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Star gazing: Nebula from the
PPARC Starlife screensaver |
Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council
DOES ANYTHING LOOK BETTER than stars on your desktop? As the UK’s strategic body for investment in cosmology and particle physics research, the PPARC is keen to promote public support of astronomy, which it does rather well with this smart website.
Popular features include the free downloadable screensavers and the image gallery, where you can find artistic impressions of recent discoveries and future missions by the European Space Agency. Developments in cosmology and details of the research grants administered by PPARC make the site useful for students and academics in the field. Much of the focus is placed upon the discovery of extra-solar planets, the 100th of which was discovered in September 2002.
If you’re after a piece of lunar rock you’ve come to the right place – PPARC offers a free loan scheme for educators.
The Royal Society
Dressed in magisterial purples, The Royal Society’s online presence is a sophisticated blend of authority and state-of-the-art web design. As one of the world’s oldest and most renowned science academies, the RS has interests in a wide range of endeavours, and the website is necessarily enormous to accommodate this array.
The Society’s policy statements and reports on contentious issues, such as genetic modification and control of infectious diseases, are perhaps of the greatest interest. Access to full documentation through the site is variable, but many of the topic areas have good links to entire reports, as well as summaries and press releases.
Since the 1950s, the RS has actively promoted science education as part of its activities. Sister websites SC1, Copus and Acclaim are also published by the Society for this purpose, and meet a similarly high standard of design – there are links from the home page of the main site.
GreenHouse Gas Online
Tony Blair and George W Bush are having brunch in an internet café. “Hey, Tone, know of any good sites on the World Wide Web?” asks Mr Bush, munching on an avocado and mozzarella panini. Mr Blair scratches his chin and thinks for a moment: “Well, yes, as a matter of fact I do, Mr President. There’s one I think you really ought to take a look at…”
Bringing together high quality news and background information, GreenHouse Gas Online is a tremendous resource for anyone interested in the science of global pollution. A monthly digest of important developments makes it easy to keep up to date, while briefing papers based on materials from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), and respected climate change expert John Haughton, introduce the science (and politics) behind our understanding of the issues.
To top it off, there don’t seem to be any bad puns on the theme of ‘hot air’ or otherwise. Perhaps there’s hope for the future of humankind (or at least the reportage of global warming) after all. |
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How to go green: Energy Projects UK |
Energy Projects UK
If you’re looking for an accessible, succinct introduction to the current state of renewables in the UK, Energy Projects ought to be your first stop. This is a really neat, modern-looking site, which exists to provide information on Local Agenda 21 schemes for implementing green energy, and it goes some distance towards countering accusations that LA21 is on the ‘flakey’ side.
Jointly sponsored by the Open University, Department for Trade and Industry and other interested parties, Energy Projects UK is written in an imaginative, lucid style and brims with enthusiasm for its subject matter. Much of the site would make an excellent resource for teachers, as it not only introduces the technologies but puts them in the context of government targets and gives examples of what has been done so far.
The site is suffused with a strongly proactive emphasis, encouraging everyone to choose renewable energy unsurprisingly, one of the site sponsors is ‘Juice’, the Greenpeace/nPower green electricity provider. Highlighting the progress that has been made, rather than the mountain yet to climb, Energy Projects might just leaving you feeling inspired and energised, in a renewable kind of way. |
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