"This free web site presents ongoing research and recent discoveries in the fields of astrophysics, Earth sciences, biodiversity, and human biology and evolution. Videos of documentary feature stories, data visualizations, and weekly reports can be played online or downloaded to your computer. Educational resources on the site help teachers use these stories in the classroom."
"A free, searchable catalog of standards-based science teaching materials fro K-12 educators and learners. The database can be browsed by topic or searched by keyword. The site also contains Special Collections - groups of resources organized around themes, such as Climate Change and Mammals."
"The Museum's award-winning online professional development program provides courses in the life, Earth and physical sciences. Designed for K-12 educators, each six-week course is led by an experienced classroom teacher and a research scientist. In-depth readings, assignments, and rich web-based discussions asssure a deeper understanding of both the science and the tools of scientific inquiry. Affordable graduate credit is available from leading institutions."
Table of Contents
About Science for All Americans and
Atlas of Science Literacy.................................................. 4
From Chapter 1: The Nature of Science ............................... 5
From Chapter 3: The Nature of Technology ......................... 7
Map: Scientifi c Investigations ............................................. 11
Map: Interaction of Technology and Society ..................... 13
Map: Decisions about Using Technology ........................... 15
From Chapter 4: The Physical Setting ............................... 16
Recommended Reading ..................................................... 17
Map: Weather and Climate .................................................. 19
Map: Use of Earth's Resources ............................................ 21
From Chapter 8: The Designed World ................................ 22
From Chapter 5: The Living Environment .......................... 23
Map: Energy Resources ...................................................... 25
Map: Interdependence of Life ............................................ 27
Recommended Reading ..................................................... 28
Web Sites for Climate Change Resources ........................... 29
Information Science
Bounds and Vision
Atlas of Science Visualizing What We Know by Katy Börner MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2010. 266 pp. $$29.95, £22.95. ISBN 9780262014458.
1. Mason A. Porter
+ Author Affiliations
1.
The reviewer is at the Oxford Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3LB, UK, and at the CABDyN Complexity Centre and Somerville College, University of Oxford.
1. E-mail: porterm@maths.ox.ac.uk
Visualization is a crucial but underappreciated part of science. As venues like the American Physical Society's Gallery of Fluid Motion and Gallery of Nonlinear Images illustrate every year, good visuals can make science more beautiful, more artistic, more tangible, and often more discernible. Katy Börner's continuing exhibition Places & Spaces: Mapping Science (1) and her book Atlas of Science: Visualizing What We Know arise from a similar spirit but are much more ambitious.
Visualization is one of the most compelling aspects of science. Breathtaking visuals from sources like fractals and Disneyland's long-dead "Adventure Thru Inner Space" ride are what originally inspired me toward my personal scientific path, so I welcome any resource that promises to bring the visual joys of discovery to a wide audience. Importantly, Börner's exhibition and book are not mere artistic manifestations, although they would be impressive accomplishments even if that were her only goal. Some scientists have occasionally had great success in the visual arts; for example, physicist Eric Heller has long exhibited the gorgeous fruits of his research on quantum chaos and other topics (2). To fully appreciate Börner's efforts, however, one must be conscious that she is deeply concerned not just with visualization itself but with the science of visualization. Accordingly, her book discusses the history of the science of visualization, where it is now, and where she thinks it can go. Atlas of Scie
"The theme of the 175th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), "Our Planet and Its Life, Origins, and Futures," celebrated an enormous breadth of scientific accomplishments that transcends many subdisciplines of the natural and social sciences. It was intended to be both a reflection on what has been learned and a look forward to what must yet be better known if we are to make wise choices as stewards of our planet. The program committee saw this as an opportunity to examine how we have come to know and understand the coevolution of life with its interacting biological, biogeochemical, and physical environments. Further advances in this area are essential to develop scenarios that can be useful in guiding decisions to address some of society's most pressing problems. We must work toward a future that embraces the wise application of science to improve human health and well-being and to sustain the great diversity of life on our planet. "
"The Museum's science-rich website for curious minds ages seven and up makes complex scientific concepts accessible and fun through games, activiites, and stories. Kids can search Ology to learn more about their favorite science topics."