Internet Usage for Science News & Information

The Internet as a Resource for News and Information about Science:
The convenience of getting scientific material on the web opens doors to better attitudes and understanding of science

The latest report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, released last week, is about how Americans use the internet to locate news and information on science topics. Some of the conclusions are encouraging, like how those who use the internet to find science information are inclined to use other sources to check the accuracy of what they find and are more likely to believe that scientific pursuits benefit society.

However, it also means that many users are relying too heavily on what they find in search engines and are not taking enough advantage of the online resources (databases, encyclopedias, etc.) available to them through public and/or college/university libraries, which have access to material that’s not always retrievable via search engines.

The complete report and survey are on the Pew website.
Continue reading Internet Usage for Science News & Information…

Using the h-index to measure researcher impact

Using the h-index to rank influential British researchers in information science and librarianship, published in Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology this week.

While the article focues on British researchers in the library/information science field, the h-index in question was developed by Jorge Hirsch (UCSD Physics). You can read his original article here.

Extended Hours for Dec 2-7

Extended Hours will begin on December 2 and continue through December 7. During this time, the S&E Library will open at 10:00 on Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 AM Monday - Friday, and will remain open until 1:45 AM.

Chemical Scientist/Engineering Employment Outlook

C&EN’s annual Employment Outlook edition was published last week.

Highlights:
• Employment Looks A Little Better

• Chemists and chemical engineers may find more opportunities this year.
• Strategies From Hiring Professionals
• Salaries And Jobs
• Chemists interviewed in 1995 tell C&EN how their careers have developed.
• Chemists who start their own companies find satisfaction in being their own bosses.
• Strong scientific credentials coupled with a law degree are the tools needed for this growing profession.

Cover Art on Science Journals

An interesting article from the Nov. 6 Chemical & Engineering News, Making the Cover, discusses the pros and cons of including cover art on scientific journals. Stephen Ritter looks at art and aesthetics, publicity, the value (or not) of cover art in an e-journal environment, the advantages and challenges of highlighting that “very important article” on the cover, and the time and dollars that cover art can add to the publication process. While Ritter focuses on American Chemical Society and Royal Society of Chemistry journals as well as Wiley’s Angewandte Chemie, the issues are relevant to other science & engineering disciplines.

The article also serves as a good reminder that “cover art vs. no cover art” cannot be used to distinguish between scholarly/academic and popular sources.

Students: Give Input on New Website

The S&E Library is looking for 6-8 undergrad or graduate students to participate in a focus group that will explore how you use (or don’t use) our current web site. Input from the focus groups will be used to develop a next-generation web site.

There are 5 sessions scheduled throughout the week, at various libraries, and will last only an hour. In return for your participation, you’ll receive our gratitude and a $15.00 TritonPlus credit.

Please register at http://libraries.ucsd.edu/services/focusgroup.htm for the one that best fits your schedule.

Recent UCSD Articles: Chemistry/Chemical Engineering

Some recent articles authored or co-authored by faculty from the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the Department of Chemical Engineering, as indexed in Web of Science.

Total synthesis of marinomycins A-C
Nicolaou KC, Nold AL, Milburn RR, Schindler CS
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION 45 (39): 6527-6532 2006

Laforin, a dual specificity phosphatase that dephosphorylates complex carbohydrates
Worby CA, Gentry MS, Dixon JE
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY 281 (41): 30412-30418 OCT 13 2006

Dissociative photodetachment dynamics of the iodide-aniline cluster
Bowen MS, Becucci M, Continetti RE
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS 125 (13): Art. No. 133309 OCT 7 2006

In-situ synthesis of a tacrine-triazole-based inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase: Configurational selection imposed by steric interactions
Senapati S, Cheng YH, McCammon JA
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY 49 (21): 6222-6230 OCT 19 2006

The effects of copper CMP slurry chemistry on the colloidal behavior of alumina abrasives
Ihnfeldt R, Talbot JB
JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY 153 (11): G948-G955 2006

Chiral platinum duphos terminal phosphido complexes: Synthesis, structure, phosphido transfer, and ligand behavior
Scriban C, Glueck DS, DiPasquale AG, Rheingold AL
ORGANOMETALLICS 25 (22): 5435-5448 OCT 23 2006