National Academies Press E-Books

Some recently released e-books from National Academies Press:

• Software for Dependable Systems
• Improving the Nation’s Water Security: Opportunities for Research
• Mitigating Shore Erosion along Sheltered Coasts
• Protecting Building Occupants and Operations from Biological and Chemical Airborne Threats: A Framework for Decision Making

Toward a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace, Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy, and Condensed-Matter and Materials Physics: The Science of the World Around Us are also available for prepublication as uncorrected proofs.

ACS Nano - Issue 1

The first issue ACS Nano is now available.

ACS Nano publishes comprehensive articles on synthesis, assembly, characterization, theory, and simulation of nanostructures (nanomaterials and assemblies, nanodevices, and self-assembled structures), nanobiotechnology, nanofabrication, methods and tools for nanoscience and nanotechnology, and self- and directed-assembly.

ACS Nano will also have an RSS feed to keep up with new articles, and a podcast to highlight articles and news from the journal.

New S&E Popular Science Books

Here are some recent additions to the S&E Browsing Collection. If the book is checked out, use the Request button to be next in line to get it.

• Feeding the fire : the lost history and uncertain future of mankind’s energy addiction / Mark E. Eberhart
• The science of James Bond : from bullets to bowler hats to boat jumps, the real technology behind 007’s fabulous films / Lois H. Gresh, Robert Weinberg
• Bang! : the complete history of the universe / Brian May, Patrick Moore, Chris Lintott
• 10 questions science can’t answer (yet) : a guide to the scientific wilderness / Michael Hanlon
• Crimes and mathdemeanors / Leith Hathout ; illustrated by Karl H. Hofmann
• Why don’t penguins’ feet freeze? : and 114 other questions / New scientist
• The Open laboratory : best science writing on blogs 2006 / edited by Bora Zivkovic
• The pleasures of pi, e and other interesting numbers / Yeo, Adrian
• Lifehacker : 88 tech tricks to turbocharge your day / Gina Trapani
• Destination space : making science fiction a reality / Kenny Kemp
• What’s science ever done for us? : what The Simpsons can teach us about physics, robots, life and the universe / Paul Halpern
• Adventures from the technology underground : catapults, pulsejets, rail guns, flamethrowers, tesla coils, air cannons and the garage warriors who love them / William Gurstelle
• Whoosh boom splat : the garage warrior’s guide to building 20 projectile shooters from potato cannons to pulse jets and beyond / by William Gurstelle
• The hazards of space travel : a tourist’s guide / Neil F. Comins
• Better looking, better living, better loving : how chemistry can help you achieve life’s goals / John Emsley

There are 365 books in the S&E Library Browsing Collection of popular physical science and engineering books, all available for checkout. If you want to recommend other titles for the collection, please contact Teri Vogel.

New Web of Science Preview

You now have a chance to preview the new interface for Web of Science and Biosis Previews.

When you go into either database, click the “Preview the New Version” at the top in the Web of Knowledge bar. In the new window, you’ll see a link to launch the new version, and below that a link to provide feedback and comments to ISI on the new interface.

The new “All Databases” tab is the previous Cross Search that allows you to search both databases simultaneously (though with fewer searching options). The “Select a Database” tab is where you can select just Web of Science or Biosis Preview, which will then show up as a new tab.

The other major change is how the results display. Now left of the results, you’ll notice an expanded set of options to refine your search. Some of the options to manage results for saving/printing/e-mail have also changed.

Journal Citation Reports (2006)

The Biomedical Library has received the 2006 JCR Science Edition, which they’ll keep on reserve. If you need a few impact factors, call the BML Reference Desk at 858/534-1201 or send an email to biomed@ucsd.edu.

[h/t: BML]

Simpsons & Science

Paul Halpern, author of What’s science ever done for us? : what The Simpsons can teach us about physics, robots, life and the universe (in the S&E Browsing Collection), is profiled in the August 13 USA Today.

Does Undergrad Research Make a Difference?

From this week’s Chronicle of Higher Education, “What Good Is Undergraduate Research, Anyway?”

The belief that undergraduate research attracts students to careers in science — and makes them better candidates for such work — has gained almost universal acceptance in academe. But until recently, few researchers have studied whether or not that’s actually the case.

In the past few years, a small cadre of social scientists have, with grants from some of the largest supporters of undergraduate science research, begun systematically studying the effects on students. Three large studies verified some widely held notions about undergraduate research but challenged other assumptions.

They found that undergraduates learn and grow significantly from their research experiences, but require a strong mentor relationship to do so. Such a time commitment may cost faculty members more than they gain from the additional lab help, one of the studies suggests. And the end result may only slightly increase the number of students going on to earn Ph.D.’s.

The article discusses three recent studies on the topic, along with The Chronicle’s interviews with some University of Pennsylvania and Haverford College students and faculty engaged in undergraduate research.

Annals NY Academy of Sciences Backfile

UCSD’s access to the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences has been extended back to 1879.

Please keep in mind:
• There is a gap in coverage between 1879-1892.
• Regarding preprints: You’ll find this journal has many links in PubMed flagged as “epub ahead of print.” For those items, you will find they are on the Academy’s own site at http://www.nyas.org/annals and the UC E-Links for those articles will not work. (h/t: BML Blog).
• Do not use the nyas.org site to get the published articles. Our access is through the Blackwell-Synergy site, and is accessible from UC-eLinks, Roger, etc.

SciFinder Scholar 2007 Release

SciFinder Scholar 2007 (for both PC and Mac) is now available. UCSD faculty, staff and students can download the client software from the UC SciFinder site.

1. Review and accept the user agreement before downloading the software.
2. PC users: You have TWO files to download–don’t forget the site.prf file.

What’s new in SciFinder Scholar 2007:

• Along with analyzing and refining results, you can now categorize them into groups and subgroups and select the sets you want to retrieve.
• Save answer sets to your hard drive, then reopen to view and refine the search results in a later SciFinder session.
  • Combine the results of your active search with one of your saved searches.
    
    
• Export CHEMCATS records of commercial suppliers into Excel.
• Launch a new structure search by clicking on any structure from an answer set.
• Print substances answers in a 1-4 column grid.

Please contact the Chemistry Librarian if you have any questions about installing or using SciFinder Scholar.

S&E ACS PCs Available (but)

…. some software (notably Matlab, SciFinder Scholar and Beilstein) have not yet been installed.