PolyThinkers Pad

If you’re in need of a study break, play around in Phun - a 2D physics sandbox. A Swedish computer science student developed Phun for his Masters thesis. The program (which is free to download) lets you flex your creativity and build fantastic contraptions, all while obeying the laws of physics.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology. The agency publishes standards many of which are free, including Ceramics WebBook, Chemistry WebBook and Physical Reference Data. To satisfy your curiosity, check out the complete list at the NIST Data Gateway, and get to know your standards.

In-cites compiled the 100 most-cited scientists for 2007 in the following fields:

• Biology & Biochemistry
• Chemistry
• Economics & Business
• Immunology
• Microbiology
• Molecular Biology & Genetics
• Neuroscience & Behavior
• Pharmacology & Toxicology
• Physics

Whoever says playing video games is a waste of time hasn’t seen this informative video: How to Use Video Games To Improve Your Brain. While mental exercise games like Nintendo’s Brain Age might seem as appealing as doing your math homework, some games can actually flex your brain muscles and still be fun.

Armadillo Run is a puzzle game that incorporates the laws of physics. You have to build a Rube Goldberg-like machine to transport an armadillo (which looks an awful lot like a basketball) to a target area using all types of materials such as metal, rope, rubber, and rockets. The game accurately models the behavior of the different materials so you’ll be learning about tensile strength, gravity, and tension without even realizing it. You can read a review of the game and view a demo at Fun-Motion.

In Harmonious Triads: Physicists, Musicians, and Instrument Makers in Nineteenth-Century Germany, Professor Myles Jackson delves into a time when scientists were committed to understanding the world of music. In the nineteenth century, physicists, musical instrument makers, and performers tried to understand the nature of musical genius, the underlying physics of acoustics, and the instruments themselves. Musical instruments provided physicists with experimental systems, and physicists’ research led directly to improvements in manufacturing instruments.

Myles Jackson is a History of Science and Technology Professor at Poly whose research interests include molecular biology and intellectual property in Europe and the US, genetic privacy issues, and the history of 18th and 19th-century German physics. His first book, Spectrum of Belief: Joseph von Fraunhofer and the Craft of Precision Optics is also available in the Dibner Library.

Open Access publishing continues to rise at an astronomical rate as researchers hope to maximize their impact by providing free access to their scholarly articles online. But all this newly available material does little good if you don’t know where to find it. Fortunately the good folks at Lund University in Sweden have created the Directory of Open Access Journals.

The Directory of Open Access Journals is a carefully vetted list of fully open access, peer-reviewed scholarly journals covering all subjects and languages. It currently lists a total of 2,870 journals, with a net growth rate of 1.2 titles per calendar day over the past year. The directory aims to be a “one stop shop for users to Open Access Journals.”

Subjects covered in the Directory include: [Read more →]

The results are in for the 2007 Nobel Prizes in Medicine, Physics and Chemistry:

• Medicine or Physiology: Awarded to a trio of scientists who independently studied genetics to find therapies and cures for hundreds of disorders and diseases. The scientists pioneered the creation of “designer mice” to demonstrate the roles of different genes in human development. Gene targeting in mice is now being applied to virtually all areas of biomedicine – from basic research to the development of new therapies. Learn More

• Physics: Awarded to two scientists whose discovery of the phenomenon known as giant magnetoresistance (MGR) has led to the miniaturization of data storage and is recognized as one of the key breakthroughs in modern computing and electronics. No doubt you own one of the many electronic devices that rely on tiny hard drives made possible by MGR (e.g. iPod, laptop, PDA, DVD player…) Learn More

• Chemistry: Awarded to a scientist for his breakthrough work in surface chemistry. The award-winning research explored how individual layers of atoms and molecules behave on the surface of catalysts. Not only can this science help us understand why iron rusts, it can help scientists produce renewable fuels more efficiently and create new materials for electronics. Learn More

Nobel Prizes for Literature, Peace and Economics will be announced over the following five days.

Inspired by the Nobels? Consider learning more about a lesser-known, bizarre period of the Nobel Prize legacy by reading “The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank.” Available in the library (call number: HQ761 .P56 2005).

Valuable scientific and technical information is scattered all over the internet in various formats such as technical reports, conference publications or pre-prints. The E-print Network: Research Communications for Scientists and Engineers makes it easier to track down the information you’re looking for.

E-prints are scholarly and professional works electronically produced and shared by researchers with the intent of communicating research findings to colleagues. The U.S. Department of Energy established the E-print Network to provide easier access to widely dispersed data using a Deep Web search capability allowing you to search full text of thousands of e-prints. Disciplines covered include physics, chemistry, biology and life sciences, materials science, nuclear sciences and engineering, energy research, computer and information technologies, and others.

The E-print Alerts feature is a service that will automatically notify you when new eprint information is available in your specific areas of interest.