Around the Web--October, 2008
This month’s selection of websites is an eclectic mix ranging from environmental science and chemistry to lipids and fats. Kevin reviewed two websites dedicated to lipids—Cyberlipid Center and AOCS: Your Home for Fats, Oils and Surfactants. Unfortunately, as is often the case with lipids —they never get their due in the biochemistry pecking order— neither site passed muster.
The National Environmental Methods Index provides visitors with a compendium of methods that can be used to monitor environmental parameters including water, air, sediment and even biological tissue samples. Another environmental site that was reviewed was the Silent Spring Institute website. This site covers the effects of pesticides on the environment and highlights the efforts of Rachel Carson, who in 1962 published Silent Spring, and was the first to alert the American public to the environmental consequences of the indiscriminate pesticide use.
An interesting website for those of you involved in biomedical research is eTBlast Search which is touted as a “unique search engine for searching biomedical literature.” I will leave it up to you to determine whether or not it is unique and useful for biomedical literature searches.
Finally, my favorite selection this month is Chemical Education Research Group Simulations a website maintained by Dr. Thomas Greenbowe at Iowa State University that allows users to download interactive animations that showcase basic inorganic chemistry principles including stoichiometry, redox titrations, acid-base equilibria etc. Inorganic chemistry was never my strong suit and this website would have come in handy when took chemistry in high school and college. Ah, the wonders of modern technology!
Until next time….
Good Luck and Good Web Surfing!!!!!!!
