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Sciences Library News

Category: Astronomy

Image of Darwin inside the shape of Iowa
Jan 28 2021

Iowa City Darwin Day 2021

Posted on January 28, 2021February 2, 2021 by Laurie Neuerburg

Iowa City Darwin Day celebrates the benefits of science for humanity, and all are invited to celebrate this year by attending virtual talks by prestigious scientists! All Iowa City Darwin Day events are free and open to the public.

Erich Jarvis’ talk “Evolution of Brain Pathways for Vocal Learning and Spoken Language” will be on Friday, February 12 at 12 PM CST. Erich Jarvis is a professor and head of the Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language at the Rockefeller University. He uses song-learning birds and other species as models to study the molecular and genetic mechanisms that underlie vocal learning, including how humans learn spoken language. He chairs the international Vertebrate Genomes Project which studies how species are genetically related and how unique characteristics evolve. Jarvis also collaborates on a project to generate a new human pangenome reference that will represent over 90% of genetic diversity.

Dr. Jarvis is the 2002 recipient of the National Science Foundation Alan T. Waterman Award and was awarded the Director’s Pioneer Award by the National Institutes of Health in 2008. He received the NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award in 2019

Charmaine Royal’s talk “Race, Genetics, and Health” followed by a panel discussion will be on Friday, February 19 at 4 PM CST.

Charmaine Royal is a 2020 Ida Cordelia Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor. She is Associate Professor of African & African American Studies, Biology, Global Health, and Family Medicine & Community Health at Duke University. She is also core faculty in the Duke Initiative for Science & Society, senior fellow in Kenan Institute for Ethics, and faculty in the Social Science Research Institute where she directs the Center on Genomics, Race, Identity, Difference and the Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation. Dr. Royal’s research, scholarship, and teaching focus on ethical, legal, and social issues in genetics and genomics, particularly the intersection of race and genetics and its policy implications and practical interventions.

Panelists:
UI Professor of History Mariola Espinosa
UI Visiting Professor of Law Phoebe Jean-Pierre
Dr. Brian Donovan , BSCS
Moderator: UI Associate Professor of Law Anya Prince

Race Genetics and Health. Friday February 19 4:00 PM CST

Posted in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Events, Geosciences, Math, Physics, Research DataTagged Charmaine Royal, Erich D. Jarvis, Iowa City Darwin Day
Photo of study booths and tables
Jan 25 2021

Welcome Back, Hawkeyes!

Posted on January 25, 2021January 25, 2021 by Laurie Neuerburg

You are invited to the Sciences Library for a comfortable, quiet place to study! There are computer stations, study carrels, and booths with USB and outlets for phones and computers. If you have group work to do, there are tables and large mobile monitors to use for sharing your computer screen. The Sciences Library is located between Phillips Hall and the Biology Building on Iowa Ave. The building is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5 PM for the Spring 2021 semester.  Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we have hygiene stations available with disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. A face covering is required, and yellow stickers mark off seats that are to remain unoccupied. The book stacks are open so feel free to peruse the shelves!

If you need help with your research, then you can meet with a librarian in a one-on-one research consultation to help you find books and articles that you need for a paper or project. You can search InfoHawk+ to find out what the UI Libraries has that you can use online or check out & take home, which includes print books, ebooks, newspapers, journals, and magazines (both print and online), DVDs and streaming videos. You can request that the library purchase something that we don’t have, or request to borrow something that we don’t have through Interlibrary Loan. You can access all of our ebooks, electronic journal articles, streaming videos, and online resources from off-campus by logging in with your HawkID.

You can ask librarians for help about research and using the library whenever you need it through chat, email, in-person, or by phone. Have a great semester! We’re glad to have you at the Sciences Library!

Photo of computer stations Photo of study booths and tables Photo of table and white board

Posted in Astronomy, Biology, Building info, Chemistry, Databases, Environmental Sciences, Geosciences, Math, Physics, Research Data, StaffTagged hours, research help from a sciences librarian, study spaces
Image of Andromeda galaxy
Dec 14 2020

Finals Week Stress Relief Guide

Posted on December 14, 2020December 14, 2020 by Laurie Neuerburg

When you take a break from your studying, rest and recharge with online puzzles, science coloring sheets, wildlife live cams, and museum and nature virtual tours with the Sciences Library’s Finals Week Stress Relief Guide. You can put together a puzzle of the Andromeda galaxy, The Blue Marble view of Earth, a porcupine having a snack, or a peacock displaying its feathers. The science coloring sheets include Coloring Molecular Machinery: A Tour of the Protein Data Bank, Discovering Biology Through Crystallography, and images from the Biodiversity Library. Animal live cams from Explore.org, zoos, and aquariums can transport you to the sights and sounds of an African safari, a colorful, bustling coral reef, or a soothing waterfall. Immerse yourself virtually in the Badlands, the Grand Canyon, and other National Parks, or attend an online tour of the Field Museum, the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and the British Museum. If you need a laugh, you can find Bird and Moon, xkcd, and other science comics on the Stress Relief Guide!

Image of Geologic Time xkcd comic
Image credit: xkcd.com
Posted in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Finals Week, Geosciences, Math, PhysicsTagged Finals week break, Finals week stress relief, science stress relief
Cover image of Exploring Laser Light
Oct 02 2020

AAPT Book Archive collection: one-year trial access

Posted on October 2, 2020October 19, 2020 by Laurie Neuerburg

Cover image of Exploring Laser LightThe UI Libraries has free trial access to the AAPT Book Archive collection for one year. The AAPT Book Archive collection includes 34 titles originally published in print between 1977 and 2017. In partnership with the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), AIP Publishing digitized a backlist of classic texts, making the full text available in HTML online for the first time.

Titles include Exploring Laser Light by T. Kallard, Amusement Park Physics (2nd Ed.) by Clarence Bakkenand, Making Contributions: An Historical Overview of Women’s Role in Physics.

The free trial access will end September 4, 2021. Please send any feedback about the AAPT Book Archive collection to Laurie Neuerburg.

Posted in Astronomy, Physics
Cover image of The 50 most extreme places in our solar system
Sep 18 2020

Books for 2020: unusual books for an unusual year

Posted on September 18, 2020September 18, 2020 by Laurie Neuerburg

2020 has been an unusual year, to say the least. A pandemic, murder hornets, an Iowa derecho, hurricanes, racial injustice, wildfires, and most recently a discovery on Venus that points to potential alien life. It is a lot to take in and it can be a relief to bury oneself in reading. What else could 2020 bring? Check out these unusual books chosen to match an unusual year.

Aliens

Alien universe: extraterrestrial life in our mind and in the cosmos

Confessions of an alien hunter: a scientist’s search for extraterrestrial intelligence

Exoplanets: diamond worlds, super Earths, pulsar planets, and the new search for life beyond our solar system

Out there: a scientific guide to alien life

We are not alone: why we have already found extraterrestrial life

Apocalypse

Apocalypse when?: calculating how long the human race will survive

Earth-shattering: violent supernovas, galactic explosions, biological mayhem, nuclear meltdowns, and other hazards to life in our universe

Surviving the apocalypse in the suburbs: the thrivalist’s guide to life without oil

Climate Change

The conundrum: how scientific innovation, increased efficiency, and good intentions can make our energy and climate problems worse 

Hack the planet: science’s best hope– or worst nightmare– for averting climate catastrophe

Our dying planet: an ecologist’s view of the crisis we face

Tropic of chaos: climate change and the new geography of violence

When the planet rages: natural disasters, global warming, and the future of the earth

Extreme weather

The 50 most extreme places in our solar system

Catastrophes!: earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, and other earth-shattering disasters

Extreme weather: understanding the science of hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, heat waves, snow storms, global warming and other atmospheric disturbances

Firestorm: how wildfire will shape our future

The weather of the future: heat waves, extreme storms, and other scenes from a climate-changed planet

Insects

American pests: the losing war on insects from colonial times to DDT

The American plague: the untold story of yellow fever, the epidemic that shaped our history

Big fleas have little fleas: how discoveries of invertebrate diseases are advancing modern science

The secret life of flies

Wicked bugs: the louse that conquered Napoleon’s army & other diabolical insects

Plague and disease

Ebola : the natural and human history of a deadly virus

The ghost map: the story of London’s most terrifying epidemic–and how it changed science, cities, and the modern world

Minnesota, 1918: when flu, fire, and war ravaged the state

Pandemonium : bird flu, mad cow disease, and other biological plagues of the 21st century

Flu: the story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and the search for the virus that caused it

Spillover: animal infections and the next human pandemic

Pale rider: the Spanish Flu of 1918 and how it changed the world

A planet of viruses

Racism

Bad blood: the Tuskegee syphilis experiment

Is science racist?

From Darwin to Hitler: evolutionary ethics, eugenics, and racism in Germany

The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks

Medical apartheid: the dark history of medical experimentation on Black Americans from colonial times to the present

Troublesome science: the misuse of genetics and genomics in understanding race

Bizarre

The 7 laws of magical thinking: how irrational beliefs keep us happy, healthy, and sane

13 things that don’t make sense: the most baffling scientific mysteries of our time

AsapSCIENCE: answers to the world’s weirdest questions, most persistent rumors, and unexplained phenomena

It looked good on paper: bizarre inventions, design disasters, and engineering follies

Too big to know: rethinking knowledge now that the facts aren’t the facts, experts are everywhere, and the smartest person in the room is the room

Willful ignorance: the mismeasure of uncertainty 

Cover image of book Cover image of book Cover image of book Cover image of book Cover image of book Cover image of book Cover image of The 50 most extreme places in our solar system

Posted in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Math, PhysicsTagged 2020, aliens, apocalypse, bizarre, climate change, disease, extreme weather, insects, plagues, racism
Photo of study booths and tables
Sep 10 2020

Find a comfortable place to study at the Sciences Library!

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Laurie Neuerburg

Head to the Sciences Library for a comfortable, quiet place to study! We offer a variety of study spots. There are many computer stations, study carrels and booths with USB and outlets for phones and computers, tables, and large mobile monitors to use for sharing your computer screen. This year we have new paint, new carpeting, and new rolling white boards!  

The Sciences Library is located between Phillips Hall and the Biology Building on Iowa Ave. The building is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 6 PM.  During the pandemic we have hygiene stations available with disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. A face covering is required, and yellow stickers mark off seats that are to remain unoccupied. The book stacks are closed so that we can offer more electronic book access. If you would like to pick up a book, go to the service desk on the first floor.

Our live chat service is available during the day and also from 6-9 PM on Monday through Thursday, and 1-5 PM on Sunday.

Hope to see you soon!

Photo of table and white boardPhoto of study booths and tablesPhoto of computer stations

 

Posted in Astronomy, Biology, Building info, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Geosciences, Math, PhysicsTagged study space, study spots, studying
Cover image of Making Black Scientists
Jun 12 2020

Antiracism Resources for the Sciences

Posted on June 12, 2020June 15, 2020 by Laurie Neuerburg

After #ShutDownAcademia, #ShutDownSTEM, and #Strike4BlackLives on Wednesday, June 10, 2020, there is a need to continue education and action about anti-racism. The CEO of American Association for the Advancement of Science, publisher of the journal Science, said that “When we hold up a mirror to the scientific enterprise, we see that it’s not only politicians and law enforcement that need to be reminded that Black lives matter.” A forthcoming special issue of Nature will be dedicated to exploring systemic racism in research, research policy and publishing in support of the Black lives matter movement. The sciences have not been impervious to racism, and there are resources for anti-racism education specifically for the sciences that will help all of us to create a better and more just world.Cover image of Making Black Scientists

This past year Iowa City Darwin Day recorded two workshops about teaching biology without racial prejudice that have been recorded and are freely available for streaming online. The workshops are “Playing With Fire? How We Perpetuate Biological Beliefs About Race in the Classroom and How We Can Avoid It” and “Genomics Literacy Matters: Teaching Genomics to Prevent Racial Prejudice.” Additionally, there is an article in the New York Times about the curriculum taught by the workshop leaders called “Can Biology Class Reduce Racism?” which explains the necessity for classroom education that racial differences in achievement and other disparities are not due to genetics.

In the ebook Making Black Scientists: A Call to Action, Marybeth Gasman and Thai-Huy Nguyen offer ideas to help support and advance future black scientists based on their observations of successful outcomes at historically black colleges and universities. In Sisters in Science: Conversations with Black Women Scientists about Race, Gender, and Their Passion for Science and Notable Black American Scientists, learn the about stories of black scientists to amplify their voices and to inspire those who will follow in their footsteps. To find more in InfoHawk+, search on keywords such as Black scientists, African American scientists, minorities in science, or ask a librarian for assistance (lib-sciences@uiowa.edu).

The UI Libraries Antiracism guide provides information about understanding racism, resources for antiracist allies, support resources for people of color, and resources for parents and educators. This guide and the resources within it are meant to inspire reflection, education, and action for the University of Iowa community and beyond.

Posted in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Geosciences, Math, Physics, Research Data, StaffTagged African American scientists, anti-racism, antiracism, Black lives matter, Black scientists
Sciences Library Trivia Night. Winner will receive a prize!
May 14 2020

All are invited to Sciences Library Trivia Night!

Posted on May 14, 2020June 8, 2020 by Laurie Neuerburg

All are welcome to join the Sciences Library for Trivia Night at 5 PM central on Fridays through July 10th! We will use Zoom and Kahoot, so join Zoom on your computer to see the trivia questions and use the browser on your smartphone to input your answers. We will do two rounds of questions and give away two prizes per evening. All are eligible to win the prize and the winning person in each round will receive a prize in the mail! Winner must provide name and mailing address to receive the prize. Register at https://uiowa.libwizard.com/f/uiscilibtrivia to receive the Zoom link. The Zoom link will be the same from week to week, so you only need to register one time. This is a free event and open to the public.

There will be two rounds of trivia each evening. The first round of trivia will be general questions. The second round will have a theme: animals on June 12, myths on June 19, movies on June 26, food on July 3, and fantasy on July 10.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Laurie Neuerburg in advance at 319-467-0216 or laurie-neuerburg@uiowa.edu.

Sciences Library Trivia Night

Posted in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Events, Geosciences, Math, PhysicsTagged trivia, Trivia Night
Sciences Library Trivia Night. Winner will receive a prize!
Apr 21 2020

Sciences Library Trivia Night on Fridays!

Posted on April 21, 2020April 22, 2020 by Laurie Neuerburg

Hawkeyes, join the Sciences Library for Trivia Night on Fridays, April 24th to July 10th at 5 PM! The trivia will be led by student emcees Madison and Mason. The questions will be from various subjects such as science, arts & literature, history, pop culture, and sports. We will use Zoom and Kahoot, so join Zoom on your computer to see the trivia questions and use the browser on your smartphone to input your answers. We will do two rounds of questions and give away two vacuum insulated, stainless steel water bottles per evening! The winning Hawkeye student in each round will receive a water bottle in the mail! Register at https://uiowa.libwizard.com/f/trivia to receive the Zoom link. The Zoom link will be the same from week to week, so you only need to register one time. This is a free event.

Only University of Iowa students are eligible to win the prize. Winner must provide mailing address to receive the prize. All University of Iowa students faculty and staff are invited to play!

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Laurie Neuerburg in advance at 319-467-0216 or laurie-neuerburg@uiowa.edu.Sciences Library Trivia Night Friday April 24-July 10 at 5 PM

Posted in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Events, Geosciences, Math, PhysicsTagged prize, trivia, Trivia Night
Sciences Library Trivia Night. Winner will receive a prize!
Apr 10 2020

Sciences Library Trivia Night

Posted on April 10, 2020April 13, 2020 by Laurie Neuerburg

Hawkeyes, join the Sciences Library for Trivia Night on Friday, April 17 at 5 PM! The trivia will be led by student emcees Madison and Mason. The categories will be science, arts & literature, history, pop culture, and sports. We will use Zoom and Kahoot, so join Zoom on your computer to see the trivia questions and use the browser on your smartphone to input your answers. The winning Hawkeye student will receive a vacuum insulated, stainless steel water bottle in the mail! Register at https://uiowa.libwizard.com/f/trivia to receive the Zoom link. This is a free event.

Only University of Iowa students are eligible to win the prize. Winner must provide mailing address to receive the prize. All University of Iowa students faculty and staff are invited to play!

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Laurie Neuerburg in advance at 319-467-0216 or laurie-neuerburg@uiowa.edu.

Sciences Library Trivia Night. Friday April 17 5 to 6 PM.

Posted in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Events, Geosciences, Math, PhysicsTagged prize, trivia, Trivia Night

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