Now after the election, it would be interesting to see whether Senator Obama will perform on the science and technology issues his campaign has promised.

Here is Obama’s platform on STM issues, accumulated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science – http://election2008.aaas.org/comparisons/obama.shtml

Do you notice something of a particular interest to you?

** Photo by jmtimages

Scifinder Scholar Web is a newly developed web interface that provides online access to Chemical Abstracts, CASREACT chemical reactions database, Chemical Abstracts Registry File, and Medline.

This new version of Scifinder does not require the installation of any additional client software.

For more information on how to access Scifinder Scholar Web

Posted by Kevin Lindstrom Liaison Librarian for Chemistry, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Materials Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Earth and Ocean Sciences.

TRIUMF and UBC’s Department of Physics and Astronomy are proud to present the 2008-09 Saturday morning lecture series on Quantum Physics and Chemistry. We especially welcome guest speakers from the UBC Chemistry Department and from Simon Fraser University to this year’s program. This lecture series will introduce the audience to the essential facts about the quantum world in a systematic and non-technical way, starting with the basics and progressing to more advanced material, at a level appropriate for high school students and members of the general public. It would be excellent enrichment for high school chemistry and physics students. There is no charge for admittance, and students are encouraged to bring friends and interested family members. Teachers and members of the public are also welcome.

Due to the popularity of the series, advance registration is required.

October 25, 2008
10am – 12pm
Prelude to quantum Mechanics: Classical wave motion – Patrick Bruskiewich
Sound waves and the physics of music – Chris Waltham

November 29, 2008
10am – 12pm
Failures of classical physics and the birth of quantum physics – Mark Van Raamsdonk
Lasers and their applications – Kirk Madison

January 17, 2009
10am – 12pm
Quantum physics II – Mark Van Raamsdonk
Quantum computers – Robert Rausendorf

February 14, 2009
10am – 12pm
Quantum chemistry: molecules and chemical bonds – Roman Krems
Quantum chemistry on a computer – Y. Alex Wang

March 28, 2009
10am – 12pm
Quantum tunneling – Patrick Bruskiewich
Quantum weirdness – Bill Unruh

April 18, 2009
10am – 12pm
Quantum mechanics and materials science – Jeff Sonier
Quantum mechanics and subatomic physics – Stanley Yen

An interesting short read from the BBC Science section talks about Stanley Miller’s chemical experiments – http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7675193.stm

The BBC piece refers to the this article published a few days ago in Science –

The Miller Volcanic Spark Discharge Experiment. Adam P. Johnson, H. James Cleaves, Jason P. Dworkin, Daniel P. Glavin, Antonio Lazcano, and Jeffrey L. Bada (17 October 2008). Science 322 (5900), 404. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1161527]

** Photo by tz1_1zt’

A technology report (PDF) by a Harvard University student shows that of all the digital tools that professors use, Harvard students find most useful online course material and syllabi.

The report said students want courses to have a Web site that contains readings, notes and other content so they can be accessed easily during the semester. The survey is based on responses last December from 328 undergraduates and 120 graduate students.

Is it the same with our UBC folks? Does it ring any bells for our faculty?

** Photo by AdamLogan

Released in June 2008 by Thomson Reuters (formerly ISI), this list shows the top ten nations ranked according to output of published journal articles in 22 main fields of science (including general social sciences), based on papers indexed by Thomson Reuters (excluding books, book chapters, and articles published in non-Thomson Reuters-indexed journals) between January 1998 and February 29, 2008.

http://sciencewatch.com/dr/sci/08/jun15-08_1/

** photo by 427

The Knovel University Challenge is Back!

Enter to win a Wii, iPod Nano or Free Music starting on 9/29/08

Go to Knovel University Challenge for more information.

Posted by Kevin Lindstrom Liaison Librarian for Materials, Electrical and Computer, and Chemical Engineering

Thought that chemical engineers dealt only with oil refineries and fluidized beds?

Dr. Savvas Hatzikiriakos has published a number of articles looking at the rheology of mozzarella cheese.

Rolling of mozzarella cheese: Experiments and simulations Journal of Food Engineering, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 12 September 2008. Evan Mitsoulis, Savvas G. Hatzikiriakos

Rheology of mozzarella cheese: Extrusion and rolling International Dairy Journal, Volume 18, Issue 6, June 2008, Pages 615-623. Edward B. Muliawan, Savvas G. Hatzikiriakos

Rheology of mozzarella cheese International Dairy Journal, Volume 17, Issue 9, September 2007, Pages 1063-1072. Edward B. Muliawan, Savvas G. Hatzikiriakos

Rheology is the science of the deformation and flow of matter. It is concerned with the response of materials to applied stress. That response may be irreversible viscous flow, reversible elastic deformation, or a combination of the two. Control of rheology is essential for the manufacture and handling of numerous materials and products, eg, foods, cosmetics, rubber, plastics, paints, inks, and drilling muds. Before control can be achieved, there must be an understanding of rheology and an ability to measure rheological properties. (Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology).

Dr. Savvas Hatzikiriakos’ other research involves the study of the rheological behavior of polymers.

Thermorheological properties of LLDPE/LDPE blends: Effects of production technology of LLDPE Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics. volume 46 issue 16 pages 1669-1683 2008. Delgadillo-Velázquez, O.; Hatzikiriakos, S.G.; Sentmanat, M.

Submitted by Kevin Lindstrom Liaison Librarian for Chemical and Biological Engineering and Materials Engineering

We’ve got ebooks on almost any topic under the sun and pdf’s are a lot lighter to carry than paper.

You want books on how to write code in Python or how to fix your new laptop running Microsoft Vista? Have a look at the Books 24X7 IT Collection.

Trying find some good stuff on biodiesel? Heres’ a hot title
Biodiesel – A Realistic Fuel Alternative for Diesel Engines

Need some physical property data like the viscosity of Cl2 gas? A search of Knovel.com will link you to the Chemical Properties Handbook and Yaws’ Handbook of Thermodynamic and Physical Properties of Chemical Compounds

Need some good information on climate change? Here’s a good starting point Assessing Climate Change.

Circuit diagrams for operational amplifiers? Check out the Electrical Engineering Handbook.

All in all, you have access to more than five thousand science and engineering ebooks.

For a complete list (not including Books24X7 titles) go to the Science & Engineering Ebook site. There you can find A-Z titles lists of ebooks as well as the search interfaces for the ebook collections you have access to. Make sure you look at the Springer Ebooks as well. Springer is a major science and engineering publisher.

Remember that these resources are not freely available on internet, so if you are connecting from off campus, go to UBC’s VPN site for instructions.

Posted by Kevin Lindstrom Liaison Librarian for Earth and Ocean Sciences, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Materials Engineering, and Physics.

Brought to you by the University of Nottingham the Periodic Table of Videos includes 118 videos about each element.

**Image courtesy of NSDL. Reusable NASA images.