The Scout Report -- Volume 25, Number 12

Launched in 2018, this project by the Smithsonian's American Women's History Initiative aims to "amplify women's voices to honor the past, inform the present and inspire the future." Visitors to Because of Her Story can view a number of brief stories highlighting a diverse group of women and their contributions, including artists like Maya Lin and Mary Cassatt, scientists such as Vera Rubin and Sylvia Earle, and leaders like Wilma Mankiller of the Cherokee Nation and suffragist Mary Church Terrell. Under collections, the project features a variety of items from the Smithsonian's museums, archives, and learning lab that "tell the stories of American women, the challenges they faced and how they have shaped our nation." This section also includes links to the items' digital locations for further exploration. Since this project extends beyond this website, the news section shares updates on relevant exhibitions and other developments within this initiative. Those who are or will be near any of the Smithsonian's venues should check out the events listings with numerous tours, talks, and exhibits, many of which are free. The American Women's History Initiative is "inclusive of all persons who identify as female or have a history of being designated female but identify differently." [JDC]

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From the American Academy of Arts & Sciences comes Perceptions of Science in America, a data-driven report released in February 2018. This report uses decades of data from public opinion surveys to examine the American public's general views on science, "such as confidence in the scientific community and support for science funding." The report also delves into the influence of demographics on Americans' general perceptions of science and scientists and it appraises the perceptions of three science topics (vaccine safety, genetically modified foods, and climate change) as case studies. The report's major findings show that, while confidence in science is generally positive and stable, the degree of confidence varies among different demographic groups and science topics, meaning that science communicators should be cognizant that there are multiple publics that must be considered for effective communication. This report is part of a three-year project launched in 2016 called The Public Face of Science, which examines "the complex and evolving relationship between scientists and the public." At the link above, interested readers may view the complete report online or download it as a 44-page PDF. For those who may wish to present the report's findings to an audience, PowerPoint slides are also available. [JDC]

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The Humanities Digital Library describes itself as "the open access library and catalogue for books published by the School of Advanced Study (SAS), University of London." Here, readers can find a number of scholarly books, monographs, essay collections, conference proceedings, and other works published by seven different institutes within the SAS. These publications are freely available to download as full-text PDFs (with print and EPUB versions available for purchase). Examples of works that can be found here include Gender in medieval places, spaces and thresholds (2019), Brazil: Essays on History and Politics (2018), and Radical Collections: Re-examining the roots of collections, practices and information professions (2018). Visitors will find four of the latest publications featured on the main page, and they can also browse its publications (found under catalogue) by institute, category, and series. It should be noted that as of this write-up the catalogue's organization lacks a place to see a complete list of its offerings at once, but exploring all of its sections individually reveals many interesting publications. The Humanities Digital Library is managed jointly by the University of London's Institute of Historical Research and the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. [JDC]

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Conversations with History features hour-long interviews with distinguished men and women from around the world representing a wide variety of fields. This long-running series was created in 1982 by its host, Harry Kreisler, and is produced by the Institute of International Studies at the University of California-Berkeley. Visitors will find a trove of over 600 in-depth, thoughtful interviews with myriad intellectuals such as novelist and Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, author and Professor Emerita of Food Studies at New York University Marion Nestle, and the late President of the National Academy of Sciences Ralph J. Cicerone. The interviews can be browsed by year, guest name, or topic, and visitors can also choose to explore the site's selection of featured interviews. The majority of interviews can be viewed as YouTube videos, although some of the older interviews are only available as transcripts. For those who prefer podcasts, Conversations with History is also available in audio format through iTunes. [JDC]

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Educators and learners interested in free digital textbooks, either to supplement or to replace traditional textbooks, may want to check out OpenStax. This nonprofit initiative at Rice University "publish[es] high-quality, peer-reviewed, openly licensed college textbooks that are absolutely free online and low cost in print." Visitors to OpenStax will find dozens of downloadable, up-to-date textbooks written by experts in their respective fields, with particular strength in math and science. Other subject areas with OpenStax textbooks currently include social sciences, business, US history, and several for high school AP courses in science and economics. At the time of this write-up, the textbooks here are generally for introductory-level courses. Instructors can access accompanying teaching resources such as test banks and PowerPoint slides by creating a free account using their school email, which must be verified to prevent student access. Educators curious to learn more about expanding the use of open education resources (OER) at their institution may also want to visit the OpenStax blog, where they will find numerous articles written by educators and administrators sharing their experiences with OER and the lessons they have learned. In addition to their free textbooks, OpenStax also offers some low-cost learning technologies designed to accompany certain textbooks. [JDC]

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Freshwater is the limiting factor for terrestrial life on earth, and as human populations have grown and expanded through the centuries, they have competed for access to clean water, sometimes leading to conflict. Here, readers will find a chronology of water conflicts compiled by Peter Gleick, co-founder and President Emeritus of the Pacific Institute, "a global water think tank that combines science-based thought leadership with active outreach to influence local, national, and international efforts in developing sustainable water policies." This chronology, which underwent a major revision in 2018, summarizes water conflicts (defined here as events including violence or threats of violence) dating as far back as 3000 BCE, including the year, region, conflict type, description, and information sources. Water conflicts are categorized based on the role water played in the event: triggers, where water was the root cause of the conflict; weapons, where water itself was a tool of violence; and casualties, where water resources or systems were "intentional or incidental casualties or targets of violence." As of this write-up, the chronology includes more than 650 water conflicts (with nearly 300 occurring since 2010), and it can be viewed as a table or interactive map, both of which can be filtered by date, region, and conflict type. [JDC]

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In many places, water for municipal and household use comes from underground aquifers. If the groundwater in such a place became contaminated, the consequences could easily affect entire cities or more. How does something like this happen? This classroom lab resource offered by Science Friday opens with a ten-minute video explaining one example of this very situation, which occurred in 2015 at the Gold King Mine in Colorado, and the efforts to mitigate it. The lesson provides an introduction to groundwater hydrology with helpful diagrams and a downloadable worksheet to check students' understanding. The most valuable part of this resource may be its detailed instructions for building reusable classroom groundwater models from easily obtained materials, as well as its accompanying instructions for using the models to simulate the contamination of an aquifer. This standards-aligned, hands-on activity was written with high school students in mind and is estimated to take two hours of class time. Downloadable handouts and data spreadsheets are included. This resource was created for Science Friday by Ariel Zych, Ryan Hollister, and Xochitl Garcia and published in December 2018. [JDC]

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Readers interested in learning more about water safety and policy in the United States may want to check out the National Drinking Water Alliance (NDWA). This network of organizations aims to "ensure that all children in the U.S. can drink safe water in the places where they live, learn and play" and describes its website as "the nationwide clearinghouse for essential drinking water research and resources." Visitors will find numerous resources related to drinking water access and consumption, categorized by resource type and organized by age group. These include bibliographies of peer-reviewed studies and government reports and a database of policy resources, many of which include links to further information. Under the safety tab, readers will find a collection of guides, websites, reports, and more, as well as an interactive water safety map depicting "media reports of tap water contamination since 2015 and state actions for school tap water safety." Furthermore, this project also includes resources related to water access for schools and communities and a variety of strategies and outreach materials for education about drinking water. Formed in 2015, the NDWA is coordinated by the Nutrition Policy Institute, part of the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of California-Extension. [JDC]

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In 2015 and 2016, headlines throughout the United States were captured by a human-made water crisis in Flint, Michigan: a chain of events that resulted in the city's approximately 100,000 residents being exposed to dangerous levels of lead contamination in their tap water due to financial decisions made at the state level. In this 12-minute video from the popular SciShow series (featured in the 8-27-2014 Scout Report), host Hank Green provides a fast-paced yet approachable explanation of the complex chemistry that lay behind Flint's water crisis. The video begins with a short overview of the decisions that created the situation, then goes into a brief history of using lead pipes for water and the US regulations designed to safeguard the numerous places that still use lead pipes. However, the bulk of the video is devoted to the multi-layered chemical interactions that exacerbated the problems with Flint's water and the resulting negative public health effects. Released in November 2018, this video would be appropriate for classroom viewing and also informative for general audiences. [JDC]

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Water frequently has a profound impact on how a city develops. This peer-reviewed virtual exhibition published by the Environment & Society Portal (featured in the 11-03-2017 Scout Report) explores the role that water played in the struggles experienced by Bogota, Colombia's capital, on its path to becoming a modern city. This exhibition features visuals such as historical photographs and maps, primary source documents, and interpretive essays that provide context for the reader. Organized into four chapters, The City's Currents "examines every day and gendered experiences of water, such as washing clothes or bathing, as well as urban infrastructural interventions including the domestication of rivers for water supply and wastewater disposal systems." This thoughtfully crafted exhibition is enjoyable for anyone curious about the history of water and urban life. It was researched and written by Stefania Gallini, Laura Felacio, Angelica Agredo, and Stephanie Garces, all historians from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. For those interested in learning more about this type of history, the further reading section points towards several suggestions the authors found particularly influential. The Environment & Society Portal is a project of the Rachel Carson Center in Munich, Germany. [JDC]

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North America's Great Lakes account for approximately 20 percent of the world's surface freshwater. Originally featured in the 7-13-2018 Scout Report, the Center for Great Lakes Literacy continues to be an excellent educational resource.

The Center for Great Lakes Literacy is produced collaboratively by Sea Grant educators throughout the Great Lakes basin. It aims to develop a community well-versed in Great Lakes stewardship and addresses the lakes' economic and social facets, as well as their scientific aspects. The center's website provides valuable resources for educators, such as an archive of recorded webinars and over one hundred thorough curriculum plans for students ranging from kindergarten through college. These curriculum plans are searchable by topic, grade level, and subject area, and they are available as downloadable PDFs that contain fully developed lesson modules with classroom activities, quizzes, and links to relevant web resources. While these curricula were largely created with the Great Lakes in mind, educators from other regions may also find them useful as many of the lessons address concepts and scientific principles that can be applied to other bodies of water.

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