Global Warming Kids draws millions of young people from across the U.S. and around the world who enjoy exploring this lively and engaging Web site. The project is part of Climate Change Education.Org (CCE) where volunteers from science museums as well as students, staff and scientists at the University of California, Berkeley provide the people power behind the Web site. They are always on the look out for NSDL resources where kids are the intended audience, and where global warming and what can be done about it is the subject. They found that combination in the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears eZine “Stories for Students” column that presents compelling content about polar subjects such as Blue whales and a Southern Ocean food chain in three formats: text only, an illustrated book, or an on-screen electronic version designed for grades K-1, 2-3 or 4-5.

Global Warming Kids (http://globalwarmingkids.net/index.html) plans to offer more Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears content on their site by:

• Selecting Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears “Stories for Students” that are most closely tied to global warming/climate change for their site.

• Further developing more Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears content on the CCK site in various formats.

• Featuring Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears as a permanent part of  the CCK kids/children’s book page.

Just when humans venture outside to enjoy good weather in many parts of the U.S., small creatures also begin to spread their wings or stretch their multiple legs and get out into the world–often to the same places humans like to visit. One of the more invasive pests that is causing health concerns nationwide is the very small, but dangerous deer tick. Undetected deer ticks cause Lyme disease in humans which has increased dramatically since 1991. “The tiny Ixodes tick which carries it is tough to see and avoid. It looks sort of like a spec of pepper. You can find it coast to coast in all fifty states in wooded, grassy or bush-covered areas, so anyone can get it.” Henry J. Fishman, “Lyme Disease Causes Misery Nationwide.” Consumer Affairs.com, Sept. 24, 2007

These NSDL resources will help you understand more about identifying and avoiding deer ticks.

From the collections of AMSER and BEN

Tick Biology for the Homeowner

This Cornell University-Cooperative Extension article includes close-up images and short sections on Taxonomy and Description, Biology and Behavior, Guidelines on Safe Tick Removal, and Identification of several species including: the american dog tick, brown dog tick, lone star tick, Ixodes cookei, and the blacklegged (deer) tick.

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From the Internet Scout Project collection

Ticks and Lyme Disease

These websites provide information about both tick biology and Lyme disease — a disease transmitted through deer ticks.

NSF’s new Science Nation is a weekly, media rich “online magazine that’s all about science for the people.” Developed by CNN science producers, Science Nation topics take an entertaining look at the research and people that impact our day-to-day lives. The first two shows are about phenomena and events that most of us have wondered about. “Extremophile Hunter” (about the work of astrobiologist Richard Hoover) looks into the search for bacteria that have mutated to survive under adverse conditions. NASA and others believe that these extreme microorganisms may hold clues to what off-world life is like in harsh solar system environments. Hoover’s studies of possible fossilized remains of bacteria found in meteors that are older than earth may ultimately lead to an answer to the age old question: “Where did life originate?” “Unraveling the Mysteries of Tornadoes” is about people and technologies that work together to stay one step ahead of severe storms and public safety issues particularly in some western states.

These related NSDL resources may also be of interest:

The Astrobiology Web

This site offers up to date information on many topics related to astrobiology. There are many articles, vidoes clips, and press releases to look through to find the information you are looking for. Newa and reference web sites are designed to allow both the novice and specialist alike to explore outer space and Earth observation. 

From the collections of AMSER, comPADRE, DLESE, and Microbial Life Educational Resources

NASA Astrobiology Portal

NASA’s Astrobiology web site presents information about NASA’s astrobiology program, NASA’s astrobiology missions, and astrobiology. “Astrobiology is the study of life in the universe. It provides a biological perspective to many areas of NASA research, linking such endeavors as the search for habitable planets, exploration missions to Mars and Europa, efforts to understand the origin of life, and planning for the future of life beyond Earth.”

From the collections of Infomine and Microbial Life Educational Resources

 National Geographic Features: Inside Tornadoes

Users can view images of the storm chasers Tim Samaras and two colleagues’ at work. Everyone will enjoy the videos of the storm chasers setting up, the tornado moving over the camera, and Tim Samaras’s descriptions of storm chasers’ lives and tools.

From the collections of AMSER and Internet Scout

What do scientists do? The National Academies recently launched the African American History Web site to help answer that question for students and teachers. Important contributions made by African American scientists, engineers, and physicians are featured along with information about NAE programs and events. One of the scientists highlighted on the NAE Web site is Warren Washington, senior scientist and section head at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, who was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2002 “for pioneering the development of coupled climate models, their use on parallel supercomputing architectures, and their interpretation.”

Washington has spent his distinguished career looking into how we might more accurately understand climate change patterns and how human behavior might affect them. Visit the NCAR Library Warren M. Washington Collection to learn more (http://www.ucar.edu/library/collections/washington/).These archival materials from 1963-2007, document Washington’s scientific, professional, and advisory activities, as well as his significant contributions to diversity issues, particularly the enhancement of opportunities for people of color in science.

Looking for a particular STEM subject resource? NSDL.org features streamlined collection browsing to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. Browse collections alphabetically or through subject gateways that include: Biological and Health Sciences; Engineering, Computing, and Technology; General Science and STEM; Geosciences; Mathematics; Physical Sciences; and Social Sciences. Within each of these broad categories, users may browse by audience: collections whose items have classroom utility are found in the For Educators and Learners category; collections without classroom application are found in the For Researchers and Professionals audience grouping. New Collections also displays collections according to date of accessioning, so newest collections are listed first.

NSDL’s flagship Pathways collections are affiliated with specific disciplines and appear in bold. Selecting a collection name brings up search results for that entire collection. Pathways-related resources are also featured on the right hand side of NSDL.org search results as “Relevant Results form NSDL Pathway Partners”.

National Science Foundation (NSF) Special Reports online feature topics that highlight scientific discoveries accomplished with NSF support. Topics include weather, evolution, mathematics, visualization, technology, polar, infectious disease, robotics, wild animals, earthquake engineering, cyberinfrastructure, tsunami, arctic and climate. Special reports are available as interactive resources or as text only versions. This collection has recently been added to NSDL.

NSF Special Reports look at aspects of cross-cutting topics from multiple disciplinary perspectives. The recently published “Climate Change” Special Report, for example, examines this complex issue throught the broad lenses of current research on Sky, Sea, Life, Land, Life and People.

These publications also take on topics that are of national significance such as the decline in mathematics educational acheivement by U.S. students. Research supported by NSF is highlighted in “Math, What’s the Problem” which looks at the role of teaching, curriculum and technology in math education, and demonstrates the importance of math education to all citizens.
Date Updated: January 26, 2009