Learning Objects and Learning Object Collections:

Science

Learning Object Collections

NOVA: Origins
At NOVA's Origins website, users can "journey back to the beginning of everything: the universe, Earth, and life itself." The website offers a series of interactive modules where visitors can decide if life exists on other planets in the Milky Way, view where scientists are making large discoveries of life's origins, and much more. Users can find fascinating articles addressing life on Mars, the necessity of water for life, and the role galaxies play in our existence. Educators should soon be able to find a Teacher's Guide for the PBS television program airing in September.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/origins/

Engineers Edge: Strength and Mechanics of Materials
The mission of Engineers Edge is "to be the preferred online destination for designers, engineers and manufacturing professionals" by offering training, seminars, and online technical information and products. This section of their website on Strength and Mechanics of Materials offers an overview of topics in Materials Science, including sections on stress, strain, Hookes Law, malleability, fatigue and vibration. The short explanations are accompanied by related figures and equations. The section also provides a link to their free Technical / Engineering Publications, which cover a variety of topics including: Machine Design, Electronic Design, and Processing Magazine.
http://www.engineersedge.com/mechanics_material_menu.shtml

Chemistry Tutorials
The California State University Stanislaus developed these interactive chemistry web tutorials to assist college students in mass spectrometry, proton NMR chemical shifts, and more. With the many animations and figures, visitors will find assistance with the subtraction and absorption of light and with infrared absorption frequencies for numerous compounds. The titration tutorials simulate laboratory experiments without the hazards of dealing with chemicals. Students will also find a very informative lesson describing how to use Excel to record and analyze their chemistry data.
http://science.csustan.edu/tutorial/

ChemLab
Dartmouth College's introductory chemistry course program has a website that is worth a look by students and professors of chemistry at other institutions. Visitors to the site can ignore the exam and grading sections and head straight to the Java applets. With these nine, nifty mini-tutorials, students can create a custom periodic table, play fill-in-the-blank periodic table puzzles, run virtual labs on anions and cations, construct a visible spectrum, practice least-squares regressions, and much more. Visitors to the site will also find the "Chemistry and Background" portions of the online laboratory manuals (filed under Chem 3/5 and Chem 6) useful and also should review the section on how and why to keep a chemistry lab notebook.
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chemlab/

Organic Chemistry Help
The Ohio State University's chemistry department provides this help page for students of organic chemistry. Highlights of the site include tutorials, organic chemistry FAQs, organic reaction mechanisms, and practice tests with explanations for incorrect answers. The interactive tutorials provide concise review information on topics in organic chemistry (e.g., alkanes and alkenes), molecular drawings, and practice questions. Organic Chemistry Help is a welcome relief for students tackling this very difficult discipline.
http://www.chemistry.ohio-state.edu/organic/flashcards/

The Coffee Science Information Center
Celebrating the drink that Bach referred to as "lovelier than a thousand kisses," the website of the Coffee Science Information Centre has a variety of sections relating different material on the work of the Centre and general information about this occasionally maligned beverage. The prime goal of the Coffee Science Information Centre is "to provide accurate, balanced and consistent information to all audiences across Europe who have an interest in coffee, caffeine and health." Specifically, different sections of the site deal with coffee and health, world coffee events, and a brief essay on coffee throughout history. The site also contains links to different scientific reports that refute certain commonly misconceptions about coffee, including the idea that prolonged coffee ingestion will lead to extreme dehydration. This site will be of great interest to those with a strong affinity for coffee and also for those interested in current scientific
research on caffeine.
http://www.cosic.org/