Snowflakes are tiny works of art, and the science of snowflake photography gives us a unique insight to that world. The man who developed snowflake photography was Wilson Alwyn Bentley, known in his later years as Snowflake Bentley. Born in 1865 in Jericho, Vermont, Bentley’s research of snow and weather patterns started as a teenager,Continue reading “Snowflake Photography”
Category Archives: Blog
Snow Engineering
Now that we have entered the snowy time in the year, we might as well embrace the snow. Although we may not see snow as a positive thing, there are many cultures that take advantage of its unique properties. The Inuit peoples of North America and Greenland use snow to create igloos, also spelled “iglu.”Continue reading “Snow Engineering”
Coast into Winter Fun
You’re almost done with the semester, and soon you’ll have time to go outside and enjoy the snow. Have you ever thought about the history of sleds? Sleds have a very long history, helping us to work and play. You may have spent your snow days gliding downhill on a plastic saucer or an innertubeContinue reading “Coast into Winter Fun”
Happy Native American Heritage Month!
November is Native American Heritage Month, so let’s celebrate some Native American Engineers. Ely S. Parker (1828–1895) – Seneca, Civil and Military Engineer Born in 1828 on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation, Ely S. Parker lived up to his Seneca name of Do-ne-ho-ga-wa, which means “Open Door.” When doors were closed to him because of hisContinue reading “Happy Native American Heritage Month!”
New Interlibrary Loan Interface Goes Live!
Have you ever used interlibrary loan? If you haven’t, now is a great time to check it out! A new interface has been launched making it even easier for you to request the items you need. First, visit the website of any University of Iowa library, this can be your branch library (like Engineering) orContinue reading “New Interlibrary Loan Interface Goes Live!”
Open Education Resources and the 5 R’s
One of the best kept secrets of education are Open Educational Resources. The University of Iowa’s adopted definition is: “Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research resources that are free of cost and access barriers, and which also carry legal permission for open use. Generally, this permission is granted by use of anContinue reading “Open Education Resources and the 5 R’s”
Open Science
In 2019, UNESCO created their Recommendation on Open Science, a set of guidelines to help encourage collaboration across national boarders, language barriers, and institutional divides. Open Science advocates for Open Access, but widens the scope to include Open Data, Research, Evaluation, Policies, and Tools. Open Science leads to more collaborative and democratic discoveries. Institutions thatContinue reading “Open Science”
Library to Help You Publish for FREE in Open Access
UI corresponding authors can now publish their journal articles Open Access and free of cost to them with 8 different publishers! The University Libraries have entered into “transformative agreements” covering the cost if you want your article to be open access. American Chemical Society(ACS): UI corresponding authors can publish open access in any ACS journals without a fee. Under thisContinue reading “Library to Help You Publish for FREE in Open Access”
ORCiD and Open Access
What is ORCID and why does it matter to Open Access? ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a personal identifier that helps to make sure that work gets attributed to the correct person. To learn more about ORCID and to get started with your own, visit ORCID @ The University of Iowa. What doesContinue reading “ORCiD and Open Access”
Celebrate Open Access Week with us!
Happy Open Access Week! What is Open Access? According to UNESCO, Open Access is “free access to information and unrestricted use of electronic resources for everyone.” The hope of Open Access is that increased access to research will lead to more collaborative projects and that the removal barriers will create a more equitable research environment.Continue reading “Celebrate Open Access Week with us!”