Supercourse
If Clark Kent was a mild mannered public health official instead of a reporter, he might have created Supercourse, a website able to leap interdisciplinary gaps in a single bound. Instead, a team at the University of Pittsburgh’s World Health Organization Collaborating Center did the job, compiling more than 3,500 lectures on health and epidemiology, including many on pandemics, mass casualties, and other issues related to public health during disasters.
Nominations for Leadership in the Next Administration
Some high-level jobs will soon be opening in government departments affecting scientists and hazards experts and they might as well put in their two cents on who the successors should be. The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) has made it easy with an online form where stakeholders can nominate the best man or woman for the job and let NCSE pass the nominations on to the appropriate transition teams. The only catch—nominees have to be down with avoiding the catastrophic effects of climate change.
Grand Challenges for Engineering
While the past century has brought lots of life changing technology, the National Academy of Engineering wants to ensure the next century produces life-sustaining innovations. It’s started by compiling a list of 14 challenges—from making solar energy economical to improving urban infrastructure to reverse engineering the brain—that will make a real difference. This website devoted to the challenges provides information and links lets others comment on what could become the next 14 on the list.
Social Dimensions of Climate Change Videos
All right, Mr. DeMille, the social consequences of climate change are ready for their close ups. The World Bank has spotlighted the issue as the topic of its micro-documentary contest featuring two- to five-minute digital films from around the world. Visitors to the site can view videos and vote for finalists. Winners in two categories—youth and general entry—will be chosen by a multidisciplinary panel of judges and invited to Washington, D.C., to screen their film. New videos will be posted until Friday; public votes will be tallied after Monday.
Changes in 2009 NSF Grant Proposal Guide
The National Science Foundation has released its 2009 Grant Proposal Guide and, along with it, a listing of significant changes in this year’s proposal process. Among them are a new NSF Identification system, changed requirements for delineating post-doctoral researcher support, and a “major revision” of allowable salary reimbursements. In addition, Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER) have been replaced with two other programs—Rapid Response Research (RAPID) and Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER).
Global Warming Kids
It won’t be difficult to get kids interested in climate change with this one-stop candy shop of fun and educational links to help children learn more about the condition of our climate. The site not only links to multilingual games, movies, books and magazines, music, and other climate resources, it features real kids making a difference in the field.