The Scout Report -- Volume 26, Number 37

Guided by the STARS (students, transitions, achievement, retention, and success) principles, Student Success "explor[es] the experiences of students in tertiary education." Launched in 2010, the journal is "international, open-access, [and] peer-viewed," and publishes various pieces from researchers, educators, and professionals. Karen Nelson from the University of Southern Queensland serves as Editor-in-Chief, and Tracy Creagh from Queensland University of Technology is the Journal Manager. Student Success releases three editions each year. Readers will find the latest release, a special issue focused on "Enabling Excellence through Equity," on the Current page. To explore past issues, check out the Issues and Archives pages. Other browsing options can be found in the right-hand panel. For example, readers can search across issues with the query bar, narrow by author or issue in the Browse Journal box, and explore popular pieces in the Most Viewed Articles box. Additionally, readers will want to stay tuned for the 2021 special edition on "Student Success in a Global Pandemic." Slotted for publication in November of 2021, this installment will focus on educational innovations following the onset of COVID-19. For more information on this special issue and details on how to submit a paper for possible publication, check out the 2021 Special Issue section found under the Announcements tab. [EMB]

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Created by the Agrilife Extension Service at Texas A&M University, Dinner Tonight is designed "to provide busy families with quick, healthy, cost effective recipes that taste great." In addition to the recipe database (found under Recipes), there are also video demonstrations and useful guides in the Healthy Cooking Tips section. Readers looking for a place to begin may enjoy the two-minute video on how to measure ingredients correctly and the short guide on ensuring meals are stored safely. Especially handy for using up summer produce, the site has a big section of vegetable recipes. It is also possible to search by ingredient to retrieve additional recipes. In the Family Mealtime section, visitors will find conversation starters to make mealtime fun, family friendly recipes for picky eaters, and fact sheets on the benefits of cooking at home and eating together. Dinner Tonight's work was recognized in 2018 by the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences. [DS]

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Established in 1966, the Historical Papers Research Archive is "one of the largest and most comprehensive independent archives in Southern Africa." With more than 3,000 collections spanning from the 17th century to present day, the archive memorializes human rights movements throughout history. The intentional documentation of civil society is rooted in the belief that "archives provide the bedrock for society's understanding of the past." To navigate the various collections, users may want to employ the tools on the left-side panel. Here, readers can browse by collection or search across all the collections. Clicking the "Collections Database" link (found on the Home page under Browse Collections) also allows users to sort options alphabetically. Items include newspaper clippings, amnesty applications, and committee records, among many other documents. New users may also enjoy browsing the "Historical Papers Guide" (linked under Finding Aids). Historical Papers is a project of the University of Witwatersrand's William Cullen Library and receives funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. [EMB]

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Special Books by Special Kids (SBSK) shares the stories of "people in the disability/neurodiversity community." In doing so, the project "seeks to normalize the diversity of the human condition." Host Chris Ulmer first conceptualized the series when he was a teacher for students with disabilities and neurodiversities. Originally, he planned to create a book that explored life from his students' perspectives. In 2016, this vision evolved into a registered nonprofit and a YouTube channel that today has garnered more than 2.5 million subscribers and more than 500 million views. The channel has even been featured by news outlets such as ABC and BBC. Videos are typically less than 30 minutes long and cover various topics, from motherhood and mental illness to the college experience from the perspective of a student with an intellectual disability. Under Playlists, viewers can narrow videos by series, including "Love and Disability" and "A Day in the Life." For more SBSK content, viewers can follow along on Twitter (@chrisulmer) and Instagram (specialbooksbyspecialkids). [EMB]

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Educators looking for ways to keep classrooms interactive in remote settings should check out Ptable, a highly regarded tool for chemistry teachers. Featuring the self-described "world's most popular periodic table," this interactive science site is packed with information and activities. A variety of unique features make Ptable stand out from similar sites. For example, data updates in realtime and is sortable by more than a dozen properties. More information about these features can be found under the About tab. Ptable can be focused on Properties, Electrons, Isotypes, and Compounds (using the corresponding tabs). The information displayed by toggling over individual elements varies based on this initial selection. For instance, the Properties view includes an element's melting and boiling points, while the Electrons view focuses on energy levels. The buttons in the upper-right corner allow users to adjust aesthetics, such as the screen width and background color. To find lesson plans that accompany the site's features, check out the Lesson Plans page under the Products tab (found at the bottom of the page). Michael Dayah created Ptable in 1997 and has frequently updated its content since. [EMB]

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Educators, librarians, and community leaders may enjoy this resource, a "Guide to Indigenous Land and Territorial Acknowledgements for Cultural Institutions." The guide is designed for "institutions such as museums, archives, libraries, and universities," to promote recognition and respect for "Indigenous homelands, inherent sovereignty, and survivance." Land and territorial acknowledgements "recognizes the Indigenous peoples who have been dispossessed from homelands and territories upon which an institution was built and currently occupies and operates in." On the site, readers can download the short guide as a PDF and browse additional resources highlighted on the right-hand panel. These resources include educational materials, news articles, and multimedia presentations on land acknowledgement. Felicia Garcia (Chumash) and Jane Anderson, both from New York University (NYU), created the guide in 2018. They received support from Decolonize This Place, NYC Stands with Standing Rock, the American Indian Community House, the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums, and several other departments within NYU. [EMB]

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Using information from the public data science site Kaggle, Biodiversity in National Parks offers unique ways to explore the species diversity found within the U.S. National Parks. A short video introduces users to the tool, including navigating the options on the left-hand panel. After watching this video, users can maneuver this "navigation panel" to explore various project features. The interactive Parks Map lets visitors zoom in on a region of interest and toggle over pinpoints to learn about parks in that region. The Species Table contains more than 100,000 plant and animal species records (filterable by order, family, and other categories). Similarly, under the Species Tree tab readers can select a park and a category to view "a collapsible hierarchical tree of the species." The Species Charts tab focuses on species quantity, while the Species Choropleth Map arranges data geographically. This project was launched in 2019 with updates made in 2020. Readers will find the code used to create this project on GitHuband RCloud (linked in the Welcome section). [EMB]

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Readers curious or concerned about the outdoor access in their community may want to explore this resource. Notably, "across the United States, 100 million residents don't have a park within a 10-minute walk of home." The Trust for Public Land is hoping to change that with initiatives such as the Park Score Index, developed as an extension of their mission "to create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come." The Index relies on a variety of measurements, "access, investment, acreage, and amenities," to calculate its rankings. The home page summarizes the top-ranking cities and includes a search bar to look up a city of interest. Click on a city to expand data, including an analysis of park access based on income and ethnicity and breakdowns of specific amenities. Wondering which city is ranked number one in 2020? Hint: it is in the Midwest. To learn more about the methodology used to create this Index, check out the "ParkServe Methodology" link located at the bottom of each city's profile. [EMB]

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Newcomers to land use and protection may enjoy "Conservation 101," a comprehensive reference guide compiled in 2015. The guide begins with a brief introduction to public lands in the United States and conservation generally. For example, the Public Land Conservation section includes an outline of "Government Agencies that Manage Public Lands and Affect Environmental Policy." Next, the guide explains the various protective statuses assigned to public land. Readers wondering about the difference between "wilderness" and "wilderness study areas" or "national parks" and "national monuments" will find the answers in this section. The following section shifts to private land conservation, with a focus on the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), "a Federal program that was established by Congress in 1964 to provide funds and matching grants to federal, state and local governments for the acquisition of land and water, and easements on land and water." The guide concludes with an overview of "core environmental laws," including the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act. This resource was created through collaboration between The Conservation Alliance, the Outdoor Industry Association, and Outdoor Alliance. [EMB]

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Enjoy a virtual outdoor adventure with America's National Parks Podcast. This podcast has an eye towards storytelling and "takes you behind the events, people, and nature," that have impacted "the 417 units managed by the National Park Service." The more than 120 episodes come in a variety of formats. Some episodes describe the history and future of specific parks, from King Canyon to the Wild West. Other installments explore broader historical movements (for example, "The Nine," released on June 7, 2020, discusses Brown v. Board of Education and school segregation). Monthly "News from the Parks" episodes provide brief recaps and updates, from park reopening plans during COVID-19 to legislation and funding details. Most episodes are less than 30 minutes long. On the site, readers will find embedded audio and a written synopsis of each episode. Readers can also listen on Apple Podcasts and Google Play. [EMB]

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Celebrate National Public Lands Day on September 26 with this blast from the past (last featured in the 01-21-2011 Scout Report). The official website for the celebration includes several unique tools, including a NPLD Event Locator and educator toolkits.

Sponsored by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), National Public Lands Day (NPLD) was started in 1994 with three federal agencies and 700 volunteers. Today, over 150,000 volunteers take part every year at over 2,000 locations across the United States. The idea for such a day came from the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, and on this site, visitors can learn about NPLD and how they can participate. Additionally, visitors can sign up for their newsletter, find a local NPLD site, and learn about past projects. Many of this year's events will be virtual, and those interested in volunteering at and/or hosting an event will find various resources to make it a success. The "NPLD 2020: Setting Up a Virtual Event" page provides a comprehensive guide on creating safe and effective virtual experiences. Plus, site nanagers will find a page with resources curated for coordinating events. The site is also available in Spanish (found at the bottom of the site by selecting "NEEF en Espanol").

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