commercials, and look through several photo essays. Visitors can start their journey by clicking on the "Who Was John Lindsay?" area. Here they will find several introductory essays on his life, along with links to personal recollections from his friends and associates. Moving on, "Lindsay's New York" offers a portrait of New York in the late 1960s and 1970s, and visitors can't help but feel drawn into this tumultuous time via the photo galleries and remembrances from people like fellow mayor Rudy Giuliani. The site is rounded out by an excellent "Resources" area, which includes articles, books, and videos. [KMG]

http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/Stockbridge/

In 1964, the University of Idaho Library received a collection of over 200,000 nitrocellulose and glass plate negatives taken by Nellie Stockbridge and one T.N. Barnard. Barnard was the founder of a prominent photo studio in Wallace, Idaho, and he ran the establishment for ten years until 1898, when he sold it to Nellie Stockbridge. Both individuals had a keen interest in the environment around them, and as such, they documented floods, tree lines, fires, and shots of town life. The University of Idaho Library has placed over 700 of these images online here, and visitors can browse around at their leisure, or perform a keyword search across the items. The photos provide an excellent visual record of this late 19th century environment, and also serve as a record of environment degradation and land use patterns. [KMG]

http://www.virginia.edu/vpr/sustain/BayGame/

The Chesapeake Bay watershed extends over six states, and all told, some 27 million residents live in the area covered by the watershed. The University of Virginia has a keen interest in the watershed area, and this website provides information about their sustainability simulation project which is designed to look at the long and short term future of this particular ecosystem. The simulation allows players "to take the roles of stakeholders, such as farmers, local policy-makers, watermen, and developers, make decisions about their livelihoods and professional expertise, and see the impacts of these decisions on the watershed and on each other over a twenty-year period." The website provides information about the simulation, along with materials on the different simulation events and the participating groups. Users can get started by reading the "About the Game" area, and then look over the "Bay Resources" area. Here they will find links to organizations such as The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and interactive maps of the Chesapeake. The site is rounded out by a collection of links to news and media coverage of the simulation. [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and science visit Scout's sister site - AMSER, the Applied Math and Science Educational Repository at http://amser.org.

http://ir.brandeis.edu/handle/10192/5

Honor Daumier is celebrated as one of the most trenchant social critics of the modern age. Through the use of the lithograph, he created works which offered commentary on the heady atmosphere of 19th century France. Brandeis University is the home of one of the major collections of his work in the United States, and this digital collection offers over 3,800 items from this trove. The digitization of these works was made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the works were originally donated by Benjamin and Julia Trustman. Visitors can browse the collection by title, subject, or date, and they are also encouraged to create their own search string. To get a sense of the offerings here, new users can start by viewing the lithographs that deal with subjects such as actors, politicians, and Paris. [KMG]

http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=collection_podcasts

Author readings, lectures, discussions, and library events are the focus of the podcasts available from the Seattle Public Library's website. The website has several different categories of podcasts, which can be accessed on the left hand side of the "Library Collection Podcasts" homepage. The categories include "Teens Podcast", which are recorded for teens by teens, the "Central Library Tour Podcast" and "Audio for Library Professionals". Some of the podcasts for teens include Ben Huh's "Lessons Learned from the World of LOLCats, FAILS and Other Blunders". The Teen Center Advisors, a volunteer group of 14-18 year old high school students chosen to "help shape programs and services for teens...and also create and post these podcasts", offers several podcasts. These podcasts bring to light teens' perspectives on library budget cuts, how teens choose what to read, whether teens should be forced to read the classics in high school, and who should decide what books are considered classics. [KMG]

http://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/

The Office of the Native American Liaison works with the United States government and tribal officials of federally recognized tribes across the United States to work on conservation efforts for fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats. The "Tribal Wildlife Grants" (TWG), located on the menu on the left hand side of the menu, offered by the United States government, are highly competitive and afford Native Americans the opportunity to compete for grants that "provide technical and financial assistance to Tribes for the development and implementation of programs that benefit fish and wildlife resources and their habitat." The necessary documents to apply for the TWG's grants are located in the small green box on the right side of the page, and helpfully, include format recommendations and a "Sample TWG Grant". The "News for Tribes" section includes items of national interest and resource highlights. Also available here are applicable treaties and laws as well as links to the history of the relationship between the United States government and North American Indian Tribes. In addition, visitors may want to check out their publications on everything from endangered species to kids and nature. [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and science visit Scout's sister site - AMSER, the Applied Math and Science Educational Repository at http://amser.org.

http://www.nchealthinfo.org/

The North Carolina Health Info website is helpful with connecting the people of North Carolina to the health services they need, in their local area. The tab "Local Services" has the "Go Local" feature that provides websites of local healthcare providers, services and programs. NC Health Info was the "first resource of its kind to link local health services with corresponding information from MedlinePlus, the consumer health site maintained by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health." On the site, visitors can also use the "Health Topics" area to learn about everything from military health to health care. Each of these sections includes fact sheets, interactive quizzes, peer-reviewed materials, and other relevant resources. Also, visitors can read over the "Today's Health News" section to get the latest updates on crucial health topics that have made the headlines. [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and science visit Scout's sister site - AMSER, the Applied Math and Science Educational Repository at http://amser.org.

http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2010/christo/

A curtain of glowing white nylon that winds across the brown earth until it disappears where the land meets the blue sky - this is what images of Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, an installation artwork created by Christo and Jeanne-Claude depict. Running Fence, stretched 24 1/2 miles through Sonoma and Marin counties in California to end in the Pacific Ocean, was the project of two people, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, for 2 weeks in September 1976. The work had far reaching effects on many people, and has lived on in both memory and documentation. In 2008, the Smithsonian American Art Museum acquired the archives of Running Fence, and "Remembering the Running Fence" presents more than 350 objects selected from the archive. On the website, visitors can view a slideshow with comments where California residents talk about their experience with the fence; read a blog interview with Christo; and peruse hundreds of maps, photographs, and documents including the Environmental Impact Report, which is the first ever created for a work of art. [DS]

http://www.digitalvolcano.co.uk

If you have a number of unwanted files on your computer, who might want to check out Duplicate Cleaner 1.4.5. With its eminently sensible user interface, visitors can have the program search for duplicate files across various drives and locations. After the application is completed with this task, users will be asked what they would like to do with these files. This version is compatible with computers running Windows 2000 and newer. [KMG]

http://www.scribus.net/index.php

For those whom might fashion themselves as the 21st century equivalent of Woodward and Bernstein, Scribus Portable is well worth a look. The program brings professional page layout to a variety of operating systems, and it also support additional features such as pdf creation and color management. Additionally, the website includes a number of video tutorials and notes on installation troubleshooting and creating effective text frames. This version is compatible with computers running Linux, Mac OS X 10.3 and newer, and Windows 2000 and XP. [KMG]

Battery recharges debate about U.S. manufacturing
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/feed/ct-biz-0516-green-manufacture--20100516-5,0,5228958,full.story

Can the manufacturing industry create jobs while 'greening' the environment?
http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/Green-Economics/2010/0510/Can-the-manufacturing-industry-create-jobs-while-greening-the-environment

Investing in our Clean Energy Economy
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/05/seam_act.html

New England Economic Indicators
http://www.bos.frb.org/economic/neei/neei.htm

Factory Tours USA
http://www.factorytoursusa.com/

Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
http://www.nps.gov/sair/index.htm

What is the future of manufacturing in the United States? Some might say that is largely predicated on the high-end market, with a focus on specialty goods, whether specific types of manufactured steel or sneakers. For the most part, many pundits have written off certain sectors, such as high-end electronics and batteries, due to the movement of factories to various parts of Asia. There is hope on the horizon, however, and it comes from Yet-Ming Chiang, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Chiang has been working on a battery that can be used by electric cars, various tools, and other important devices. His company, A123 systems, has had a hard time finding factories that can make these batteries in the United States. While A123 had to give in and build its first several plants in China, the company is currently finishing up a plant near Detroit that will open in June 2010. In a recent interview, Professor Chiang said, "I'm an American citizen. We're an American company. It's an American-born technology." A123 challenges the view that the U.S. economy can prosper even when manufacturing moves overseas, as long as Americans produce the best research and ideas for high-value products. However, often big manufacturing complexes devoted to a single industry, can act as magnets for research and development facilities. Matt Rogers, a senior advisor to the Secretary of Energy, believes "Too often we've done the innovation, and we've outsourced the manufacturingThat's where A123 becomes important." [KMG]

The first link will take users to an article that appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Sunday which talks about Professor Chiang and his work. The second link leads to a piece from the Christian Science Monitor which talks about "green" manufacturing in the United States. Moving on, the third link leads to a thoughtful bit of commentary from Richard W. Caperton, Sima J. Gandhi, and Kate Gordon on "green" manufacturing in China, offered via the Center for American Progress. The fourth link leads to a timely set of research papers and updates on the state of the New England economy, courtesy of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Those persons looking to peer into the contemporary state of American manufacturing (green or otherwise) will find inspiration via the Factory Tours website. Here they can learn about interesting factory tours that take place all over the United States. The sixth and final link will take interested parties to the homepage of the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, which provides great insight into the earliest days of industrial manufacturing in the United States.