The Scout Report -- Volume 25, Number 31

From the University of Minnesota (UMN) comes Mapping Prejudice, a fascinating research project with the tagline "Visualizing the hidden histories of race and privilege in Minneapolis." Founded in 2016, Mapping Prejudice delves into the Minneapolis area's real estate history, where racially-restrictive deeds called covenants were powerful "tools used by real estate developers in the 19th and 20th century to prevent people of color from buying or occupying property." The project's main page features an interactive animated map that shows how the use of these covenants (and through them, racial segregation) spread across Hennepin County between 1910 and 1955, with more than 17,000 deeds mapped as of this write-up. The database this map draws on was created with the help of over 2,800 volunteers reading and annotating property deeds. Covenants and their significance, both in Minneapolis and nationwide, are explained further on the Learn More page. Readers should also check out the project's Resources page, where they will find an extensive list of relevant articles, videos, and more, as well as the Stories page that "explore[s] the human side of structural racism in Minneapolis." Mapping Prejudice is directed by Kirsten Delegard, a professional historian and a fellow in UMN's Department of Geography, Environment & Society. [JDC]

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This YouTube channel by the Maui Ocean Center provides a glimpse into the world of marine life surrounding the Hawaiian islands for those who can't visit individually and is an excellent addition to an in-person visit. The center (also known as the Aquarium of Hawai'i) has "one of the largest collections of live Pacific corals in the world, a virtual whale encounter in the Humpbacks of Hawai'i Exhibit & Sphere, 20 daily presentations, outdoor tide pools, and a 750,000-gallon Open Ocean exhibit with a 240-degree view acrylic tunnel." Some aspects of these features are available via videos on their YouTube channel. For example, visitors interested in learning about the Humpbacks of Hawai'i Exhibit & Sphere should view the video of the same name, which allows viewers the same "swim" with humpback whales visitors to the aquarium get while sitting in a theatre surrounded by a 60-foot diameter dome. Other available videos include education segments regarding marine life in Hawai'i and a live underwater camera feed of the Open Ocean Exhibit. [JLB]

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Intertwined is a digital exhibit from the Western Australian Museum in Perth featuring 50 examples of traditional basketry from numerous cultures. As the exhibit states, "baskets and the technique of basketry can represent the identity of a weaver, their cultural practices, and a discovery of art form." Through dozens of high-quality photographs, the exhibit explores these ideas by showcasing different types of baskets such as varying kinds of Dilly Bags made by Aboriginal cultures in Australia, elaborately patterned Temple Baskets from East Timor, and baskets woven from leaves of the widespread Pandanus plant family. The exhibit also highlights multiple basket weaving stitch types, including the coil stitch, often used to create a basket's rim or handle; several kinds of plait stitches, ranging from a simple grid to an intricate hexagonal weave; and a seven-step caning stitch, which is also frequently used in chair-making. Each basket's entry includes a photograph, its place and date of collection, a brief description, and a short curator story about its provenance and use. The baskets featured in Intertwined were collected between the 1950s and the 1970s by June Colquhoun, who subsequently donated them to the museum's Anthropology & Archaeology department in 2012. [JDC]

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Kids and young people who enjoy debating (or who can be a bit opinionated), as well as their families, may enjoy Smash Boom Best, an engaging podcast created by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and American Public Media's Brains On! (featured in the 10-27-2017 Scout Report). The premise of Smash Boom Best is simple: Each episode pits "two cool things," such as snakes vs spiders or libraries vs museums, against each other, and guest debaters "use facts and passion to make their case... teaching listeners how to defend their own opinions along the way." Hosted by MPR's Molly Bloom and a guest student co-host, episodes are typically about 30-45 minutes long, and this podcast is currently in its second season with more than a dozen entertaining and informative episodes available as of this write-up. Those interested can listen to Smash Boom Best and subscribe to future episodes via their favorite podcast platform. Listeners can also participate by downloading their own scoresheet and voting online for the side they rate as each episode's winner at the link above. [JDC]

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In June 2019, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) published a new report examining how the geography of US employment in manufacturing and other industries has changed over approximately the past 75 years. This report found that "the manufacturing industry has lost ground in many places across the US and is now the largest employer in only two states--Indiana and Wisconsin." At the link above, readers will find five interactive data visualizations that delve into the data upon which this report is based. The first two visualizations allow readers to explore shifts in employment and economic output trends from 1940 to 2016 for a variety of industries at both the national and state level. The other three visualizations focus on changes in the manufacturing industry in more recent decades and include data down to the county level. While the interactive visualizations offer overviews of all 50 states, the full report "provides data at the state and county levels for the 18 states in which manufacturing was the largest employer at the beginning of the 21st century." Interested readers can download the full 56-page report as a PDF, or view a short PowerPoint presentation summarizing the report's findings. [JDC]

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Librarians, library staff, and educators seeking ideas for activities and programming may be interested in STAR Net Libraries' STEM Activity Clearinghouse. Here, readers will find more than 300 "high quality, vetted STEM activities that are appropriate for library use." These activities have been curated into 30 themed collections (as of this write-up) such as Space Science, Healthy Living, and Engineering Design Challenges. Visitors can also choose to browse all the activities and filter them by audience age group, content area, difficulty level, and time required, among other options. Many of these activities were developed by the STAR Net team specifically for use in libraries, and those resources created by other organizations include suggestions of ways to adapt them for library use, as well as links to the original source. Many activities also include how-to videos, and some provide teacher's guides with suggestions for connecting the activity with classroom material, applicable education standards, and links to additional resources. STAR Net Libraries is a project of the Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning and supported in part by funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. [JDC]

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Social media has made it easy to share information with others, but unfortunately not all of that information is true. To help combat this challenge, middle and high school science educators should check out this free one-week curriculum designed to help students learn how to identify and resist misleading "scientific" claims. This classroom-tested curriculum was created by STEM educators Penny Noyce of Tumblehome Books and Andy Zucker, a retired senior research scientist at the Concord Consortium, along with support from the staff of PBS's NOVA at WGBH in Boston. It consists of four standards-aligned, 45-minute lessons (with an optional fifth lesson) that aim to teach students how to evaluate advertising claims and misleading arguments, how to ask the right questions about dubious claims, and how researchers and scientific organizations use the scientific process to develop well-supported claims and synthesize scientific information. Created with grades 6-12 in mind, these lessons include multiple student activities as well as homework. The curriculum includes four downloadable video files, a thorough teacher guide with links to additional resources, and a one-page informational flyer. [JDC]

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Aspiring science writers and fans of science journalism may be interested in this resource from the non-profit Council for the Advancement of Science Writing (CASW). Launched in July 2016, Showcase "highlights award-winning science journalism" and aims to "celebrate excellence, honor and amplify the work of awards programs, and--most important--offer inspiration and insight to aspiring and early-career science writers." In addition to viewing the stories featured on the Showcase home page, visitors can browse its Stories section to find numerous exemplary pieces organized by disciplines such as planetary science, mathematics, and medicine. Readers should be sure to check out the Storygrams category, which features "professional annotations of great stories to highlight how writers have tackled the challenges of covering science," published in collaboration with The Open Notebook (see the 8-12-2016 Scout Report). Showcase also provides a Resources section with a well-organized list of helpful links for up-and-coming science writers, as well as short profiles of the Writers whose work Showcase features and an overview of the science writing Awards from which the highlighted stories are selected. [JDC]

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Alie Ward is an Emmy Award-winning science correspondent and humorist who has appeared on CBS's Innovation Nation, Netflix's Brainchild, and the Science Channel's How to Build Everything, to name a few. She is also the creator and host of Ologies, a fantastic podcast in which Ward interviews an expert "-ologist" in a different field of study for each episode. Recent examples include bufology, or the study of toads, with Priya Nanjappa; ludology, or the study of games, with Dr. Jane McGonigal; and etymology, or the study of word origins, with Helen Zaltzman. Ward's inexhaustible curiosity, zest for "ask[ing] smart people stupid questions," and rambunctious sense of humor make Ologies a delight that everyone can learn from, regardless of their academic background. For those wanting to share this podcast with younger audiences, "bleeped" versions, as well as transcripts of many episodes, are available at the Ologies Extras link at the bottom of the site. Episodes are generally an hour or more in length, and listeners can stream them at the link above or subscribe via their podcast platform of choice. [JDC]

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The Public Face of Science is an ongoing three-year research project conducted by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Launched in 2016, this interdisciplinary project "is dedicated to exploring the complex and evolving relationship between scientists and the public" and aims "to examine how trust in science is shaped by individual experiences, beliefs, and engagement with science." Here, readers can access the reports, research papers, and other publications produced by this project, many of which are available at no cost. For example, the project's most recent research paper "The Public Face of Science Across the World" (published in July 2019), presents the findings of a study that analyzed the 2010-2014 World Values Survey to evaluate public attitudes towards science across 54 countries. Another paper entitled "Science During Crisis" (published in January 2019) makes recommendations regarding "the application of science during disasters," including best practices for scientific procedures and communication as well as relevant research and policy priorities. The Public Face of Science is led by its steering group chair, Richard A. Meserve, the President Emeritus of the Carnegie Institution for Science. [JDC]

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CryptPad is a private-by-design alternative to cloud document services like Google Docs. The CryptPad FAQ page describes the tool as a "Zero Knowledge Web Service [that] encrypts user data in the user's browser, without the server ever having access to the unencrypted data or the encryption keys." CryptPad uses Daniel J. Bernstein's Salsa20-Poly1305 cipher to encrypt data. Salsa20 was in the final "portfolio" of ciphers recommended for widespread adoption by the European Union's eSTREAM research project. CryptPad currently supports a number of common formats: rich text (i.e. word processing), computer code, presentations, polls, Kanban boards, and collaborative whiteboards. Pads created anonymously will automatically expire after three months of inactivity. Users may opt to create an account to retain documents longer. No account is necessary to edit a document, users simply exchange links. The software underlying cryptpad.fr is free software, distributed under the GNU Affero General Public License, with source code available on GitHub. Instructions for self-hosting an instance of CryptPad can be located on the GitHub README. [CRH]

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Godot is a cross-platform video game engine and integrated game development environment. According to the Godot Documentation section, "It provides a comprehensive set of common tools, so users can focus on making games without having to reinvent the wheel." All the assets that define a game (scripts, scene descriptions, level information, music, graphics files) are stored in a special folder structure that was designed to work well with version control software like Apache Subversion, Git, Mercurial, and so on. Users are able to weave these assets together into an interactive experience using the built-in visual editor. Game logic can be written in Godot's GDScript, C#, C++, or a flowchart-like visual script. The built-in debugger allows users to explore or even modify the state of a game as it runs. Finished games can be deployed to nearly any platform--iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, xBSD, HTML5, and more. Complete documentation, including several tutorials, walkthroughs, and API references materials, can be located under the Learn menu entry. The Download section on the Godot website offers installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux machines. Most Linux/xBSD distributions also include a Godot package in their official repositories. [CRH]

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We originally featured Informal Science in the 9-07-2018 Scout Report, and this site continues to be an excellent place to find resources for non-classroom STEM educators.

STEM educators and researchers interested in engaging with the public may find Informal Science to be a valuable resource. Informal Science features a diverse collection of pedagogical resources designed to help support STEM educators in lifelong learning environments beyond formal classrooms. Here, readers will find a "portal to project, research and evaluation resources designed to support and connect the informal STEM education community in museums, media, public programs and a growing variety of learning environments." The homepage features an interface where visitors may search Informal Science's collection of resources by a variety of fields such as learning environment (e.g. theater programs or conferences), audience (e.g. pre-K children or policymakers), or discipline (e.g. art or mathematics). The menu bar at the top facilitates browsing through their guides on developing projects, conducting research using informal STEM education, and evaluating projects. Informal Science is funded by the National Science Foundation and operated by the Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education.

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