For those of you using Macs, there is an interesting update to a Dashboard widget that allows you to browse the archives of well-known geophysical research journals, including those from the AGU, AMS, and EGS. JournArch now also allows you to search Google Scholar, and archived content from AGU, AMS and EGS. This widget was developed by an oceanographer at MIT, and is available for free.
The University of Maryland's Physics Education Research Group has a website dedicated to a multi-university project designed to reform physics education: Activity-Based Physics. The site includes ideas, papers, and tutorials from other educators that will help physics instructors brainstorm about creative ways to teach physics.
From the website:
Activity-Based Physics is a multi-university project to sustain and enhance current efforts to render introductory physics courses more effective and exciting at both the secondary and college level. This program represents a multi-university collaborative effort by a team of educational reformers to use the outcomes of physics education research along with flexible computer tools to promote activity-based models of physics instruction. This multifaceted program includes the refinement of existing written materials, apparatus, instructional techniques, and computer software and hardware; the creation of new instructional materials and approaches; and dissemination. The refinement and development of new instructional strategies and materials will be informed by a comprehensive program of classroom testing and educational research.
Check out the website and see some interesting new ideas.
Another open access journal has been launched: Biointerphases. Edited by Michael Grunze (University of Heidelberg), and with an editorial board including premier scientists, this will likely become another pioneer in the open access movement. Biointerphases is published by AVS.
From the journal's homepage:
The Biointerphases journal provides an interdisciplinary platform for scientific exchange among the biology, chemistry, physics, and materials sciences communities. It offers a discussion forum for rapid dissemination of scientific theories, results, and interpretations. Biointerphases serves as a global vehicle for the biomaterials interface community as well as a platform that encourages dialog between scientists and the public with respect to cogent policy issues.
Microsoft has developed some competition for Google Scholar: Windows Live Academic. Currently in beta, this service only covers physics, engineering and computer science. In my opinion, it is a better service than Google Scholar, but still does not meet the needs of those doing very comprehensive research.
However, the advantages are on target. A split screen allows the user to scroll through the results list on the left side, mouse over an interesting article, and preview that article in the right side of the screen. This prevents a lot of "linking out" of the results list. Also, there is the option to create RSS feeds for specific topics or authors, so you can be alerted when a new item comes online.
Reviews on the product are available here, here, and here.
Below, some of the explanatory text on the Windows Live Academic home page: