The Scout Report -- Volume 22, Number 37

Since 1998, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project has collected and preserved archival material relating to U.S. women veterans from World War I up to the present. Through the variety of material in its folds, the project explores the cultural, social, and military changes that have been fueled by gender integration in the armed forces. This collection, which includes oral histories, photographs, letters, military insignia, diaries, and published work, highlights women in combat as well as those who worked in service organizations such as the Red Cross. The oral histories here are especially noteworthy, and visitors may enjoy reading the many interview transcripts with World War II veterans, including WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), WAAC (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps), and ANC (Army Nurse Corps) members. These interviews, which give voice to the daily experiences and perspectives of these veterans, would make strong resources for both the K-12 or college classroom. Visitors can search the extensive digitized collection by Era, Branch of Service, Type of Material, or Date. [MMB]

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The self-proclaimed "autodidact math enthusiasts" behind Algebrarules.com write that they were "looking for all the rules of basic algebra presented consistently in one place" but couldn't find one. So they created Algebrarules.com, a sleek and easily browsable online resource for rules of arithmetic, exponents, and radicals. Visitors can browse for rules in these categories by selecting tabs that appear on the bottom of the browser. A Glossary is also available to help math students remember the difference between the divisor and the dividend and look up a number of other terms. Each rule on this website is accompanied by a written explanation and an example. The simplicity and user-friendliness of Algebrarules.com make it an ideal resource to incorporate into the classroom to encourage student independence and collaborative problem solving. Algbebrarules.com may also appeal to anyone looking for help completing assignments outside the classroom or studying for a standardized test. [MMB]

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Digital storytelling in it's many forms - including podcasts, online magazines, and interactive websites - provides Americans with increasingly popular ways to seek out news, commentary, and insights. Storybench, a project from the Media Innovation Program at Northeastern University, is dedicated to sharing and developing "the art and science of digital storytelling." Designed for journalism professionals and students, web designers, and novice coders, Storybench explores the technological, journalistic, and aesthetic techniques of digital journalism through articles, interviews, and online tutorials. Recent Storybench features include a guide to using the data analysis and visualization tool RStudio; an interview with Matthew Jockers, who used RStudio in order to create the Syuzhet package, a unique program that produces "story shapes" to outline the plot of a novel; and an analysis of how to create longform writing that can be easily read on mobile devices. Tutorials available on this site include a variety of map-making techniques. Educators, meanwhile, will want to check out the For Educators tab, which features a variety of workshops and activities designed for the classroom. Interested readers can subscribe to receive email updates. [MMB]

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Earth Science System Data (ESSD) is a free, online, peer reviewed journal that publishes original data sets for other members of the scientific community to use. Edited by and for scientists around the globe, ESSD endeavors to, "make data sets a reliable resource to build upon and to reward the authors by establishing priority and recognition through the impact of their articles." Thus, ESSD hopes to both consolidate and promote open data as well as incentivize the publication of open data. Published since 2009, ESSD is frequently updated and covers all aspects of earth science. Recent articles provide data about the uses of different kinds of nitrogen-based synthetic fertilizer around the globe and about the changes in a Portuguese coastline over the past fifty years. Readers can browse and search through all previously published articles on this website. [MMB]

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A number of collective biographies, which each chronicled the lives of three or more women, were published in the United States and Britain between 1830 and 1940. Aimed at young women, these biographies featured famous women including Joan of Arc, Pocahontas, and Queen Elizabeth along with a number of lesser-known figures. In 2004, University of Virginia English scholar Alison Booth published How to Make It as a Woman: Collective Biographies from Victoria to the Present, analyzing how these "prosopographies" communicated correct moral conduct and, at times, challenged traditional views of femininity in ways that complicate our contemporary understanding of Victorian gender roles. Since 2003, Booth has also collaborated with UVA Libraries and the UVA Department of English to digitize these collective biographies. Visitors can search or browse for a specific biography, check out Featured Subjects, where the biographies of women are grouped with contemporary sources, or explore links to archives and interpretive essays. One highlight of the website is the interactive Pop Chart, which allows users to explore popular biography subjects across time. This chart reveals, for example, that while early biographies focus on religious figures, queens, and revolutionary women, later biographies favor explorations of women in art, literature, and science. [MMB]

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For the middle school educator looking for new ways to improve classroom instruction, MiddleWeb may be a welcome find. Since 1996, the MiddleWeb team has pulled together web resources, book reviews, and interesting blog posts to share with educators, parents, youth workers and others engaged with teaching and learning in grades four through eight. The goal? To create a community space where the voices and insights of educators are easily shared. In addition to five categories of original content (Resource Roundups, Themed Blogs, Guest Articles, Book Reviews, and Interviews), MiddleWeb also offers SmartBriefs as a way to keep readers up-to-date on educational news and practices. These email newsletters, which are delivered three times each week, feature sources from around the web, including the New York Times, Edutopia, and Education Week. [MMB]

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Across a variety of careers and industries, skill standards offer an essential set of expectations that help define what workers need to know and do to succeed. As educators prepare students for their careers of choice, these standards provide an effective framework for developing courses, learning best practices, and identifying industry-specific benchmarks for success. The 2016 Core Skill Standards for Bioscience Technicians Toolkit highlights a set of core technical competencies and skills that are shared across the Bioscience Lab, Biomanufacturing, and Medical Device domains of the bioscience industry. These Skill Standards were developed to answer the question: What do all bioscience technicians need to know and be able to do in order to work in the diverse and ever-changing life science industry? In this 32-page publication, readers will find the complete list of Core skill standards, as well as references to previous sets of bioscience skill standards. [MMB]

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From the Canadian-based Modernist Versions Project, an initiative that promotes the analysis of literature through the development of new digital tools, comes Z-Axis, a mapping tool that enhances the critical study of setting in London-based novels. This innovative tool allows visitors to map out named locations, creating a three dimensional image that highlights frequently discussed sites. Visitors can explore maps created by the team, including Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, E.M. Forster's Howard's End, and Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent. Alternatively, visitors can upload their own .txt files to generate new maps. In addition to the tool itself, readers will find two critical essays that utilize Z-Axis to analyze other works of modernist literature. Meanwhile, educators will want to check out the two lesson plans featured on the site. One facilitates exploration of Mrs. Dalloway; the other allows students to explore H.G. Well's The War of the Worlds, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series, and Virginia Woolf's "Street Hunting: a London Adventure." [MMB]

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Fans of popular writer and New Yorker columnist Malcolm Gladwell - author of The Tipping Point and Outliers - as well as those generally curious about social trends, art, contemporary issues, and history, will want to check out the new podcast, Revisionist History. Gladwell released the first season - ten episodes in total - during the summer of 2016 and will return with more episodes in Spring 2017. Those interested in educational policy may be especially interested that Gladwell's first season features a three-episode series dedicated to questions of human potential and educational opportunity. Other episodes address topics as diverse as Walt Chamberlain's famous underhanded free throw, the role of satire in our political process, and the complex findings from a 1965 Pentagon study in Saigon about the effects of U.S. bombing on North Vietnamese citizens. On this website, visitors can listen to all ten podcasts and check out accompanying resources, including primary documents, videos, and related books. [MMB]

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Published by the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota and authored by science journalists, researchers, and educators across the country, Ensia is an independent, nonprofit magazine that reports on a wide variety of environmental issues and debates. Founded in 2008 as a print magazine (and formerly titled Momentum), Ensia, which stands for Environmental Solutions In Action, expanded in 2013 to include an extensive online component. Here, visitors can peruse a variety of articles, editorials, infographics, multimedia, and interviews. Readers can search for content by Category (e.g. Health, Business, Ecosystems, Technology) or by Section (including Articles, Videos, and Voices - or editorial). Recent articles include a report about ongoing research to identify why some types of soil seem to protect plants from parasites - and the potential environmental benefits about such research; an editorial by the Director of the California Academy of Sciences that argues that the "urban agricultural" movement has environmental drawbacks; and a feature story about Madagascar's ongoing efforts to rid the country of poisonous toads. [MMB]

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Fine Books & Collections is quarterly magazine dedicated to rare books and other publications, including maps and ephemera. On the magazine's blog, which is updated almost daily, visitors can learn about new developments in the world of historical books and check out interviews and book reviews. Recent posts include news about the sale of a rare proof of Sylvia Plath's first poetry collection (accompanied by publisher comments); an interview with David McConochie, who illustrated The Folio Book of Ghost Stories; and information about the long awaited publication of Beatrix Potter's overlooked manuscript Kitty-in Boots. Visitors can browse archived posts by subject, including Bright Young Librarians (a series of interviews with up-and-coming library professionals), Current Events and Trends, and In the News. [MMB]

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Over 5 million Americans of all ages are estimated to have Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behavior. Researchers around the globe are working to find a cure, studying what happens to the brain, how long people can live with the disease, and whether or not it is reversible. From PBS's popular NOVA series comes "Can Alzheimer's Be Stopped?", a documentary that takes a thorough look at the latest theories, efforts, and studies to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. The episode, which originally aired on April 13, 2016, clocks in at just over 50 minutes in length with shorter segments that can easily be integrated into classroom lessons or lectures. In addition to the film, readers will find a Learn More section at the bottom of the page, suggesting related essays and video clips. [MMB]

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Andre Fashion Studios provided clothing designs for a variety of garment makers in the United States and Canada in the mid-twentieth century. Recently, the New York Public Library (NYPL) and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) teamed up to digitize their Andre Studios collections, creating this digital exhibit of drawings and sketches from roughly 1930 to 1941. In doing so, NYPL and FIT aim "to inspire today's designers while also documenting the significant role of New York's fashion industry in the history of 20th-century fashion." Visitors can check out sketches, drawings, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and advertisements, many of which have previously only been available to researchers. This extensive collection of clothing may be browsed by subject (including Jackets, Collars and Yokes). Alternatively, by exploring the NYPL and FIT catalogues separately, visitors are able to browse each collection by year or by name of designer. For those interested in learning more about the history of Andre Fashion Studios, the About This Project tab provides further reading options. [MMB]

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In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick contributed to decades of genomic research when they concluded that the DNA molecule exists in the form of a double-helix. 60 years after this discovery, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) set out to highlight and commemorate the past, present, and future importance of genomics. As one component of an extensive exhibit, the Timeline of the Human Genome takes readers through this fascinating history, from 1865 when Gregor Mendel presented his research on plant hybridization to the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003. Events on the timeline are accompanied by brief descriptions and many provide glossary links to key terms, such as "genomics," "protein," and "DNA." [MMB]

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How We Get to Next, created by popular author Steven Johnson with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Lemelson Foundation, is dedicated to sharing "inspiring stories about the people and places that are building our future." PBS viewers may be familiar with Steven Johnson's 2014 multi-part documentary How We Got to Now, which explored the stories behind a number of key inventions and breakthroughs in our daily life - including refrigeration, glass, and modern sanitation. How We Get to Next focuses its lens on contemporary innovations, providing stories about developments in fashion, space, and health, among other areas. On the site's homepage, visitors can check out recent articles - such as Why the White Lab Coat Changed Medical History and The Improbable, Bold History of Space Concept Art. One highlight of the website is its Reading List, where visitors can check out links to articles, books, and videos related to a single theme. Podcast fans will also want to check out the podcast, Wonderland, which explores the role of play in creativity and innovation. [MMB]

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The U.S. Census Bureau works diligently to "portray historical changes in the growth and redistribution of the U.S. population." More recently, they have turned to graphics and visualizations to help accomplish this feat. On this website, readers will find the Census Bureau's latest efforts to use technology to visualize the multi-faceted and ever changing characteristics of the U.S. population. There are currently over 40 visualizations in the gallery that chart changes in demographics, housing, employment, and other topical areas. For instance, readers may view the historical acquisition of new territory as charted by evolving boundary lines, or explore the relationship between college majors and occupations. Of course, the site also offers many helpful links to other components of the U.S. Census Bureau's website that are worth further exploration. [MMB]

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The team behind Beets describes this tool as a "media library management system for obsessive-compulsive music geeks." Beets allows users to sync their music collection to a database called MusicBrainz, a metadata library. In doing so, users both improve the MusicBrainz database and, in turn, are able to access a variety of information about their music. MusicBrainz provides provide listeners with accurate titles, artist tags, album art, and a variety of tags to help users organize their music. In addition, Beets allows users to search, sort, and categorize their music in a variety of ways. [MMB]

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With all the different note-taking tools out there, Laverna may be a nice option for those readers looking for a Markdown note-taking app that offers a little extra privacy. Users create encrypted Notebooks with custom headings, check lists, and code blocks all by using Markdown. (See the 10-02-2015 edition of the Scout Report for an online tutorial on using Markdown). That said, Laverna helpfully includes shortcuts for all Markdown features by adapting icons similar to those used in Microsoft Word. Laverna will also appeal to users looking for simplicity: unlike some online notetaking platforms, Laverna sports an unfussy interface that allows users to focus on their notes rather than other distractions. In addition, users can sync their Laverna notes with Dropbox or Remote Storage. Laverna is not quite ready for Android devices, but is available for machines running Linux, MacOS, and Windows. [MMB]

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