The Flying Turtle: Science and Technology Exploration Site
http://www.ftexploring.com/index.html
This educational Web siteexplores topics that relate energy and life. Some of the many topics include energy flows through plants and animals, photosynthesis, and the amazing strength of insects. The section Ask Dr. Galapagos provides answers to various questions about the aerodynamics of flying creatures, deep diving sperm whales, and the difference between independent and dependent variables. The most recent additions include an energy pyramid, a brilliant question about plants and carbon dioxide, and Web links. This award winning site covers an amazing range of topics with great information and a bit of humor. [AL]
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Putting a Finger on It: The Loops and Whorls of Biometrics
http://www.science.org.au/nova/064/064key.htm
We're all familiar with the use of fingerprinting to determine or verify identity, but technology is rapidly increasing the range of potential biometric identification tools. Biometrics is the application of statistical analysis to biological features. This Web sitefrom NOVA, the Australian Academy of Science online news site (last mentioned in the March 3, 1999 Scout Report for Science & Engineering), discusses some current biometric technologies and provides useful links and publications for users wanting to explore the topic more fully. Several fun activities will help students understand the concept of biometrics, and although the activities section is geared for students, this site has information that should appeal to a more general audience. [AL]
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Reef Education Network
http://www.reef.edu.au/default.htm
The University of Queensland's Reef Education Network (REN) is a wonderful introduction to the amazing world of coral reefs. REN has some cool images as well as information about reef research, current problems threatening coral reefs, and the many fascinating organisms that reside within a coral reef. The Life And Times section provides a nice overview of what a reef is, while the Ask A Brain Coral section gives some introduction to biotic and abiotic relationships that occur within reefs. A unique feature is the notebook, where students can record and organize information as they navigate throughout the site. [AL]
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Science Controversies On-line: Partnerships in Education
http://scope.educ.washington.edu/
Science Controversies On-line: Partnership in Education (SCOPE) is an online community focused on current scientific controversies, organized by the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Washington; and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The recently added Teacher Center is a collection of educational tools from the other forums (Genetically Modified Food, Declining Amphibians, Malaria, and Genomics), which provides lesson plans and online activities in which students can participate. In order to fully access the site, a free, but somewhat cumbersome, registration is required. For teachers who are interested in exploring controversial science topics with 6-12 grade students, it is worth the effort. [AL]
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The Voyage of the Odyssey [RealPlayer, Flash]
http://www.pbs.org/odyssey/index.html
PBS Online presents the Ocean Alliance's Voyage of the Odyssey, a multi-year project that is gathering baseline data on ocean health, using whales, albatrosses, and pelagic fish as environmental indicators. Students can read or listen to daily logs from the ship and track the voyage, while Science from the Field offers several video and audio reports. Be sure not to pass by the Interactive Ocean portion of the site, which offers a unique opportunity to experience some of the sights and sounds beneath the surface. The Class from the Sea section is still under construction but will offer exciting ways to interact with the voyage, including virtual teleconferencing with the ship's crew. This site is a cool multimedia resource for captivating the attention of students and also a more general audience. [AL]
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Bristol BioMed Learning and Teaching
http://www.brisbio.ac.uk/bblt/
The Bristol Biomedical Learning and Teaching Web siteprovides real-life images and case studies to enhance learning in the biomedical fields. Images, tutorials, and case studies have been donated by practitioners as a free resource to enhance teaching in the biomedical fields. The site includes medical and dental tutorials, case studies, a how-to guide to assist in using the site and its images, and information on events and workshops focused on the use of images in teaching. The site also links to the Bristol Biomed Image Archives, which includes about 8500 images for teaching and learning in the medical, dental, veterinary medicine, and related fields. [AL]
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Shark Dissection Webcast [QuickTime, RealPlayer]
http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/sharkcast/index.html
View this Webcast dissection of four shark species conducted last August at the Birch Aquarium and narrated by Dr. Jeffrey Graham of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. This is a rare opportunity to learn from a marine biologist as he examines the internal organs of these sharks for the audience. The site also has several short text sections offering life history and behavioral information for those users interested in learning more about sharks in general. [AL]
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Agriculture in the Classroom [Flash, QuickTime, Media Player, .pdf]
http://www.agclassroom.org/
The US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agriculture in the Classroom Web site(last mentioned in the October 27, 1999 Scout Report for Science & Engineering) has recently been updated. One of the current features, Listening to the Prairie - Farming in Nature's Image, is a useful resource which has many lesson plans and classroom activities for all grades and can be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. These lesson plans explore subjects like how energy passes through food webs, where our food comes from, how agriculture affects our lives, and soil and erosion. This is a useful site that focuses on a subject that many urban students may not normally be exposed to. [AL]
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