Drexelphysics http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/ News, events and resources from the Drexel University Libraries relating to physics. en Copyright 2008 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:56:08 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Globe at Night Globe at Night results are in 2008 are in! The international star-hunting activity known as GLOBE at Night inspired 6,838 measurements of night-sky brightness by citizen scientists around the world, including 660 digital measurements using handheld sky-quality meters. The 2008 campaign received measurements from 62 countries, surpassing last year’s total of 60 countries.

View the Globe at Night Map

Go to the program's home page: http://www.globe.gov/GaN/

]]> Globe at Night results are in 2008 are in! The international star-hunting activity known as GLOBE at Night inspired 6,838 measurements of night-sky brightness by citizen scientists around the world,... http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/04/globe_at_night_1.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/04/globe_at_night_1.html Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:56:08 -0500 John Archibald Wheeler It is with some sadness that I just learned that John A. Wheeler died Sunday April 13 at the age of 96. I also just learned about a multi-session interview available online at http://www.aip.org/history/ohilist/5908_1.html. The interview was conducted by Kenneth Ford, one of Wheeler's students, as research for the latter's autobiography, Geons, Black Holes, and Quantum Foam: A Life in Physics (Norton, 1998).

This interview is one of the first 50 of about 500 oral history interviews with physicists, astronomers and geophysicists from the AIP Niels Bohr Library & Archives collection that are online with the support of an NEH grant. For a list of all oral histories in the collection, see http://aip.org/history/ohilist/. In addition, there is a list of those that are currently online at http://aip.org/history/ohilist/transcripts.html.

Thanks, Joe Anderson, Niels Bohr Library & Archives for the heads-up!

]]> It is with some sadness that I just learned that John A. Wheeler died Sunday April 13 at the age of 96. I also just learned about a multi-session interview... http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/04/john_archibald_wheeler.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/04/john_archibald_wheeler.html Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:08:59 -0500 <![CDATA[Emilio Segrè Visual Archives]]> A collection of more than 30,000 historical photographs, slides, lithographs, engravings, and other visual materials, the Emilio Segrè Visual Archives focuses on American physicists and astronomers of the twentieth century, but includes many scientists in Europe and elsewhere, in other fields related to physics, and in earlier times.

The collection is named in honor of Emilio Segrè, best known for his Nobel Prize-winning work in nuclear and high-energy physics, but also an avid photographer and author of books on the history of modern physics.

Check the site out for images of scientists at work, family groups and offical portraits. Fascinating!

]]> http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/03/emilio_segre_visual_archives.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/03/emilio_segre_visual_archives.html Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:32:50 -0500 Natural Earth Made primarily from data and imagery collected by NASA satellites and graphically enhanced by the NPS, Natural Earth is a base for general mapmaking. The combination of shaded relief and landcover colors brings the physical world to life and encourag es readers to explore. World physical map at 1.24 km resolution.

go to: http://www.shadedrelief.com/natural/index.html

For more add ons: http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/Add-on:Natural_Earth

]]> Made primarily from data and imagery collected by NASA satellites and graphically enhanced by the NPS, Natural Earth is a base for general mapmaking. The combination of shaded relief and... http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/03/natural_earth.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/03/natural_earth.html Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:29:32 -0500 World Wide Telescope The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a rich visualization environment that functions as a virtual telescope, bringing together imagery from the best ground and space telescopes in the world for a seamless, guided exploration of the universe.

WorldWide Telescope, created with Microsoft's high-performance Visual Experience Engine™, enables seamless panning and zooming across the night sky blending terabytes of images, data, and stories from multiple sources over the Internet into a media-rich, immersive experience.

Check it out: http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/

]]> The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a rich visualization environment that functions as a virtual telescope, bringing together imagery from the best ground and space telescopes in the world for a... http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/03/world_wide_telescope.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/03/world_wide_telescope.html Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:15:18 -0500 International Year of Astronomy The vision of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) is to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day- and night time sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery. All humans should realize the impact of astronomy and basic sciences on our daily lives, and understand better how scientific knowledge can contribute to a more equitable and peaceful society. IYA_square.png


Also, 2009 is the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s use of a telescope to study the skies, and Kepler’s publication of Astronomia Nova. 2009 is also the anniversary of many other historic events in science, including Huygen’s 1659 publication of Systema Saturnium.

Wow! a lot of things to think about and plan. If you are doing something special for IYA2009, please let me know. Expect a library display!

Check out the United States web site: http://astronomy2009.us/
and
IAU web site: http://www.astronomy2009.org/

]]> The vision of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) is to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day- and night time sky,... http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/02/international_year_of_astronom_1.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/02/international_year_of_astronom_1.html Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:10:58 -0500 Communicating Astronomy with the Public (CAP) I have just run across this new journal form the IAU and am CAPtivated by the hole thing. I know astronomers historically have shared their science, enthusiastically, with an adoring public with a long hsitory of "amateur" publications, but this is the first time I have seen something like this coming out of the International Astronomical Union. AND it is free full text to boot!
Gotta love those astronomers. grin29.bmp

Hurray!

Check it out: http://www.capjournal.org/

]]> I have just run across this new journal form the IAU and am CAPtivated by the hole thing. I know astronomers historically have shared their science, enthusiastically, with an adoring... http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/02/communicating_astronomy_with_t_1.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/02/communicating_astronomy_with_t_1.html Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:50:00 -0500 Darwin Day Celebration An International Recognition of Science and Humanity
A year from now will be Darwin's 200th Birthday (February 12, 2009); it will also be the 150th Anniversary of the publication of his famous book, On The Origin of Species.

A website coordinating many international events can be found at: http://darwinday.org/NEWlang/home/index.html

Start planning your events in celebration of this remarkable man's life.

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]]> An International Recognition of Science and Humanity A year from now will be Darwin's 200th Birthday (February 12, 2009); it will also be the 150th Anniversary of the publication of... http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/02/darwin_day_celebration_1.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/02/darwin_day_celebration_1.html Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:29:23 -0500 The Pleasure of Finding Things Out I have collected together the five part video interview of Richard Feynman. They can be found at the following url of the Libraries' web site. These are collected from several Feynman videos from YouTube.

Check it out:
http://www.library.drexel.edu/resources/guides/feynmanvideo.html

]]> I have collected together the five part video interview of Richard Feynman. They can be found at the following url of the Libraries' web site. These are collected from several... http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/02/the_pleasure_of_finding_things.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/02/the_pleasure_of_finding_things.html Fri, 08 Feb 2008 09:22:07 -0500 CERN: Large Hadron Collider CERN is now on YouTube. Catch these videos about CERN's Large Hadron Collider. I think they are well presented.

go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67q_2V6xOxE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XufjtmEe5w&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSfFFySJpmU&feature=related

]]> CERN is now on YouTube. Catch these videos about CERN's Large Hadron Collider. I think they are well presented. go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67q_2V6xOxE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XufjtmEe5w&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSfFFySJpmU&feature=related... http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/01/cern_large_hadron_collider.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2008/01/cern_large_hadron_collider.html Thu, 24 Jan 2008 08:13:22 -0500 Smallest Food Ever From Science Sensei...
He goes where no man has gone before. He discovers new taste sensations. And he's not ashamed to wear a fanny pack while doing it. Science Sensei: Science. Satire. Silly.

This week: The smallest food ever.

Nanotechnology, the control of matter on the atomic and molecular scale, has been touted for several years as the next big revolution in science. It's already in some of the products we use today: stain-free pants, insulated paint, or transparent skin creams. But some of the more exciting nanotechnology applications--like tiny, "smart" drug delivery vehicles, little scaffolds that help your body regrow tissues like bone or blood vessels, or nano-sensors that travel through your body and diagnose disease--have plenty of roadblocks.

Enjoy!

]]> From Science Sensei... He goes where no man has gone before. He discovers new taste sensations. And he's not ashamed to wear a fanny pack while doing it... http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2007/12/smallest_food_ever_1.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2007/12/smallest_food_ever_1.html Fri, 07 Dec 2007 07:51:14 -0500 New Physics Journal Online Backfiles! As we continue to replace the print bound journal and index collections at Hagerty with available electronic journal coverage, we have purchased more electronic content and indexes available to the entire University community. We now own the electronic backfiles to 549 journals not previously accessible online to Drexel Libraries. These include several major acquisitions in physics: the AIP Digital Archive and the Springer Link Historical Archives: Physics and Astronomy.

The backfiles consist of full-text PDFs and usually go back to the journal’s first issue. All of these titles are now available via the catalog and electronic journals list. Please see the following pages for the individual journal titles included in each collection:

  • American Institute of Physics Digital Archive
  • Springer Link Historical Archives Chemistry and Materials Science
  • Springer Link Historical Archives Computer Sciences
  • Springer Link Historical Archives Earth and Environmental Sciences
  • Springer Link Historical Archives Engineering
  • Springer Link Historical Archives Mathematics
  • Springer Link Historical Archives Physics and Astronomy
    • ]]>     As we continue to replace the print bound journal and index collections at Hagerty with available electronic journal coverage, we have purchased more electronic content and indexes available to the... http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2007/11/new_physics_journal_online_bac.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2007/11/new_physics_journal_online_bac.html Mon, 26 Nov 2007 12:07:59 -0500     Teaching Geology, Google Style Recently reported in the Chronicle by Josh Fischman
    Earth: Portrait of a Planet a textbook by geologists Stephen Marshak and M. Scott Wilkerson uses Geotours, a CD that guides students on instant virtual field trips using Google Earth, the search company’s Web-based global mapping program. It’s a way to see geology in action.

    Students can fly over the Grand Canyon, the Amazon, or the peaks of the Alps, among other places, and dive down to get up close. Google Earth has the ability to zoom in and out. So at Mount Vesuvius, Marshak says, students can see the ruins of Pompeii and a nearby volcanic peak, and then zoom up to an elevation 10 miles above the planet’s surface and realize that the peak is merely a tiny cone growing from the remnants of a much larger volcanic crater.

    ]]>     Recently reported in the Chronicle by Josh Fischman Earth: Portrait of a Planet a textbook by geologists Stephen Marshak and M. Scott Wilkerson uses Geotours, a CD that guides students... http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2007/11/teaching_geology_google_style_1.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2007/11/teaching_geology_google_style_1.html Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:56:34 -0500     New Open Access Physics Journal! PhysMath Central (PMC) Physics A, a new peer-reviewed international Open Access journal covering particle and nuclear physics, cosmology, gravity & astroparticle physics, instrumentation and data analysis is now online.

    Ken Peach, editor-in-chief, PMC Physics A writes "The challenge is to create viable publishing model that preserves the best of the academic publishing traditions while allowing the power of the internet to be harnessed for the public good. The parent publishing group, BioMed Central, has quickly established itself over the past seven years in the bio-medical field with a large number of open access journals."

    Check out the premier issue: http://www.physmathcentral.com/pmcphysa

    ]]>     PhysMath Central (PMC) Physics A, a new peer-reviewed international Open Access journal covering particle and nuclear physics, cosmology, gravity & astroparticle physics, instrumentation and data analysis is now online. Ken... http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2007/10/new_open_access_physics_journa.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2007/10/new_open_access_physics_journa.html Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:36:56 -0500     With Fear and Wonder in Its Wake, Sputnik Lifted Us Into the Future Fifty years ago today Oct 4, 1957 Sputnik was sent into orbit ushering in a new frontier. A nice article can be found in the New York Times by John Noble Wilford. I remember standing outside my house looking into the night sky to watch it move against the starry background. My first baby step toward science.

    Check out the NYT article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/25/science/space/25sput.html?ex=1348459200&en=4246bbc553216da9&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

    ]]>     Fifty years ago today Oct 4, 1957 Sputnik was sent into orbit ushering in a new frontier. A nice article can be found in the New York Times by John... http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2007/10/with_fear_and_wonder_in_its_wa_1.html http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/drexelphysics/2007/10/with_fear_and_wonder_in_its_wa_1.html Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:33:26 -0500