Glorious Magnolias

This was a spectacular day last week - in the midst of midterms, the warming sun and sweet fragrance under the magnolias improved outdoor studying immeasurably.

The blossoms fell fast in the days following, and now litter the pavement in front of the Science Center.  The fragrance lingers, however, to lessen disappointment on this overcast, chilly day.  Such is spring break in Oberlin.

Sounds of the natural world = sounds of the divine

Living on Earth featured a marvelous conversation this week with Bernie Klaus, trained musician who is now an "acoustic adventurer."  Listen to the miraculous sounds he has recorded, including a haunting symphony by two packs of wolves, the scraping of insects' wings and sap moving inside trees.  Remarkable!

We will order Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World's Wild Places, by Klaus, just published this year.   Listen to other sounds from nature in the Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics archive in the OhioLINK DMC. The Birds of North America also offers audio files, as does Grzimek's Animal Life.

Klaus remarked, toward the end of the Living on Earth segment, that "the sounds of the natural world are the sounds of the divine."  You may share that conviction after listening to his recordings.

Sherwood Rowland, CFCs, ozone depletion and the public role of scientists

Sherwood Rowland, CFCs, ozone depletion and the public role of scientists
RealClimate has posted a fine tribute to Nobel Prize Winner F. Sherwood Rowland, who died on March 10 at the age of 84 (obituary in Nature).  This observation of Dr. Rowland, following a lecture that prompted questions from an audience member with slight understanding of atmospheric science, is particularly telling:

"While everyone else was enjoying a beverage, cookies, and conversation, Sherry had been off in the corner for about 30 minutes talking with the questioner, explaining basic principles of atmospheric science, how the greenhouse effect works, etc. It didn’t matter that one of the two of them had a Nobel Prize while the other may not have had any formal education. What mattered to Sherry is that he had an opportunity to educate someone about this important issue, and that mattered more than anything."

I greatly appreciate this quote from Dr. Rowland, spoken during this Nobel Prize acceptance speech:

“What’s the use of having developed a science well enough to make predictions if, in the end, all we’re willing to do is stand around and wait for them to come true?”

Chemistry books top the new books list

The preponderance of new books in our last shipment are chemistry related, from Philosophy of Chemistry and The Chemical Element to Chemical Crystallography.  The last title includes highly specialized chapters by different contributors (e.g., "Construction and structure of metal-organic frameworks with specific ion-exchange property," by Man-Sheng Chen), while the first two are aimed at a broader audience.  The Chemical Element was published in conjunction with the International Year of Chemistry (2011) and relates directly to the UN Millennium Development Goals.  It demonstrates how the science of chemistry is essential for solving the most critical goals related to energy, climate, food, water, poverty, education and health.  It is accessible, important reading for anyone concerned about achieving a sustainable future for 10 billion or more people.  More new books.

Caterpillars: beautiful, mundane, beneficial and destructive

Now on the new book shelf:
Owlet Caterpillars of Eastern North America, by  David L. Wagner, Dale F. Schweitzer, J. Bolling Sullivan & Richard C. Reardon.  Princeton Univ Press.

This arrived on approval from our book vendor, YBP (Yankee Book Peddler, a division of Baker & Taylor), and I was entranced.  The publisher's description speaks for itself, and the thousands of color photographs are indeed impressive.  This is more than a guide to identifying species; the accompanying text tells the important story of the essential roles caterpillars have in varying ecosystems.  Gain a new appreciation of such humble seeming invertebrates by spending a bit of time perusing this volume.

Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography online

From Gale/Cengage

We have owned the print format of the Dictionary of Scientific Biography for many years, and can access it in the OhioLINK Electronic Books Center.  We now subscribe to the online version at the publisher's website (Gale/Cengage), part of the Gale Virtual Reference Library, where searching and browsing functions are very nicely supported.  Link to it from the OBIS catalog record.  Composed of 18 large print volumes, the title "Dictionary" does not do justice to this comprehensive encyclopedic work.  Take time to browse the index volume and jump from one entry to another, and you will gain a new understanding of the development of science and the people who advanced that knowledge throughout centuries.  Simply browsing the list of illustrations indicates the wide breadth of scientific information represented in the work.  Go discover!

In Memoriam: Sonali Seth, '02

We were so sorry to learn of the passing of Sonali Seth, '02 who was a bright, engaging and lively member of our student staff for two years.  Sonali's welcome to all who entered in the library was warm and genuine, and she was a wonderful reference assistant in the period of transition between the old and new library.  As a senior science major, Sonali was truly helpful to everyone getting their bearings in the new science center.  A 2005 graduated of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as a new MPH, Sonali had a passion for humanitarian assistance and health & human rights.  Her good works will be remembered by the hundreds of people whose lives she touched.  This photo was taken when Sonali first began work with us, in the fall of 2000, in the last year of operation of the library in Kettering Hall.

Energy Matters: Oberlin Project Blog is launched

Head over to Cindy Frantz's first post on the new Oberlin Project blog, where you can respond with your own thoughts on what is important about Oberlin and sign up for the project's e-newsletter.  Associate Professor of Psychology Frantz is also the Co-Chair of the Energy Planning Committee of the Oberlin Project.  Today's blog post appears in this week's Oberlin News Tribune, with the promise of future columns on "energy matters" in Oberlin and the immediate environs.  Frantz concludes her first column with these remarks:  "Energy matters in Oberlin because we care about each other, our community, and our planet.  We all want Oberlin to be healthy and prosperous.  By thinking carefully about our energy, we pave the way for a future we can all get excited about."  These are sentiments we can support throughout the community.  I encourage all residents - college and town - to learn more and be engaged in the Oberlin Project.

Spring Carrel Sign-Up Starts Today

Welcome to Spring Semester!  All carrels were cleared at the end of fall semester, and new carrel assignments for spring semester will be posted on Friday, February 10.
Carrel applications are on the circulation desk -- open to all students; preference is given to science majors, based on seniority.  Carrel regulations and an application form are also online, here.

Wild-eyed forerunners

Among the new books received today is this research monograph, with a strong emphasis on understanding evolution of the earliest non-mammalian therapsids through understanding their bone microstructure. Sixteen specialists contributed to the volume, edited by Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan (who also co-authored six of the book's eleven chapters).  

Detailed research findings on cranial microstructure, bone and dental histology, bone degradation, and vascularized bone tissue patterns fill most of the chapters, within the context of relating those minute observations to new understandings of how the earliest land vertebrates evolved into modern day mammals.  Fascinating stuff, evolution!  See the OBIS record for table of contents and contributors.

Other new books received today cover a wide range of subjects, from anthropology to geophysics, as well as polar bears facing extinction, a birdwatching guide controversy, bioconstitutionalism and genomics, mountains in Antarctica and beaches worldwide, plus an impressively chunky dictionary of entomology.  See the new book list.

Science Breakthrough of 2011: HIV Treatment as Prevention

Science's editors and news staff have selected "HIV Treatment as Prevention" as the Scientific Breakthrough of the Year 2011, based on findings by the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) that antiretroviral drugs reduced the risk of heterosexual transmission by 96%.  Read the full story.

Science is published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

7 new publications by Karla Parsons-Hubbard and colleagues

All seven of the following articles by Associate Professor of Geology Karla Parsons-Hubbard are published in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, special issue:  The Shelf and Slope Experimental Taphonomy Initiative (SSETI): Thirteen years of taphonomic observations on carbonate and wood in the Bahamas and Gulf of Mexico.  [access for subscribers at OhioLINK EJC or ScienceDirect.com]

• Brett CE, Parsons-Hubbard KM, Walker SE, Ferguson C, Powell EN, Staff G, Ashton-Alcox KA, Raymond A. 2011. Gradients and patterns of sclerobionts on experimentally deployed bivalve shells: Synopsis of bathymetric and temporal trends on a decadal time scale. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 312(3-4):278-304.

• Heise EA, Raymond A, Parsons-Hubbard K, Walker SE, Staff G, Powell EA, Brett C, Ashton-Alcox KA. 2011. Wood taphonomy in a tropical marine carbonate environment: Experimental results from lee stocking island, bahamas. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 312(3-4):363-79.

• Krause RA, Jr., Parsons-Hubbard K, Walker SE. 2011. Experimental taphonomy of a decapod crustacean: Long-term data and their implications. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 312(3-4):350-62.

• Parsons-Hubbard KM, Brett CE, Walker SE. 2011. Taphonomic field experiments and the role of the shelf and slope experimental taphonomy initiative. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 312(3-4):195-208.

• Powell EN, Staff GM, Callender WR, Ashton-Alcox KA, Brett CE, Parsons-Hubbard KM, Walker SE, Raymond A. 2011. Taphonomic degradation of molluscan remains during thirteen years on the continental shelf and slope of the northwestern gulf of mexico. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 312(3-4):209-32.

• Powell EN, Staff GM, Callender WR, Ashton-Alcox KA, Brett CE, Parsons-Hubbard KM, Walker SE, Raymond A. 2011. The influence of molluscan taxon on taphofacies development over a broad range of environments of preservation: The SSETI experience. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 312(3-4):233-64.

• Walker SE, Parsons-Hubbard K, Richardson-White S, Brett C, Powell E. 2011. Alpha and beta diversity of encrusting foraminifera that recruit to long-term experiments along a carbonate platform-to-slope gradient: Paleoecological and paleoenvironmental implications. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 312(3-4):325-49.

Environmentalism at Oberlin

All things environmental at OC is the overarching goal of a brand new web site created by Annika Sullivan, Sustainability Literacy Intern (also one of the many dedicated student assistants in the science library).  Annika observed that this is a work in progress and will change as groups form, issues change and new initiatives emerge.  Feedback is welcome.  It looks great so far!

Go to Environmentalism at Oberlin.

Visualizing Photons @ MIT's Media Lab - the Camera Culture Group

Visualizing Photons in Motion at a Trillion Frames Per Second.  Remarkable!  The investigators offer these observations for the possible applications of their work: "Beyond the potential in artistic and educational visualization, applications include industrial imaging to analyze faults and material properties, scientific imaging for understanding ultrafast processes and medical imaging to reconstruct sub-surface elements, i.e., 'ultrasound with light'. In addition, the photon path analysis will allow new forms of computational photography, e.g., to render and re-light photos using computer graphics techniques."

Annual Reviews on your mobile device

annualreviews.org

This comes from Annual Reviews, Inc., publisher of some of our favorite titles in the library and now more convenient than ever!  Connect to the Annual Reviews mobile site before leaving campus for winter break, and you will be able to access anything on the site while you are away.

The mobile site includes articles formatted for personalized browsing, searching, and provide a reading experience optimized for a variety of mobile devices.  You can also download articles for offline reading and easily share article abstracts and links via email and social networks.

Visit annualreviews.org/page/about/mobile for more information.

While there, search "oberlin college" - an interesting list results, from personal narratives of scientists whose lives were influenced in some manner by Oberlin to in-depth review articles by past and present faculty members. Classic papers, such as Norm Henderson's Human Behavior Genetics, J. Milton Yinger's study on Ethnicity, and Birdsey Renshaw's early review on Nerve and Synaptic Transmission are followed by more recent reviews by Bruce Simonson on spherule layers and Daphne John on the division of household labor.

Whatever your research interests, there is an Annual Review title that undoubtedly includes an excellent article, written by a leading expert in the filed, that provides historical context, critical analysis of peer-reviewed literature and thoughtful conclusions to spur new investigations in that subject.  We no longer receive the volumes in print, so the web site is our best access point.  Take full advantage of all of the features now offered!

Predatory, open-access publishers

Beall's List of Predatory, Open-Access Publishers has been updated, including publishers who are essentially fraudulent in their claims of scholarly peer-review and others who are launching far too many journals to adequately ensure a quality editorial process.  Extraordinary author fees for manuscript submission do not guarantee an ethical, reliable scholarly communication cycle.  Some are hardly more than vanity presses, according to Jeffrey Beall, academic librarian at the University of Colorado Denver.  Researchers are forced into the position of "buyer beware" if sending a manuscript to one of these publishers, and, even more to the point for undergraduate students, readers must be very discerning to understand which papers have been given a rigorous peer-review by knowledgable scholars in the discipline of the article in question.

Journals from some of these publishers are listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals, which strives to list "quality controlled" scientific and scholarly journals.  Inclusion in the DOAJ may help assure the reader of peer-review, but does not preclude predatory practice by the publisher to garner as many authors' manuscripts as possible, at the highest price, in a process that may undermine the goals of scholarly communication.

First Snowfall in Oberlin, Gone by Midday

There was no hint of the early morning trace of wet snow by midday, as sun broke through gray clouds and blue skies chased away even the memory of slush on soggy ground.  

According to the new edition of The Weather Almanac, received today, the last time we scrapped through November with just a trace of snowfall was 2001.  The normal amount (mean) for the month is 5.1 inches (since 1980, as measured at Cleveland Hopkins Airport weather station).  The Weather Almanac is full of interesting data, as well as lengthy, factually accurate narratives on climate topics.   

The section on global warming and climate change is thoroughly updated.  If you want an well-organized, easy to read, detailed account of how climate is changing, minus the hype and political posturing, take a look at pp. 317-352.

Impact of Hydrofracturing for Natural Gas on Ohio's Forests

Buckeyeforestcouncil.org

Cheryl Johncox, Executive Director Buckeye Forest Council

will speak on

Impact of Hydrofracturing for Natural Gas on Ohio's Forests

Thursday Dec. 1, 2011 -  4:30 p.m. 

Heiser Auditorium, Kendal @ Oberlin

Ms. Johncox will describe the environmental hazards associated with fracking, and pressures being brought to bear on landowners to lease public and private lands for drilling.
Sponsored by the Kendal Environmental Concerns Committee and League of Women Voters of the Oberlin Area.  
Martha's Journal, official publication of the Buckeye Forest Council, is named for the last known Passenger Pigeon, who died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.  The Passenger Pigeon, once numbered in the millions throughout eastern forests, in flocks so huge that they took hours to pass while migrating, was driven to extinction in part by human-caused destruction not unlike the continued fragmentation of forests still standing.  
Come learn what effect hydraulic fracturing could have on Ohio's forests.  The public is invited.

Connect with Buckeye Forest Council on Facebook.

Bill McKibben in Craig Auditorium, 7 pm, Nov. 28

Learn more about 350.org and Bill McKibben as a spokesperson for Tar Sands Action.

Read one of the dozen books by author Bill McKibben in the college library.

Read Nicholas Stern's review of Eaarth: Making a life on a tough new planet.  Review published in the New York Review of Books 57(11): 35-37, June 2010. Borrow a copy of Eaarth.

Most importantly - show up at the Craig Auditorium to hear one of the most influential environmentalists of our time, and learn more about the potentially disastrous consequences of hydraulic fracturing or fracking: a practice that consumes millions of gallons of water in order to force natural gas from shale beds thousands of feet beneath the earth's surface, leading to methane release in groundwater and surface contamination, in addition to many other negative effects.

Be informed.  More on fracking from the Buckeye Forest Council and New York Times Magazine (Nov. 17, 2011)

New publication from Norm Craig, in J Molecular Spectroscopy

From ScienceDirect

A new publication from Norman C. Craig, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, published October 2011:

Boopalachandran P., N. C. Craig, and J. Laane. 2011. Gas-phase Raman spectra of hot bands of fundamentals and combinations associated with the torsional vibration of s-trans-1,3-butadiene and its deuterated isotopologues. Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy 269:236-241.

OhioLINK users can access this in the Electronic Journal Center.

Supplementary data for this article are available on ScienceDirect and as part of the Ohio State University Molecular Spectroscopy Archives. [download the suppl. figure]