Thursday, December 22, 2016

"Science Helps Squeeze Out Every Last Drop" - from Inside Science


Inspired by the lotus leaf.  Who would have thought?
 I have bottles standing upside down at my sink at this moment... 



(from Inside Science) -- "Sometimes science solves longstanding mysteries like gravitational waves, or finds one of the fundamental building blocks of the universe called top quarks.

"Or sometimes science just helps with some of life’s little frustrations -- like getting the last drop of shampoo out of the bottle. There’s just no getting around it -- no matter how much you squeeze or shake a shampoo bottle -- there’s always going to be some left behind.

"Now scientists have invented a coating for the inside of bottles, so getting every last drop out is finally achievable.

"The lotus leaf's bumpy surface, which lets liquids roll right off, led the researchers to create a coating for the inside of bottles made of tiny nanoparticles. If you could look at the coating under a microscope, you would see a tiny "y” that cradles droplets of shampoo, which are balanced on top of a tiny bubble of air. This minimizes the contact between the shampoo and the inside of the shampoo bottle.

"The video shows shampoo and laundry detergent sticking to an uncoated surface and then as shampoo and detergent slide off a surface treated with the new coating. 'We can create a structure which will repel liquid but we’d like to make sure it does it for a long period of time,' said Bhushan. Once the coating is perfected it will be several years before we can buy products that use the coating in their bottles. So, until then, keep storing bottles upside down or give them a good shake."
© 2016 American Institute of Physics    --Emilie Lorditch, Staff Writer, Inside Science

Friday, December 09, 2016

Open until 10pm, Reading Period Day #1

We are nearly through the last day of classes - reading period and exams are totally in sight.  Science library hours are extended on Saturday, December 10 until 10pm, so plan on spending your Saturday evening in the science library.  Yeah!  We are doing our best to shed light on your study space, with seasonal lights draped around the new book display and some of the larger potted plants.  The tree of lights with snow avatars, created by staff and library users, lends a cheerful presence.  Take a look!
Snowscape at library entrance
Tree of lights and snow avatars
We have room for many more snow avatars.  Have a bit of fun at the circulation desk, where there is still a healthy supply of craft supplies.  Check out a new book for Winter Term reading while you're at it.
Looking into the library through the window at the new book display.

Wednesday, December 07, 2016

Create a "snow avatar" for our tree of lights

If you haven't seen Frozen you must borrow or rent or buy the film now.  This December, at least.
We are interjecting light and shiny things into dark December and the last week of classes with some old-school crafty fun. Stop by the circ desk to get instructions and add your avatar to the tree of lights.

We need more happy faces.  Yours would be oh so welcome.

Thursday, December 01, 2016

Professor Emeritus N. C. Craig publishes in Journal of Molecular Spetroscopy

A recent paper by Norm Craig, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry:

Craig, Norman C., Peter Groner, Andrew R. Conrad, Ranil Gurusinghe, Michael J. Tubergen.
Microwave spectra for the three C-13(1) isotopologues of propene and new rotational constants for propene and its C-13(1) isotopologues.
Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy, 328 1-6; 10.1016/j.jms.2016.07.002 OCT 2016.

Subscriber access at sciencedirect (post-publication).  Access the pre-publication HTML version at
The SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System.

Monday, November 21, 2016

"Forensic chemistry and its flip side"

New publication from Robert Thompson, Professor of Chemistry:

Thompson, Robert Q. Forensic Chemistry and Its Flip Side. Journal of Chemical Education 2016, 93, 1677-1678.
Abstract:
Forensic chemistry is the focus of this year's National Chemistry Week and a strengthening and growing discipline of research and teaching. Forensic science deals mainly with the aftermath of crime. The flip side is the science of eliminating or ameliorating violent acts before they happen. In our laboratories and classrooms, are there ways to address the targeted violence and terrorism that fill the news cycle and generate fear in us and our students? While we have conversations on our individual campuses, a conversation among us chemistry educators on a regional or national scale would be even more helpful. Copyright © 2016 The American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.

Wednesday, November 09, 2016

Carl Sagan's 82nd birthday on November 9

Today's book display gives a sense of perspective, with post-Election Day thoughts tempered by a longer view.  There are nearly 20 books by or about Sagan in the library, many now on display across from the science library circulation desk.
Listen to Sagan's 'Pale Blue Dot' speech, as suggested by Adam Frank, in NPR Cosmos and Culture

Selected book list:

Billions and billions : thoughts on life and death at the brink of the millennium / Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan : a life / Keay Davidson

Comet / Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan

Carl Sagan's cosmic connection : an extraterrestrial perspective / by Carl Sagan

Cosmos / Carl Sagan

Pale blue dot : a vision of the human future in space / Carl Sagan


Friday, November 04, 2016

New publications from Amanda Schmidt and Brad Carter

Recent publications from two relatively new members of the science faculty, Assistant Professor of Geology Amanda Schmidt and Visiting Assistant Professor of Neuroscience Bradley Carter:

Schmidt, Amanda H., Thomas B. Neilson, Paul R. Bierman, Dylan H. Rood, William B. Ouimet, and Veronica Sosa Gonzalez​.  Influence of topography and human activity on apparent in situ 10Be-derived erosion rates in Yunnan, SW China.  Earth Surface Dynamics 4, 819-830, doi:10.5194/esurf-4-819-2016, 2016.​  Open Access.

Earth Surface Dynamics is "an interactive open access journal of the European Geosciences Union"

Azevedo, Joshua A., Bradley S. Carter, Fan Meng, David L. Turner, Manhong Dai, et al.   The microRNA network is altered in anterior cingulate cortex of patients with unipolar and bipolar depression.
Journal of Psychiatric Research, 82 58-67; 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2016.07.012 NOV 2016.  Subscriber access on sciencedirect.

Wednesday, November 02, 2016

Eleven alumni scientists: 2,416 articles cited 132,211 times by others

A recent symposium in the Science Center prompted a bit of citation analysis using the Web of Science. The eleven National Academy of Sciences members and OC alumni who presented during the three concurrent sessions have published a total of 2,416 articles, which have been cited by other articles 132,211 times (not including self-citations).

OC class years for these alumni range from 1954 to 1977.

This seems a good case in point on the impact of a liberal arts education for advancing scientific research and knowledge.

Three of the most highly cited papers from these researchers were published in Nature titles, two were published in Cell and two were published in Science.

The other papers appeared in:
Annual Review of Biochemistry
Journal of Neurophysiology 
Psychological Review, and
Transactions of the American Mathematical Society.

Complete citations are shown in the next image.  A Word document version of the list is shared in Google drive.

Citation reports in Web of Science are quickly compiled from a list of search results for any author - making certain of the correct form of the author's name and refining search results by broad subject categories helps produce a fairly accurate report of a researcher's publishing record.  Just click on Create Citation Report when you are confident that the search results adequately represent the publications from one author (see the screen shot, below, of the top right corner of a search results page).





Tuesday, November 01, 2016

Displays - Library Resources for Peter Jobson's Talk and Disability Awareness Month

Peter Jobson, Senior Botanist of the Northern Territory Herbarium, Alice Springs, Australia will present "More than Sand Dunes and Beaches: a Tour of Australian Plant Life" on Thursday.  We've gathered together a few of the books in the science library that relate to his talk - come see the display of both print and online resources.

This display replaces "Accepting Disability: Then Vs. Now"  put together by students in Elizabeth Hamilton's First Year Seminar to recognize Disability Awareness Month during October.  Thanks to Mecky Kuijpers, Gabe Friedin and Johnson Liu for your work last month.  The exhibit (pictured below) attracted a lot of attention.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Open Access Books now at JSTOR

jstor.org
JSTOR continues to expand its offerings of scholarly materials.  An emailed announcement today from Frank Smith, Director, Books at JSTOR, says
"There are currently 63 Open Access titles available from the university presses of Cornell, California, Michigan, and University College London, and we expect to add hundreds more titles from additional partners in the coming months.  The titles are available for anyone to use without registering or logging into JSTOR, and there are no DRM [digital rights management] restrictions or chapter download limits." 
http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1g69xwkGreat news to celebrate during Open Access Week!  This title caught my attention immediately:
Biostratigraphic and Geological Significance of Planktonic Foraminifera
by MARCELLE K. BOUDAGHER-FADEL
Copyright Date: 2015
Edition: 2, Revised
Published by: UCL Press
Pages: 306
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1g69xwk

Monday, October 24, 2016

We Love Open Access; featuring A.D. Goldman in PLoS Genetics

The open lock symbol that represents Open Access
What do we mean by Open Access?  I'm so glad you asked this very timely question, during Open Access Week, Oct. 24-30, 2016.

Get the sense of Open Access immediately at Public Library of Science: PLoS.org, "a nonprofit publisher, innovator and advocacy organization."  It's an exciting place.
"Top scientists from more than 190 countries around the world have published with PLoS.  Among them, 59 Nobel Laureates.

"160,000+ peer-reviewed articles are free to access, reuse and redistribute.
Anytime, Anywhere."
Input "Oberlin College" in the PLoS Search box and get 133 results, including this recent paper from Assistant Professor of Biology Aaron Goldman:

Goldman, Aaron David and Laura F. Landweber. "What is a Genome?" PLoS Genetics 12, no. 7 (2016): e1006181.

Here's the really cool part about open access: rather than assigning copyright to the publisher, the authors retain copyright to their created work and grant free use of the material, without a barrier imposed by a subscription fee. This is an amazing transformation in the use of scholarly materials, which had for generations been accessible only to researchers affiliated with libraries who were able to pay the journal subscription. Open access materials are frequently published under the very generous Creative Commons Attribution License.

In the case of Goldman's paper: "Copyright: © 2016 Goldman, Landweber. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited."

Thanks for publishing with PLoS, Professor Goldman!

What do the authors conclude about the definition of a genome?  Since it is an open access article, I can copy that conclusion here: ... "the genome as an informational entity, often but not always manifest as DNA, encoding a broad set of functional possibilities that, together with other sources of information, produce and maintain the organism."  Read the whole article.

Friday, October 21, 2016

Gravitational-Wave Universe... lecture by Chiara Mingarelli

Dr. Chiara Mingarelli, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and California Institute of Technology, will speak at Oberlin College this coming week:

"The Gravitational-Wave Universe Seen by Pulsar Timing Arrays"
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
4:30pm
Wright Lecture Hall (W201), Wright Physics Laboratory
Science Center

Related reading in the science library collection includes:
http://obis.oberlin.edu/record=b5249154~S4
http://obis.oberlin.edu/record=b2967962~S4
http://obis.oberlin.edu/record=b5414402~S4
http://obis.oberlin.edu/record=b5982001~S4
Many others are accessible in print and online through OBIS. Search "gravitational wave*" to find a good number of them!

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Looking forward to hearing Robert Krulwich on November 5

Robert Krulwich '69, co-host of Radiolab, will be the featured speaker at the Friends of the Library annual dinner on Saturday, November 5.  It is sure to be both informative and entertaining!  The talk is open to the public - arrive shortly before 8pm in the Root Room, Carnegie Building, to grab an open seat.

An example of Krulwich's ability to explain a complex and vexing topic in terms that are clearly understood is the collaboration of NPR and Odd Todd animations to create the five episodes of "Global Warming: It's All About Carbon."  Who knew that a carbon atom could have such a charming persona?  Albeit sobering in the context of too much atmospheric carbon - released through decades of use of fossil fuels - creating the greenhouse effect encircling the globe.

A keyword search in OBIS on carbon and climate yields over 1000 titles; possibly none of them are as pithy and helpful for someone new to the topic as Krulwich's videos created with Odd Todd.  Do come back to the library for in-depth understanding of climate disruption: search climatic changes or climate change mitigation for best results.  Climate change: a very short introduction is an excellent first choice, or, for a fuller review of carbon, check out Carbon age : how life's core element has become civilization's greatest threat.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

DNA + Light: Talk by Carlos E. Crespo-Hernández

Talk sponsored by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry 
Thursday, September 22, 2016
4:45pm  Science Center A255

DNA + Light: From Nucleic Acid Bases to Modifications that Enable Damage to Carcinoma Cells

Carlos E. Crespo-Hernández, Department of Chemistry and Center for Chemical Dynamics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States.

Partial abstract: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective treatment option for a variety of skin cancers and diseases. Recently, the DNA analog 4‑thiothymidine (4tT) has demonstrated efficacy as a PDT agent against rapidly-dividing malignant cells while leaving normal cells unharmed. Its phototoxic activity and low off-target effects make this thiobase a highly promising PDT candidate. However, the depth of tissues able to be treated with 4tT is limited by its absorption cutoff at ~365 nm. A thiobase photosensitizer able to absorb longer wavelengths of light is needed because longer wavelengths are able to reach more invasive skin cancers and diseases. Recently, we found that doubling the sulfur substitution of the nucleobase increases its photoreactivity and simultaneously shifts its absorption spectrum into the near-visible region (~395 nm) where light can penetrate more than 100% deeper into tissues. In vitro screening experiments performed in our laboratory using epidermoid carcinoma cells (A431) have revealed several doubly-substituted thiobase derivatives that are effective photosensitizes.

Several relevant books are accessible electronically through OBIS:
Find them all and many other related titles with a keyword search on photodynamic therapy

Friday, September 16, 2016

Metal-Organic Frameworks as Biocompatible Platforms: publication by S. A. FitzGerald, et al.

New publication from a collaboration involving Stephen A. FitzGerald, Professor of Physics and eleven other authors from organizations in California, Illinois, Texas, and France.

Levine, Dana J., Tomce Runcevski, Matthew T. Kapelewski, Benjamin K. Keitz, Julia Oktawiec, Douglas A. Reed, Jarad A. Mason, Henry Jiang, Kristen A. Colwell, Christina M. Legendre, Stephen A. FitzGerald, Jeffrey R. Long. 2016.

"Olsalaiine-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks as Biocompatible Platforms for H2 Adsorption and Drug Delivery." Journal of the American Chemical Society 138 (32): 10143-10150.

From the Abstract:  “The low toxicity, high surface areas, and coordinatively unsaturated metal sites make these M-2(olz) materials promising for a range of potential applications, including drug delivery in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.”

View online at ACS; subscriber access by Oberlin College Library and OhioLINK

Monday, August 29, 2016

Here we go! Welcome to the fall semester

8:15am and the Perlik Commons of Oberlin College Science Center is humming!  Welcome to all, students and staff -- so happy to see the coffee cart in operation for the school year.  The science library is humming, too, somewhat more quietly. ;-)  Sign up for a study carrel and grab your spot for the semester.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Love your park. NPS turns 100 today!

The National Park Service has been celebrating its centennial all year - today is the day of the NPS founding, August 25, 1916.  Thank you to the NPS founders: Theodore Roosevelt, Horace M. Albright, Stephen Mather, and Woodrow Wilson.  NPS is offering free admission to any of its 412 parks this weekend - so get out there!  The beginning of a new semester isn't the best timing for a park visit, of course.  Enjoy them virtually with Ken Burns The National Parks : America's Best Idea (a Kanopy streaming video).

www.nps.gov/subjects/centennial/birthday-invitation.htm

Friday, August 05, 2016

Citizen Science Projects Celebrate National Park Service Centennial

Five National Park Citizen Science Projects Anyone Can Join: Celebrate the NPS centennial by lending a hand. -- Sierra Club

It's unlikely that anyone on campus will be participating in NPS citizen science projects on the actual centennial date, August 25 - we will be in the midst of new student orientation that day.  But the opportunities for citizen science projects throughout the year are numerous and varied.  Check it out!

Citizen science projects are ongoing worldwide, investigating many different subjects under a whole host of sponsors; see Discover magazine's Top Ten citizen science projects of 2015 for a hint at the diversity of options.  Find more at SciStarter.

Back to the National Park Service centennial - you can visit a lovely National Park within a one hour drive of Oberlin.  It doesn't have the awesome peaks of Glacier or the wildlife of Yellowstone or wild ocean shores of Acadia, but it offers excellent hiking trails and hundreds of acres of beautiful Ohio forest, fields, meadows, wetlands and streams.  Plus the old Ohio-Erie canal towpath for biking and Blossom Music Center, summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra.  Visit the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in every season to appreciate all there it has.

Friday, July 29, 2016

What is a genome? - a review from Aaron Goldman

Just published in the open access journal PLOS Genetics, with 3816 views in its first week on the site (open access truly does have a far reach!):

Goldman, Aaron David, Assistant Professor of Biology, and Laura F. Landweber. 2016. "What is a Genome?" PLOS Genetics 12 (7): e1006181.

Partial Abstract:
The genome is often described as the information repository of an organism... Several emerging areas of research demonstrate that this definition is an oversimplification. Here, we explore ways in which a deeper understanding of genomic diversity and cell physiology is challenging the concepts of physical permanence attached to the genome as well as its role as the sole information source for an organism.


Thursday, July 28, 2016

Genotype-environment interactions in Arabidopsis thaliana - new publication from A. Roles

Roles, Angela J., Assistant Professor of Biology; Rutter, M.T., Dworkin, I., Fenster, C.B., and Conner, J.K. (2016). Field measurements of genotype by environment interaction for fitness caused by spontaneous mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana. Evolution 70, 1039-1050.

Journal banner @ Wiley Online
Partial abstract: As the ultimate source of genetic diversity, spontaneous mutation is critical to the evolutionary process. The fitness effects of spontaneous mutations are almost always studied under controlled laboratory conditions rather than under the evolutionarily relevant conditions of the field. We studied the fitness effects of 25 generations of accumulated spontaneous mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana in two geographically widely separated field environments, in Michigan and Virginia. We observed genotype-environment interactions in the fitness effects of new mutations, such that the effects of mutations in Michigan were a poor predictor of their effects in Virginia and vice versa. In particular, mutational variance for fitness was much larger in Virginia compared to Michigan. This strong genotype-environment interaction would increase the amount of genetic variation maintained by mutation-selection balance.
Full text online @OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center

Evolution - journal home page @Wiley Online Library

Learn more about the use of A. thaliana (a small flowering weed) as a model organism for genetic studies at The Ohio State University Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center.

Arabidopsis Protocols, 2nd ed., is online @Springer ebooks [access through OBIS]

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Wildlife corridors - update from Sierra Club

If You Build It, They Will Come: Our highways and interstates present one of the greatest threats to wildlife—that's where critter corridors come in. --Sierra Club

Read more about wildlife management with these recent titles:


Handbook of road ecology / edited by Rodney van der Ree, Daniel J. Smith, and Clara Grilo [online at Wiley, access through OBIS]

The carnivore way : coexisting with and conserving North America's predators / by Cristina Eisenberg
[OBIS record] also online at Springer ebooks

The spine of the continent : the most ambitious wildlife conservation project ever undertaken / Mary Ellen Hannibal [OBIS record]

Friday, July 22, 2016

Publications from I. Rew (Class of 2017) and M. Moore (Biology)

Billups, K., C. Hudson, H. Kunz, and Isabelle Rew (class of 2017). 2016. "Exploring Globorotalia truncatulinoides Coiling Ratios as a Proxy for Subtropical Gyre Dynamics in the Northwestern Atlantic Ocean during Late Pleistocene Ice Ages." Paleoceanography 31 (5): 553-563.

From the abstract: Our results support that the coiling direction of this species is sensitive to variations in hydrography of the western boundary of the subtropical gyre. Because of the association between G. truncatulinoides (s) and precession maxima in both hemispheres, results support the importance of oceanic heat transport in half-precession climate variability in the North Atlantic.
[full-text online @ Wiley]

-----
Lewis, Emily M., Jeremie B. Fant, Michael J. Moore, Associate Professor of Biology, Amy P. Hastings, Erica L. Larson, Anurag A. Agrawal, and Krissa A. Skogen. 2016. "Microsatellites for Oenothera gayleana and O. hartwegii filifolia (Onagraceae), and their Utility in Section Calylophus." Applications in Plant Sciences 4 (2): 1500107.

Conclusions: The microsatellite loci characterized here are the first developed and tested in Oenothera sect. Calylophus. These markers will be used to assess whether pollinator foraging distance influences population genetic parameters in predictable ways.
[full-text online @ BioOne]

Tuesday, July 05, 2016

Citral shown to decrease cancer cell proliferation (new publication from R.J. Whelan)

New article from Rebecca Whelan, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry:

Modulation of oxidative stress and subsequent induction of apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress allows citral to decrease cancer cell proliferation.

Kapur, Arvinder; Felder, Mildred; Fass, Lucas; Kaur, Justanjot; Czarnecki, Austin; Rathi, Kavya; Zeng, San; Osowski, Kathryn Kalady; Howell, Colin; Xiong, May P.; Whelan, Rebecca J.; Patankar, Manish S.

Scientific Reports, published online June 8 2016,  Article number 27530.  Open access at PubMedCentral.

Partial abstract:
"The monoterpenoid, citral, when delivered through PEG-b-PCL nanoparticles inhibits in vivo growth of 4T1 breast tumors. Here, we show that citral inhibits proliferation of multiple human cancer cell lines. ...This study indicates that citral in PEG-b-PCL nanoparticle formulation should be considered for treatment of breast and other tumors."

More about Scientific Reports, a NatureResearch Journal.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Indulging in nostalgia... the old Physics Reading Room and Kettering Science Library


Before the Science Center was constructed, the Physics Reading Room existed in the northeast corner of the second floor of Wright, and the Class of 1904 Science Library was crammed into the southeast corner of the first floor of Kettering (in the Chemistry wing of Kettering, razed after the north wing of the Science Center was completed).  Every summer, we were devoted to the tasks of preparing thousands of journal volumes for binding, transferring an equal number of older volumes to the old Carnegie Library for off-site storage, shifting the remaining collections and shelving the newly bound journal volumes on their return.  As the number of print subscriptions has dwindled from 365* to 65 (thereabouts), we are freed of the tyranny of shifting, always shifting, and the tedious labor of wheeling very full book trucks across the street, navigating doors, uneven sidewalks and thresholds, to maneuver in the elevator and the dark, musty stacks of Carnegie.  The Science Center is the perfect home for today's consolidated Science Library.  Come enjoy our lovely setting and peruse the new book area.  So many new books arrived in June!

*Why the decrease in print subscriptions?  They're all online, and oh so convenient.  We keep a core of titles in print that are really helpful for browsing - for learning awesome stuff about things you didn't know you didn't know.  It's a very different experience than simply finding that for which you're searching.  Pick up something new and you're sure to encounter a new idea, a fresh perspective, a spark for your imagination.  See you soon.


Friday, June 03, 2016

Too many to describe, come look!

The annual flood of new books arrived with the first week of June, as usual.  There are so many interesting titles!  Here are just a few, with links to OBIS for the full catalog record:

In our own image: savior or destroyer? The history and future of artificial intelligence.  OBIS

The new cosmos : answering astronomy's big questions.  OBIS

Hydrogen-bonded capsules : molecular behavior in small spaces.  OBIS

A world from dust : how the periodic table shaped life.  OBIS

Water as a social opportunity.  OBIS

Creating Africas : struggles over nature, conservation and land.  OBIS

Evolutionary medicine.  OBIS

The human advantage : a new understanding of how our brain became remarkable.  OBIS

Enjoy your summer reading!

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Summer Reading - inside or out?

Whether you prefer the sunny tables on the Science Center piazza or the cool comfort of the science library, the time for summer reading has arrived.  Browse the new books at our front window, where views to the north and south are seen simultaneously.  So many to consider:

Take a road trip with a Roadside Geology... guide book;
Tackle history of science with books on Kepler, the Royal Society, and Aristotle;
Learn what inspired Audubon and F. W. Taylor;
Enjoy little know facts about Melon and Fats;
Consider possibilities for REDD to mitigate climate change.

See you soon!

Saturday, May 21, 2016

45th Class reunion discussion groups gather in science library

What a delight to see so many alumni in the science library!  We are very happy to host the discussion groups here - welcome to all.  



Monday, May 09, 2016

Craters, spherules and ancient terrestrial impactors

New publication from Geology Professor Bruce Simonson:

Spherule layers, crater scaling laws, and the population of ancient terrestrial impactors


Johnson, Brandon C.; Collins, Gareth S.; Minton, David A.; Bowling,
Timothy J.; Simonson, Bruce M.; Zuber, Maria T.

ICARUS, 271 350-359; 10.1016/j.icarus.2016.02.023 JUN 1 2016

Partial abstract:
"Ancient layers of impact spherules provide a record of Earth's early bombardment history. Here, we compare different bombardment histories to the spherule layer record and show that …the flux of large impactors …was likely 20-40 times higher than today." (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc.
Subscriber access at sciencedirect.com

Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Extended Hours for Reading Period

photo: Maya Iverson '12
Holy cow, how is this the last week of classes already?  Sure, February 1 and the start of the semester seem like ages ago... still, the first week of May feels SO early for the last week of classes.  As Reading Period begins this weekend, we will be open until 10 pm on Saturday.  That's the only extension of science library hours for Reading Period through Exams.

We're always willing to help, let us know if you have questions about finding sources for final projects and papers!  Contact Alison Ricker [aricker at oberlin.edu], science librarian, or chat with ObieSci whenever the library is open.

Monday, May 02, 2016

Jason Belitsky and undergraduate research profiled by OhioLINK

OhioLINK frequently highlights researchers at OhioLINK institutions, illustrating the essential contribution of OhioLINK resources and the consortium's importance for successful research and teaching in the state.  Associate Professor of Chemistry Jason Belitsky is featured on the OhioLINK news page this month, with a focus on work in his lab on melanin and its potential role for water filtration - work that continues to involve student researchers.
"Through the research OhioLINK supports [with library resources], Belitsky and his students have found the same chemical in your hair that determines its color could soon be used to filter water."  Read more.

Friday, April 29, 2016

New publication by Wiscons, Zeller and Rowsell

http://pubs.acs.org/covergifs/cgdefu/title.gif
pubs.acs.org/covergifs/cgdefu/title.gif
Wiscons, Ren A. ('15); Zeller, Matthias; Rowsell, Jesse L. C.  2016. Anion Exchange in Cationic Frameworks: Structures of Channel-Forming Triarylpyrylium Tetrafluoroborate Salts.

CRYSTAL GROWTH & DESIGN, 16 (4):2201-2210; 10.1021/acs.cgd.6b00005 APR 2016
subscriber access at American Chemical Society Publications

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Summer road trip? Take along a roadside geology guide.

Three new Roadside Geology books arrived in this week's new book shipment:

  • Roadside geology of Colorado
  • Roadside geology of Oregon
  • Roadside geology of Utah

 joining the 30 or so books for other states in our collection.  These books are a great way to learn more about the physical environment you may be speeding through, and are a good excuse to stop and appreciate the locale - to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

While you're considering landforms and formations, you could also identify birds, mammals, reptiles, snakes, invertebrates...  the library is brimming with helpful guides, both regional and world-wide in focus, to animals in various ecosystems.  Plants, too, for that matter!  Any currently enrolled student (as well as faculty and staff) who will be returning in the fall is welcome to borrow books over the summer.  Just ask!

Monday, April 25, 2016

Crayfish conquistadors, salamanders and ovarian cancer biomarkers: presentations by A. Roles, A. Blackman, and R. Whelan

New publications/presentations from Oberlin authors (noted in bold text), as indexed in Web of Science:

SICB.org
Freshwater conquistadors: The influence of hybridization and watershed structure in the invasion of the rusty crayfish into the native range of the congeneric Sanborn's crayfish in north-central Ohio.
Roles, Angela J.  (Assistant Professor of Biology)

Source:
INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY, 56 E187-E187; 1 MAR 2016
Session abstract, Annual Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative-Biology (SICB).  January 3-7, 2016; Portland, OR

-----
Do salamanders respond morphologically to introduced species?
Blackman, Augie R. (current junior); Novarro, A. J.

Source:
INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY, 56 E261-E261; 1 MAR 2016
Poster Abstract, Annual Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative-Biology (SICB).  January 3-7, 2016; Portland, OR

-----
Identification of nucleic acid aptamers for ovarian cancer biomarkers using multiple selection modes and high-throughput sequencing.

Whelan, Rebecca J. (Associate Professor of Chemistry); Kapur, Arvinder; Felder, Mildred; Shallcross, Jamie (OC '14); Patankar, Manish S.

Source:
CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH, 22 2 JAN 15 2016
Abstract B42: AACR Special Conference: Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research: Exploiting Vulnerabilities; October 17-20, 2015; Orlando, FL

Friday, April 22, 2016

Earth Day interview with Lab Girl author Hope Jahren

Catalog record in OBIS
NPR Morning Edition's Renee Montagne spoke this morning with geobiologist Hope Jahren about her book Lab Girl (now in new book processing, heading to the science library).  Jahren spoke eloquently about her experience of being the only female in her field (and lab) and the challenges that presented, as well as her commitment to guiding young women through similar challenges with more support and encouragement than she received.  As a scientist who studies plants, seeds and soil, she also expressed beautifully the role of trees in ecosystems, and implored listeners to plant a tree and "choose wisely."  A tree becomes a companion through life, doing so much for all forms of life in its environs.  To paraphrase, Jahren concluded by stressing, "I'm not saying, 'save the trees;' rather, that trees can save us."  Listen.

Jahren's words are a reminder to continue nurturing the tiny lilac tree I planted last year around Earth Day.  I'm happy to see it is sprouting new leaves this spring, sheltered on the south side of the house.

Read about trees in a changing environment (ebook with the same title) at SpringerLink.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Fascinating stuff on the new book shelf

What's on the new book shelf?
murder, skeletons, misinformation
spectroscopy, nerves, sexual selection
geophysics, genome, Jurassic plate rotation...
and so much more.

It never fails - a shipment of fantastic reading arrives just at the point in the semester when everyone is thoroughly engaged in required reading for courses and papers or stretched to the limit by rehearsals, performances, lectures and athletics.  April is so full of life, challenge and opportunity - come see your opportunities for yet more wonderful reading, just added to the new book shelf.