Electronic Highways
Year of science
Take time each month in 2009 to celebrate and learn more about science as this year has been designated the Year of Science by the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS). The Year of Science Web site has many useful resources to get you started. Start with the fascinating images and text from the Understanding Science 101 link, where you will find a detailed and interesting discussion of the nuances of the scientific method. Then Get Involved in Science and check out citizen science activities, such as the Great Backyard Bird Count, Project Bud Burst and The Great Sunflower Project.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will provide Year of Science celebrants with a steady stream of news of scientific research findings. Its EurekAlert! news service makes available breaking stories from the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Energy. Up-to-date science headlines and news summaries also can be found at ScienceDaily, where all scientific topics are covered from “Health & Medicine” to “Fossils & Ruins.” And, be sure to check out 60 Second Science, a blog featured on the Scientific American Web site, for the latest in scientific news.
“Science Friday,” the National Public Radio program hosted by UB alumnus Ira Flatow, is a great choice for keeping up with a full range of scientific topics and breakthroughs. If you can’t be near your radio to hear the show on WBFO-FM 88.7 from 2-4 p.m. on Fridays, go to the Web site for podcasts of the show. Also, Twitter users are encouraged to participate in all matters “SciFri.”
The Year of Science may peak your interest in careers in science or may motivate you to inspire others to take the plunge. The Sloan Career Cornerstone Center is a Web site funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation that provides a variety of excellent resources on pursuing careers in more than 170 degree fields in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, computing and health care. And whether you are an established or aspiring scientist, the Science Careers Blog will provide you with “frequent updates from the science-career trenches, including advice, opinion, news, funding opportunities and links to other career-related resources.”
Exposing yourself to science humor is a great way to celebrate the Year of Science. Check out Improbable Research: Research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK, which recently was nominated as a finalist for the 2008 Weblog Award in its science category. Finally, the Science Cartoons Plus gallery featuring the work of Sidney Harris, a renowned cartoonist for publications such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, Discover, Natural History Magazine, and The New Yorker, offers chuckles on such diverse subjects as academe, chemistry, Einstein, global warming, medicine, psychology, risk analysis and more.
—Gemma DeVinney, University Libraries
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