Objective: Supporting student learning in the Sciences Department.
Start with:
Be alert to the different factors that can contribute towards ‘bad’ science when either reading science articles or evaluating research.
Multidisciplinary Research Sources
Public Library of Science (PLOS)
Open Access peer-reviewed articles in many disciplines.
PhET Interactive Simulations
Online physics, chemistry, earth sciences and math simulations.
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology (20 vol. print Reference Q 121 .M3 2007)
Features articles by leading scientists from all over the world, include thirty-six Nobel Laureates. This is an excellent source for information on all fields of science, from nanotechnology to fluid mechanics and everything in between.
Streaming Media
Scholarly and popular films on Engineering and Chemistry from FilmsOnDemand.
A collection of TED Talks (and more) on the topic of Engineering and Chemistry.
OpenChem: Lecture videos and more for U.C. Irvine.
Core Reference Materials
Hawley’s Condensed Chemical Dictionary (15th ed)
A compilation of technical data and descriptive information covering thousands of chemicals and chemical phenomena, trade name products, processes, reactions, products, and related terminology.
World of Chemistry
A free online, illustrated chemistry dictionary provided by Wolfram Research.
Atoms First: Chemistry Textbook (from Openstax & UConn)
Chemistry LibreTexts: The Dynamic Chemistry e-Textbook from U.C. Davis.
Periodic Table Live!
Allows you to explore a broad range of information about the elements, their reactions, their properties, their structures, and their histories.
Chem1 Virtual Textbook: A reference text for General Chemistry
Research Sources
PubChem
US National Institutes of Health. Search for a chemical under Compound or Substance, it will return an incredible wealth of information on the material. Results include pharmacological action/classification, safety/toxicology, literature links, physical data and lots more. Bioassay and structure searches also available.
ChemSpider
Free chemical structure database providing fast access to over 32 million structures, properties, and associated information. It is owned by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Science.gov: Chemistry
A search engine and directory of U.S. government websites covering chemistry topics.
Wired Chemist
Contains animations, an introduction to chemistry, modules on important topics in chemistry, demonstrations of laboratory techniques, NMR spectral data and problems, etc.
Education in Chemistry Magazine
A magazine covering all areas of chemistry education, concentrating on the teaching of chemistry in secondary schools and universities.
Institute of Engineering Technology (IET). Large multidisciplinary institute that focuses on “Inspiring the next generation of engineers and technicians. Informing the wider engineering community. Influencing government and standards to advance society”.
News & Blogs
- Compound Interest
By Andy Brunning, a chemistry teacher in the UK, creating graphics looking at the chemistry and chemical reactions we come across on a day-to-day basis. -
Science Daily: Chemistry
This award-winning website provides research articles, images, encyclopedia entries, book reviews, and videos on a variety of science topics.
Watch & Learn
Browse @ the Library
QH including:- The Facts of File Dictionary of Biology (print Reference QH 302.5 .F38 2005)
- Encyclopedia of Evolution (print Reference QH 360.2 .E54 2002)
Read Full-Text
Biology eBook Collection from Credo Reference, examples include:
Bookshelf from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) provides free online access to books and documents in life science and healthcare. Search, read, and discover.
Biology & Life-Sciences eBooks from the National Academies Press.
Recommended Resources
Indexes
Encyclopedia of Life – The beginnings of an online resource collecting information about each species in the world.
Biodiversity Heritage Library – “The Biodiversity Heritage Library improves research methodology by collaboratively making biodiversity literature openly available to the world as part of a global biodiversity community.”
Guides
Audubon Guide to North American Birds – a classic!
The Whole Frog Project – virtual frog dissection, from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
BugGuide.net – Hosted by Iowa State U., Bug Guide has insect identification tools as well as a discussion forum for enthusiasts.Wolfram|Alpha includes a wide variety of searchable information relevant to biology. See their Life Sciences examples for possibilities.
Washington State Biology Resources
The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington has a vast online collection, including:
Puget Sound Shoreline – From the Washington Dept. of Ecology, this site lists and discusses plant and animal species found in Puget Sound.
BirdWeb – Seattle Audubon’s Guide to the Birds of Washington State
Pacific Northwest Moths – Hosted by WWU, this is a cooperatively-created guide and key for moths in southern BC and Alberta; WA, OR, & ID; and parts of CA, NV, UT, CO, WY, and MT.
Streaming Film
Films on Demand – Earth Sciences
Read Full-Text
- Earth Materials & Resources
- Earth’s Surface & History
- Earth’s Weather, Water, and Atmosphere
- Physics & Chemistry of the Earth
Earth Sciences eBooks from the National Academies Press.
Understanding the Earth (Visual Guides Series)
Living with Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest
Written by Robert S. Yeats, a leading authority on earthquakes in California and the Pacific Northwest, this online book describes the threat posed by the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
The scope of the Encyclopedia of Earth is the environment of the Earth broadly defined, with particular emphasis on the interaction between society and the natural spheres of the Earth. This resource is an expert-reviewed collection of content contributed by scholar/professionals who collaborate and review each others work.
Volcano World
From Oregon State University – this informative and comprehensive site is an excellent resource on this topic.
Astronomy
PubSpace
Peer-reviewed papers resulting from NASA-funded research. NASA advances the Nation’s space exploration, technology development, and scientific research endeavors, providing a scientific infrastructure.
- NASA eBooks (read!)
- NASA Podcasts (listen!)
Read Full-Text
Free textbook that begins with relevant scientific fundamentals and progresses through an exploration of the solar system, stars, galaxies, and cosmology.
- Astropedia Textbook: an introduction to the nature of the universe. Use it to research or review our solar system, stars, galaxies, and the history of the universe.
- Encyclopedia of Energy (Salem Press)
- Credo Astronomy eBook Collection
- Penguin Dictionary of Physics
- Space and Aeronautics eBooks Full-text from the National Academies Press.
Read Full-Text
The Encyclopedia of Ecology and Environmental Management, Blackwell Science (via Credo Reference)
Blackwell’s Concise Encyclopedia of Ecology (via EBSCO eBooks)
Abstracts & Citations
Complimentary research database draws on the connections between the environment and a variety of disciplines such as agriculture, education, law, health and technology. Abstracts
Online Research Resources
Forest History Society
Provides access to a variety of databases, including an extensive bibliography of works on environmental history, materials related to the history of the U.S. Forest Service, descriptions and transcripts of oral history interviews with individuals involved in forest management, and guides to environmental history archival collections around the world. It also includes an image collection of more than 30,000 low-resolution images “documenting the history of human interaction with the environment.”
PubAg
A portal to USDA-authored and other highly relevant agricultural research. Delivers full-text journal articles and article citations by USDA staff.
Open Parks Network
More than 20 national parks and other protected sites are represented in these diverse collections, as well as 2 state park systems and 3 university libraries. The Open Parks Network provides public access to high-resolution, downloadable files.
Introduction to Environmental Science (Open Course from Georgia College) Topics covered include population ecology, human demography, air pollution, and climate change.