CIT Library Blog

"iPad 2 Lending to You" program

2012-01-04T07:41:00.000-08:00

http://www.apple.com/ipad/from-the-app-store/

Carnegie Mellon University's Engineering & Science Library will be implementing an iPad 2 check-out program during the spring 2012 semester. For the start of the pilot program, 10 iPad 2s will be loaded with 100 identical applications. Apps chosen will be for free download or for a modest purchase price.

With over 140,000 iPad apps and counting, we can use your help to select apps for our new iPad 2s! We are especially looking for apps that would benefit an engineering student.
Please offer a suggestion(s) by going to the following link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/iPad2apps

SEE: Summer Engineering Experience for Girls returns for its 5th year

2011-07-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

Our campus once again welcomes 20 local girls to participate in a two-week program that provides attendees an opportunity to explore multidisciplinary engineering activities around the theme of energy. In SEE participants will learn how engineers can make a difference in how our world is powered and how they can create alternative, environmentally-friendly sources of energy. Sponsored by ICES and CIT, the summer session this year runs from July 11 to the 22nd. If you see them on campus, say hello!

Congrats to all Buggy designers & racers...

2011-04-15T06:51:00.000-07:00

Good luck & enjoy! Photo from Women's Races Fri. April 15, 2011.
After Carnival, get help on last minute projects. Librarians available at Engineering & Science Library, Hunt Library, and Mellon Library.

CRCnetBASE Trial

2011-03-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

Carnegie Mellon University Libraries has been given a trial access to CRCnetBASE until May 13, 2011.
The CRCnetBASE trial offer includes SCI-TECHnetBASE.
This includes numerous online books on Engineering topics.
Email Donna Beck, donnab@andrew.cmu.edu, and I will email you back the login information.

Carnegie Tech Faculty Bulletins

2011-03-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our University Archives for making available digital copies of the Carnegie Tech Faculty Bulletin, 1916-1971.

See the following link:

http://diva.library.cmu.edu/webapp/faculty/

This digital collection will help those interested in researching CIT faculty & staff from this time period.
Use the "Word or Phrase" search box to try it out!

We are finding some interesting news items related to the history of the University Libraries by searching for the Word or Phrase: library.

The Posner Center Internship Program is now searching for applicants!

2010-10-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

The Posner Center Internship Program is searching for applicants! This funded internship ($3000 stipend) is is open to all CMU undergraduate and graduate students.

During the spring 2011 semester, the student will research their own topic, using books and artifacts in the Posner Memorial Collection in preparation for a summer or fall 2011 exhibit at the Posner Center. The exhibit will be promoted by the University Libraries and accessible to all Posner Center visitors, including the University’s Board of Trustees.

The application requires that students compose an essay explaining their interest or research question, suggesting possible books to use from the Posner Memorial Collection, and including a brief bio. More information can be found at: https://libwebspace.library.cmu.edu:4430/Research/posner_internship_web/index.html

All Carnegie Mellon University students are eligible to apply. The interdisciplinary collection includes titles on topics ranging from the history of science to the decorative arts. Students in all areas of study are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity for individual study and exhibition. More information about the Collection is available at: http://posner.library.cmu.edu/Posner/

Applications for the spring 2011 Posner Center Internship are due on November 29, 2010 at 5pm. Please direct questions to the Special Collections Librarian, Mary Kay Johnsen, at 268-6622 or mj0g@andrew.cmu.edu.

Hogan's Holometer: Testing the hypothesis of a holographic universe

2010-10-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

Over at Symmetry Magazine there's an amazing article on testing whether or not our universe is actually a holograph.

"In 2008, Fermilab particle astrophysicist Craig Hogan made waves with a mind-boggling proposition: The 3D universe in which we appear to live is no more than a hologram.

Now he is building the most precise clock of all time to directly measure whether our reality is an illusion.

The idea that spacetime may not be entirely smooth – like a digital image that becomes increasingly pixelated as you zoom in – had been previously proposed by Stephen Hawking and others. Possible evidence for this model appeared last year in the unaccountable “noise” plaguing the GEO600 experiment in Germany, which searches for gravitational waves from black holes. To Hogan, the jitteriness suggested that the experiment had stumbled upon the lower limit of the spacetime pixels’ resolution."

Read more by clicking the link below!
Hogan's Holometer: Testing the hypothesis of a holographic universe

Introducing Bookmyne!

2010-09-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

Bookmyne is the name of a free iPhone app that provides Cameo search & account functionality. There are three tools available via Bookmyne: 1) search, 2) holds and 3) My Account.

To use Bookmyne:

1. Go to the iPhone app store and install Bookmyne.

2. Open Bookmyne on your iPhone.

3. The iPhone GPS will find Bookmyne-compatible libraries near you.

4. Click 'nearby' at the top.

5. Click the plus sign next to Carnegie Mellon University to search its catalog.

6. Next click the tab labeled 'My' at the top. You will see Carnegie Mellon University.

7. Click Carnegie Mellon University to see information about the library such as hours and phone numbers.

8. Click 'search' at the bottom to do a keyword search in the Carnegie Mellon Libraries' catalog. (There is no advanced search)

9. To place a hold, click the dot on the left of an item to check-mark it, and then click 'Place hold' at the bottom. Several items can be marked simultaneously. Choose a pickup location and then press 'confirm' to send the hold.

10. Back in the list of results, click an item to see more details about it.

11. Click 'My account' at the bottom to see an account summary after logging in with a Carnegie Mellon ID and PIN.

For more information please check out this page.

SEE 2010 & Illumin Magazine

2010-07-15T06:55:00.001-07:00

It’s summer, so that means it’s time for SEE 2010!
SEE is Carnegie Mellow University’s Summer Engineering Experience for Girls. The aim of the program is to foster an interest in the sciences and math for teenage girls. For two weeks participants have the opportunity to learn how to think like engineers and examine the world around them as an engineer would.

While looking for websites that would be good for the girls participating in SEE 2010 we found an e-magazine called Illumin published by ~~graduate~~ undergraduate students at the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering. This magazine focuses on how everyday things work such as toilets, shoes, building materials, footballs, LEDs, and GPS. It discusses everything in a way that is very easy to understand, and it’s also very interesting. It’s definitely worth checking out, no matter what your age is or your level of experience with engineering and the sciences.

Check it out at http://illumin.usc.edu!

Upcoming

2010-07-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

We have some great additions to the library for the upcoming Fall semester, stay tuned for more information!

BP Cleanup

2010-06-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

The oil cleanup is probably going to be continuing for quite some time, but BP has posted live video feeds from each of the ROV's in use for this operation. It's definitely worth checking out.

Click here to see the ROV's in action

WHO knows how to get CMU digital theses?

2010-04-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

HOW DO I FIND ELECTRONIC COPIES OF

CARNEGIE MELLON DISSERTATIONS?

Go to Library’s home page to get to the “Articles & Databases” link.
Click on: Databases A-Z
http://search.library.cmu.edu/rooms/portal/page/22922_Databases_A_Z

Go to “P” for ProQuest Direct.

On the Basic search screen, you can type in the name of the author of the dissertation in the Author field.

For “Publication type” choose: Dissertations.

And now for the CUTEST, MOST AMAZING & ADDICTIVE + “popular to science librarians” website for spring:
Go to the live webcam in a barn owl’s nest:
http://www.sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Live_Owl_Nest_Box_Cam.html

And the live webcam of an eagle’s nest can be just as addictive::
http://www.sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Bald_Eagle_Nest_Cam_P0SF.html

If you know of any interesting live ENGINEERING webcams, we want to know about them--Send me an email: Donna Beck, Engineering Librarian or Post a comment here.

Help bring Google fiber to the 'burgh!

2010-03-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

With the recent FCC announcement to have a goal of making faster internet available to everyone in the next 10 or so years Google has announced that they're going to be one of the first contenders.

"Google is planning to build, and test ultra-high speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the country. We'll deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today with 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. We'll offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000, and potentially up to 500,000 people.
As a first step, we're putting out a Request for Information (RFI) to help identify interested communities. We welcome responses from local government, as well as members of the public.
Our goal is to experiment with new ways to help make Internet access better, and faster for everyone. Here are some specific things that we have in mind:

Next generation apps: We want to see what developers and users can do with ultra high-speeds, whether it's creating new bandwidth-intensive "killer apps" and services, or other uses we can't yet imagine.
New deployment techniques: We'll test new ways to build fiber networks; to help inform, and support deployments elsewhere, we'll share key lessons learned with the world.
Openness and choice: We'll operate an "open access" network, giving users the choice of multiple service providers. And consistent with our past advocacy, we'll manage our network in an open, non-discriminatory, and transparent way.

Like our WiFi network in Mountain View, the purpose of this project is to experiment and learn. Network providers are making real progress to expand and improve high-speed Internet access, but there's still more to be done. We don't think we have all the answers – but through our trial, we hope to make a meaningful contribution to the shared goal of delivering faster and better Internet for everyone."
via http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/overview

They're in the process of choosing cities right now, and Pittsburgh is a contender.
HOWEVER! In order for this to happen you need to voice your opinion by this Friday.

http://www.pittsburghgoesgoogle.com/

Click the link to make your voice heard!

Hack Pittsburgh

2010-03-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about Hack Pittsburgh yet?

"HackPittsburgh is a non-profit, community-based workshop that allows members to come together and share skills & tools to pursue creative projects. Our membership is open to everyone but typically comprises inventors, engineers, scientists, programmers, hobbyists, artists, roboteers, families, entrepreneurs, and arts and crafts enthusiasts. Our focus is on collaboration, education, and community outreach. We’re a benevolent group and do not promote or condone illegal activities. The term “hacking” is used in a benign sense, in the context of deconstructing and understanding objects and systems and re-purposing existing materials for new and innovative uses." (via hackpittsburgh.org)

This Friday (tomorrow, the 19th) they will be having a craft night - Make your own buttons!

They also hold other events on a regular basis, definitely worth checking out.

Click the image to go to their site.

Popular Science Archives!

2010-03-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

Popular Science magazine has recently opened up their archives for public searches. This service is free and it covers 137 years of their publications.

From their website:
"We've partnered with Google to offer our entire 137-year archive for free browsing. Each issue appears just as it did at its original time of publication, complete with period advertisements. It's an amazing resource that beautifully encapsulates our ongoing fascination with the future, and science and technology's incredible potential to improve our lives. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do."

Their full-color "magazine" style issues start at January 1920, and the ads featured are worth looking at.

As for right now it is searchable only by keywords, but in the future it will be much more in depth. Check it out when you get the chance!

Click the image to go directly to their archive.

Engineering students featured this week!

2010-02-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Congratulations, Jonathan Becker on winning our CIT Library Blog contest celebrating Engineers Week!
Congratulations to Vicki Cheng and Fei He, runners-up!

Following are their submissions:

Jonathan Becker
Electrical & Computer Engineering

I am an ECE Ph.D. student currently located at the Silicon Valley campus in the west coast. As such, I have yet to physically step foot in any of the Carnegie Mellon libraries. That's not to say that I do not use any of the library services, as part of my Ph.D. research involves finding, reading, and evaluating published conference and peer-reviewed journal papers. For my first Ph.D. project, I am designing an anti-jamming 802.11 antenna beamformer array using genetic algorithms to find optimal antenna phase and attenuation settings. For my second project, I am designing solar antennas that can convert sunlight into usable electric currents. For both projects, I not only need to read books on related subjects, but I need to read as many conference and journal papers as I can possibly find. This way, I can understand what research has already been done in my project areas, so I can implement new technologies to help solve my engineering problems. It also helps me prepare for my quals.

Now, you may ask where the CMU libraries come in all of this? Simple! Since I cannot physically visit any of the libraries in person, I login into the CMU Library’s Virtual Private Network, and I search and download online articles. I've found this to be a great service to my learning out here in the Silicon Valley. Once I'm logged in, I have a cornucopia of conference and peer-reviewed journal articles ready for me to download and read.

Vicki Cheng
Chemical Engineering

"Yesterday Once More"

I was recently reminiscing with my roommate about what it was like to grow up in the 90s, and was struck by how technologically oriented our memories were. What started out as an innocent remark about how Wikipedia was spoiling the students of this generation quickly escalated into a game of “I remember…”, in which each of us tried to outdo the other with recollections of activities from the days of yore, each of which appeared increasingly outlandish by today’s standards.
“I remember when we actually looked things up in BOOK encyclopedias at the library!”
“Yeah? Well, I remember doing research papers by going through PRINT journals and using INDEX CARDS!”
“Oh yeah? Well, I remember having to find books using the CARD CATALOG!”
At that point, both of us collapsed into a pile of hysterical giggles as we realized how far library research had come and gone over our nearly two decades of schooling. As much as we may laugh about how different library protocol was “back in the day”, the need for information has not changed over time. While I’ve found that I, along with several of my peers, are progressively moving towards online and electronic sources for our research needs, the fact remains that the CIT Library, with its wealth of resources, is as important as ever, and it will certainly be interesting to see how this infrastructure will evolve to work with students in this digital age.

Fei He
Information Networking Institute

I didn't notice this activity until I ponder for a programming design problem around E&S library's entrance. The topic reminds me how grateful I should be for the CIT library: if there's a winning prize, it should be awarded first to the CIT library itself.

Coming from a university in China, I came to CMU to study a master degree in computer science. I found myself most comfortably studying in the E&S library, as I would study in classroom in China, the pattern that most Chinese students follow as we normally don't have such a student-friendly library in China (discussion room, printers, network...you name it).

In this 2-year study at CMU, the library is the most frequent place I stayed, even more than classroom as sometimes we have to skip class to finish projects:) I searched and read books on shelf, discussed projects with teammates, and even prepared for job interviews. It serves as a cove rather than a floor, and it is its power of knowledge that leads me to job opportunity and foundations to success in future.

Although this submission might be a little late for the blog, it's the right time for me to say "thank you".

2010 Engineers Week February 14-20

2010-02-05T07:25:00.000-08:00

Attention: Engineering Students!
Be a guest blogger for Engineers Week!
Win a prize!
Submit your original ideas for the CIT Library blog:

These may include how the library has helped you, what library resources you have used, how you’ve used the library to help you learn at Carnegie Mellon, what library book you use the most & why...

Your entry should be no more than 250 words.

The winner gets a $50 cash card.
Two runners up will each receive a $25 cash card.

Submit your entry by Monday, Feb. 15.
Engineering & Science Library staff will judge the entries and announce the winners by Friday, Feb 19.

The winning entries will be posted on the blog! Happy Engineers Week!

Submit your entries to Donna Beck, Engineering Librarian- Donna Beck

Carnegie Mellon Digitizes American Journal of Science 1810-1899

2010-02-01T10:32:00.000-08:00

Carnegie Mellon has scanned the American Journal of Science from 1810 to 1899. While the American Journal of Science is now primarily concerned with Geology, the back issues of the Journal cover everything from the engineering of the gyroscope to the discovery of dinosaur bones in the continental United States. The collection is set up for both word searches and browsing. Included within the texts are beautiful hand drawn illustrations. The American Journal of Science is found in the A-Z list of databases under the Articles and Databases page of the library homepage. I have included below a particularly entertaining passage concerning the migration of caterpillars, from Vol. 9 of 1825 of the American Journal of Science.

Writing a paper? Help is a click away......

2010-01-15T08:31:00.001-08:00

Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students
http://writing.engr.psu.edu/

Penn State University provides a great web resource for all engineering and
science students with the models, exercises, and advice that it gives for
over a half dozen type of documents they will likely encounter in their
schooling and eventual professions. On the left hand side of the homepage
visitors will find "Student Resources", "Instructor Resources", and links to
the "Contributors", which include "Virginia Tech", "University of Illinois",
and "Georgia Tech". The "Introduction" on the homepage, offers the
following basics to consider when starting a paper: "Assessing the
Audience", "Selecting the Format", and "Crafting the Style". Also on the
homepage the site gives links to guidance on "Presentations",
"Correspondence", "Formal Reports", "Proposals", "Instructions", and
"Journal Articles". The "Design of Presentation Slides", under the
"Presentations" link, demonstrates the use of the assertion-evidence
structure for presentation slides, as opposed to the typical PowerPoint
template, along with many resources on the left hand side of the page that
tout the benefits of that structure. [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and
science visit Scout's sister site - AMSER, the Applied Math and Science
Educational Repository at http://amser.org.

Who's who from The Simpsons

2009-12-17T09:44:00.000-08:00

Who has time to pleasure read during the semester? Especially the one we just completed, you know--the one that went by so quickly! But, during the long break between semesters, you might have a chance to read a bestseller or two.
The book chosen for this past fall’s Science Libraries Book Discussion is a quick read: What’s Science Ever Done for Us? What The Simpsons Can Teach Us about Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe by Paul Halpern. The Engineering & Science Library has a copy on our book shelves under this number: Q162 .H3154 2007.

And, even if you don’t read the book, you can try your hand at matching the person (real or fictional) to the quote:
Quotes from the Halpern book.

Trivia: Carnegie Mellon was mentioned by name in an episode of The Simpsons. If you can't find out which one, contact your friendly research librarian!

Do you have a book suggestion for the Engineering & Science Library? Go to our home page: search.library.cmu.edu. Click on “Frequently Asked Questions” and then arrow down under “CAMEO library catalog FAQ” to find the last question, “Can I ask you to buy a book?”

Or simply send any of the Engineering Research Specialists an email with your suggestion.

Happy Holidays and have a safe and happy break!

Chemical prices

2009-11-06T06:38:00.001-08:00

This posting is geared toward Chemical Engineering students who will use ICIS Chemical Business to view historical chemical prices. The “student page” is currently still available.

To go to the direct link: historical chemical prices.
August 2006 prices are the last listed.

If you would like to log-in to ICIS chemical business in order to search ICIS articles, please email us at Science Libraries for the User Name and Password.

Like many of my librarian colleagues, I want to be able to “have an answer” for students looking for chemical pricing information. The one company that has provided this is ICIS—the replacement for Chemical Market Reporter.

Randy Reichardt, Research and Services Librarian, from the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta has been on the case to keep ICIS aware of this need. Recently, H. Stephen McMinn, Science and Technology Librarian from Iowa State University referred to Randy’s work in his SciTech Library Question post from “Re-Engineering Libraries”.

Academic OneFile

2009-10-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

Usually when we recommend databases for engineering related topics, we point to the Engineering Index: Compendex or one of the many others from the Engineering link under our Databases by Subject listing.

However, have you looked at some of our more “Interdisciplinary” or general databases when doing research on your topic?

For a list of all our databases, go to our home page and click on “Articles & Databases.” Try a search in Academic OneFile. The opening page displays these tabs: “What’s New” “Global Warming” “Stem Cell Research” and “Animal Rights”—some hot research topics. Articles under “Global Warming”are from journals such as: Journal of Power Sources, Applied Energy, Bioresource Technology, and Chemical Engineering Journal. Notice that these are technology related titles!

But, here’s an even greater reason to search Academic OneFile--the cool new feature is the audio that is now included in all the articles. Have the article read TO you! Check it out for yourself!

I recently did a search in Academic OneFile by keyword for: H1N1. Results included some recently published information on the topic, including a full-text review article from the Annals of Thoracic Medicine 4.4 (Oct-Dec 2009): “The novel influenza A (H1N1) virus pandemic: An update.”

While I am on the topic of the flu, for a “Situation Update” on H1N1, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—the CDC H1N1 flu site.

One more related source to look at. Have you seen Google Flu Trends? Google makes efforts to predict an increase in the number of seasonal flu cases before the CDC can put out their updates. Go Google!

During this flu season, even an Engineering Librarian can give out this advice: WASH your hands OFTEN!

NCBI's Bookshelf

2009-09-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

Looking for more biomedical books than what we have in our collection here at Carnegie Mellon? NCBI—National Center for Biotechnology Information provides the NCBI Bookshelf.

An example online title available via the Bookshelf is the 2nd edition of The Cell: A Molecular Approach by Geoffrey M. Cooper. (The Engineering and Science Library has the 1st edition.)

Check out NCBI's website for more classic biology and medical titles and to search the collection; as well as, to take a look at the other resources they have to offer via their powerful search engine.

Knovel University Challenge

2009-09-08T07:26:00.001-07:00

Attention all CIT students!
Take a minute next week (starting on 9/14) to answer 3 questions by participating in the Knovel University Challenge contest.
Win prizes! Help Carnegie Mellon get rewarded for 100 correct entries or more:

About the Contest

Carnegie Mellon subscribes to the Knovel database. Perhaps you will find it of research value to you! Use it as a tool to increase your productivity. Our subscription includes 1,700+ full-text handbooks and technical references.

Go to our home page: search.library.cmu.edu. Click on Articles & Databases. Then, click on Databases A-Z. Then, click on K to get to the Knovel link.

Read about how engineers have solved problems on Knovel’s “Solution Stories” page:
http://why.knovel.com/resources/solution-stories.html

Popcorn and also book discussion

2009-08-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

The ACS (American Chemical Society) just came out with this headline:
“Whole grain cereals, popcorn rich in antioxidants, not just fiber; new research concludes.”

Read the news release at EurekAlert!

By the way, Carnegie Mellon subscribes to ACS Publications.
Go to the library's home page, then click on Articles & Databases. Then click on Databases A-Z. Your last click will be on the link: ACS Publications - eJournal Collection. Enjoy browsing journals of research interest.

So, if you want to snack while you are reading, go ahead and grab that bag of popcorn or whole grain Quaker Life cereal and snack on some antioxidants.

Looking for something to read this weekend before classes start?
How about our taking a look at What’s Science Ever Done for Us? What The Simpsons Can Teach Us about Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe by Paul Halpern.

Too late to get a copy of the book? For a preview, go to Google Books

Then, I’ll see you Thursday August 27 between 4:30pm-5:30pm in the Peace Garden outside of Hunt Library. If it is raining, let’s meet inside Hunt Library near the Maggie Murph Café.

(popcorn bag clipart courtesy: http://www.clipartguide.com)

Peregrines and Library Tours

2009-08-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome incoming students!

Here’s another invitation to participate in Library tours of Hunt Library and/or the Engineering and Science Library on Friday Aug. 21. Tours will begin at 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm.

(Peregrine image courtesy: http://animal.x0.com/)

Anyone interested in a brief overview is welcome to join us.--Meet at Hunt Library in front of the reference desk or come directly to the Engineering and Science Library at the times given. We are eager to show you around.

Did you see me yesterday stopping sidewalk traffic along The Mall?
Yes, that was me, Donna Beck, your enthused Engineering Librarian escorting a group of first-years from Hunt Library to the Engineering & Science Library in Wean Hall. We were walking along past Baker/Porter Hall. As I was speaking to the students about their “Playfair” and hot, humid move-in day experiences, I heard the distinct rasping call of the peregrine falcon.
I stopped everyone and pointed up to the roof top of Porter so that we could all admire it.

Look up! Give your eyes a break from your computer screens! Peregrine falcons, as well as, red-tailed hawks are often seen on and around campus, especially on Flagstaff Hill in Schenley Park, along Frew Street. Find out more about them at the wonderful Pittsburgh blog called “Outside My Window” published by Kate St. John of her view outside WQED office window.

By the way, for those of you new to Pittsburgh, WQED Multimedia includes WQED-TV and the all-classical radio station, WQED-FM.

Wishing you the best of luck as you begin your experiences at Carnegie Mellon!

The Library and the Summer Engineering Experience for Girls

2009-07-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

A great program designed to help junior high girls learn about and explore careers in the field of Engineering is offered by our CIT College for 2 weeks each summer in July. This year it was held from July 13 through July 24. Twenty-three girls from local schools were selected to attend. Each applicant demonstrated an interest and aptitude in math and science skills and came with a eager interest in learning about different forms of energy and how engineers create alternative and environmentally-friendly sources of energy that protect the environment.

The goal of the program is to provide opportunities to learn about efficient sources of energy through classroom lecture, laboratory hands-on activities and through conducting research in an energy source of interest. At the end of the program each girl presents her research through a presentation format. The participants have the chance to work with engineers from all different areas in engineering, including chemical, civil and environmental, mechanical, and electrical and computer engineering.

The library faculty joined in the activities by presenting strategies for conducting research and in assisting the girls in packaging their research findings. It was a great adventure for CMU faculty and for the girls. Engineering is fun!

Announcing the 3rd Science Libraries Book Discussion

2009-07-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

Here’s another one to consider for your summer reading:

What's Science Ever Done For Us: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe

by Paul Halpern. You can get a copy for around six bucks thru Amazon.com. Or, if not checked out, you can borrow our Engineering & Science Library’s copy. Find it on our book shelves under this number: Q162 .H3154.

DISCUSSION date and place will be announced on this blog. I’m thinking Thursday Aug. 27 at 4:30pm. Does that give you enough time to read it? Let me know: Donna Beck, Engineering Librarian.

What are you reading this summer?

2009-07-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

Have you read this?

Better late than never—for a summary of our 2nd Science Libraries book discussion, held Feb. 19, 2009 in the Engineering & Science Library. Genetic Witness: Science, Law, and Controversy in the Making of DNA Profiling was written by Carnegie Mellon Prof. Jay D. Aronson.
Prof. Aronson graciously came to the second half of our discussion.

If you haven’t read the book yet, why not take it to the beach with you? Hunt Library has a print copy and the Engineering & Science Library has a copy on our Kindle. You can check out the Kindle for 15 days.

Test your knowledge of terms used in the book by trying out the glossary puzzle. Contact Donna Beck, Engineering Librarian for the answer key.

The book details the concerns with the use of DNA profiling since its 1987 introduction in the courtroom. DNA analysis was examined by courts to see if it had acceptance by the greater scientific community. Private labs in their defense of the new technology argued that if a problem was encountered, no results would be obtained, not wrong results.

The book has all the elements to promote discussions of the interaction between emerging technologies and their applications in our legal system.

“DNA fingerprint” as a term was purposely chosen to explain the process for the lay person’s understanding. Aronson credits defense attorneys for revealing problems in the use of DNA evidence.

“Who has the authority to effectively regulate forensic DNA analysis?” At the time of the book’s publication, the author states that, “No agreed upon method to estimate frequency of errors in DNA testing existed or exists.”
Coincidentally, the day before our book discussion—the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) came out with a report (February 18, 2009) recommending a third party—to be known as the National Institute of Forensic Science— have the responsibility of developing standards. Jay Aronson suggested to us that any methodological errors would be viewed by NAS as a “passing thing”—therefore, no one would be charged with going back to review evidence from the past that may not have been sound.

Prof. Aronson emphasized that he did not want his book to take on DNA testing as the problem, but rather the system surrounding its development, implementation, and review as a standard. When asked if he met resistance during his research, he had one person from the FBI that simply never responded to his requests. Otherwise, he received encouragement from others with whom he had interactions.

Idea for the book: developed from a discussion with Dick Lewontin, a geneticist who was involved with the Yee case. Lewontin provided all the documentation to Aronson. Because these documents were used in court, they were in a sense a “public” record. Aronson commented, though, on the “necessity of trust” that he received when reviewing such collections of documents. So far, Prof. Aronson notes that he’s had no backlash from reviewers.

Reviews:
Nature Genetics 40, 3-3 (31 December 2007) doi:10.1038/ng0108-3.
We subscribe to this journal. If you go to our library homepage at search.library.cmu.edu, you can find Nature Genetics on our
“eJournals A-Z” link.
For another review, see: American Journal of Human Genetics (“DNA Wars, Part 1”) available free from PubMed Central

Special thanks to our Engineering & Science Library’s Information Assistant, Bo Baker for taking notes during our discussion.

Flesh-eating robots!?

2009-07-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

No, really.

In less terrifying news, a Swiss lab thinks optical switches could replace transistors in a few years.

If you want to keep tabs on what's going on in the science and engineering world, here are a few sites to check out:

EurekAlert!

ScienceDaily

e! Science News

Chemical & Engineering News

CR4

Now Available: Materials Research Society Online Proceedings

2009-06-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce our new subscription to MRS Online Proceedings! The subscription to MRS Online currently provides full text access to roughly 30,000 papers from 1997 to present and by 2010 will include all proceedings past and present. Want more? MRS Online also provides full text access to MRS Bulletin from 2001 to present, presentations and tutorials from MRS meetings, and access to job classified ads. Access to MRS Online is available through our online databases.

Also remember to check out our subscription to the MRS Journal of Materials Research with online full text availability from the journal's first issue in 1986 through the most recent issue.

Happy Researching!

Engineering News Tidbits

2009-06-03T16:28:00.000-07:00

• CMU Robotics! First and foremost, CMU was named in CNET's special report, A user's guide to robotics higher ed. Colin Angle, the CEO of iRobot (maker of the Roomba), named Carnegie Mellon as one of the top three "places that we make sure we know what's going on," as far as robotics innovation goes.

• Big news in lasers and fusion! The National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California has built the world's largest laser. From this article: "The record-breaking laser is made up of 192 individual beams, each about 40 centimeters square." According to the BBC, this laser was built for three reasons, including the exploration of fusion in the context of nuclear explosions, the exploration of fusion as an energy source, and the exploration of fusion in stars. A video about how the laser works (warning, there is a short ad before the video starts) is available here.

• Making the world: In our search for interesting engineering news, we found a video showing how globes are made:

• Biomedical news! Scientific American's July issue has an article called "Yanking Pathogens Out of Blood with Magnets." You can come see it in the Engineering & Science Library's reading area or check it out online here.

The US is ranked first in engineering

2009-05-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

ScienceWatch reports that the rankings of the Top 20 Countries in Engineering, as determined by citation counts within Thompson-Reuters-indexed journals, have been released, and at present, the US is ranked number 1. In their words, the ranking lists "the top 20 countries which, as of the latest bimonthly update of Essential Science IndicatorsSM, attracted the highest total citations to their papers published in Thomson Reuters-indexed journals of Engineering over an 11-year period, (1998-December 31, 2008). These countries are of a pool of 96 countries comprising the top 50% ranked by total citation count in this field."

The full list:
1 USA
2 JAPAN
3 GERMANY
4 ENGLAND
5 PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA
6 FRANCE
7 CANADA
8 ITALY
9 TAIWAN
10 SOUTH KOREA
11 SPAIN
12 AUSTRALIA
13 NETHERLANDS
14 INDIA
15 SWITZERLAND
16 RUSSIA
17 SWEDEN
18 BELGIUM
19 SINGAPORE
20 TURKEY

News Tidbits

2009-05-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Good:

Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) has launched a free online database of 7,800 chemicals, called Common Chemistry. It is intended mostly for use by the general public, but may be of use to students and researchers at CMU, as well. Here is the press release.
NSF is spending stimulus money. From the linked story, "The ARRA funds set aside for new solicitations will be divided equally between facility updgrades and lab instrumentation purchases. NSF will invest $200 million to fund repairs and renovations to existing academic research facilities. Projects will be awarded up to $10 million each and can include research spaces such as buildings, mobile research facilities, and virtual facilities that use broadband-based technologies to bring scientists together. The other $200 million will fund the purchase and development of shared-use instruments. Up to $6 million each will go to individual projects."

The Bad:

The Global Positioning System (GPS) may deteriorate in the near future. Maybe Galileo will be here in time, or maybe not (by the way, here is an article discussing interoperability between the systems).

The Incredibly Beautiful:

We thought we'd share some Hubble photos.

Happy National Library Week!

2009-04-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

It's National Library Week at the Science Libraries--well, all over the nation, actually--and we thought we'd celebrate by making a new and different kind of display. You can't really tell from the photo, but it's a list of fun facts about the Engineering & Science Library, Mellon Institute Library, and the CMU Libraries in general.

It will be in the display case at E&S through the end of the semester, so stop by and have a look!

Got projects?

2009-03-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

First of all, happy spring break! The library will be closed this weekend, then open all week, with slightly reduced hours. We return to normal schedule on Sunday the 15th.

Second, as we all know, when spring break is over, crunch time is on! If you are working on a research project--whether it's a class paper, a publication, or a dissertation--please feel free to contact us to set up an appointment. Or if you're teaching a class and would like us to come talk to your students about subject-specific resources and research strategies, you can also set up an appointment for that; Donna is going to talk to a class about researching for Unit Operations projects after spring break, and any of our information specialists would be happy to come to your class when you need us.

News tidbits

2009-01-28T09:45:00.000-08:00

Have you heard about the Snackbot? Although it is still under development, soon--hopefully later this semester--it will soon be roaming campus, selling snacks to students. (And it's so cute!) Here are some links with more information:

Also, a resource we really like and think you should be aware of: Purdue's Online Writing Lab. They do a really fantastic job of covering citation styles and even have an area of their site dedicated to engineering and technical writing, including Writing Engineering Reports and Writing Scientific Abstracts.

If you run into any news, resources, web sites, or information you think we should know about or would like to see posted to this blog, please feel free to leave it as a comment or send an e-mail to Donna Beck. We love hearing from you!

Genetic Witness

2009-01-21T12:32:00.000-08:00

Hello, it's Coral-the-friendly-IA, and I wanted to tell you about my experience reading Jay D. Aronson's Genetic Witness: Science, Law, and Controversy in the Making of DNA Profiling on the E&S Kindle. (That's right, we have a Kindle, and our Kindle has February's book discussion book on it! Finding it in Cameo is easy: just type "kindle" into the search field, and hit either "title" or "keyword." You can also type "Genetic Witness" into the search field and hit "title" to bring up the E&S Kindle. If you look at the Kindle's record, you can see that we have seven books on there right now. If you have suggestions for others you'd like to see on there, comment here or e-mail Donna Beck.)

On the whole, I've liked it. The Kindle feels a lot like a book to hold, and E Ink really does look like print on paper--it isn't hard on the eyes like a computer screen. It is also not back-lit; plan accordingly. I like the little status bar that tells me how far in the book I am, and I like that I can read for several hours after only plugging the Kindle in for fifteen minutes--I only ever remember to charge it right before I'm leaving the house.

The two frustrating things about reading this book on the Kindle have been the page turn time--there is a noticeable pause between hitting the "next page" button and the current page disappearing--and the size of the images. For the first, I've learned to hit the button before I get to the very last line on the screen, which usually works; on the other hand, sometimes I feel like I'm rushing to finish the last line before the page turns, which is somewhat counter-productive. I should probably just be patient. As for the images, Aronson has a fair number of explanatory images and diagrams with text in them, and I haven't found a zoom feature or any way to make the images large enough that the text on them can be read. (I found the feature to make the text in the book larger or smaller--which is quite nice--but not one for images.) So, either there isn't an image zoom, or it isn't immediately obvious where it is; I think that's a shame.

Still, I would absolutely read another book on a Kindle. I like the portability (it will carry more books than I will!) and that it remembers my place when I turn it off. I like that I can make the font smaller when I'm reading in good light and larger when I'm at a poorly lit coffee shop.

What about you? Have you used a Kindle, or some other e-reader? Do you agree that it's generally a pretty good technology, or are you not a fan? Did you find an image zoom feature, because I'd really like to know about that, if it exists?

How about Genetic Witness? We're discussing it in about a month, but do you have any preliminary thoughts about it? Anything in particular you want us to make sure gets discussed? As a reminder, the information on where and when we're meeting is available here. And suggestions for future books-for-discussion can be sent to Donna Beck, or left in the comments here.

February Science Libraries Book Discussion

2008-12-17T11:17:00.001-08:00

We will be discussing Genetic Witness: Science, Law, and Controversy in the Making of DNA Profiling, by CMU's own Jay D. Aronson. We will meet at the Engineering & Science Library, Reference Collection seating area, on Thursday, February 19, 2009, from 4:30 to 5:30pm.

You can purchase the book for roughly $20, or it can be borrowed from CMU's and local libraries.

If you would like more information, or have a suggestion for our third Science Libraries Book Discussion book, please leave a comment or e-mail Donna Beck.

Holiday Hours for the E&S Library

2008-12-05T08:39:00.001-08:00

Here are our hours for the remainder of the semester and through the break:

Study & Finals
Fri., Dec. 5: 8am-midnight
Sat., Dec. 6: 9am-midnight
Sun., Dec. 7: 10am-2am
Mon-Th, Dec. 8-11: 8am-2am
Fri., Dec. 12: 8am-midnight
Sat., Dec. 13: 9am-midnight
Sun., Dec. 14: 10am-2am
Mon., Dec. 15: 8am-2am
Tu-Wed, Dec. 16-17: 8am-6pm
Thu., Dec. 18: 8am–3pm
Fri., Dec. 19: 8am-6pm

Winter Break
Sat-Sun, Dec. 20-21: CLOSED
Mon-Tu, Dec. 22-23: 8am-6pm
Wed-Sun, Dec. 24-28: CLOSED
Mon-Tu, Dec. 29-30: 8am-6pm
Wed-Th, Dec. 31-January 1: CLOSED
Fri., Jan. 2: 9am-5pm
Sat-Sun, Jan. 3-4: CLOSED
Mon-Fri, Jan. 5-9: 8am-6pm
Sat-Sun, Jan. 10-11: noon-5pm
Mon., Jan. 12: regular hours resume

The full list of hours for all of CMU's libraries is here (opens as a PDF).

Book Discussion - The Future of the Internet

2008-11-14T07:52:00.000-08:00

Donna Beck, your friendly Engineering Librarian, hosted the Science Libraries' first ever Book Discussion this Wednesday at Maggie Murph Cafe. We had a lively (and sometimes on-topic!) discussion of The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It, by Jonathan Zittrain, with student representation from Computer Science and Human-Computer Interaction.

Highlights of the discussion:

We discussed Zittrain's point about the fight between generativity and control; there's a worry that because of problems with open platforms (viruses, spamming, etc.), people will move more and more away from general-purpose computers to appliances with strict control and little opportunity for customization (examples: the iPhone, the Wii, TiVo). On the other hand, we talked about the Wii as a tethered appliance and instances of people successfully hacking the Wii controllers--including CMU's very own Johnny Lee's low-cost Wii-mote smartboard.

Privacy (p. 231) – Data is being centralized, and we can't monitor which applications are capturing which data about us. Do we just need to “get over it” in regard to invasion of our privacy? It seems to us that more and more (younger?) people are more willing to share their data. This bothers the librarians in the group, who have always been taught to keep patrons' data private.

Security - is the Internet as dispersed as we believe? Will it be easier to compromise large amounts of PCs?

Empowerment through technology - People in Tunisia are creating maps of prison locations using Google Maps so that prisoners' families can find and visit them.

Democracy and the Internet - There's concern that people won't be properly informed; they'll get the news they hand-pick for their RSS reader and only opinions they agree with, resulting in an "echo chamber" effect. As a counter example, following the recent election on Twitter gave an idea of how the "Twitterati" felt about various news items, and you couldn't filter by opinion.

Convenience vs. Security – People love Google Docs, Gmail, and other networked applications. But what would happen to your records if Google stopped offering these, or the Internet goes down? The convenience is great, but local backups are worth having.

We also have a matching game with terms from the book. If you're itching to know the answers, send an e-mail or leave a comment with your contact information!

Thanks to everyone who came out to discuss this book! If you'd like to get a head start for next time, we'll be reading Genetic Witness: Science, Law, and Controversy in the Making of DNA Profiling by Jay Aronson, a faculty member in our History department. The discussion will happen in early February.

New books!

2008-11-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

The E&S Library has several exciting new books! Here is a sample of what we have; come in and take a look, to find out what else is available. You can also find these and our other new books in Cameo.

Process Engineering Problem Solving: Avoiding "The Problem Went Away, But It Came Back" Syndrome, by Joe M Bonem

Introduction to Plastics Recycling, by Vannessa Goodship

Ultra Materials: How Materials Innovation is Changing the World, by George M Beylerian, Andrew Dent, and Bradley Quin

Environmental Microbiology, by Raina M Maier, Ian L Pepper, and Charles P Gerb

Welcome!

2008-11-11T10:50:00.000-08:00

Hello, this is Coral, your friendly Information Assistant, and I'd like to welcome you to the CIT Blog! We--the librarians and information assistants who support CIT's engineering departments--will use this blog to post items of interest to faculty and students. Posts will generally include information to help you with your research, announcements of new books and programs, and fun engineering-related links.

Also, as you may already know, the new Library website is up for early evaluation and comments. Please check it out at http://eps.library.cmu.edu, and tell us what you think!