CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES ON THE WEB
http://teldir.com/

Telephone Directories on the Web is an index of links to on-line telephone, fax and business directories from around the world.  This site will soon be listed as a pick on the Electronic Library menu under "Reference Resources":  http://www.library.wisc.edu/elib.reference.1/
 

A WEB OF ON-LINE DICTIONARIES
http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/rbeard/diction.html

A link to more than 800 dictionaries in 150 different languages -- from Afrikaans to Xhosa.  This web site indexes on-line dictionaries and thesauri containing words and phrases.  Preference in selection has been given to free on-line dictionaries of high quality.   This site, too, will be listed as a selection on the Electronic Library menu under "Reference Resources":  http://www.library.wisc.edu/elib.reference.1/
 

NEW DATABASE FROM COMMUNITY OF SCIENCE
http://usgs-georef.cos.com/

Community of Science, Inc., (COS) has announced World Wide Web availability of comprehensive bibliographic information for all U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) publications.  COS is now providing the Publications of the USGS Database as a separate searchable subset of the GeoRef database which is produced and owned by the American Geological institute (AGI).  This new database contains information on USGS reports and maps published from 1880 to the present and provides access to more than 110,000 publications, including some of the more frequently requested references in the GeoRef database.

The GeoRef database is considered by experts to be the most thorough and comprehensive database of publications in the geological and geophysical sciences and is available to the UW-Madison campus via the Electronic Library at:  http://www.library.wisc.edu/elib.indexes.1/Ind-physicsmath.html#G
 

OTHER SITES OF INTEREST

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NEW SCIENCE POLICY REPORT
http://house.gov/science/science_policy_report.htm

In the closing days of the 105th Congress, the long-awaited draft of a new proposed national science policy was released by the House Science Committee, "Unlocking the Future:  Toward a New National Science Policy."  Shortly thereafter, the House passed a resolution saying that this document will be used by the House in the future to guide its decisions with respect to Science.  Rep. Ehlers has said he did not seek to sharply define a science policy that would last far into the next century.  Instead, he describes his report as a work in progress.
 

TOP SCIENCE STORIES FROM NASA
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/oss/announce/top1998.html

From the farthest reaches of the Universe to the poles of the Moon, 1998
brought big surprises, fascinating images and major discoveries in space
science. Here are the top science stories of the year from NASA missions and
scientific research, as selected by the Science Directors and Associate
Administrator of Space Science at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.
[From Space Science News, 12/29/98]
 

ISSUES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ON-LINE
http://www.nap.edu/issues/

The National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Ida Green Center for the Study of Science and Society at the University of Texas at Dallas have recently made their journal, Issues in Science and Technology available on-line.  The journal is published quarterly and features articles that analyze "current topics in science, technology, and health policy and recommend actions by government, industry, academia, and individuals to solve pressing problems."  The electronic version will feature a forum and hyperlinks to related topics.  Users can choose to subscribe or to browse or search current and back issues (from Fall 1996) on-line.  [From the Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1998]
 

NORTHERN LIGHTS ABLAZE ON YOUR COMPUTER
http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/auroras/
http://www.uit.no/npt/nordlyset/nordlyset.en.html

For gorgeous photographs of this phenomenon, from both the earth and from space, and for a quick-time movie showing the shimmer, check this site from San Francisco's famous Exploratorium Museum.   Or check out the contribution of Norway's Northern Lights Planetarium.   (From the NSF Library Newsletter, 12/21/98)
 

HOW HAS THE FIELD OF ACADEMIC R&D CHANGED?
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf99309

This Issue Brief examines changes in R&D emphasis in the academic sector, which conducts roughly half of the Nation's basic research, by analyzing shifts in science and engineering field shares during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.  Tradeoffs among fields are examined -- i.e., whether certain fields have gained or lost "market share."  The Brief discusses both the shifting distribution of overall funds among S&E fields and the effects of these changes in terms of their impacts on the individual fields.
 

CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (CERES) PROJECT
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/

This collection of K-12 science education materials for teaching astronomy was developed by faculty at Montana State University with help from teachers across the country and financial support from NASA.  The site features four collections of educational resources.  The most useful of these is the Educational Activities section, which contains lesson plans and activities "closely aligned with the NRC National Science Education Standards."    The NASA Themes section offers links to the NASA sites devoted to four major research themes investigated in the lessons:  Sun-Earth Connections, The Search for Origins, Structure and Evolution of the Universe, and Exploration of the Solar System.  Finally Classroom Resources features several NASA data search engines developed for CERES, while Internet Courses provides information on two graduate level distance learning courses for K-12 teachers.  [From the Scout Report,  Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1998]
 

NMNH VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE DINOSAURS
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/paleo/dino/tourfram.htm

This new site from the National Museum of Natural History's (NMNH) Department of Paleobiology offers an enticing peek into the Smithsonian's large dinosaur collection.  Users can browse for their favorite dinosaur alphabetically, by dinosaur groups, or by period, and view photos that are accompanied by brief commentary.  A Special Tours section offers an Anatomy Lesson, clickable views of dinosaur Hall, and a behind the scenes look at paleobiologists at work.  Additional resources include a Geologic Time Scale and a collection of related links.  [From the Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1998]
 

FOR THE SCROOGES AMONG US
http://www.cvc.org/christmas/science.htm

For a discussion of the scientific reasons Santa cannot possibly exist, try the "Science-Bah Humbug!" page by Bill Drennon.

Last updated 1/25/99.