National Oceanographic Data Center

The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) is an "organization that provides scientific and public stewardship for national and international marine environmental and ecosystem data and information." Their website contains helpful data related to physical, biological and chemical measurements derived from in situ oceanographic observations, satellite remote sensing of the oceans, and ocean model simulations. On the homepage, visitors can use the Access Data area to look for detailed profiles of the world's oceans, along with information on finding archived data sets. One recent feature added to the site is the "Gulf of Mexico Data Atlas." Visitors can use this atlas to toggle various data sets, such as soundings, place names, and so on for a detailed and nuanced understanding of this body of water. Moving on, the Publications area contains links to the NODC's Ocean Climate Laboratory, posters, and the NOAA Photo Library.

http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2012. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students

Students in the engineering and science fields need to communicate a broad set of often highly technical materials to lay audiences. This process can be challenging, and this nice set of materials from Pennsylvania State University will be a boon to students in these fields. The site has five main sections: Introduction, Presentations, Correspondence, Formal Reports, and Other Documents. The Introduction area contains three helpful documents that provide insights on crafting the style of any given document and assessing the audience. Moving along, the Formal Reports area gives helpful suggestions on composing laboratory reports, theses, and dissertations. The site is rounded out by a glossary of writing and composition terms and additional references and resources.

http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2012. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Introduction to Computer Science and Programming

For those individuals who have yet to experience one of MIT's OpenCourseWare offerings, this is a great place to start. This site provides access to the spring 2011 version of Professor John Guttag's popular "Introduction to Computer Science and Programming." This course is aimed at students with "little or no programming experience," and its goal is to help students feel "justifiably confident of their ability to write small programs that allow them to accomplish useful goals." The materials here include a complete set of lecture videos, resources for each video (such as handouts and slides), recitation videos by the course teaching assistants, and homework problems with sample student solutions. The site also includes self-assessment tools and a Further Study area, which includes a collection of links to supplement the course materials.

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-00sc-introduction-to-computer-science-and-programming-spring-2011/

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2012. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Teaching Petrology Using the Primary Scientific Literature

Designed as part of the Professional Development for Geoscience Faculty series at Carleton College, this particular set of resources is designed for those teaching students about petrology. For those who might be unfamiliar with this discipline, petrology is the branch of geology that studies the origin, composition, distribution, and structure of rocks. The materials on this site are divided into two primary sections: Teaching Strategies and Recommended Readings. In the first section, visitors can view a range of materials, including exercises to teach scientific reading comprehension and mineralogic concepts as well as a nice piece on how to review a journal article. Further along, visitors can take in several of the recommended readings. Some of the readings are available in their entirety, although others are only cited and may require an academic library to access. 

http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/petrology/literature.html 

The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2012.
http://scout.wisc.edu/

North Carolina State Physics Demonstrations

The Lecture Demonstrations Facility is part of the physics department at North Carolina State University, and is tasked with supporting the teaching activities of the department's faculty and graduate students. This website features a number of online demonstrations that can be used by outside parties, who can click on the Visitor Access area to view some of these great videos. The demonstrations are divided into nine areas, including Optics, Modern Physics, and Waves and Oscillations. Each of these areas contains subtopics that will help users identify the specific subject of the demonstration, such as heat transfer applications or phase changes. Moving on, the Other Resources area includes online demonstration manuals from dozens of other schools, including Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon, and Macalester College.

http://www.physics.ncsu.edu/demoroom/

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2012. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Space Time Travel: Relativity Visualized

This site was created by two German physicists and it offers a "visual and intuitive approach to the theory of relativity." The site does not offer the basics dealing with the theory of relativity, but rather a novel approach to understanding what an object might look like while moving near the speed of light or what it might be like to "travel to the vicinity of a black hole and take a look-around." As the site notes, "Part of the difficulties in understanding relativity are due to the fact that relativistic effects contradict everyday experience." On the homepage, visitors can learn more in the Content area. Here they can watch remarkable visualizations such as Rolling Wheels, Sights that Einstein Could Not Yet See, and Accelerated Motion. The site also offers brief explanations of each visualization, along with links to additional resources. Finally, the site also includes a gallery of images and an FAQ area.

http://www.spacetimetravel.org/

MicrobeWorld

MicrobeWorld is an interactive multimedia educational outreach initiative from the American Society for Microbiology that promotes awareness and understanding of key microbiological issues to adult and youth audiences, and showcases the significance of microbes in our lives. One of the first MicrobeWorld Radio podcasts explained how microbes enter the initially sterile bodies of infants just hours after birth, establishing the microbial communities that stay with them for life. Other topics have included why the overuse of antibiotics is a growing problem, how microbes are key in the making of chocolate, and how microbiologists are on the front line in the war against infectious diseases that threaten human and animal health.

http://www.microbeworld.org/