Picture This: Explaining Science Through Drawings

If a picture is worth a thousand words, creating one can have as much value to the illustrator as to the intended audience. This is the case with "Picturing to Learn," a project in which college students create pencil drawings to explain scientific concepts to a typical high school student. The National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Undergraduate Education, provides support for this effort.What sets this project apart is its emphasis on inviting students to draw in ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111410&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Forecasters Implement New Hurricane-Tracking Technique

A new technique that helps forecasters continuously monitor landfalling hurricanes, giving them frequent and detailed images of a storm's location, will be implemented this summer.The new system, developed by National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C., will be implemented at the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The technique, known as ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111407&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

And the First Animal on Earth Was a ...

A new study mapping the evolutionary history of animals indicates that Earth's first animal--a mysterious creature whose characteristics can only be inferred from fossils and studies of living animals--was probably significantly more complex than previously believed. The study, which was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is the cover story of the April 10, 2008 issue of Nature. Using new high-powered technologies for analyzing massive volumes of genetic data, ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111408&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.