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Sciences Library News

Category: Math

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
Picture of a robin
Apr 09 2020

National Poetry Month: Science Edition

Posted on April 9, 2020April 10, 2020 by Laurie Neuerburg

Picture of a robinNational Poetry Month: Science Edition

It’s National Poetry Month, so if you would like to explore poetry about science and take a break from the uncertainty of life living through COVID-19, then you have come to the right place. All of the poetry listed below relates to science, including biology, chemistry, earth & environmental sciences, mathematics, and physics and astronomy. If you know of science poems that we could add to our list, you are welcome to email your suggestions to lib-sciences@uiowa.edu.

  • Amy Catanzano’s “World Lines: A Quantum Supercomputer Poem” https://physics.aps.org/articles/v11/103
  • Roald Hoffmann’s “Fluorite” http://roaldhoffmann.com/sites/all/files/fluorite.pdf
  • Daniel Halpern’s “Pandemania” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/56108/pandemania
  • Miroslav Holub’s “Brief Reflection on Accuracy” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51041/brief-reflection-on-accuracy
  • Sarah Howe’s “Relativity,” for Stephen Hawking https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/10/08/on-relativity/
  • A. Van Jordan’s “The Flash Reverses Time” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52983/the-flash-reverses-time
  • James Clerk Maxwell’s “To the Chief Musician upon Nabla: A Tyndallic Ode” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45778/to-the-chief-musician-upon-nabla-a-tyndallic-ode
  • Langdon Smith’s “Poems of Evolution” https://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101072858507?urlappend=%3Bseq=5
  • Juliana Spahr’s “If You Were a Bluebird” https://granta.com/if-you-were-a-bluebird/
  • Maria Terrone’s “Madame Curie” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?volume=170&issue=2&page=13
  • Sallie Wolf’s “The Robin Makes a Laughing Sound” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/91101/the-robin-makes-a-laughing-sound

The following poems and poetry collections require HawkID authentication:

  • John Allman’s Curve away from stillness: science poems https://search.lib.uiowa.edu/permalink/f/9i2ftm/01IOWA_ALMA21304944470002771 (Hawkeyes can request a PDF of a book chapter)
  • Philip Appleman’s Darwin’s ark: poems https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b4449534 (You must log in through the University of Iowa Libraries HathiTrust Emergency Access)
  • Linda Bierds’ First hand: poems https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015060839589 (You must log in through the University of Iowa Libraries HathiTrust Emergency Access)
  • Ron Louie’s “Handwashing 0347” https://login.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/login?url=https://jamanetwork-com.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/journals/jama/fullarticle/2685991?resultClick=1 (Requires HawkID login)
  • Rick Mullin’s Sonnets from the Voyage of the Beagle https://search.lib.uiowa.edu/permalink/f/9i2ftm/01IOWA_ALMA21474189660002771 (Hawkeyes can request a PDF of a book chapter)
  • Ruth Padel’s Darwin: a life in poems https://search.lib.uiowa.edu/permalink/f/9i2ftm/01IOWA_ALMA21323792310002771 (Hawkeyes can request a PDF of a book chapter)
  • Peter Pereira’s Saying the world https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015060006569 (You must log in through the University of Iowa Libraries HathiTrust Emergency Access)
  • Jack Ridl’s Broken symmetry https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015063360237 (You must log in through the University of Iowa Libraries HathiTrust Emergency Access)

If you need help accessing these books or finding other items in the UI Libraries collection, email us (lib-sciences@uiowa.edu) any time, or live chat (www.lib.uiowa.edu/sciences/contact/) with us Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM.

Posted in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Geosciences, Math, PhysicsTagged National Poetry Month, science poems, science poetry
Image of Katherine Johnson
Feb 28 2020

Katherine Johnson’s Legacy & Oral Histories

Posted on February 28, 2020March 4, 2020 by Laurie Neuerburg
Image of Katherine Johnson
Image Credit: NASA

As recognized through the book and movie Hidden Figures, Katherine Johnson was one of the first African American women to work at NASA as a human computer. Born in 1918, she attended a two-room school in West Virginia. She excelled at school and skipped ahead several grades. She earned her bachelor’s degree in French and mathematics at West Virginia State College (now called West Virginia State University) at the age of 18. She worked as a school teacher until moving on to work at Langley Research Center. In 1961, she performed the calculations for the first U.S. human flight into space, checked the computer’s calculations for the first human orbit around the Earth, and continued her impeccable calculations through humankind’s first visit to the moon. She worked for NASA until 1986 and received many awards, including the NASA Lunar Orbiter Award, NASA Special Achievement Awards, and Mathematician of the Year.  In 2015, Johnson was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She died February 24, 2020  at 101 years old, leaving a legacy that lives on as an inspiration to future scientists.

Image of Katherine Johnson receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

 

Watch Katherine Johnson’s video oral histories:

  • The History Maker’s Oral History Interviews with Katherine Johnson (UI students, staff, and faculty only)
  • The National Visionary Leadership Project’s Oral History Archive: Katherine Johnson (Freely available online)

You can also check out Hidden Figures on DVD, watch the streaming video, read the book, and watch NASA’s supplementary videos From Hidden to Modern Figures.

Posted in Math, PhysicsTagged African American woman mathematician, human computer, Katherine G. Johnson, Katherine Johnson, NASA, oral histories, oral history, space science
Stress relief station
Dec 16 2019

Free coffee & snacks for finals week at the Sciences Library!

Posted on December 16, 2019December 16, 2019 by Laurie Neuerburg

Study at the Sciences Library during finals week to take advantage of free coffee and snacks! Coloring, Legos, and games are available if you need a study break. We have lots of seating options: bean bag chairs, study carrels, large tables, and computer stations. Best of luck on your finals, Hawkeyes!

Stress relief stationRefreshments

Posted in Astronomy, Biology, Building info, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Finals Week, Geosciences, Math, PhysicsTagged exams, Final exams, finals week, study space, studying
Chauncey wearing End Note glasses
Aug 23 2019

Welcome to the Sciences Library!

Posted on August 23, 2019 by Laurie Neuerburg

Hello, new & returning Hawkeyes!

Visit the Sciences Library this week to find a comfortable study spot, enjoy free coffee, and meet our staff! Our new exhibit showcases our staff, what they can do for you, and what they would like you to know about them! Stop by to find out who likes Quantum Darwinism, who likes photographing birds, who likes running marathons, and more! We would love to meet you and help you use the many services that the UI Libraries has to offer.

Here are 6 tips to help you get started!

  • 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. (It’s free!)
  • 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!
  • You can hang out with our mascot Chauncey the gorilla!Chauncey wearing End Note glasses

Best wishes for a great semester! Go Hawks!

Posted in Astronomy, Biology, Building info, Chemistry, Databases, Environmental Sciences, Geosciences, Math, Physics, StaffTagged Chauncey, gorilla, InfoHawk+, librarians, research help, welcome
Picture of Conrad Bendixen
Jul 31 2019

Introducing Conrad Bendixen: Sciences Reference & Instruction Librarian

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Laurie Neuerburg

Picture of Conrad BendixenThe Sciences Library is pleased to introduce Conrad Bendixen, our new Sciences Reference & Instruction Librarian! Conrad comes to us from St. Ambrose University, where he was the liaison librarian in health sciences and biology for six years. Prior to that, he worked at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and Central College in Pella. A longtime Hawkeye, Conrad’s undergraduate and graduate degrees are both from the University of Iowa, as well as his partner’s PhD! His return to campus feels like a welcome homecoming.

 

Conrad is looking forward to supporting and enhancing the work of the students and faculty in his liaison departments, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Mathematics. Conrad will be giving workshops, classroom instruction, reference help, and research consultations. He can create course materials that support information literacy and illustrate the use of library resources. Feel free to contact him at conrad-bendixen@uiowa.edu or 319-467-1395. Conrad’s office is room E237 in the Chemistry Building. Please stop by to say hello! 

Posted in Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Math, StaffTagged chemistry, classroom instruction, earth and environmental sciences, mathematics, reference help, research consultations
Sciences Library Workshops
Jun 12 2019

EndNote Workshop

Posted on June 12, 2019June 12, 2019 by Laurie Neuerburg

The Sciences Library welcomes students, staff, and faculty to an EndNote Workshop on Wednesday, July 17 at 11:30 AM in room 102 of the Sciences Library. There is no need to register in advance.

In this workshop you will learn how to use EndNote to: 

  • Collect references for articles, books, websites, and other sources using Google Scholar, InfoHawk+, and popular databases like Web of Science and Scopus;
  • Organize your references into groups and share your reference library with collaborators;
  • Use the Cite While You Write plugin for Microsoft Word to insert citations into your papers and format them into thousands of different styles.

EndNote Web is available for free to all members of the University of Iowa community. EndNote Desktop is available for free to all UI graduate students, faculty, and staff. 

If you’re interested, but unable to attend these workshops, private appointments and webinars can be arranged. If you have any questions or if you’d like to request a workshop for your class or group, please contact Laurie Neuerburg (319-467-0216 or laurie-neuerburg@uiowa.edu) for more information. 

Posted in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Events, Geosciences, Math, Physics, UncategorizedTagged citation, EndNote, workshop

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