Research and Education
http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/index.php
Started in 1974 by the American scholar Frederick Burkhardt, the Darwin Correspondence Project has been scouring the globe to find all of the letters written by (and to) Charles Darwin. So far, they have collected over 14,500 letters and they have placed transcripts of thousands of these letters online on this very fine site. Currently there are about 5000 digitized (and searchable) letters available here. They include all of the surviving letters from his rather momentous voyage on the Beagle and all of the letters from the years around the publication of Origin of Species in 1859. The site also contains thematic collections of letters that deal with Darwin’s evolving thoughts on religion, science, ethics, and the very boundaries of science and religion. Without a doubt, this is a site that will warrant several visits and for anyone with a penchant for the history of science this site is one that will be most welcome. [KMG]
http://www.studyfinance.com/lessons/excel/index.mv
Excel is a very common spreadsheet application, and developing mastery of this powerful tool can be a bit difficult for those who might be less experienced with its various features and analytical tools. This rather useful Excel tutorial is part of the StudyFinance.com website, which was developed by Professor Sharon Garrison of the University of Arizona. The tutorial is divided into eight sections, which include “Entering and Editing Data”, “Formatting the Worksheet”, and “Creating a Chart”. Each section contains several short paragraphs of text, complemented effectively with a few helpful graphics. The tutorial is rounded out by several problem assignments that will make sure students have mastered some of the basic features of Excel. [KMG]
http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/book8/book8int.htm
Based at the University of Plymouth, the Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching has developed many instructional materials designed to help both novice and experienced math teachers. This particular area of their website provides access to a number of interactive mathematics tutorials. The materials are divided into eight units, including those that deal with factors, mathematical diagrams, proportion, and estimating. Within each unit, users will find a number of example questions and related exercises. All of the materials offered here are quite accessible and easy to use, and users will find coverage of everything from prime factors to the sometimes-daunting Pythagorean theorem. [KMG]
http://www3.brookings.edu/metro/pubs/20070520_oic.pdf
American cities have undergone a robust period of renaissance and rejuvenation as of late, but not all cities have been able to partake in this process. This vexing topic is the subject of a May 2007 report authored by Jennifer S. Vey for The Brookings Institution. This particular 84-page report is primarily concerned with examining older industrial cities in the Northeast and the Midwest, and the work notes that while the moment is right for growth and development in these urban locales, state governments need to create a “new urban agenda for change.” The report also offers up five primary objectives for such an agenda, including transforming the physical landscape of these older regions and working towards growing the middle class in these places. [KMG]
http://www.transparency.org/content/download/19093/263155
The international organization Transparency International is well-known for its distinguished work on investigating corruption around the world, and this latest report from their research team is timely and tremendously valuable. The 429-page report takes a close look at judicial corruption around the world. As the report notes this disturbing trend “undermines economic growth by damaging the trust of the investment community, and impedes efforts to reduce poverty.” The report includes findings from dozens of countries, and also reveals that at least one in 10 households had to pay a bribe to get access to justice. Visitors will also appreciate the many tables and charts that populate this document, and of course, they can also search through the document for material of particular interest. [KMG]
http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/DLDecArts/
The decorative arts and material culture get their full due at this lovely online collection created by the University of Wisconsin’s Digital Collections program. With generous funding from the Chipstone Foundation, the staff members at the Digital Collections program have digitized a variety of primary and secondary resources related to the decorative arts, with a particular focus on Early America. The materials offered here for consideration include items from the Chipstone ceramics and furniture collection and a number of important early documents, such as “The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director” from 1754 and Humphry Repton’s 1794 work, “Sketches and hints on landscape gardening”. The site includes several dozens other works, and visitors can also look through all of the materials via a sophisticated search engine. [KMG]
Since the days of Andreas Vesalius, humans have been fascinated with describing and accurately depicting various parts of the body in all of their intimate detail. In recent years, a number of enterprising souls have placed materials online that deal with both human anatomy and physiology. Scott Sheffield is one such individual, and he has drawn on his many years of university teaching to create this fine set of instructional diagrams, drawings, and related items. First-time visitors to the site can look over sections that address the skeletal system, the muscular system, and so on. Within each of these sections visitors can view detailed illustrations of various parts of the anatomy, such as the pectoralis major and the biceps brachii. Additionally, each section contains a quiz and a helpful tutorial. While the site may be most helpful for students of the human form (such as nurses, medical technicians, doctors, and aspiring sculptors), just about anyone will find something of interest here. [KMG]
http://www.abc.net.au/science/programs/podcast.htm
The “ABC” in question here happens to be the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and they have come up with a smashing collection of science podcasts. Visitors can sign up to receive new podcasts via RSS feed, but they should definitely test the waters here by listening to any one of Dr Karl’s “Great Moments of Science” or an edition of “Talking Science”, which features interviews with various luminaries in the worlds of science. Further on down the homepage, visitors will encounter programs that deal with the mind (“All in the Mind”), the world of occupational health (“Life Matters”) and the philosophical musings of thoughtful people (“Ockham’s Razor”). Overall, there is some very delectable material here, and one can imagine that such podcasts could be passed along to science classrooms everywhere. [KMG]
