Resources for Students
19 February 2013
Eric Lander Offers Free Intro Bio Course on edX
Eric Lander, one of the leaders of the Human Genome Project, is hosting an introductory biology course on edX, the not-for-profit online learning initiative founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 7.00x – The Secret of Life will let you explore the mysteries of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, recombinant DNA technology and genomics, and rational medicine.
Although this course has been designed exclusively for edX, the course content reflects the topics Lander has taught in the MIT introductory biology courses for many years. Students will complete this course in 12 weeks. At the center of each week is a series of lecture sequences that are supported by interactive video tutorials and interspersed exercises or problems. Additionally, students will work on a homework assignment or exam each week. The course will conclude with a comprehensive final exam.
The course is not just for the traditional students, but also educators and scientists who work in the biomedical/health care professions who need a refresher on the most cutting edge biology and genetics. The only prerequisite is a desire to learn. The course starts on March 5th.
05 January 2013
HHMI Changing Planet: Past, Present, and Future
Has Earth changed over deep time? How did Earth shape life and life shape Earth? What does Earth's climate in the distant past tell us about the future? In four presentations, leading scientists Andrew H. Knoll of Harvard University, Naomi Oreskes of the University of California, San Diego, and Daniel P. Schrag of Harvard University guide you on an exciting exploration of the history of life on Earth and discuss present-day concerns about climate change. This 2012 Holiday Lecture is viewable via Flash streaming (720p HD or 360p SD) or in an iOS MP4 download (360p SD) compatible with iPhone, iPod, and iPad.
Visit source »
03 January 2013
Welcome to "Secret Life," NOVA's Emmy-nominated web series
Watch videos and get to know dozens of scientists and engineers with surprising secret lives. NOVA has already done 32 profiles and they're doing many more in the seasons to come. Where the lab coats come off!
Enjoy! »
11 December 2012
Summer Undergraduate Programs at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, PA (SURIP)
The goal of this program is to provide a meaningful educational experience for undergraduates to prepare them for careers in cutting edge fields and to increase the pool of students considering graduate education in the life sciences. Participating faculty have a strong interest in mentoring young scholars as an integral part of their academic experience. Each student accepted into these programs will be matched to one of these faculty mentors for a ten-week laboratory research experience. The SURIP program would be most appropriate for students considering applying to PhD programs in the Biological/Biomedical Sciences and is not intended for students who will apply to medical school. There is no clinical shadowing component to the internships.
For more information and an online application visit »
15 September 2012
Encyclopedia of Life Launches Chinese Language Platform
The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) and the Biodiversity Committee of the Chinese Academy of Sciences are pleased to announce the launch of a brand new Chinese-language version of EOL. Chinese content is currently available for selected mammal, bird and fungi species, and will increase as more Chinese-language partners and users join the effort.
Learn more about this collaboration »
29 July 2012
Explore Our National Parks With eNatures Park Guides
Get the most out of your next trip to one of our National Parks. With over 300 listings, eNature's ParkGuides offer descriptions, species lists, maps, and more for National Parks and Wildlife Refuges all over the country.
Explore site »
29 July 2012
Fifty Years After Silent Spring, Assault on Science Continues
Read Yale 360 »
21 June 2012
Looking for Reasons to Save Biodiveristy
At the Rio+20 conference this week, conservation biologist Thomas Lovejoy received the prestigious Blue Planet Prize. Before traveling to Brazil, Lovejoy talked with Yale Environment 360 about the loss of biodiversity and about whether it is too late for the world to do something about it.
Read interview »
20 June 2012
Summer Reading by Carl Zimmer
A 2007 winner of the National Academies of Science Communication Award and the author of six books, including Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life, writes how ecologists are using network theory and about how global warming will cause an evolutionary explosion for animals and plants.
Read this and more articles »
25 May 2012
Top Ten List of New Species Celebrates Biodiveristy and the Science of Taxonomy
This is the fifth year for the top 10 new species list, released May 23 to coincide with the anniversary of the birth of Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist who was responsible for the modern system of plant and animal names and classifications.
Learn more »
01 May 2012
Penn State Offers Minor in Sustainability Leadership
This intercollege minor allows students in any major to incorporate sustainability as a significant theme in their undergraduate degree program.
Learn more »
21 April 2012
Earth Day!
Earth Day is April 22, and the EPA is excited to share many opportunities with you to celebrate and engage!
Join the conversation! We've created a place for you to talk about environmental issues and share environmental tips you use every day.
First watch the video »
Then start a discussion or join an existing one »
Six Words for the Planet.
EPA and SMITH Magazine are teaming up to invite you to submit six words to describe our planet. SMITH Magazine will feature them on smithmag.net/planet and the EPA post them. Now through June 30. Get writing!
Learn how it works »
Read submissions »
Come to a local event.
Check out the Earth Day website for events near you and lots of other things you can do to participate in and celebrate Earth Day!
Find an event near you »
29 March 2012
Skeptical Science
Skeptics vigorously criticize any evidence that supports man-made global warming. Do their arguments have any scientific basis? What does the peer-reviwed scientific literature say?
Read more »
01 March 2012
Water Footprint Calculator
What is your water footprint?
Calculate It!
28 January 2012
China. The Full On Harvard Course.
"Malcolm Riddell at China Debate just did a post noting how Harvard University has posted online (for free!) a 37 class course on China.
The 37 lectures were filmed as they were given as part of a course entitled, China: Traditions and Transformations. The course was/is taught by William C. Kirby and Peter K. Bol."
Read more about the course»
28 January 2012
NRDC - China Environmental News Alert!
"NRDC has been working in China for over fifteen years on such issues as energy efficiency, green buildings, clean energy technologies, environmental governance and public participation, and green supply chain issues. This China Environmental News Alert is a weekly compilation of news from around the world on China and the environment."
Read the News Alerts »
04 January 2012
Academic Earth
Check out online courses from the world's top scholars!
http://academicearth.org/
30 December 2011
Yaguara's Newsletter
Read how researcher and CHANCE collaborator, Aida Bustamante, is helping to save wild cats throughout Central America. Hopefully, we'll get to spot her and some of her cats in Panama this summer during our 2012 field program!
View recent Newsletter »
30 December 2011
EOL Google Earth Tours - Biodiversity on the Move!
Atlantic Public Media and Eduardo Garcia Milagros were granted a Google Earth Developer Grant to produce "One Species at a Time: Stories of Biodiversity on the Move, with the Encyclopedia of Life", in Google Earth narrated tours. Narrated by our podcast host Ari Daniel Shapiro, these tours are available as videos and Google Earth kmz files.
View all of the EOL Google Earth Tours»
03 November 2011
Challenge Based Learning
The New Media Consortium community is filled with thought leaders, innovators, and change agents. We all share the common purpose of making learning more engaging, effective, and inclusive -- Challenge Based Learning (CBL) is a new multidisciplinary approach that is doing just that. CBL draws from the best aspects of project- and problem-based learning while integrating emerging technologies to foster more critical thinking and active experiences.
Visit the NMC website for more information »
03 October 2011
EPA - Jobs and Internships
Are you ready to accomplish something really worthwhile in your career? If so, consider joining the more than 17,000 men and women of the EPA.
EPA leads the nation's environmental science, research, education and assessment efforts, and works to protect our health and our environment.
Numerous opportunities are available within EPA for students to gain vital career experience while contributing to the mission of protecting human health and safeguarding the environment. Internships, fellowships and other opportunities are available in Washington, D.C., laboratories, and at regional EPA locations nationwide.
Check out the available opportunities with the EPA»
21 June 2011
Endangered Species Ringtones
Download cell-phone ringtones with the call of an endangered species, or display its likeness on your wallpaper. Available free from the Center for Biological Diversity.
www.rareearthtones.org »
15 June 2011
The Good Earth
Learn about the health, environmental, and social performance of everyday products and the companies that make them. www.goodguide.com »
07 June 2011
Lord of the Ants
NOVA profiles the soft-spoken Southerner and Harvard professor, Edward O. Wilson, who is an acclaimed advocate for ants, biological diversity, and the controversial extension of Darwinian ideas to human society.
Vist Nova »
07 June 2011
Carbon Release to Atmosphere 10 times faster than in the Past, Geologists Find
Read how researchers from Penn State University have found that the rate of release of carbon into the atmosphere today is nearly 10 times as fast as during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), 55.9 million years ago.
Read the Article »
07 June 2011
The Warriors of Qiugang: A Chinese Village Fights Back
Watch the Academy Award nominee video for Best Documentary Short Subject, co-produced by Yale Environment 360 with filmmakers Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon.
07 June 2011
Yale Environment 360
An online magazine offering opinion, analysis, reporting and debate on global environmental issues. Featured are original articles by scientists, journalists, environmentalists, academics, policy makers, and business people, as well as multimedia content and a daily digest of major environmental news. Funded in part by grants from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Visit the website»