The Scout Report -- Volume 27, Number 45

Plantae is "the online home of the global plant science community," offering a dynamic resource for aspiring plant biologists, professionals, and anyone interested in learning about plants and plant science. Plantae is produced by the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB), a non-profit organization founded in 1924 to "promote the growth and development of plant biology, to encourage and publish research in plant biology, and to promote the interests, growth, and education of plant scientists in general." Non-specialist readers will enjoy accessing resources in the Research drop-down menu, such as the "Plant Science Research Weekly," which highlights recent research in the field. Professional plant biologists or students can access ASPB journals in the same menu, including the open-access journal Plant Direct. For educators, there are useful resources in the Education drop-down, including teaching tools, webinars, and the podcast The Taproot. For aspiring plant scientists, Plantae is also an invaluable career resource, featuring job postings, a mentoring center, and a list of internships that is routinely updated. Readers should note that some aspects of the site require an account to access. [JMW]

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In a world continually affected by climate change, advocacy becomes more and more important. Sometimes, in order to become advocates for sustainability and the health of the planet, readers need exposure to the harsh reality of the effects of climate change. Climate Visuals is a website and image library that draws evidence from "over 350 climate change and environmental groups, journalists, educators, and businesses," to illustrate the ways in which climate change is physically affecting the planet, its people, and their lives. Visitors may wish to use the climate visuals to explore how different regions are affected by climate change, to support a research project, to employ these unique materials in the classroom, or to educate themselves. To find these visuals, readers can browse the image library by topic or enter a specific keyword in the search bar on the page linked above. Users can also explore resources on "Evidence," "Impact," and "Partnerships," as well as "News" resources, all of which are accessible in the menu at the left side of the page (seen as a hamburger icon on tablets and mobile devices). Finally, readers can contribute their own photographs and participate in documenting climate change in their communities by clicking "Visualizing Climate Change: An open call for photography." Climate Visuals is a project of Climate Outreach, an organization dedicated to centering people in discussions about climate change. [JMW]

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Sandy, Katrina, and Ida are common first names in the United States. However, due to recent events, readers may associate these names with something else: hurricanes. These dangerous weather phenomena hold the potential to destroy communities and livelihoods, and understanding hurricanes and how they form is vital to predicting and tracking these storms to ensure public safety. This teaching resource from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides curriculum materials to educate elementary students about what hurricanes are, the science of hurricane formation, and technologies used to track and monitor these storms. This Grade 3 curriculum covers 4 lessons (taught during 7 periods of 45 minutes each), and is guided by key questions, benchmarks, and learning outcomes. It also includes background information to ensure accuracy and a bibliography for further reference. This downloadable PDF document includes links to external resources, a glossary of key terms, and more. Elementary science teachers may employ this resource to educate their students on inclement weather and how their communities can prepare for it. [JMW]

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EdSurge is a news reporting organization focused on education, from kindergarten through higher education, and the associated changes in educational technology, research, demographics, socioeconomics, and business interests. The organization offers commentary and analysis on up-and-coming educational topics, as well as newsletters, a weekly podcast, research and journalism projects, a product index for education technology tools, a jobs board, and an events calendar. Featured articles on the site are organized into categories such as "Most Read" and "Latest News" or filtered by topic. Users can click "News" in the menu at the top of the page for articles on popular educational topics, which as of this writing includes hot-button issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, data privacy, massive open online courses (MOOCs), and more. On the "Events" page, users can browse through, register for, and post events. The "Jobs Board" page features opportunities from educational institutions and organizations across the United States. EdSurge also produces a podcast, which is available in the More drop-down menu or on Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. EdSurge was founded in 2011 and is currently produced by the non-profit educators membership organization the International Society for Technology in Education. [RMP]

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Blick on Flicks was the National Science Teaching Association's (NSTA) long-running series of movie reviews which aimed to examine "how scientific concepts are used, misused, or simply ignored on the silver screen." The regular column was started in 2008 by Jacob Clark Blickenstaff, a Seattle-based learning designer and former professor of physics, and ran monthly in NSTA Reports up until 2020. Among the more than 100 reviews archived on the page linked above, some highlights include a discussion of Black Panther focused on feline taxonomy and nanotechnology (09-20-2018); the physics of vibration and the neurology of music in Coco (02-22-2018); The Martian's portrayal of scientific work and the effects of starvation on the body (11-03-2015); and the eating habits of Komodo Dragons and the toxicity of depleted uranium in the James Bond entry Skyfall (12-12-2012). Many of the reviews are available in audio formats as well. Blick on Flicks will surely appeal to science teachers at the middle school and high school level, who may find the reviews useful for contextualizing popular representations of science. The NSTA (previously featured in the 12-06-2019 Scout Report) is a professional organization of science educators dedicated to "promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all." [MJZ]

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There are many facets of history to enjoy - the exploits of rulers and generals, the intrigue of court politics and power, or the day-to-day activities of average people whose lives seem so alien from our own. Yet for some history buffs, the greatest fascination lies in learning how things fell apart. Listeners in this latter group will want to check out the deeply researched and evocative storytelling of the podcast Fall of Civilizations. Even with just over a dozen episodes produced (as of this writing), this long-form podcast provide hours of history to dive into, covering topics such as the collapse of Byzantium (Episode 11), the saga of the Greenland Vikings (Episode 4), and the fall of the Han Dynasty, China's first empire (Episode 10). Best of all, each episode examines, complicates, and even challenges received narratives about why some civilizations fell, such as an episode on Easter Island (Episode 6) that casts doubt on the popular theory that the Rapa Nui caused their island's ecological collapse. All episodes can be found on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Stitcher, YouTube, or other podcatchers. Fall of Civilizations is written, produced, and hosted by Paul M.M. Cooper. Listeners can stay in touch and hear about new episodes by following on Twitter (@Fall_of_Civ_Pod) and Facebook (@FallofCivilizationsPodcast). [MJZ]

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Civilizations in places such as Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and the pre-Columbian Americas have left important legacies, yet commonly, Western histories overlook these narratives. History Unwritten, a bi-weekly podcast written, recorded, and edited by Cody Michaels, attempts to remedy these omissions with seasons dedicated to covering individual civilizations that have been overlooked. Each season serves as a "walking tour" to introduce listeners to different historical cultures and societies. The podcast's third and current season explores how the Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya rose from a modest city-state to a regional powerhouse. Past seasons have included a history of medieval Mali's rise and conquest, and the emergence and expansion of the medieval empire of Tibet. World history professionals and general audiences can find episodes on the page linked above or on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Each episode is accompanied by a brief description, historical images, and artwork created by Sukrit Tanticharoenkiat. [JMW]

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History as it is typically told and popularly recalled may seem to revolve around wars, revolutions, assassinations, and the collapse of empires. Listeners looking for historical stories more focused on daily life should dive into the podcast Working Over Time, which seeks to examine "society through the lens of work, over time and across cultures." In each episode, host Karen Bellinger (an anthropologist and historical archaeologist) and guests explore labor in all its grandeur and grime, from the duties of a medieval knight (Sept. 11, 2021) to those of modern mall Santas (Dec. 24, 2020). In preparation for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, listeners could not go wrong enjoying such topics as breadmaking (Sept. 24, 2021) and winemaking (May 4, 2021). Listeners can find the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and other platforms, or follow along on Facebook (@WorkingOverTime), Instagram (@workingovertimeseries), or Twitter (@WorkingOTseries). Working Over Time is produced by Little Fire and Past Preservers. [MJZ]

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What's Her Name is a podcast dedicated to "reclaiming forgotten history," through the stories of "fascinating women you've never heard of (but should have)." Hosted by Katie Nelson and Olivia Meikle, each episode since the podcast's launch in 2018 has featured hilarious and thoughtful interviews with guest experts, writers, and historians. For instance, the Feb. 1, 2021 episode "The Suffragist Senator" explores the life of Martha Hughes Cannon, the Utah woman who ran for office against her own husband and was elected America's first female state senator. The fascinating episode "The Muckraker" from Sept. 28, 2020 delves into the career of journalist Ida Tarbell, who investigated the powerful monopoly of Standard Oil Company. On the page linked above, visitors will find past episodes (and links to subscribe to new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or using an RSS feed), biographies and selected work from past guests, and even links to special resources for teachers. Listeners can follow the podcast on Twitter (@whatshernamepc) and Facebook (@whatshernamepodcast). [MJZ]

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Have you ever heard the story about how Napoleon shot off the nose of the sphinx in Egypt? Or that Shakespeare was actually illiterate and stole all his work? Or the rumor that Queen Elizabeth I of England was actually a man? The award-winning podcast Our Fake History explores strange stories like these, digging into myths about historical events and people and uncovering the real history in which these myths are rooted. Anyone who loves a good story will find a wealth of wonderfully weird content across the podcast's 6 seasons, each of which contains 20 to 25 episodes. The selection of topics includes whether or not legendary figures like Gilgamesh and Robin Hood were real, who really invented rock n' roll, who built the Pyramids of Giza, the origins of different martial arts, and beyond. Our Fake History also boasts active and enthusiastic communities on Facebook and Twitter (@outfakehistory on both platforms). The podcast, which is produced by Sebastian Major and Beth Lorimer, is available for listening on the page linked above or on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher. [RMP]

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Last featured in the 11-10-2017 Scout Report, Revolutions has continued to explore these periods of political upheaval and societal transformation. Since being featured, the podcast has produced series covering the European revolutions of 1848, the Paris Commune, and the Mexican Revolution. The current series covers the Russian Revolution.

Revolutions is a history podcast by veteran podcaster Mike Duncan, who previously created the popular History of Rome podcast and recently published The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic. The scope of Duncan's newest podcast is even broader than his previous one, aiming to cover a variety of famous revolutions throughout world history. Each episode is dedicated to a particular story or aspect of a specific historical revolution. Revolutions featured on the podcast have included the English Civil War, the American Revolution, the French Revolution, the Haitian Revolution, Simon Bolivar and Gran Colombia, and the July Revolution. Each of these topics has received between 8 and 55 individual episodes (lasting 30-40 minutes). Visitors can listen to all podcast episodes on the page linked above or subscribe to the podcast on most podcatchers. On that same page, users can learn about Mike Duncan ("About Me"), find the extensive literature used to create each series ("Bibliography"), and get links to recommended readings ("Audible Recs"). [MMB] [MJZ]

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